When a
person has an injury and loses a function, sometimes the body compensates for
this loss. For example, if a person loses the sense of sight, the other senses
compensate and become sharper. How do the cells in the brain change to make
this accommodation? If cells reproduce and create daughter cells identical to
the mother cells, then how does CDK and cyclin know to allow for the changes in
cell reproduction? Mutation occurs when CDK and cyclin are not functioning
properly. When there are accommodations made, are these changes considered
mutations as well?
A scientist responded by saying that is was a myth that being blind improves a person's hearing. People just simply rely more on other senses when another sense has been lost. When we lose a sense, we use other sense more effectively, but this is not new cells, just a better use of the ones we have.
The scientist went on to explain that cyclins are just one component of cell check points, but then the rest of the explanation was a little confusing. I was glad to actually be in communication with a real scientist, however, the language and explanation was above my understanding and comprehension. It would have been a great idea to include resources I could refer to in order to get a clearer understanding. A visual representation would have been helpful as well.
Having a student use this site gives me some trepidation. I think students would be excited to be in communication with a real scientist. This may help them feel more connected with the science field, but I hope the scientist's response is age appropriate so students will be able to fully understand the explanation provided.
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