EXPLORIT Science Center - Weekly Column

Mayflies live an average of two to three days while some species of termite queens live to nearly 30 years. Some species of shrews live less than one year while humans have lived to 120 years (and even longer!).

Why do life spans differ within and between groups of animals? What evolutionary factors favor extended longevity? Learn the answers to these and other life-long questions at “The Natural History of Longevity” lecture on Tuesday, March 21.

James Carey, professor of entomology at U. C. Davis will be presenting this lecture as part of Explorit’s Cutting Edge of Science Lecture Series. He will discuss the role of the elderly in nature, the general principles concerning the evolution of extended longevity and the ecological and social conditions that appear to favor long life.

In his lecture, Carey will attempt to place human life span into a more general framework based in part on predictions using the longevity patterns of other primates. He will also examine the possible future of human life span including the implications of recent breakthroughs in genetics and molecular biology.

As part of an international research consortium concerned with upper life span limits and patterns of mortality at advanced ages sponsored in part by the National Institute on Aging, Carey is the principal investigator of a project on fruit fly aging. He is also an adjunct faculty member at the Center for the Economics and Demography of Aging at U. C. Berkeley.

This Cutting Edge of Science lecture will be held at 7:30 p.m. at the Davis Senior Center, 646 A Street, and is sponsored by Novo Nordisk Biotech, Inc. For additional information about the lecture or any upcoming Cutting Edge of Science lecture, contact Explorit Science Center at (530) 756-0191.

If someone were to describe an activity as hands-on, what would that mean to you? You might describe playing baseball as a hands-on activity, but watching a movie not.

In either case, though, you are engaged in an experience, and you are engaged through your senses. From the sound of the bat striking the ball, to the feel of the ball in your glove, your senses are critical for participation.

Even in a movie house, a place not usually considered hands-on, you are engaged in the activity primarily through your sense of sight. Of course, that is only one sense used. What other senses contribute to your movie watching experience?

If you’re not sure, stop by Explorit and visit the current exhibition “What a Shock! The Human Nervous System” to learn more about your senses and how they interact with the world around you.

There you will have plenty of hands-on opportunities to discover aspects of your nervous system. From activities on dendrites (receivers on the nerve cell) to games where you can fool your senses, Explorit’s exhibition hall has plenty of hands-on and minds-on activities.

So hear this; follow your nose to Explorit Science Center to get a taste of hands-on activities about your senses to see just how amazing your body is.

Explorit Science Center is located at 3141 5th Street in East Davis. The current exhibition is What a Shock! The Human Nervous System. Public hours are Saturday from 11:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Sunday from 1:00 to 4:30 p.m., and Tuesday through Friday from 2:00 to 4:30 p.m. Regular admission is $3; members, teachers (with school ID) and children under 4 are free. For more information, visit Explorit’s web site at www.dcn.davis.ca.us/GO/EXPLORIT/ or call Explorit at (530) 756-0191.

Explorit Science Center Weekly Column