Why do we love? It's...magic?

Trying to make good on a promise, this post is part of a series.

Why do we love?

Why not?

When I was in college I had to read a book that addressed this question titled "Why We Love: The Nature and Chemistry of Romantic Love" by Helen Fisher. It's an interesting read and attempts to explain the biological nature behind love. The author has given a couple TED Talks that you can check out on your own. Below is one of them titled "The Brain in Love."

Her basic points:

1. Romantic love is a drive.
2. Romantic love is an addiction.
3. Animals love, too. Animals are choosy, they have favorites, and they select mates - and it may not be just about "attraction." There may be elements of what we consider love.

It's interesting research and, as she points out at the end of the video, she can explain what's happening in the brain when you're in love, but it still doesn't really answer the question of "why?" The brain areas she says are more active in a person in love are the areas you would expect based on what we already know about love.

I really like what she says towards the end of her talk: "There will always be a magic to love." Science is about answering questions and sometimes scientists have trouble accepting things that are hard to answer - and maybe impossible. Someday science may answer this question and take the "magic" out. For now, I like the magic and I think that might be one of the best things about love. It's magical.

Are we alone in the universe? I'm not. My dog is sitting next to me.

Trying to make good on a promise, this post is part of a series.

Jumping around, number 8 on the list - "Are we alone in the universe?"

Such a great question. It's basically the point of space exploration. It's tempting from a human perspective (we're very into ourselves - and partial to the planet we live on) to think that the only life in the universe is on Earth. But wait! The universe is so massive....

just a sliver...

...that it's hard to believe there is no other life out there.

If you're asking for just my opinion and to answer the question: I think that we are not "alone" in the universe. Microbes can survive on meteorites and there could even be bacteria that have left this planet and could be flying through space right now. The last episode* of Cosmos had a nice segment about how life on Earth could have been "seeded" from other places. Very interesting hypothesis. For now I'll hold off on going further on that topic since it gets into another topic for another post.

Sometimes this question is meant to ask if there is intelligent life other places. When we think about being "alone" in the universe we also assume to be "un-alone" would require other intelligent life. I'm undecided as to whether I think there is "intelligent" life, but I think it's a fantastic question. If it helps, I do tend to lean towards "wow, the universe is massive!" If this topic is of interest to you and you haven't already explored the SETI(Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence) Institute, I encourage you to do so. You also might want to look into a career as an astrobiologist.**

Fire up the engines, let's go explore. (source)

My dog is starting to whine, reminding me that I'm not alone. He's sitting next to me and my wife is just a few more feet away. I hope you're not alone either...and I really hope that you don't feel alone when you are in my classroom. I better go let the dog outside. It's that or he heard me questioning the possibility of intelligent life.





*Second segment, about 10 minutes in.

**It's as cool as it sounds.

Catching up on missing work aka Mr. Early is a slacker

It's been a good while since I've blogged regularly. Having a state test to prepare for can really kill a blog. Earlier in the semester I gave you permission to give me an assignment to write about anything. I've failed at that, but like any horrible student* I'm going to try to make up for all of it at the end of the semester?**

Here's a recap of the topics requested. Some are straightforward while others are....out there. Some of these have actually been covered in class in the time that passed since you asked me to write about them, so those will be easy to cover again.

1. What did you like to do as a kid? In and out of school.

2. What inspired me to be a teacher. My story.

3. Why I like being a teacher.

4. Why do people love and why is it different between people and animals?

5. How extreme bacteria survive. Could they survive in space?

6. What is evolution? How have we changed over time and how did our world begin? How was the universe created?

7. Creationism. Can science and religion co-exist?

8. Are we alone in the universe?

9. Magic: The Gathering

10. Sasquatch

11. Will we ever make it to Alpha Centauri?

12. Co-evolution of humans and bacon.

13. Indian history (hi Reneesh)

14. Milky Way Galaxy and outer space.

15. Downton Abbey.

16. Divergent

I'm still going to try to cover as many of these as possible. Might be fun just to see how many I can do before school gets out.***

Please accept this gif as a token of my shame and regret.







*none of you would do this

**how many points is this worth?

***Is this a major or minor grade?

Animal Projects of Classes Past

Sometimes it's nice to see examples, but sometimes I hesitate showing examples because too many times students want to just use the same ideas. Considering this information is already published on the blog you might as well see it. Remember, examples should set a standard, but should not be a substitute for your own creativity!

Winning Videos

Some Organization/Logo Examples - from trailers I put together last semester.

Be creative. Be yourself. Your ideas and videos can (and hopefully will) be even better!