Ask A Scientist Experience

My experience with ask a scientist did not go well in my opinion. In fact it never went anywhere, these are the questions I submitted. How will the oil affect the offspring genetically of wood storks living in the oily marshland? Can oil residue left behind cause cancer or other mutations in the wood storks? What types of genetic mutations will the oil spill cause for all life including humans? Can genetic disorders occur because of things ingested from the parent to the offspring during pregnancy?
Each question gained the same answer stating; “Congratulations!Your question has been submitted Successfully. We will send a confirmation via e-mail and get back to you with a response as soon as we can.”
I have not received an e-mail confirmation or response from any of my questions. Therefore, I am frustrated. Maybe my questions were not suitable for the type of assistance provided from this particular web site. As I view other responses from colleages about their topics; I noticed their questions were more generalized about genetics and I revisited the site with this question; What are genetic disorders caused by? My response finally has some action. There is still no answer to my direct question; however, these are the related type of questions.
Is it possible to cause depression, bipolar disorder, and other such mood disorders by thinking? Could people who have larger numbers of synapses firing at once—more than the average person—be overusing or using up neurotransmitters in their brains, causing the proper proportions of these chemicals to change?
In the movie Lorenzo's Oil , parents were able to stop the progression of their son's genetic illness by using a refined complex lipid from olive oil. Is it possible that the function of complex lipids is impaired in people with autism? If so, could that be linked to vaccinations?
What is the genetic mechanism of Huntington's disease? What genetic tests are available that detect predisposition to Huntington's disease?
What kind of genetic tests are available that detect predisposition to heart arrhythmia?
What is the genetic mechanism of fragile X syndrome?
If protein aggregation is the main cause of both prion diseases and Alzheimer disease, why are prion diseases transmissible and Alzheimer is not?
How do the hippocampus, glutamate, and dopamine work in the brain?

This indicates that the questions I posed were not specific enough for the scientist for certain types of disorders. This experience spiked my curiosity. It made me ask several questions and keep going back for more. It has assisted me with the knowledge that when students ask questions they do not get answers for creates frustration and interest for knowledge.
I will use this site with my students as a class and for individual lessons. I will show them how sometimes you have to search more than your original question in hopes of countering their frustration levels. I believe it will be a good tool for students to use and learn from real world scientist. It will also assist in non traditional gender stereotype issues with science and technology careers.




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