Music and Science: Opera and Fungi: Fast moving Spores!

This film can be used in science class when the students are studying opera in music class.  Or, perhaps the music teacher can visit the science class.  Use your imagination.  I suggest watching the video on full screen.

You can use a film such as this to develop science literacy by building vocabulary.  The following list, for example (but, encourage students to develop their own lists):

spore
fungus
projectile
opera
sphere
trail
contrail

You can use a film such as this to develop science literacy by encouraging synthesis.   Students could create either in science or in music, or, in both, or, other, areas.  Can they design experiments?  Could they make films?  Can they write an opera or a popular song?

Point of View and Science

Here is an article with a particular point of view: Let them eat Dust

Try reading it and then see if you can find facts to support the point of view specified in the article.

Do you share the same point of view found in the article, or, does your view differ? Can you find facts to support your point of view?

What is the main idea of the article?

Why does the article talk about dust? Starvation?

What does science have to do with the article?

Here are some hints: botany, agricultural science, climatology, meteorology, chemistry, virology, bacteriology, mycology...

Does science overlap with economics, politics and other areas? How?

Did you enjoy reading this article? Why or why not?

Some teacher-directed links suggested by the British Mycological Society

• Cells Worksheet from the British Mycological Society
  
• Inspiring learning for All from the Museum, Libraries and Archives Council
• Department for Children, Schools and Families
  
• 
• http://www.exploringscience.co.uk/ (I couldn't link here. You might try pasting the link into your browser, or, the cache if this link doesn't work. I'll work on it.)

For information on the British Mycological Society, click here.

'shrooms

One kingdom of organisms that not many people think of as beneficial is the Kingdom Fungi. But fungi provide many more benefits than just gourmet mushrooms. Reflect on all the benefits of organisms in the Fungal Kingdom. You might want to try cultivating mushrooms.

To get you started in the wonderful world of fungi, here is a link to the International Mycology Association <http://www.biologi.uio.no/org/ima/> Find events on their calendar.

More information can be found at this link to the Mycological Society of America http://www.msafungi.org,

Find the African Mycological Association at http://194.203.77.69/AfricanMycologicalAssociation/, and,

the British Mycological Society is located at http://www.britmycolsoc.org.uk/

and, here is a link to Fungi Perfecti (Registered trademark of PO Box 7634 • Olympia, WA 98507 • USA (US & Canada): 800 780 9126 Phone: 360 426 9292 • Fax: 360 426 9377 email: info@fungi.com.


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If you are aware of other great links on fungi and mushroom cultivation, please add them in the comments section. Feel free to post your reflections, too, by clicking comments.

Fungi offer Unique Opportunities

The Plenary Session of Botany 2008, the international botany conference currently going on in Vancouver, BC, Canada, was filled with excitement. Dr. Paul Stamets gave the talk, science highlighted with his personal flair.

The audience continued to talk about the great ideas he presented at a social event where science ideas get exchanged rapidly in a fun way. Many discussions continued long into the night, so stimulated by Dr. Stamets' presentation.

Go to his abstract or read his works, Mycelium Running, for example. You will learn about fungi that offer unique opportunities.

A problem with ants? No problem. Too many toxic wastes? No problem. Oil spill? What do human hair and fungi have to do with cleaning that up? If you aren't excited yet, you really need to read Stamets. He is giving you ways to save the world and reduce ecological disaster. It's time to step up to the plate. (And if you'd like to contribute to the cause, contact him directly. His work is soooooooo great, you might like to donate a few pennies or a few million to the the ten million dollars needed for starters...but in the meantime, you can see what is available now and you can plant a forest destined to become an old growth forest!) Imagine all your descendants walking through the forest you planted. And, oh yes, you might just find a few tips on how to make your garden grow or how to survive the bird flu pandemic.

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