Sea to Space | Science of Sleep Module Outline

SCS.A | How Important is Sleep?

You spend a lot of time sleeping, but what’s going on while you do? Sit back, grab some popcorn and watch our next video all about sleep!

 

SCS.B | The Anatomy of Sleep

The squishy bit between your ears is a complicated organ and a lot goes into keeping you asleep. Let’s learn about your brain and why sleep is important.

 

SCS.C | The Brain Map

Let’s take a closer look at the parts of your brain and have some fun at the same time. Here’s a fun, interactive brain map to explore!

 

SCS.D | What’s In a Good Night’s Sleep?

Not only is your brain complicated, but sleep is too; it’s much more than just closing your eyes and waking up (grumpy) in the morning.

 

SCS.E | The Stages of Sleep

Ever nod off and fall out of a chair? No? It’s probably due to the stage of sleep you’re in – come on in and we’ll find out more.

 

SCS.F | Sleep Mechanisms

Why do some people sleep and wake without an alarm while others can’t drag out of bed without an alarm every ten minutes? How does the body control our sleep patterns?

 

SCS.G | Extreme Environments

Time for a new video – what are some of the factors that affect the way you sleep? It’s not just the neighbor’s dog barking or the sun shining in till late. Let’s explore.

 

SCS.H |  Sleeping Underwater

How much sleep do you need? Is too little sleep better or worse than too much sleep? Can you even GET too much sleep?

 

SCS.I | Sleeping Off Planet

You think you’ve had a hard time sleeping on Earth? Try sleeping strapped to a wall in microgravity! Somehow that doesn’t sound like sleeping in a cloud, does it?

 

SCS.J | Lesson Quizzes, Games & Bonus Questions

Before you nod off, time to find out what you’ve learned about the science of sleep!.You guessed it – review time!

 

SCS.K |  Dive Deeper

Too excited about sleep to actually, well, SLEEP? Don’t worry – we’ve got a bundle of great resources to keep your brain busy till you can!

 



Young Scientist Spotlight:
HANNAH HERBST

10 Fun Facts: The Hab

1. Aquarius is the the world’s only permanent undersea research station.

2. Most missions last about two or three weeks.

3. Fabien Cousteau, grandson of Jacques Cousteau, beat his grandfather’s record month-long underwater expedition by spending 31 days on the Aquarius Reef Base in 2014.

4. The lab is used by NASA, the US Navy, and researchers and educators from around the globe for training and research.

5. The internet connection is better in the Hab than at many places above the water.

6. You have to swim underneath the facility in order to enter it.

7. Crew members are called aquanauts (NOT aquaNUTS!)

8. In 1994, a crew of scientists and divers had to evacuate Aquarius and climb up a rescue line to the surface in 15-foot seas after one of the habitat’s generators caught fire.

9. Aquarius was featured in the comic strip Sherman’s Lagoon in 2012.

10. The Hab was originally built in Texas.

10 Fun Facts: Coral

1. Reefs usually grow up on the east shore of land masses.

2. Parts of a coral reef can be harvested to make medications to treat cancers and other illnesses.

3. A coral reef isn’t a single organism; it’s actually a community of life that lives and thrives in one location.

4. Only about one percent of the world’s oceans contain coral reefs. That’s about the size of France.

5. Coral reefs are the largest biological structures on earth.

6. Corals are related to jellyfish and anemones.

7. There are over 2,500 species of corals. About 1,000 are the hard corals that build coral reefs.

8. Reefs grow where there are stronger wave patterns and currents to deliver food and nutrients.

9. The Great Barrier Reef is 500,000 years old.

10. Most coral reefs grow just about two centimeters per year.

10. Most coral reefs grow just about two centimeters per year.

10 Fun Facts: Invasive Species

1. To be considered invasive, a species must adapt to a new area easily. It must reproduce quickly. It must harm property, the economy, or the native plants and animals of the region.

2. Some invasive species are introduced accidentally, but others are brought deliberately.

3. Ship ballast water transports between 3,000 and 7,000 foreign species daily around the globe.

4. The total loss to the world economy as a result of invasive non-native species has been estimated at 5% of annual production

5. Invasive species have contributed to 40% of the animal extinctions that have occurred in the last 400 years.

6. Rodents are some of the worst invasive species.

7. There are an estimated 50,000 wild ring-necked parakeets in parks across London and southeast England.

8. Black and Norway rats annually consume stored grains and destroy other property valued over $19 billion.

9. Northern Pacific seastars reproduce very quickly. In one area where they were introduced, their population reached an estimated 12 million seastars in just two years.

10. Starlings were introduced to New York in the late 1800s, as part of an attempt to bring animals that were mentioned in Shakespeare‘s work to America.

Alert: Cuteness Overload!

Cutest animal in the ocean? Keep your Sea Otter. Forget the Dumbo Octopus. Axolotl? Close, but no cigar.

The winner of the Cutest Sea Animal prize is the Leaf Sheep Slug.

Yes, a slug. This tiny (5mm) animal, found near the Philippines, Indonesia, and Japan, looks like a cartoon sheep covered in bright green leaves with pinkish purple tips.

Bonus: it’s one of the only animals that can perform photosynthesis, thanks to all the algae it eats.

Beat that.