Knowing a zombie can help you know your brain. In this interview (Lab Out Loud) with neuroscientist Dr. Steven Schlozman (photo to the left), he talks about how to use the zombie to teach about neuroanatomy and the chemistry of the brain. From the Lab Out Loud Web site:
This week we talk with Dr. Steven Schlozman, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and Lecturer in Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Schlozman talks to us about his start in teaching, his recent book “The Zombie Autopsies: Secret Notebooks from the Apocalypse” and how to use zombies to teach science.
Schlozman says that he works with students to identify characteristics of zombies, such as
- Unsteady gait
- Insatiable hunger
- Confusion
He and his classes then talk about what part of the brain might be involved. For example, the cerebellum likely causes a zombie's problems with walking.
The lively and humorous interview also includes a bit of the history of zombies, other lessons that can be provided to students when working with zombie stories, and how one could theoretically create a zombie.
To explore previous posts about zombies, click here. They are remarkably valuable creatures for teaching lessons about the brain, and about our culture.
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