Guess what?! I recently listened in on a guest speaker presentation by Anusha Shankar… but through a live video call with other schools in the United States. This live presentation was possible through ExploringByTheSeat, which I think is such an awesome experience for students to learn more about the world and should be utilized by all teachers.
Anusha Shankar is an animal ecologist. She is studying how hummingbirds conserve their energy. I learned from Shankar that hummingbirds can die within 2 hours if they do not eat because they exert so much energy in a short amount of time. Hummingbirds get the most amount of energy in sugar water and nectar! What was was interesting to learn about was that hummingbirds enter a certain state called a torpor state where the birds enter a state deeper than sleep to lower their metabolism and conserve energy! The body of the hummingbirds goes cold and shuts down. In Shankar’s research in Ecuador, she was able to see the temperature of the bird with the use of infrared cameras to see energy use of hummingbirds. Hummingbirds are fascinating creatures because they can basically switch from warm-blooded to cold-blooded birds!
Shankar also did research on African grass rats to study Seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Those who are more prone to SAD are those who live farther from the equator. These people are more susceptible to this disorder because they do not receive as much light. Light plays a role in how we function and even affects our psychological conditions! Shankar was able to test SAD in rats by conducting experiments where the activity of the rats were studied when put in an environment with lights on and off. One great treatment that Shankar mentioned was having light 15 minutes a day with the help of a device. Who knew how much light made an impact on our emotions! I certainly did not realize how big of an impact light influences our emotions.
There is so much research being done about so many different things! Like Anusha Shankar, I would want to participate in differing research programs to learn about many things and know more about my own interests. I encourage you to put yourself out there and learn more about science!
Works Cited
“Anusha Shankar.” National Geographic, National Geographic Society, http://www.nationalgeographic.org/find-explorers/anusha-shankar.
Jacobs, Mary Ann. “Hummingbird In Torpor.” Project FeederWatch, Cornell University, feederwatch.org/birdspotter-2015/hummingbird-in-torpor/.
Arabella Krystienne's AP Biology Blog 
I remember when I was in third grade, the first science observation we made that until now got stuck in my mind is the scientific name drosophila melanogaster, or better known as a fruit fly. The method of observation was really simple, peel open a banana and leave it for days. We watched slowly how fruit flies accumulate in days just swarming the fruits.
You seem like fascinated with science in general, are you thinking of conducting similar experiments outside the country? That would be awesome if you could that suits your interest. I suggest doing a similar research to endangered species, so people will have a more conscious effort protecting the animals and the habitat they live in. Perhaps you can expand Anusha’s studies by also suggesting what we can do to help the animals co-exists with humans. Besides, humanity is the number cause of animal extinction, what better way to fight through education.
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Arabella, I love the visuals you chose to include in this post. Hummingbirds are incredible creatures! I found Dr. Shankar’s work fascinating and am curious to learn more about how her discoveries help scientists understand human behavior.
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