SCI 100 Topic Exploration Graphic Organizer
The topic selected was A peek inside a flying bat’s brain uncovers clues to mammalian navigation. The topic discusses the nature of the navigation system of the mammalian brain through an investigation of Egyptian fruit bats. It was seen that the ability to focus on the near future rather than the present could be a key characteristic of the mammalian navigation system.
The thesis was that the bats’ “place cells” were more closely correlated with where that bat would be in the near future rather than where they were at the moment
While wirelessly tracking the bats’ brain activity in a custom flight room, the bats’ “place cells” were often more closely correlated with where the bats would be in the near future rather than where they were at the moment
When shifting the bats’ position forward in time, the neural activity correlated much more strongly with spatial position.
How much of the bat’s nature is found in humans?
Does this discovery lead to a better understanding of the nature of the hippocampus?
What are the shared components between the different animals?
Zoology periodicals
Neuroscience journals.
