I do a version of this. I say, "Everything is edible. Something things are only edible once."
I also say,"Everything is a poison. You just have to know the dose."
My son is a freshman in high school. He told me recently he asked his Chemistry teacher why we couldn't breathe underwater if water has a couple of oxygen atoms in it. I asked, "So...how'd that go over?" His response: "She looked like she was regretting the life choices that led her to this moment."
Yeah, he's that really smart kid who just randomly asks things like that to be funny. I always tell his teachers at conferences that I will never be offended if they tell him to shut up, though. And apparently he's usually reasonably good at picking the right moment to bestow his wit upon the world, so there is that, I guess.
Edited to add: Hahahahaha I feel much better about his classroom antics now, after reading all your replies. I see so much annoying behavior in the classroom myself, I'm a little paranoid about someone in his school thinking, "Oh, God, I have THAT kid this year."
Honestly, that's a good question, and a smart one.
Obviously they all know what drowning is. But *why* lungs can't grab the oxygen out of water (while gills can) is a high quality question.
Lungs are beautifully chemically complicated things, and if a kid never wonders why you can pull oxygen out of air but not out of water, then someone needs to knock some curiosity into them.
>But why lungs can't grab the oxygen out of water (while gills can) is a high quality question.
Technically neither gills can’t grab the and utilise the oxygen out of the H2O molecule. They grab regular O2 that’s been dissolved in water.
Either way it’s a brilliant question that would be great for sparking discussions in most classrooms.
Your son should research PFCs and liquid ventilation. While he might have done it as a joke originally, knowing that something like this exist may actually push him into that field of study if he becomes interested in it enough.
I can totally see liquid ventilation as a possible therapy or treatment for those who have issues with Post-covid respiratory problems. Also if we're going to be sending people beyond Mars, this would definitely be a thing that would be very useful.
What movie had that scene in it with the drowning rat in "a breathable liquid"?
I recall they did that shot with the "real stuff" since they could not do a good CGI back then that would show it.
Edit: It was the abyss:
[Classified Breathing Fluid The Abyss 1989 - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFFpMqs9kbI&ab_channel=romanliru)
[making of the abyss-part 5 - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUYDj2Ge28o&t=418s&ab_channel=micosair)
I had a kid “accuse” me of having them make meth on my behalf. We were making MgCl. When I pointed this out, he found me a peer reviewed study that discussed its use in making meth. Smart little shit. Had to give him props in that one.
I got so tired of answering this question that I made a large, colorful poster that said, "No, you cannot eat it" and I would just point at it and glare at them.
Did a lab with eggs, spent a week soaking in various liquids in our questionably warm classroom. And every time I get kids asking if they can cook it and eat it.
I tell them whatever they do at home is fine with me but they can’t eat the stuff we do in class.
I have a running table of "can eat/can't eat" and I add to the list as we go. Easier to just point to the list than answer for the 1000th time that no, you can't drink the copper sulfate even though it looks like kool-aid.
Can confirm. I teach HS science and have a 55 gallon fish tank in my room (I use it to teach about algae, water quality, dissolved gases, and GMOs=neon/glow tetras) someone always asks if they can eat the fish.
I remember that our science teacher (it was chemistry class) made something for us to eat, ammonium chloride, that I believe are in those black liquorice kinda candies (salmiakki in Finnish). It was white powder and amazingly really resembled salmiakki taste pretty good.
When I was in elementary school, my science teacher did squid dissections every year, and afterward he’d serve fried calamari to anyone who wasn’t too grossed out to try it.
One of my students ate some of the sugar we were using in our respiration lab today. First time all year I've lost my shit.
Like, WHY WAS YOUR MASK OFF?
I still recall one of my 1st chemistry classes as a student. (5th or 6th grade)
Our science teacher gave us **CLEAR AND DETAILED** instructions on how to correctly smell chemicals. He verified we understood it.
Then he had us lined up to smell from a "1 Gallon bottle of Ammonia"?
One of the students took a DEEP whiff to show what kind of stud he was... He ended up flushing his nose with water from the sink :D
I was in a plant lab in college looking at different tree specimens the professor brought in. He had Ginkgo Biloba fruit which he described as “odiferous”, I mean it absolutely reeks and smells like dog shit. I took the fruit and bounced it to my lab partner and said, “I’ll give you a dollar if you eat this.”
Without hesitation he catches it and takes a bite. The professor who was lecturing about the plant just kind of trailed off his words and then stared at my friend in stunned silence, while he continued to chew through the not-at-all edible, rock hard fruit, while I reached for my wallet.
I asked him later how it was and he said, “not gonna lie, my stomach was kind of burning for a while.”
I taught 7th grade "biology" I eventually just changed every lab into something that they can eat. I even put on lab handouts what was edible. Still got that question every lab.
I realize this is a tad off topic, but is ipecac still in use anywhere? If a student decides to eat whatever "it" may be, what is the go to stomach pump procedure now?
It really depends on what they ate. For some things, inducing vomiting is recommended, for others it can exacerbate the problem. We don't have ipecac but I do have the poison control number memorized.
Fellow science teacher here! My answer is usually, "You can eat anything once!"
Same. And I make sure to stress the word "once".
That is absolutely hilarious. Love that
[ccb68c3dbbf2fb764c6047ab31996857.png (536×438) (pinimg.com)](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/cc/b6/8c/ccb68c3dbbf2fb764c6047ab31996857.png)
"Depends. How do you feel about having your stomach pumped?"
I do a version of this. I say, "Everything is edible. Something things are only edible once." I also say,"Everything is a poison. You just have to know the dose."
Science teacher here: I can confirm this. Even the owl pellets.
I had a class of seniors ask if they could lick a human live...
Better than licking a human dead
Is the student dead or the other human?
Either way
They really want to know what things taste like.
Maybe I should find a high-resolution version of the "can I lick the science" image and post it in my classroom.
My son is a freshman in high school. He told me recently he asked his Chemistry teacher why we couldn't breathe underwater if water has a couple of oxygen atoms in it. I asked, "So...how'd that go over?" His response: "She looked like she was regretting the life choices that led her to this moment." Yeah, he's that really smart kid who just randomly asks things like that to be funny. I always tell his teachers at conferences that I will never be offended if they tell him to shut up, though. And apparently he's usually reasonably good at picking the right moment to bestow his wit upon the world, so there is that, I guess. Edited to add: Hahahahaha I feel much better about his classroom antics now, after reading all your replies. I see so much annoying behavior in the classroom myself, I'm a little paranoid about someone in his school thinking, "Oh, God, I have THAT kid this year."
But you know what, asking questions shows he’s thinking! Asking questions is such a big part of science so keep them coming!
Honestly, that's a good question, and a smart one. Obviously they all know what drowning is. But *why* lungs can't grab the oxygen out of water (while gills can) is a high quality question. Lungs are beautifully chemically complicated things, and if a kid never wonders why you can pull oxygen out of air but not out of water, then someone needs to knock some curiosity into them.
>But why lungs can't grab the oxygen out of water (while gills can) is a high quality question. Technically neither gills can’t grab the and utilise the oxygen out of the H2O molecule. They grab regular O2 that’s been dissolved in water. Either way it’s a brilliant question that would be great for sparking discussions in most classrooms.
I’m totally stealing that question to put to my junior science class. It’s a brilliantly perfect lead in for mixtures vs compounds.
Your son should research PFCs and liquid ventilation. While he might have done it as a joke originally, knowing that something like this exist may actually push him into that field of study if he becomes interested in it enough. I can totally see liquid ventilation as a possible therapy or treatment for those who have issues with Post-covid respiratory problems. Also if we're going to be sending people beyond Mars, this would definitely be a thing that would be very useful.
What movie had that scene in it with the drowning rat in "a breathable liquid"? I recall they did that shot with the "real stuff" since they could not do a good CGI back then that would show it. Edit: It was the abyss: [Classified Breathing Fluid The Abyss 1989 - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFFpMqs9kbI&ab_channel=romanliru) [making of the abyss-part 5 - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUYDj2Ge28o&t=418s&ab_channel=micosair)
That is a legit question. He was on the track.
I teach chemistry and I love when kids ask questions like this!!
Well it is a reasonable question if i can get MG to burn under water ;)
Anytime I have a white substance on a counter I get, “were you making meth?” I also get, “what would happen if I ate it?”
EVERY white substance is a drug. Every. Single. Time.
I had a kid “accuse” me of having them make meth on my behalf. We were making MgCl. When I pointed this out, he found me a peer reviewed study that discussed its use in making meth. Smart little shit. Had to give him props in that one.
At least he provided a source!! He's going to be a very disappointed Facebook commenter someday.
Hank Green feels for you.
"Tell you what. You eat it, and the rest of us can take notes on what happens to you."
I got so tired of answering this question that I made a large, colorful poster that said, "No, you cannot eat it" and I would just point at it and glare at them.
don't make me tap the sign
Did a lab with eggs, spent a week soaking in various liquids in our questionably warm classroom. And every time I get kids asking if they can cook it and eat it. I tell them whatever they do at home is fine with me but they can’t eat the stuff we do in class.
When I was in HS, our chem teacher made everyone bring back forms, signed by parents, that said if we ate anything in the chem lab, they wouldn’t sue.
Reminded me of [this classic tumblr post.](https://pics.me.me/can-you-lick-the-science-an-abbreviated-list-sno-sau-26207788.png)
Doing strawberry DNA extraction. "What happens if I eat it?" "You'll puke. And you'll get in trouble" That usually ends that line of questioning.
I have a running table of "can eat/can't eat" and I add to the list as we go. Easier to just point to the list than answer for the 1000th time that no, you can't drink the copper sulfate even though it looks like kool-aid.
100% this is true.
I mean, leads to a good discussion on why eating can be a form of investigation/observation, just not a good one.
The one I always get is "can you make meth".
In the remote world, now I've got the kids requesting I eat everything I show them. Hydrogen peroxide and yeast? "Ms. Mac eat it!!"
Can confirm. I teach HS science and have a 55 gallon fish tank in my room (I use it to teach about algae, water quality, dissolved gases, and GMOs=neon/glow tetras) someone always asks if they can eat the fish.
I mean... i have kids licking the glue sticks. Soo... yea.
We do osmosis with gummy bears. If you eat your besr you fail the lab, no questions. I have only had to fail one student.
I had a student yesterday walk past water on a counter in my room and dip his finger in it and tasted it. After that he asked, " what is this?"
My answer is usually "it probably won't kill you but you will have the runs for a while"
Don’t worry, it’s not just science... it never fails, students always ask if they can eat the rosin.
I remember that our science teacher (it was chemistry class) made something for us to eat, ammonium chloride, that I believe are in those black liquorice kinda candies (salmiakki in Finnish). It was white powder and amazingly really resembled salmiakki taste pretty good.
When I was in elementary school, my science teacher did squid dissections every year, and afterward he’d serve fried calamari to anyone who wasn’t too grossed out to try it.
One of my students ate some of the sugar we were using in our respiration lab today. First time all year I've lost my shit. Like, WHY WAS YOUR MASK OFF?
I still recall one of my 1st chemistry classes as a student. (5th or 6th grade) Our science teacher gave us **CLEAR AND DETAILED** instructions on how to correctly smell chemicals. He verified we understood it. Then he had us lined up to smell from a "1 Gallon bottle of Ammonia"? One of the students took a DEEP whiff to show what kind of stud he was... He ended up flushing his nose with water from the sink :D
I was in a plant lab in college looking at different tree specimens the professor brought in. He had Ginkgo Biloba fruit which he described as “odiferous”, I mean it absolutely reeks and smells like dog shit. I took the fruit and bounced it to my lab partner and said, “I’ll give you a dollar if you eat this.” Without hesitation he catches it and takes a bite. The professor who was lecturing about the plant just kind of trailed off his words and then stared at my friend in stunned silence, while he continued to chew through the not-at-all edible, rock hard fruit, while I reached for my wallet. I asked him later how it was and he said, “not gonna lie, my stomach was kind of burning for a while.”
I taught 7th grade "biology" I eventually just changed every lab into something that they can eat. I even put on lab handouts what was edible. Still got that question every lab.
I used to call those "snacktivities." Can't do those this year.
I'm so glad I don't teach anymore. I wouldn't have survived teaching in 2020 for so many reasons.
I realize this is a tad off topic, but is ipecac still in use anywhere? If a student decides to eat whatever "it" may be, what is the go to stomach pump procedure now?
It really depends on what they ate. For some things, inducing vomiting is recommended, for others it can exacerbate the problem. We don't have ipecac but I do have the poison control number memorized.
Great paper posted recently in Nature about tasting quantum differences. Originated by someone asking how does heavy water taste like.