It’s possible that I shall make an ass of myself. But in that case one can always get out of it with a little dialectic. I have, of course, so worded my proposition as to be right either way (K.Marx, Letter to F.Engels on the Indian Mutiny)
Friday, June 13, 2025
Growing influence of neuroscience training risks leaving the teaching profession devalued, study warns
The growing trend of encouraging educators to learn about how children’s brains work can offer reassurance, but it risks teachers’ autonomy and critical thinking, a new study warns.
Neuroscience is having a growing impact on the way teachers work. This is shown by the increasing number of professional development courses about the subject for those working in schools around the world.
The study warns this training does not always take account of the social context in which schools operate. If teachers are told biological information is more important than their pedagogical training and experience they could feel devalued, despite the possible positive influence of the training on their work.
Researchers say neuroscience can be a useful tool, but only when viewed critically and not shown as the superior or only way to teach. The courses they examined in Chile are often not regulated or inspected, and left to the rules of the market, so should be used in conjunction with the skills and socio-educational knowledge teachers have, rather than in isolation.
The study, by Daniel Leyton and Lauren Stentiford, from the University of Exeter, is published in the journal Critical Studies in Education.
Dr Leyton said: “The professional value of teachers’ other skills is equally as important and should be respected. Neuroscience training which has information about learning styles, how the brain learns, and the sort of food children should eat to increase their capacity, for example, can be a useful addition and are well intentioned but care needs to be taken to ensure the teaching profession is not left devalued, and teachers keep bringing nuanced understanding of inequalities and injustices in schools.”
The study says neuroscience training can be empowering, but its increasing use in schools risks weakening teachers’ understanding of themselves and students and parents and the historical and social contexts in which schools operate.
Researchers interviewed 19 teachers and teacher educators in Chile. Those working in schools in that country work in an environment where they are often regularly observed or set targets, which puts pressure on them to experiment with tools such as neuroscience.
They also mapped CPD courses in neuroscience available for teachers in Chile run from 2007 to 2023 and examined neuroscience information on YouTube videos, podcasts, media interviews, academic journals and books.
Through the interviews, they identified a shift towards neuroscience as a new authoritative knowledge and a change in teachers’ pedagogical language.
Dr Stentiford said: “Interviewees spoke about their motivations for pursuing CPD or postgraduate neuroeducation courses, links unfolded between acquiring neuroscientific knowledge and regaining authority through certainty. They felt undertaking training in neuroscience education had represented a path to professional legitimacy. Some were energised by neuroscience’s promise. Others criticised the marketisation of neuroscience as the source of pseudo-experts.”
Study first author Yanxin Lin, left, and senior author Misha Kwasniewski examine the structure of the chemical catechin, an important polyphenol and building block of tannins. The new tannin-measurement method breaks large, complex structures into catechin ions and other fragments to characterize the original structure.
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — In red wines, ciders and dark chocolate, just to name a few, complex plant compounds called procyanidins contribute to the taste and mouthfeel of a food or beverage — its perceived astringency and bitterness. But while food scientists have been able to assess the total content of procyanidins in a food or drink, they have not yet identified which specific procyanidins are present and correlate to specific perceptions. But now, for the first time, a team led by researchers at Penn State has developed a method of “fingerprinting” procyanidins, introducing a more sophisticated and accurate way to analyze the perceptual variation in many foods and drinks.
“Drinking red wines, sometimes that tannic element is really harsh, like dragging sandpaper across your tongue, and sometimes it is velvety or smooth — and yet those two wines can have the same absolute amount of procyanidins, also referred to as condensed tannins,” said team leader and senior author Misha Kwasniewski, associate research professor of fermented beverage science and technology in the College of Agricultural Sciences. “We wanted to understand the biological activity of taste and mouthfeel, but this goes beyond taste and mouthfeel because procyanidins also are responsible for antioxidant activity and health-related benefits, and current analytical methods often show a lack of correlation with biological activities and health-related benefits.”
According to Kwasniewski, current analytical methods only measure the total amount of procyanidins, rather than differentiate between them, so it can be difficult to determine how astringent a wine feels or how healthy a food might be. In a study published in Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, the researchers described an advanced analytical chemistry method they named Condensed Tannin Fragmentation Fingerprinting. It is based on a technique known as in-source fragmentation, in which molecules from a food or beverage sample are identified using a laboratory device called a mass spectrometer.
Greatly simplified, the process first separates compounds in the sample. Then, different voltages are applied to break the procyanidins into fragments that the researchers can match to known standards, allowing them to identify and quantify each type of procyanidin.
In the study, the researchers tested the effectiveness and accuracy of their Condensed Tannin Fragmentation Fingerprinting method on 19 complex samples containing known amounts of various condensed tannins. The method demonstrated high accuracy and precision in characterizing condensed tannins present, Kwasniewski said. Then the researchers used it to analyze eight commercially available ciders with similar results, validating the concept.
Now, Kwasniewski’s research group is working with Pennsylvania winemakers to improve the quality of their products. In cool climates like Pennsylvania, he explained, wines tend not to have “as big a mouthfeel” as wines made from grapes grown in warmer climates — they have a less intense “dry” astringency profile.
“We want to learn how winemakers here — whether it be through new breeding programs and new grape varieties, or wine-making techniques or any number of interventions — can make the type of wines that they want to make, and sometimes that will be wines that have greater amounts of astringency,” Kwasniewski said. “The current methods that were available for understanding what was going on with the tannin structure really don't work with Pennsylvania wines.”
Yanxin Lin, doctoral degree student in food science, was first author on the study. Helene Hopfer, Penn State associate professor of food science, and Qining Zhang, doctoral candidate in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Michigan, contributed to the research.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture and the Crouch Endowment for Viticulture, Enology, and Pomology Research in the College of Agricultural Sciences at Penn State supported this research.
A collection of wines being analyzed for their tannin fingerprints sits in front of one of the liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry machines used to develop the new method. These wines are part of the next research phase, which seeks to better understand the link between tannin structure and mouthfeel.
Yanxin Lin, a postdoctoral candidate in the Department of Food Science and lead author of the study, reviews data generated by the new tannin-characterization method.
For the first time, the remarkable features of Australia’s unique wildlife – from platypus, bilby, kangaroo, koala and emu to mammals gone extinct – are available for all to see, via their bones and skeletons in a new free online collection.
Using 3D imaging technology, Flinders University and partners have launched the ‘Ozboneviz’ virtual database, which goes ‘inside’ the anatomy of dozens of Australia’s most famous animals for the public, schools, researchers, artists, nature-lovers and others to access.
Described in a new article published in the journal BioScience, the new collection of more than 1600 specimens has been collated and uploaded on to the high-tech MorphoSource repository, by Flinders University Associate Professor Vera Weisbecker’s ‘Bones and Biodiversity Lab’ and colleagues around Australia.
“We are all fascinated by bones and this new database is a way to go behind the glass cases at the museum, see specimens up close and understand their special features,” says Associate Professor Weisbecker, who hopes
Ozboneviz will fuel better scientific and public appreciation of Australia’s amazing mammals around the world.
“Australia leads the world in mammal extinctions, but we are losing far more than a few fluffy rat-like critters. Our mammals have evolved in isolation for nearly 40 million years - there is simply nothing like them anywhere else.
“Victorian-era scientists deemed Australian wildlife ‘primitive’, but now we can marvel at the elongated leg bones that make the kangaroo the largest hopping animal ever, or the bizarre shovel-like arms of the marsupial mole, and chances are that you will change your mind!
“3D models of skeletons are a charismatic way to engage adults and children alike with Australia’s precious fauna, making it a key asset in science communication and school education.”
Now Australia’s largest open-access library of 3D biodiversity data, the project was funded by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage (CABAH), with support from the Australian Museum, SA and NT museums, the Australian National Wildlife Collection, and several universities.
“Our core team spent three years travelling to four Australian museums and three universities. We mostly used surface scanners to digitise ten key bones of 189 iconic Australasian species: the skull, shoulder blade, pelvis and limb bones,” explains CABAH and Flinders archaeologist Dr Erin Mein.
Jacob van Zoelen, PhD candidate at Flinders University and digitisation manager, says: “We used a structured light scanner to image the outside of most bones. But for particularly rare species, like the presumed-extinct ngudlukanta or desert rat-kangaroo, we opted for computed tomography, because it also images the internal structure of the bones at resolutions of 10-50 micrometers.”
The resulting 3D files are deposited on the MorphoSource platform, which is important for scientists because it has the same rigorous cataloguing as any physical museum. But the files are open access, with anyone able to download them for non-commercial use.
To facilitate public access, Dr Mein also built a Sketchfab site with more than 500 of the most precious and informative bones, with examples including the skull of an extinct marsupial tiger, or thylacine, the pig-footed bandicoot, desert-rat kangaroo and rare marsupial mole.
“This means the public can compare the cranium of a fox to a thylacine and dingo, for example, and compare the size and shape of limb bones of common marsupials,” adds Dr Mein. “There are also plenty of annotations to help non-specialist users learn about vertebrate anatomy and compare anatomical attributes between species.”
As well as the focus on large native mammals such as kangaroos, possums, and bandicoots, the database includes some non-native mammals that people tend to come across, like goats and sheep, as well as a selection of large birds, lizards and frogs.
The MorphoSource collection includes a number of specimens with interesting features or stories, including:
The skeleton of Billie, the Port River dolphin well known to Adelaide residents.
An Attenborough’s long-beaked Echidna (Zaglossus attenboroughi)- previously considered extinct but was reobserved in the wild around the time the specimen was scanned.
The extinct pig-footed bandicoot (Chaeropus ecaudatus), the only marsupial with something like hooves.
CT scan of two whole marsupial moles (genus Notoryctes), which is Australia’s “weirdest skeleton,” according to Associate Professor Weisbecker.
Associate Professor Weisbecker says there is no Australian precedent for open-access databases of this kind.
“Hopefully this will lead the way to an even wider use of digitisation to make Australia’s unique local biodiversity accessible to the global public.”
The article, ‘Ozboneviz: An Australian precedent in FAIR 3D imagery and extended biodiversity collections’ (2025) by Vera Weisbecker (Flinders University), Diana Fusco (Flinders), Sandy Ingleby (Australian Museum), Ariana BJ Lambrides (James Cook University), Tiina Manne (University of Queensland), Keith Maguire (South Australian Museum), Sue O’Connor (ANU), Thomas J Peachey (Australian Museum), Sofia C Samper Carro (ANU), David Stemmer (SA Museum), Jorgo Ristevski (Griffith University and Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology), Jacob D van Zoelen (Flinders), Pietro Viacava (CSIRO), Adam M Yates (Museum and Art Gallery of the NT) and Erin Mein (Flinders) has been published in Bioscience (Oxford University Press). DOI: 10.1093/biosci/biaf064. https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biaf064
Jacob van Zoelen, PhD candidate at Flinders University and digitisation manager, surface scans bones from a national collection.
Credit
Dr Erin Mein (Flinders University)
Photograph of postcranial skeletal elements of Thylacinus cynocephalus specimen MV-C5746 by Rodney Start for Museums Victoria. Copyright CC-BY 4.0 to Museums Victoria https://biocache.ala.org.au/occurrences/db4e9155-8742-4f3e-b3f5-1c88f6c52435
Credit
Rodney Start for Museums Victoria
Associate Professor Vera Weisbecker leads the ‘Bones and Biodiversity Lab’ at Flinders University and is part of the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage (CABAH).
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Data that has been lost in the weeds — or more accurately the turfgrass — could help improve estimates of carbon dioxide emissions from urban areas, according to a team led by scientists at Penn State.
As a part of a larger project to measure greenhouse gas emissions in Indianapolis, the researchers found that turfgrass lawns, like those surrounding our homes and in parks, golf courses and cemeteries, have impacts distinct from other urban vegetation, such as trees and wild grasslands. Adding turfgrass to simulations of urban ecosystems increases not only the understanding of vegetation’s role in carbon dioxide levels, but it could also improve estimates of human-caused emissions, the scientists reported in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences.
“This study has implications for guiding greenhouse gas policies and for reducing the amount of uncertainty when we’re trying to estimate anthropogenic emissions to guide those policy decisions,” said Jason Horne, a doctoral candidate in meteorology and atmospheric science at Penn State and lead author on the study. “There has been a push to better understand the processes that are going on in these areas, because it’s really complex.”
Urban greenhouse gas emissions result from humans burning fossil fuels while driving vehicles, powering factories and heating homes, but plants also play a role. Plants remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere during photosynthesis, but they also produce carbon dioxide as they respire and decompose. Teasing out the impact of vegetation is important to produce accurate estimates of emissions from human activities, the scientists said.
“And for that, we need to have a good idea of what the biology is doing,” Horne said.
The work was part of the Indianapolis Flux Experiment (INFLUX), which has built emissions estimates for the city and its surroundings using an array of measurement techniques, including towers around the city that take continuous measurements of carbon dioxide.
“INFLUX is this long-running project that is one of three greenhouse gas testing sites in the United States,” Horne said. “It offers one of the best and most abundant and diverse records from urban areas compared to just about anywhere else in the world.”
In this study, Horne analyzed data collected from eddy covariance flux towers — instruments that can measure the exchange of gases between Earth’s surface and the atmosphere. One sensor was placed over a golf course and another over a cemetery lawn.
The researchers found that existing vegetation types that are already factored into their models could not capture seasonal patterns observed in the exchange of carbon dioxide from the ground to the atmosphere at these two turfgrass-covered locations.
For example, in winter months, when air temperatures dip below freezing, the models previously predicted no photosynthesis activity. But the team’s observations showed there is still photosynthesis in grass lawns removing some carbon dioxide from the atmosphere — even at subfreezing temperatures.
“Our models were not able to capture the carbon dioxide being removed from the atmosphere by photosynthesis in the middle of winter,” Horne said. “The model showed vegetation was a net source of carbon dioxide during the middle of the day.”
Using their observations, the researchers created a unique turfgrass vegetation type in the model. Including the new turfgrass representation allowed the model to capture the photosynthetic activity in the middle of winter as observed.
“Turfgrass photosynthesis is not highly active during the winter, but it’s active enough to make a difference in the models — and that could make a difference in how we understand every emission source,” Horne said.
He explained that if the models show that vegetation is putting more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than it is removing — or acting as a source rather than a sink — then when scientists look at total emissions during that time frame, they may underestimate the impact of human-caused emissions, the scientists said.
And while the impact of photosynthesis from turfgrass in winter may be small, extrapolating that over the entire urban area means it can have a real impact, Horne said.
“Something like 20% to 30% of the surface area in Indianapolis is estimated to be turfgrass,” he said. “Even if we see a small drawdown of carbon dioxide in the middle of winter, it’s not insignificant. If you are not considering that, you may be underestimating anthropogenic emissions.”
The scientists noted differences between the two locations — the golf course’s grass is fertilized, mowed and irrigated, while the cemetery’s grass is less managed. Given the variability, they said additional studies are needed to further improve estimates of turfgrass impacts on carbon dioxide emissions.
“But it’s clear from our work that turfgrass lawns are worthy of dedicated study,” Horne said. "This could help reduce the amount of uncertainty when we're trying to estimate anthropogenic emissions to guide policy decisions.”
Also contributing from Penn State were Kenneth Davis, professor of atmospheric and climate science; Scott Richardson, research professor; Natasha Miles, research professor; and Samantha Murphy, doctoral candidate, all in the Department of Meteorology and Atmospheric Science.
Claire Jin, research assistant at Carnegie Mellon University, and Kai Wu, researcher at the Carbon Neutrality Research Center at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, also contributed.
The National Institute for Standards and Technology supported this work.
The Impact of Turfgrass on Urban Carbon Dioxide Fluxes in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
Edible, biodegradable fibers made from milk protein, cellulose
Researchers made mats from the tiny fibers as a proof-of-concept; report their work holds promise for sustainable food packaging, wound dressings, cosmetics, filtration and more
Milk protein and cellulose derived from plants can be electrospun into thin fibers for use in mats that could be used for biodegradable and edible food packaging, according to a new study by researchers at Penn State. Pictured here are variations in the composition of fibers made from different ratios of milk protein and cellulose.
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Milk protein and cellulose derived from plants may be the next big thing in sustainability, thanks to a first-of-its-kind advancement made by researchers at Penn State. Accomplished via electrospinning, which involves using a voltage to force a liquid solution into a cone shape that stretches and morphs into tiny fibers as the solution jets from an ejector, the team combined the milk protein casein with hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, a compound also known as hypromellose and derived from plant material, to create nanofibers 1,000 times thinner than a human hair. They then manipulated those fibers into mats that hold promise for a variety of products, like biodegradable — and even edible — food packaging.
“In a proof-of-concept study, we demonstrated the successful fabrication of stand-alone casein-rich electrospun mats,” said team co-leader Federico Harte professor of food science in the College of Agricultural Sciences. “Protein-based electrospun nanofibers are highly sought after for their potential use in tissue engineering, biomedical applications such as wound dressings, and emerging roles in edible packaging, offering sustainable food preservation and safety solutions.”
In the study, available online now and slated to publish in the September issue of the Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, the researchers reported that the combination of casein enriched with hypromellose was electrospinnable up to a cellulose-to-casein ratio of one to four. However, fibers with the fewest beads, which are thickened, irregular sections, and greatest surface area — making them most desirable for inclusion in mats — were spun from a solution with a cellulose-to-casein ratio of 1:12.
And, in a novel discovery, at 100% relative humidity, the fiber mats chemically reacted to moisture with ease, transforming into clear films that hold potential for food wrap, the researchers suggested.
“Casein has a long history of use as a material for both food and non-food uses,” said team co-leader Gregory Ziegler, distinguished professor of food science, explaining that the protein can enhance food textures and nutritional values, as well being used in the production of glues, paints, paper coatings, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. “This research adds to its utility by giving a new form: nanofibers.”
This study was the latest in a series of published research involving the electrospinning of casein, Harte noted. Previously, this research group assessed the electrospinning of casein alone and casein combined with carrageenan, a food additive derived from red seaweed and primarily used as a thickener, stabilizer and emulsifier in various food products. However, the mats produced in those studies contained weak and brittle nanofibers.
In this study, the researchers tested the idea of supplementing casein with hypromellose, which they hypothesized could provide strength and flexibility to the protein. They were right.
“The idea here was to create mats based on casein, which is something that hasn't been done before,” Harte said. “Our early efforts using casein alone clearly showed that we needed to improve the mechanical properties of the mats, and we eventually decided to add hypromellose because we thought that an interaction between casein and cellulose would optimize mechanical properties in these mats.”
Harte added that future research will explore novel applications for the edible casein nanofibers such as food packaging and filtration.
Deepika Sharma, postdoctoral scholar in food science, was first author on the study.
The National Dairy Council–Dairy Management Inc. funded this research.
