Are you afraid of spiders? Many of us are, and when confronted with one, we’ll have one of two responses - the first is fight- to spring into action and show that spider who runs the jungle. The second is flight- to run away in fear. This human response to perceived threats is aptly named the fight-or-flight response, and is the result of an interaction between our brain and endocrine system, an interaction called the - you ready? - hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis*. For brevity’s sake, we call it the HPA axis.

You’re sweating, flushed, nauseous, and fumbling for words...is the flu coming on? No, it’s just time to talk about the “P” word: puberty. Are you worrying about how to bring up the topic with your pre-teen? It can be an awkward subject for both parents and kids, but understanding the science of what’s happening can help to put everyone at ease.

Hello, Adventurers! Today I’m answering your questions about the endocrine system—the system in your body that regulates all kinds of important functions inside of you. Your brain and other organs do this by sending out signals in the form of  hormones, which instruct parts of your body to grow, adjust temperature, process nutrients, and almost everything else that keeps you up and running. At any given time, your hormones might be telling you that you need to eat, take a nap, or put on a sweatshirt…mine are telling me to move on to your questions.

When it comes to anatomy, you’re nearly an expert on knowing yourself by now. But can you apply what you’ve learned to something a little less…human? Think like a mad scientist and help us collect as many field notes and observations about zombies compared to us humans!