Science and Life

Facilitator: Brian Jones, physicsjones@gmail.com, 970-980-1378 Dates: Wednesdays, April 3 — May 1, 2024 (5 weeks) Time: 9:30 AM - 11:30 AM Texts: None Presentations: Not required Location: Foxtail 2, Senior Center Class Limit: 24

Hippos aren’t fat, and they can’t swim. A mouse can survive a fall from any height. There are salamanders one foot long that don’t have lungs or gills. There are snakes that can see in complete darkness, and dolphins that can sense your heartbeat. And the animal with the largest brain relative to its body size is a fish—a fish with an amazing superpower. In this class, we’ll talk about the laws of nature that explain how creatures live and breathe and move around, and the senses they use to understand their world.

Brian Jones taught the physics class for life science majors at Colorado State University for over 20 years, and he is the founder and former director of the Little Shop of Physics. Brian’s specialty is hands-on science instruction, so each class will feature a bunch of activities that illustrate the concepts we are discussing. You’ll get a pair of rainbow glasses, you’ll join hands to make electrical circuits, you’ll float coins on water, you’ll use a school parachute to feel the weight of the air. Come prepared to be active, to be social, and to be amazed!