I’m a Scientist is like school science lessons meet the X Factor! School students choose which scientist gets a prize of $1000 to communicate their work.
Scientists and students talk on this website. They both break down barriers, have fun and learn. But only the students get to vote.
This zone is the Organs Zone. It has scientists studying health and disease in various parts  of our bodies. Who gets the prize? YOU decide!
In animals such as humans yawning is set off when we witness others yawning and is an example of positive feedback – hearing or seeing someone yawn triggers you to yawn.
Some theories as to why yawning is contagious relate to an unconscious desire to breathe acquired from our ancestors – (seeing someone yawn makes us want to yawn too because we must be in need of oxygen).
Several research groups have suggested that yawning when others yawn is a sign of empathy and a form of social bonding. One group showed that children with autism are don’t yawn as often or at all (Helt et al 2010).
We don’t really know but are always learning more about it. One things for sure, reading about yawning is making me feel like yawning too!
🙂
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Heres some info on yawns….
Everybody yawns — from unborn babies to the oldest great-grandparent. Animals do it, too. But why, exactly, do people and animals yawn? No one knows for sure. But there are many theories (ideas) about why people yawn.
One is that when we are bored or tired, we just don’t breathe as deeply as we usually do. As this theory goes, our bodies take in less oxygen because our breathing has slowed. Therefore, yawning helps us bring more oxygen into the blood and move more carbon dioxide out of the blood.
Yawning, then, would be an involuntary reflex (something we can’t really control) to help us control our oxygen and carbon dioxide levels. Sounds good, but other studies have shown that breathing more oxygen does not decrease yawning. Likewise, breathing more carbon dioxide does not increase yawning. Hmmm. Now what?
Another theory is that yawning stretches the lungs and lung tissue. Stretching and yawning may be a way to flex muscles and joints, increase heart rate, and feel more awake.
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Stop it!!! I’m yawning!!!!
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The answer might lie in mirror neurons. These are special types of brain cells in the front of your brain that help us to imitate other peoples actions. They help us to learn while we watch other people do things, from smiling to shooting a basketball in the hoop. The funny thing is that these neurons are active when we’re watching someone shooting a basketball but also when we shoot the basketball ourselves. It’s possible that when we see someone yawn our yawning mirror neurons become active triggering us to yawn ourselves.
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Just thinking of the word yawn can make you yawn! Seriously!
But Hannah is right in that yawning lets us get more oxygen, a good way to flex muscles and joints, increase heart rate, and feel more awake…
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