“But how?!” I would nag my parents’ over and over again.
As a child I was always asking questions and challenging ideas. Luckily for me, curiosity makes you a good scientist. I have always wondered how the world works. In kindergarten I used to sneak frogs to school in my lunchbox (and pockets, and school bags, and even my socks) because I thought they were so cool, and I loved everyone’s reactions when I pulled them out. I would ask my teacher “but how do they change from tadpoles?!”. As I grew up, I found some less-crazy ways to fuel my curiosity.
While my early interest in science was all about animals, I learnt later that science is everywhere! It is used to make the cars we drive, it’s important in forming the beaches we swim at, it’s even important in making your favourite dinner.
Now, I’m a neuroscientist meaning science is my job! As a neuroscientist, I study the brain. Did you know that the brain uses almost 20% of all our body’s energy but is only 2% of our body weight?! We eat food to get energy, and then energy goes to our brain somehow (like magic, but it’s science). In my research, I look at how the brain uses that energy and what happens when it doesn’t get enough. I also look at what makes our brain stay healthy like eating a balanced diet and exercising.
