I'll admit I'm a bit skeptical about this whole "blogging" business. Is it just a journal or diary? I suppose it could be, but I believe it can be a tool for sharing relevant ideas and opinions about science. Seeing as I am requiring my students to keep and maintain a blog (sorry kiddos), I figured I should have to keep one as well. I intend to post at least once a week about a some topic in science I find interesting or controversial. For my first post I want to talk about Scooby-Doo. Yes, the cartoon with the talking dog and the Mystery Incorporated gang. What does a talking dog and a bunch of badly dressed teens have to do with science? Aside from the impossible escapes from the "monsters" and the talking dog, Scooby-Doo and the gang (minus Shaggy & Scooby) don't believe that actual monsters are responsible for any of the crimes or hauntings.
Instead they question and try to find rational observation based evidence to describe what is occurring. In my opinion, this is one of the critical aspects of all sciences; to provide observable and measurable descriptions of natural phenomena.
What do you think? Am I completely off my rocker? (likely) Or can Scooby-Doo actually help young kids realize that natural phenomena can be explained by natural means instead of the supernatural? If you're feeling nostalgic go and watch an old episode of Scooby-Doo and see how they look for clues, gather evidence, and explain the mystery as really just a natural phenomena.
If you're really into Scooby-Doo check out some of these Scooby-Doo and science links:
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