- Our group was given the task of improving the nerve net Wikipedia article. While the current article gives a general idea of a nerve net’s physiology and evolution, there are areas it does not cover which we hope to expand upon.
- We plan to more effectively demonstrate the evolutionary process of nervous tissue. Whether it is through use of text or a phylogenetic tree, we want to show the gradual shift in evolution from the emergence of nervous tissue to nerve nets to cephalization. By comparing different organisms, ones with and without nerve nets, a better understanding of the nerve net can be gained. For example, we could compare anatomy of sponges (ancestors of cnidarians lacking nervous tissue), jellyfish, and a cephalized animal to show similarities and differences.
- Furthermore, creating a section of the article dedicated to how the nerve net both benefits and hinders the organism would be relevant to the page. Explaining what nerve nets allow a creature to do would give people an idea of how different their nervous system is from our own. This could also potentially show how jellyfish’s nervous makeup is inferior/superior to that of other organisms that have a brain. Another point that this could lead us to is that of the anatomical aspects of the nerve net.
- Although the article does touch upon the physiology of nerve nets, it does not give a very detailed description of their anatomy. If the anatomy was more laid out for people see, especially with the addition of an image, it would make learning the physiological aspects of nerve nets easier. Physically seeing the working parts of the nerve net would make the concept of the nerve net simpler to grasp. We will continue to develop these ideas, as well as add others, as we research nerve nets.
- We will make use of the databases on the Boston College Libraries website, including PubMed and Web of Science. We will also use Google Scholar to search for articles, as well as researching other publications pertaining to nerve nets and neuroscience. We will be dividing up the work by reading an article per person per week, and then meeting on a weekly basis to discuss what we have learned and plan for what we will need to do. We will be compiling our research using Google Docs, with each topic outlined above in a separate document, so we will always have access to all research that has been contributed by members of the group.
Nicole Carroll, Kishanraj Bhakta, Craig Parsons