
New Lesson Plan - Artful Echinoderms

Because echinoderms have a calcified skeleton, they are abundant in the fossil record.
Sea cucumbers are a tasty delicacy in some cuisines; informally named as “bêche-de-mer,” or “gamat,” they have long been used for food and folk medicine in the communities of Asia and Middle East. And some Pacific Islanders use the toxin in some species as a poison to help them catch fish. They also use the sticky parts of some species to help stem the flow of blood if someone is wounded.
Read the Shape of Life blog about echinoderms and climate change.
Read the Shape of Life blog about ocean warming and sand dollars.
What are echinoderms good for? A lot according to the Echinoblog
Read ECHINODERMS: GIVE ME FIVE An Ultimate Animal from the Shape of Life Book.
More information about echinoderms. In the left-hand column, click on the bottom link, “Ocean Animals.” Another column will appear immediately to the right. Click on echinoderms. Unfortunately there is no direct link to this page.
Nature has inspired inventions since the first humans tried to make things. Biomimicry is the practice of looking to nature to help solve design problems. Today scientists and engineers are finding inspiration from animals and plants that may surprise you.
Look carefully at these images.
They almost look real. But they are actually astounding glass marine creatures created by the father and son artists/naturalists Leopold and Rudolf Blaschka. Every time I look at one I am awe struck by the extreme detail. How could they have done this?
It’s very easy to see sea urchin fertilization, cell division and embryonic development under a microscope. Realizing that the animals could be a great teaching tool in the classroom, the sea urchin development lab at Stanford’s University’s Hopkins Marine Station, led by Dr. Dave Epel, created the “Virtual Urchin” website. The goal of this project is to provide inquiry based lessons, available on a freely-accessible, open access website.