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Joanna Cruz

Student , The Cooper Union For The Advancement of Science and Art

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Would you rather be an information producer, propagator, or consumer?

In my Bioelectricity class this week, we talked about the propagation of electrical signals in the body. We learned that sensory cells and neurons act like information "producers." As sensory cells in the eye, ear, nose, tongue and body generate the electric signals that stimulate neurons, "information" is produced by the body! This information is then transmitted in the form of action potentials (or "spikes") along myelinated axons which act as "information propagators" as they efficiently and rapidly distribute these signals. These signals may be received by the dendrites of other neurons which act as receivers, or "consumers" of the action potentials.

Learning this material has inspired me to ask: how can biology inspire us as we disseminate "ideas worth spreading?” or as we consider our roles as information producers, information propagators, or an information consumers? How can we best help propagate worthy and novel ideas?

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Topics: Bioelectricity TEDinClass ideas worth spreading signal propagation
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    Sophie Rand 50+

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    Feb 25 2012: I don't think there is always a fine line between being an information producer, propagator or consumer. I think that we are constantly propagating information without realizing it, simply through our daily communications with other people. When we produce information, I think it's impossible to share it without also reconsuming it-- because naturally the process spreading information requires reviewing it yourself.

    Teaching, which is a form of information producing and propagating, is necessarily learning teachers must understand a subject from so many aspects to be able to effectively teach to various learning styles.

    We are all information producers due to the internet-- for example google tracks all the moves we make, and our decisions on the internet to search things or look up things is a piece of information that is used to understand what people are looking at, interested in, likely to buy, etc..

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