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Teaching activity - The dog death mystery

This level 5 resource illustrates how a collection of resources could be adapted to build students’ capability to engage with science in the context of ethical issues related to a science investigation.

A beach in Auckland.

Tags

  • AudienceKaiako
  • Curriculum Level5
  • Resource LanguageEnglish

About this resource

The resource explores how scientists gathered and examined evidence to find out which toxins were killing dogs on two Auckland beaches. The supporting activity for NZC level 5 engages ākonga in debates about ethical issues associated with methods used in a life-threatening inquiry context.

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Teaching activity: The dog death mystery

Learning focus

Students debate ethical issues associated with methods used in a life-threatening inquiry context.

Learning activity

Solving the dog death mystery

The resource explores how scientists gathered and examined evidence to find out which toxins were killing dogs on two Auckland beaches. The sequence below draws the various resource pieces together to build this overarching story:

First, a mouse bioassay process was used to isolate the toxin to a sample that was then identified as a specific species of sea slug. Next scientists measured the molecular mass of the toxin and matched it to the published register of known toxins to positively identify it as tetrodotoxin or TTX. They confirmed the presence of TTX in fresh samples of the sea slug, from these and other nearby beaches. Now they know that sea slugs can make and accumulate this toxin, only the molecular mass test will be needed to check if the sea slug is the cause of further instances of accidental poisoning. The bioassay step need not be used and hence mice will be spared.

Begin by showing students the video: Finding the dog killer. The video outlines how the trail scientists urgently solved the problem of why dogs were dying on several beaches in Auckland.

Next students could watch the video Identifying the toxin. This step is intended to reinforce students’ awareness that quite different types of evidence may need to be sequentially accumulated as scientists ask and find answers to questions that arise as they progress through their investigation. There is also an opportunity to discuss why one team might need to “outsource” some steps to different groups of scientists with different expertise.

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Scientists sometimes use controversial methods to obtain information quickly when the problem is life threatening. Clarify what is involved in using bioassays, by showing the short video clip, Mouse bioassays.

Discuss when and why scientists might use this method, especially as they are trying to reduce the number of times they do so. Why was bioassay evidence needed in this case?

Now get the students to read about the role of the National Poisons Centre.

If they click on the link to the related information about the Grey side-gilled sea slug they will see how what the scientists found out has been documented for anyone else to find, should the need arise. A discussion about this could help students appreciate how the findings from this one investigation can now contribute to society more generally.

Students could also discuss how systematic documentation of the poison, in combination with advanced techniques for chemical analysis, is helping to limit the need for further bioassays (assuming TTX proves to be the correct suspect in any future cases of accidental poisoning on beaches).

Supporting students to become scientifically literate, i.e., to participate as critical, informed, and responsible citizens in a society in which science plays a significant role is the purpose of science in NZC.

Scientifically literate citizens need to think about whether or not they consider research to be ethical and who benefits from any particular findings. Such concerns are particularly acute when benefits for some species - in this case, dogs and humans - are achieved at the expense of harm to other animals - in this case, mice. This is an emotive issue and students need to appreciate that the issues are not clear cut, and that scientists are usually aware of their ethical obligations.

What are we looking for?

Can students respond thoughtfully to the argument that some more controversial evidence gathering methods are justifiable in life threatening contexts?

Can students explain how processes for systematically registering some types of scientific findings play an important role in helping society?

The Science Learning Hub Pokapū Akoranga Pūtaiao provides this resource 1080 – A wicked problem. Exploring the use of 1080 poison in Aotearoa provides ākonga another opportunity to gather scientific evidence about a controversial solution to a problem that threatens our native wildlife.

The Science Learning Hub Pokapū Akoranga Pūtaiao has an Ethics thinking toolkit and suggestions for using it with students.

The relationship between scientific research and safety information/regulations is explored in the Assessment Resource Banks item How safe are your sunglasses?