Project Description

      In nature, many organisms have evolved toxins that impact other organisms in their ecosystem. For example, many mushrooms, plants, amphibians, and fish use poison to protect themselves from predation. Humans have also produced new industrial toxins that have a huge impact on both human health and the environment. In this project, I want to compare the different impacts of natural toxins and industrial toxins. To create an engaging educational resource, I created an animated video game-style story where we follow the main character who explores different toxins and learns how both toxins impact our health and environment. He learns that man-made toxins have more impact than natural toxins because we have made so much and severely polluted natural ecosystems. While some natural toxins are powerful, they have a smaller environmental impact because fewer organisms are affected. There are two versions of this learning resource, where members of the public can either watch the video or choose to action or respond throughout the reaction. After learning about these differences, I conclude that pollution seriously impacts the environment. So, this is an educational video to warn the public that we need to reduce pollution to keep our environment healthy. By combining the scientific research about pollution with my creative storytelling, I hope this information will be more accessible to people who are concerned about toxins and environmental issues.  

Instruction for video game

• Click on the audio button while playing the video game slides

• Click anywhere on the current slide to move to the next one

• There are some parts of the story that present action choices for the viewer. Click on the answer choice when the choice screen pops up to proceed to the next slide

• It automatically goes to the next slide every 10 seconds

Animation

References

• The Anthropocene is upon us: Human-made materials now outweigh Earth’s entire biomass—for the first time in our planet’s history

• Climate Change Indicators: Atmospheric Concentrations of Greenhouse Gases

• ANTHROPOCENE: HUMAN-MADE MATERIALS NOW WEIGH AS MUCH AS ALL LIVING BIOMASS, SAY SCIENTISTS

• Why synthetic chemicals seem more toxic than natural ones

• New Study Underscores Dangerous Levels of Chemical Pollution

• Fukushima water release a volatile mix of politics and science

• Fukushima: Why is Japan releasing water and is it safe?

• Where is the future of our planet?