Dissecting Chicken Wings

In science class the boys in VII Merrill were tasked with dissecting their first specimen of the year—the chicken wing. When most people think of chicken wings they think of the Super Bowl and barbecue sauce, but the wings the boys were about to handle were of the raw and slimy variety. (A few “eews” could be heard when Ms. Dreux took out the poultry-filled bag.) After the boys were prepared—gloves on and goggles secured over faces—they organized into pairs and were ready to plunge in with dissection pencils, probes, and scissors. The boys examined the musculature and skeletal structures by removing the skin and muscles. They discovered fat underneath the skin, which they learned is what makes the skin greasy and difficult to hold, and that tendons connected muscles to bones. Ms. Dreux explained that the arms of many animals are very similar to the structure of the chicken wing. (Is that why everything tastes like chicken?) It was an enlightening, hands-on experience the boys won’t soon forget—thank you, Ms. Dreux.