Minah Ebrahim
This article explained the significance of a sudden outburst of methane which has recently been detected on the surface of Mars. Scientists have proposed that this methane is produced by a class of microorganisms which can live without oxygen. On Saturday, NASA will be launching a rover to Mars. The rover, named Curiosity, is equipped with an instrument that can detect methane in the air, which will provide further insight regarding the source of this methane. The article also presented a brief history of past Mars missions. Mariner 4 (1965) and the two Viking landers of 1976 found no evidence of life on a seemingly barren and dull Mars. However NASA's most recent rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, have proved otherwise, producing evidence that Mars was once habitable. It is also mentioned that in 1996, fossilized microbes were found on a Martian meteorite which landed in Antarctica. The article sums up with the mention of a proposed experiment to send a DNA sequencer to Mars, though this has not been confirmed.
With Curiosity launching later this week and landing in August, people have time to wonder about the implications of any finds that might be made. Hopefully the rover will be able to provide evidence of microorganisms on Mars. If this is confirmed, certain theories regarding the origin of life on Earth will be strengthened. These theories provide that if Mars was habitable in the past, pieces of it containing microbes may have been blasted off by asteroids which later collided with Earth. It is intriguing that life on Earth may have began on a separate planet. Also, if the Obama administration chooses not to delay or cancel the anticipated 2016 and 2018 Mars missions, there will be more opportunities to find new evidence.
Though this article was well-written and interesting, it lacked in consistency. The author explained that an outburst of methane had been detected on Mars, yet did not mention what the source of this evidence was. This made the beginning of the article somewhat vague, but the tone shifted to being more thorough and convincing towards the end, when the history of Mars missions was being explained.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/23/science/space/aboard-mars-curiosity-rover-tools-to-plumb-a-methane-mystery.html?_r=1&ref=science
After reading Mina’s review of the article, “On Mars Rover, Tools to Plumb a Methane Mystery” I can say that she did a very good job at explaining the significance of the outbursts of methane on the surface of Mars. Mina also did a good job at describing the the rover, Curiosity, and many of her features such as its methane detecter. Lastly, Mina did a good job clarifying the series of dates that follow the rover’s time in space and its projected landing back in earth’s atmosphere. To many, following these dates can be confusing and it is good to have them well explained.
ReplyDeleteOne thing Mina could have included was the view points from different scientists at NASA. It would have been interesting to read about what they think about the rover and its findings of methane on Mars. Another thing Mina could have done was describe Mars’s atmosphere a little bit so that anyone can understand why finding methane on the surface is so astonishing.
One thing I found interesting about this article is how people are stating to wonder what will happen to this particular rover and other rovers still in space, if the Obama administration decides to cancel the missions. I will be curious to see what will happen to the rovers if no one is there to monitor them.
Minah thoroughly reviewed “On Mars Rover, Tools to Plumb a Methane Mystery.” She accurately depicts the information that was told in the article. Although I would agree that the original article lacks consistency with regards to information, Minah did a good job in overcoming that problem while writing her review. Her piece flowed well, and I did not feel as if it lacked any important facts. Moreover, the addition of the dates and names of the different mars missions greatly enhanced her writing. Specifically the dates put into retrospect how recent this discovery is, and when scientists plan to find out more in the future.
ReplyDeleteThere are a few parts to Minah’s piece that, if changed, would overall improve her review. Instead of writing “on Saturday,” Minah should give a date because the way she has it, it is confusing to readers who did not the review right after it was written. Furthermore, she only put one date in parentheses. Her writing is consistent, and taking that one date out of parentheses would keep the dates consistent, as well. Other than these minor errors, Minah’s review was phenomenal.
Before reading “On Mars Rover, Tools to Plumb a Methane Mystery” and Minah’s review I did not know that an outburst of methane could indicate microrganisms on Mars. I find this discovery very interesting because and would like to learn more about it.
Mina Ebrahim’s review of the article “On Mars Rover, Tools to Plumb a Methane Mystery,” expertly conveys the significance of new discoveries on the methane on mars, particularly the sudden influx of methane on the planet. The review explores the nature of this phenomenon in a visceral way that makes the finding’s significance immediately apparent to the reader. Curiosity, the rover that detected this change in atmosphere is given its due. The language used sophisticated and formal, quite in the proper style of a paper of this sort.
ReplyDeleteThe review could have included more information on the technological improvements made between the two viking landers and the Curiosity. Also, the review could have been included more direct quotations from other scientists as to their opinions on these findings.
I was very much interested by the theory that this sudden outburst of methane on Mars is due to a class of microorganisms that can live without oxygen. This is a very important development.