Follow Your Gut Down the Aisle, New Study Says

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/11/131128141302.htm

 

Florida State University. "Follow Your Gut Down the Aisle, New Study Says." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 28 Nov. 2013. Web. 28 Nov. 2013.

 

The article, “Follow Your Gut Down the Aisle, New Study Says,” reports that newlyweds should listen to their gut evaluation of their partners when determining whether their marriage will become blissful or miserable. Associate Professor of Psychology, James K. McNulty, and his colleagues studied 135 heterosexual couples who had been married for less than six months. Then, they observed them every six months over a four-year period. McNulty and his colleagues concluded that the emotions that were verbalized by the participants about their marriages do not relate to changes in their marital happiness over time; however, it was the automatic negative evaluations that the partners expressed during the baseline experiment that determined wedded happiness. To begin the experiment, participants were told to inform the researchers of their relationship satisfaction and the severity of their relationship issues. In addition, the researchers told the participants to describe their marriage according to 15 pairs of opposing words, which represent the conscious marriage evaluations made by partners. To receive gut-level evaluations of the marriages, a flashing photo of the individual’s spouse would appear only one-third of a second on a computer screen. Next, a positive word like "awesome" or "terrific" would appear, or a negative word like "awful" or "terrible" would appear. Then, the participants had to press a key on the keyboard to indicate whether the word was positive or negative. In order to measure the reaction time of the participants pressing the key, the researchers of the study used special software. Participants who experienced positive gut-level attitudes were great at processing positive words, and thus, horrible at processing negative words. The opposite was also true with participants who experienced negative gut-level attitudes. Spouses with negative gut feelings had difficulty processing positive words. Even though the experiments were done once during the baseline, the researchers checked in with the couples every six months and asked them to report relationship satisfaction. The researchers found that participants who showed negative automatic feelings reported marital dissatisfaction four years later. On the other hand, conscious attitudes were unrelated to changes in marital satisfaction.

This study, conducted by James K. McNulty and his colleagues, shows that people should listen more to their gut regarding their future marriage happiness. In addition, if people automatically feel that there is a problem present, then they should seek help or possibly end the relationship.

After reading about this study, I believe that much more research must be done in order to conclude whether gut-level feelings determine future wedded happiness. Furthermore, this article leaves out how gut-level responses take place. Therefore, I did some extra research and found out that the intestinal nervous system is wired directly into the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain that is in charge of the person’s thoughts and decisions, influencing and concentrating on goals. The gut feeling is due to the prefrontal cortex recognizing aspects of situations. Overall, this article was informative and interesting, but it left out important scientific details that the reader should be informed about.

Why Fish Don't Need to Be "Schooled" in Swimming

            I read the article “Why Fish Don’t Need to Be ‘Schooled’ in Swimming” by Jennifer Sargent. It discusses the results of two studies from the publication “Current Biology” on the topic of fish schooling. According to these studies, fish do not learn how to swim in schools; instead, schooling is a behavior that relies on various regions of the fish genome rather than on the influence of other fish. In one of the two new experiments, researchers observed stickleback fish, and after identifying which type was prone to schooling and which type was not, they crossbred the two types. In the end they found that sticklebacks have two genomic regions associated with schooling, one of which also relates to the specialized lateral line that allows fish to sense vibrations in the water so that they can stay in tune with their surroundings. In the second experiment, researchers crossbred surface-dwelling tetra fish with blind cave-dwelling tetra. They found that losing the ability to school and losing eyesight occurred independently of one another, providing “more evidence that schooling behavior is genetic-based and not learned.” The results of these studies have given researchers a lot of new information on the evolution and behavior of fish.

            While it may seem like this topic does not relate to humans, it actually indicates that humans tend to gather in social groups for similar genetic reasons to fish in schools. While the researchers admitted that the second study probably had very little to do with human behavior, the first study relates to human social tendencies. The results show that “complex behaviors associated with other individuals in a very rigid and organized manner can be dissected genetically.” This means that, against popular belief, human behavior may not be too complicated to understand.

            I found this article to be interesting and informative. I liked the way it was broken up into three different sections: an introduction to the topic, a description of the studies, and an analysis of why the findings are important to us. This organization made it easy to understand. It seemed to me like they left out many of the details of how the experiments were carried out, so I may have liked to have some more information. However, some details were probably just left out for the sake of keeping the article a manageable length.

Citation: Sargent, Jennifer. "Why Fish Don't Need to Be "Schooled" in Swimming: Scientific American." Scientific American, 18 Sept. 2013. Web. <http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=why-fish-dont-need-to-be-schooled-in-swimming>.

Summer Reseach Internship Opportunity

The Roswell Park Cancer Institute is offering an interesting program for high school juniors from June 23 to August 8. The program will enable the student to conduct a cancer-related research project under the mentorship of internationally known scientists.

Application deadline is Feb. 3, 2014. Apply on line.

Signs of Aging, Even in the Embryo

I read the article, “Signs of Aging, Even in the Embryo”. In 1961 biologists, Leonard Hayflick and Paul Moorehead discovered that old age is built into our cells. This discovery contradicted the previous common belief that a healthy human cell would multiply forever. This article explains a recent validation to this previous discovery. Dr. Hayflick and Dr. Moorehead reared fetal human cells and found that begging at the fetal stage, cells stop growing in the human body. Cells that stop growing this way came to be known as senescent. The article states, “Given all this research, the last place you would expect to find senescent cells would be at the very start of life. But now three teams of scientists are reporting doing just that. For the first time, they have found senescent cells in embryos, and they have offered evidence that senescence is crucial to proper development.” Essentially they discovered that for life to get off on a good start, you need a splash of old age (senescent cells). Biologists also discovered that senescent cells are important to life for other reasons. They found that, “Besides stopping their growth, scientists found, senescent cells also secrete a cocktail of chemicals. The chemicals they release can create chronic inflammation. They also attract certain immune cells, which seek out the senescent cells and kill them.” This behavior is good for our health because it keeps cells from becoming cancerous by stopping the cells from uncontrollable division. Moreover, the biologists found that senescent cells are crucial for embryonic development because the chemicals they release act as signals for cells to develop into different tissues, to create a complete and functional body.

The material covered in this article affects humanity greatly. The discovery of the benefits of these senescent cells may be able to help find a cure to cancer. If scientists study the behavior of these cells they may be on a track towards a cure to cancer and therefore many lives all over the world could be saved. Also, this article relates to our bio class. We are currently learning about reproduction and embryonic development so this article directly correlates. It is interesting to learn a little bit more about embryonic development from this article, because they would not be something that would be covered in class. However, it is very interesting.

Overall, I found this article to be very interesting. I enjoyed learning about these cells because I had not heard about them before. Previously I had thought cells would always keep growing and multiplying, so I was very intrigued to read more about these cells that stop growing. Although this article was interesting, I think it would have been more interesting if it covered more about the negative affects of these cells rather than mostly positive. Also, the article wasn't very clear at points which made it difficult to understand.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/21/science/signs-of-aging-even-in-the-embryo.html?ref=science&_r=0

"Coldblooded Does Not Mean Stupid"

In the article, “Coldblooded Does Not Mean Stupid,” by Emily Anthes from the New York Times, the preconceived notions that coldblooded reptiles were not nearly as intelligent as mammals was addressed and argued to be wrong. Although species like lizards, turtles, and snakes have been understudied while other species have had a plethora of research released on them, recently scientists have revisited these deserving animals. Originally thought of to be very simple minded animals with very little intellectual knowledge, new studies have been released saying that they are not as primitive as many had thought. These new ideas connect to cognitive evolution, and because retiles, birds, and mammals all came from a common ancestor, the sophistication of that ancestor is can now be thought to be greater. In a variety of experiments performed on different reptiles surrounding their willingness to respond to environmental problems and problem solve reflect the new possibility of their more complex mind. Although the experiments performed were relatively simple, they had previously been overlooked, because the tests done were the same that were done on mammals, and scientists were not taking into consideration, and “scientists commonly [used] “aversive stimuli,” such as loud sounds and bright lights, to shape rodent behavior. But reptiles respond to many of these stimuli by freezing, thereby not performing.” However, now that researchers have learned what type of work needs to be done with reptiles, new advances can be made in this field. 

Studies around cognitive evolution, or the way in which species come about solving problems, is very important to our understanding of ourselves and how we have come to the mental state in which we are today. Knowing that our distant ancestors were more advanced than we previously thought could possibly change our notions around our own and other species’ evolutions. This new discovery could also cause scientists to question how what notions other experiments were performed under, and if they need to be redone from a less biased point of view. 

I thought that this article was written very well. The author incorporated different stories and examples that tied the whole piece together, but did not let that take away from the facts she was presenting. However, I wish that Anthes would have put into context some of the estimated times of evolution, so the effect of this new revelation was more tangible. Still, the article was a great read and extremely informative. 

Citation: Anthes, Emily. "Coldblooded Does Not Mean Stupid." New York Times. 18 Nov. 2013. Web. 21 Nov. 2013.

I read Wolf to Dog: Scientists Agree on How, but Not Where by Carl Zimmer. In the article, the author discussed the confusion scientists had and still have on the location where dogs developed from wolves. Scientists know that dogs developed from wolves because their genes are the most closely related. Originally, scientists believed that dogs developed in South China because Chinese dogs have the closet DNA to wolves. But, this would mean that dogs developed over 30,000 years ago, which some scientists very much disagree on. New studies have shown that dogs may have been bred in Western Europe due to new gene extraction from fossils. This article does not conclude where dogs were developed, but it does not give insight to the possible places where wolves were domesticated leading to new dog breeds.

            This article is important to the real world because of the resources being discovered to find the answer to this long debated question. Scientists have found a way to take fossils of ancient wolves and dogs and replicate those genes into actual gene strands. This will also have the future to possibility study other ancient bones to find how species evolved over time.

            I thought the author only did an ok job in writing his article. I was very confused when I first read it, and had to read it several times to wrap my head around the fact that there was no concluding answer. I thought the author could have made it clearer that there is no answer to this ambiguous question. And he should have specified the different sides more clearly.

Zimmer, Carl. "Wolf to Dog: Scientists Agree on How, but Not Where." New York Times. New York Times,      14 Nov. 2013. Web. 22 Nov. 2013. <http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/14/science/wolf-to-dog-scientists-agree-on-how-but-not-where.html?ref=science>.

I read the article “An Icy Observatory Detects Neutrinos From Far, Far Away” by Kenneth Chang. This ‘Icy Observatory’ refers to the observatory that was established in 2010 called IceCube Neutrino Observatory whose purpose was to look for and discover neutrinos. Neutrinos are extremely small sub atomic particles which can pass through anything with mass with relative ease. The last report of neutrinos was 1987 which came from a supernova explosion 165,000 light-years away. The IceCube has been established with more than 5000 sensors. These sensors were frozen across a cubic kilometer (about one quarter cubic mile). Their purpose is to look for flashes of blue light which “are given off by the cascades of debris generated by a neutrino.” Neutrinos are hard to detect because they rarely interact and affect the universe. For example every second trillions of neutrinos pass through every person on Earth. Neutrinos are discovered once in a while when a neutrino does collide with something, setting off a cascade of electrons and other subatomic debris. Some scientists believe that some of the neutrinos might be coming from our own galaxy not just from solar systems far away.

This discovery of new neutrinos is important for astronomers. Francis Halzen, a physics professor at the University of Wisconsin who is the lead investigator for the project said, “This gives us a new way to do astronomy.” The high energy neutrinos will allow astronomers to observe the universe through a new spectrum. Before observations were made by gathering photos, particles of light, visible light, and X-rays and Gamma rays. Another supernova like the one in 1987 would drastically help the understanding of neutrinos due to the vast amount that are released after a cosmic explosion.

Overall this was a well written article. The article was at time difficult to understand and I had to do some more research on neutrinos to completely understand what the article was talking about. However the author was able to simplify some aspects which greatly helped in understanding this topic of these subatomic particles. I enjoyed reading and learning about neutrinos and hope they lead to more understanding about the universe in the future. 
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/22/science/space/icy-observatory-detects-neutrinos-from-outside-our-solar-system.html?ref=science&_r=0

Signs of Aging, Even in the Embryo

            I found this article to be very interesting.  The article proposed that cells of animals are capable of reaching old age even at the very beginning.  Scientists believed that if human cells were put in a test tube with a good amount of nutrients, the cells would multiply forever.  However, Dr. Hayflick and Dr. Moorehead discovered that this is not the case through their study of fetal human cells.  The doctors found that the fetal cells would divide up to 50 times and then stop.  Cells that stop growth in such a manner are called senescent.  Senescent cells are responsible for several aspects of old age, including wrinkled skin, cataracts, and arthritic joints.  The reason why the cells eventually stop dividing is that the DNA gradually accumulates damage, and switches on a set of genes that cease all growth once the DNA becomes too damaged.  Such senescent cells were found in embryos of mice, which is interesting because “the discoveries raise the prospect that the dawn and dusk of life are intimately connected.”

            This discovery is significant because senescent cells could lead to a cure for cancer in the future.  Cells are more likely to divide uncontrollably and develop into cancer as their DNA becomes more damaged.  However, senescent cells prevent themselves from becoming cancerous “by stopping their own growth and by inviting immune cells to kill them.”  At the same time, an accumulating supply of senescent cells can lead to chronic inflammation that can cause damage to surrounding tissue and harm our health.

            I thought that the article included all the important information about the subject matter, but the information was not presented in a clear and concise manner.  The points made in the article were disorganized and out of order, and I felt that the article skipped around, making it a bit confusing.  The article started out by talking about the discovery of the senescent cells, jumped to their significance, and then went back to explaining how the cells were discovered.  I think the article would have been much more effective if the author finished each point before moving onto the next thing.  Another thing that I did not like about the article is that it was supposed to be about the significance of the senescent cells found in embryos, but the article mainly focused on the general topic of senescent cells found elsewhere in the body.  However, I did learn a lot from reading this article, and the information in the article is relevant to what we are currently learning in class.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/21/science/signs-of-aging-even-in-the-embryo.html?ref=science&_r=0

Zimmer, Carl. "Signs of Aging, Even in the Embryo." Nytimes.com. The New York Times, 21 Nov. 2013. Web. 22 Nov. 2013.

Signs of Aging, Even in the Embryo

Carl Zimmer’s article in the New York Times titled, Signs of Aging, Even in the Embryo, is an intriguing article that summarizes the findings a recent experiment. These recent discoveries have to do with certain cells called senescent cells which are characterized by the stopping of growth after dividing around 50 times. The experiment has discovered that, “senescent cells are involved in many of the ravages of the old age.” This basically means that senescent cells are the cells in our body that cause us to age and grow old. This research has also uncovered that senescent cells are actually found in embryos and may be crucial to proper development. This has raised the very thought provoking question about how “the dawn and dusk of life are intimately connected.” Surely this will lead to further research of senescent cells and it truly brings on a lot of questions about the essence of the cycle of life.

            This article affects humanity as a whole in big ways. First off, this sparks questions about what it means to grow old and what is really happening inside of our bodies. This discovery will lead to dramatic investigations on the true purpose of senescent cells and their function in the human body. In theory, removing senescent cells sounds like a good way to prevent aging; however, this is not the case as senescent cells have multiple key functions in the body such as preventing cancer and ensuring proper development of the embryo. All these questions are vastly interesting and hopefully, more research is done soon.

            I really enjoyed this article for a variety of reasons; one being that we are studying embryos and the development of life in Biology at the moment and I thought that this was a perfect article to review. Additionally, I am vastly interested in the purpose and cycle of life and I am interested to see how this will change the way we look at “growing old”. Maybe some day, we will harness the senescent cells and develop a line to immortality. Only time will tell.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/21/science/signs-of-aging-even-in-the-embryo.html?ref=science&_r=0

NASA Damage Map Helps in Typhoon Disaster Response

http://www.nasa.gov/centers/jpl/news/typhoon20131113.html#.UoZESPmsim4

            On November 8, 2013, a typhoon tore through the Philippians killing thousands and destroying miles of land.  Days later, rescue services are still searching for missing people through all of the damaged debris. A new space map generated by NASA depicts the regions most affected and damaged by the storm. This maps main purpose is to help assist in disaster response by showing areas where response teams should search for the people. NASA’s article, “NASA Damage Map Helps in Typhoon Disaster Response” lays out the destruction of the most powerful storm ever to be recorded on Earth. The images were processed by JPL’s Advanced Rapid Imaging and Analysis (ARIA) used X-band interferometiric synthetic aperture radar data from the Italian Space Agency’s COSMO-SkyMed satellite constellation. This technique is very sensitive in detecting destruction of the human-made environment. ARIA is building an automated system for providing rapid GPS and satellite data to support the local, national, and international hazards. ARIA had been providing NASA with the data and allowing them to make it open to the public. By allowing this important data to be open to the public, it keeps the world connected easily through just a click of a button. The ARIA team is constantly working on this current natural disaster and will continuously work with others that will occur in the near future.

            The information from this article greatly effects the international communications between people around the world. NASA is known as a trust worthy source for any piece of information or data they give to the public. News reporters on TV are never revealed to the full truth about certain current events as quickly as larger corporations. This allows the public to gain access to new, updated information quickly and easily. The article and frequently updated map that it provides helps improve international knowledge of this natural disaster and any occurring in the near future. This new form of technology keeps everyone connected and can be used for different pieces of information.

            Overall I found this article very informative and advanced by knowledge on a topic I already knew little about. By applying data and statistics along with previous known facts on this natural disaster, it brings realization and a better understanding to what is going on. I felt that the article didn’t give that much background on the current situation and could’ve been provided for those that weren’t up to date. Other than that minor flaw, I felt that the article provided enough information about the new technological advances and how it can improve the quality of human life.

South Florida Faces Ominous Prospects From Rising Waters

I read the article “South Florida Faces Ominous Prospects From Rising Waters” by Nick Madigan. It described how Southern Florida could possibly be affected by a rising sea level. The state as a whole is already vulnerable to flooding, but the floodwaters generally recede after a time (albeit leaving significant damage). The rising water level would obviously exacerbate the current flooding problems, but it is possible that the waters would never recede. This could potentially cause Floridians to lose billions of dollars in property values alone as well as schools, roads, and power plants. Community officials and environmentalists are leading the charge, but there is a crucial piece missing. Despite the urgency of the problem, the business community is not actively searching for a solution. Without businesses involved, there is a lack of funding and initiative within politics, yet progress has been made. Some environmentalists are looking at ways other nations and states have dealt with drainage problems. Community Official, Jim Morales, is sure that humans can engineer a solution. “Ultimately, you can’t beat nature, but you can learn to live with it.”
I thought this article was especially relevant to Bronxville Students because our own school, field and playground have been severely flooded multiple times. The first major flood in my lifetime was when I was in 5th grade. I did not attend the school, but I lived in the village, so I went over and took pictures. The amount of water inside and outside the building was astounding, and the repairs cost millions of dollars. Community officials claimed that this was a once in a lifetime event, but a similar flood hit in the fall of 2011. An interesting parallel between Southern Florida and Bronxville is that the residents of Field Court and other low-lying areas have pushed for drainage repairs for years which could have prevented the 2011 flood, but the rest of the town only cares about drainage issues when they have to pay more taxes.
This article documents the problems associated with rising water levels very well. The explanations are clear, and there are additional quotes from scientists and community leaders showing the issues that they must work through before a solution can be implemented. However, I wish the author could have further explained what the solution was instead of focusing on politics.
Manigan, Nick. "South Florida Faces Ominous Prospects From Rising Waters." New York Times. N.p., 10 Nov. 2013. Web. 12 Nov. 2013.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/11/us/south-florida-faces-ominous-prospects-from-rising-waters.html?pagewanted=2&_r=0&ref=science

A Jolt to Complacency on Food Supply

           The article that I read is called “A Jolt to Complacency on Food Supply.” It explained how climate change could destabilize the world’s food system and, in the future, could cause rising hunger or even mass starvation. The author gave an example of this negative effect by looking at the effects of the mass heat wave on the corn crop in the beginning of 2012. The heat caused plants to wither and prices to spike. These negative impacts are only expected to get worst as time goes on. Scientists were hoping that an increase in carbon dioxide in the air due to fumes could offset the heat and water stress since carbon dioxide is a main food supply for plants. Unfortunately, after doing tests, scientists have concluded that it isn’t enough to offset the stress of global warming. However, none of these results are definitive until more research is conducted.

            This article is very important because if a solution is not found to the problem of the negative effect of global warming on crop yield, than there could be mass starvation and rising hunger due to limited supplies of food. However, scientists are confident that they can find a solution because agriculture has a tremendous capacity to adapt to new conditions, including a warming climate. For instance, plants could be planted earlier and new varieties that are more resistant to climate stress can be developed.

            I thought the author did a poor job relaying such important information, to be honest. The article had many short paragraphs that jumped around and were hard to follow, in my opinion. However, the author did make good use of past examples of negative effects of climate change, such as in 2012 with the corn crop. Also, I liked that the author ended the article with a positive outlook by explaining that scientists are confident that many solutions can be found for this problem. Overall, I enjoyed this article for the informative content but not for the writing skills of the author.

Article: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/12/science/earth/warning-on-global-food-supply.html?ref=science&_r=0

Bacteria May Allow Animals to Send Quick, Voluminous Messages

I read the article “Bacteria May Allow Animals to Send Quick, Voluminous Messages.” This article is about the scent bacteria carried by hyenas and how that relates to animal-to-animal communication. Hyenas are able to leave behind a paste, individual to each animal, which is comparable to leaving a message to someone. This symbiotic bacterium that is left behind is used as an information bank for every hyena that smells the paste left behind by another hyena. One animal can know everything about another just by coming in contact with their paste. A study was recently done on hyenas, leading to the discovery of the complex and diverse system of odor producing bacteria possessed by hyenas, giving them the ability to conduct this type of advanced molecular communication. It was also discovered that there is a major variance between male and female hyenas, and also hyenas of different species and origins. After these discoveries, the scientific team that conducted this research stated “The next phase of this research will be to manipulate the bacterial communities in hyenas' scent glands to test if their odors change in predictable ways."

            This discovery is so important to science because previous to this, there was no prior knowledge of the magnitude of the hyena’s ability to communicate through these odorous pastes. There had been studies conducted before, but using such traditional methods, no real data or proof was collected. These discoveries could also lead into a plethora of other scientific experiments, including replicating this experiment with other mammals to see if they posses the same ability as the hyenas. All animals have different ways of producing scents and sending messages, and this study could bring the scientific community closer to discovering what is behind this natural animal instinct.

            I think this article was very interesting and was written very well. I especially liked the analogy of the scent being compared to twitter. In a tweet, you can only use 140 characters to get your point across, but a lot can be revealed in those 140 characters, and the author of this piece was very creative in relating that concept to the idea that these animals can leave a little piece of themselves behind that can reveal a lot to other animals. I think that this was also a way to grab the attention of a younger audience and make such a complex and scientific article become more relatable. Overall, I think it was a great article, and it was very interesting to read. I would love to learn more about the results of the upcoming experiements.

SOURCE:

Michigan State University. "Bacteria may allow animals to send quick, voluminous messages." ScienceDaily, 11 Nov. 2013. Web. 11 Nov. 2013 

Making Robots More Like Us

Although the topic of robots may not seem to be connected to the study of biology at first, if we take a closer look into the cutting edge of robot manufacturing is it evident that biology plays a large role in the creation of humanistic robots. I read an article titled “Making Robots More Like Us” by  John Markoff and discovered many interesting and exciting details about the world of robot engineering. This article discusses the changes that have been taking place regarding the application of robots and how they will function in the future. Markoff writes, “Until recently, most robots were carefully separated from humans. They have largely been used in factories to perform repetitive tasks that required speed, precision and force…the industrial era of robotics is over.”  Now robots are not only being programmed to have some of the same chemical and biological responses that humans have but they are also being made to look like humans. “Moreover, the new robots are designed not just to replace but to collaborate with humans.”

The science and industry of robots is becoming more and more popular and is becoming recognized as a legitimate and vital field of study. “Today’s robot designers believe that their creations will become therapists, caregivers, guides and security guards, and will ultimately perform virtually any form of human labor.” Robots are ultimately the answer to the future; they are opening and will continue to open new opportunities to people of all walks of life. They will also revolutionize the field of medicine in ways that will save thousands of lives. Furthermore, Markoff writes, “To function in the real world and to be safe, robots must have a radically different design from factory robots, which are based on “stiff” actuators capable of moving with great speed to a precise position. The new robots have “compliant actuators,” which respond to external forces by yielding in a natural fashion.” Robots will be able to carry out actions that will not only make ordinary life easier but will also be able to carry out extraordinary feats that will revolutionize the ways in which we approach life as a whole.

This article was written in such a way that it was both easy to understand and interesting to read. The writing was clear and concise and the author’s voice was authoritative and exciting. I also really enjoyed the media that was included along with this article. A video of the different types of robots was attached to the article which helped me to visualize the complex structures that were described in the article. This made it easier to understand exactly what the author was saying. Furthermore, pictures were included along with this article which added to my level of understanding. Overall, this article was interesting and informative.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/29/science/making-robots-more-like-us.html?ref=science&_r=0

Markoff, John. "Making Robots More Like Us." New York Times. The New York Times Company, 28 Oct. 2013. Web. 10 Nov. 2013. <http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/29/science/making-robots-more-like-us.html?ref=science&_r=0>.

Cosmic Census Finds Billions of Planets That Could Be Like Earth

Overbye, Dennis. "Cosmic Census Finds Billions of Planets That Could Be Like Earth."The New York Times. N.p., 4 Nov. 2013. Web. 4 Nov. 2013.

The article I read, “Cosmic Census Finds Billions of Planets That Could Be Like Earth,” by Dennis Overbye, discussed the discovery that we have around 40 billion known planets that are similar to earth. These planets are defined as being approximately earth-sized, circling a sun-sized star, with moderate temperatures, and getting within ½ to 4 times as much sunlight as earth does. NASA had a spaceship, the Kepler, keeping track of this data, which was launched four years ago. It had discovered over 3,500 such planets and gathered the data to project the total to over 40 billion before its mechanical failure in May. Stars which the closest planets orbit, “would be visible to the naked eye,” said Erik Petigura, a graduate student at UC Berkley who has written extensively on the topic. These closest planets might even be 12 light years away, which would be close enough for us to study. 

Finding planets similar to earth that we can study is groundbreaking. Geoffrey Marcy, who oversaw Petigura’s work, even felt that, “this is the most important work I’ve ever been involved with.” We can see how planets that are further along than our earth function, predict where we might be headed as a planet, and better understand our planet. With similar conditions to those of earth, these planets might also host life. It is statistically improbable that we are the only living beings in the universe, and the recent findings that there are at least over 40 billion similar planets leads many to believe there is a good chance we are on the track to finding other habitable and habited planets.

I would have liked to know more about the Kepler craft--its original mission and further examples of what data it collected. I’d also like to know why it malfunctioned, why can’t we fix it, and what kind of setback does it present us with. I did enjoy the article’s speculation, but the author could have utilized more facts in order to more support his ideas and the conclusions he drew. However, overall he did a good job of explaining what happened and its significance in simple terms.

“Climate Change Seen Posing Risk to Food Supplies”

As the title implies, this article pertains to the increasingly relevant issue of climate change, and it’s effect on the planet’s food supply. The article acknowledges that while the rising temperatures may increase crop production in some places, the global result will be a dramatic reduction in production. Overall reducing production, “as much as 2 percent each decade for the rest of the century, compared with what it would be without climate change.” Adding to the issue, our rapidly increasing population means that demand for these crops is expected to rise, “as much as 14 percent each decade.” The article informs the reader that there are previous assumptions that are no longer accepted, such as the belief that food production could dramatically increase in coming decades due to higher carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere. In addition to climate change’s impact on crops, the article touches on its impact on animals, noting that plants and animals will colonize new areas to escape rising temperatures, and that many could become extinct. The article explains unfortunate cycle- that global food demand might have to be met by putting new land into production. This could mean, “chopping down large areas of forest, an action that would only accelerate climate change by sending substantial amounts of carbon dioxide into the air from the destruction of trees.” While reviewing the dangers of climate change, the article also manages to offer some hope. It reveals that hundreds of billions of dollars are being spent every year to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, even though these efforts are so far said to be, “inadequate to head off drastic climatic changes later in the century.” President Obama also signed an executive order on Friday to step up these efforts in the US. Still, the article makes the point that more intensive and expensive plans will have to be put in place.

            The information provided in the article profoundly affects humanity for obvious reasons. If we personally don’t experience this expected food shortage in the next few decades, we can be sure our children and grandchildren will. If not yet leaving us hungry, the issue will affect humanity because, any shortfall in food supply, “would lead to rising food prices that would hit the world’s poor hardest, as has already occurred from price increases of recent years.” The affect on humanity also depends on where one is living. For example, the article says that the agricultural risks are greatest for tropical countries due to their higher poverty rates and “projected impacts that exceed adaptive capacity.”

            Overall, I found this to be a very informative article. It seems reliable as it cited its sources of information, it is clear and it is concise. It outlined the major issues of the effect of climate change on food production, and ended with some optimism about the future. The article could have been thorough in some respects. For instance it could have been more specific about procedures taken to limit carbon dioxide emissions. Overall, though, the article did not strike me as lacking and was a very interesting read. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/02/science/earth/science-panel-warns-of-risks-to-food-supply-from-climate-change.html?ref=science