The Water in Your Glass Might Be Older Than the Sun
St. Fleur, Nicholas. "The Water in Your Glass Might Be Older Than the Sun."The New York Times. The New York Times, 15 Apr. 2016. Web. 17 Apr. 2016. <http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/16/science/the-water-in-your-glass-might-be-older-than-the-sun.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fscience&action=click&contentCollection=science®ion=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=sectionfront&_r=0>.
In this article, the author explained how water on Earth may be even older than the Earth or the sun. Water as we know it is made up of 2 hydrogen atoms and 1 oxygen atom, however, some samples of water known as “heavy water,” contain “hydrogen’s chunky twin, deuterium.” Deuterium is a hydrogen atom, but with a neutron in the nucleus, thus making it heavier. Deuterium has been found on other planets and moons, leading scientists to believe that it formed in an interstellar cloud: the accumulation of gas, plasma, and dust. Scientists attribute water’s appearance on Earth to the ice specks floating in a cosmic cloud in space before the illumination of our sun or the creation of Earth. It is believed that these ancient ice molecules survived the heat and rays from the sun, to form the water here on earth, other planets and moons. Thus, water you are drinking could be over 4.6 billion years old.
This article is very interesting, because water is commonly thought to have come to earth later; that the planet formed and then water. The ice could have collided with Earth, or been brought by asteroids or comets. I think that this shows how there is still a lot to learn about what makes up our planet and where it came from. Since the water on our planet came from space, there is a likelihood that there are many planets that have water that we are unaware of.
I thought that this article was written in a entertaining way. The author connected it well to our lives and how this discovery changes the way we think about the water that we drink, knowing that beyond coming from the faucet, it could have been floating in space as ice 4.6 billion years ago. I thought however, that there could have been quotes from scientists on this study, or other studies like it. I also felt that there could have been more information on how scientists came to this conclusion, what other tests they performed and those results. Overall, I thought that it was a very interesting article, which altered my perception of water, and leads me to question the formation of other aspects of Earth and their origins.
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ReplyDeleteSt. Fleur, Nicholas. "The Water in Your Glass Might Be Older Than the Sun."The New York Times. The New York Times, 15 Apr. 2016. Web. 17 Apr. 2016. .
ReplyDeleteKatie chose an article whose title immediately grabs the reader’s attention. Analyzing the age of water compared to the Sun and our own planet is a rather unique issue to investigate. She also included a helpful explanation of exactly what Deuterium was; “a hydrogen atom, but with a neutron in the nucleus,” and the origins of it; that is, how it “has been found on other planets and moons.” She made and insightful criticism about how the author could have included more quotes and details from the scientists administering the study as well; after reading the article, I would have made the same point.
It would have been helpful for Katie to include that the Deuterium samples came from the ocean, as stated in her article. I also thought that her hypothesis in the reference paragraph was not consistent with the proposal of the article; by stating that water was brought to Earth by asteroids and/or comets, she is contradicting the idea that water was present before the planet even formed.
I find it very important to be open to hypotheses that may seem unfamiliar to previously accepted theories and discoveries. Our human brains can only fathom so much--practically nothing compared to how large and complex our surroundings are--that we need to force ourselves to think outside of ourselves. This matter in particular is a perfect way to start. Who would ever think that water came before the Sun and planets?!
This article seemed the most interesting out of all the other reviews just from the title. The author of the article explained that the water we drink may be older than the Earth or the sun. This article then goes into the chemical structure of water: two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom. Katie summarizes the structural part well; she discusses a “heavy water” that has deuterium hydrogen atom with a neutron in the nucleus. This specific molecule has been found on other moons and planets to scientists have hypothesized that it originated a while ago in an interstellar cloud. I like how Katie then explains what an interstellar cloud actually is because I was unsure: “the accumulation of gas, plasma, and dust.” The ancient ice specks from the cloud survived the heat waves from the sun and made their way to planets and moons. It is then implied that you could be drinking 4.6 billion years old water, but it seems a bit unlikely. I thought this article was a bit brief, which is why Katie’s review was brief too. I don't see anything that could be improved in the review, but the article could have a more concrete explanation as to how it is present today. It talked about possible ways the ice could have gotten here, which I enjoyed. I agree with Katie’s critique about how there could have been more evidence and background information on how this conclusion came about. I learned that the unthinkable is possible, and more cool facts will be uncovered through further research.
ReplyDeleteSt. Fleur, Nicholas. "The Water in Your Glass Might Be Older Than the Sun."The New York Times. The New York Times, 15 Apr. 2016. Web. 17 Apr. 2016. .
I thought that Katie did a great job of reviewing her article. She explained the topic of the article -- how water on Earth may be even older than the Earth of the sun -- clearly and concisely, and incorporated many quotes into her writing, which helped me to gain a better understanding of the subject. Katie also seemed like she connected with the article and the topic, which was conveyed in her writing; the fact that she wrote that she had found the article entertaining helped me to see it as entertaining too, and changed the way that I read the article. Finally, Katie connects the discussion of the origins of Earth’s water to modern society very well.
ReplyDeleteI thought that it Katie’s review would have been better if she had included more detailed information on the previous thoughts about the origin of water, and how those thoughts led to the current theory. Also, although Katie connected the topic well to today, it would have been interesting to know how she personally felt about this idea and how it changed the way she thinks about water today.
Overall, Katie did a great job reviewing her article, and covered an interesting topic in a clear and informative manner. I had not questioned the origin of Earth’s water previously, but now understand different theories concerning the topic. I look forward to exploring this topic more thoroughly in the future.
I chose to read Katie’s review of the article “The Water in your Glass Might be Older Than the Sun” because it seemed very shocking. Katie did a good job of making sure to address all the parts of the assignment. Specifically, including and explaining background information such as “heavy water”. deuterium. As well as incorporating her opinion of the article, which she thought was interesting and entertaining.
ReplyDeleteAlthough Katie’s review was very interesting and well written there are a few ways to further improve it. One suggestion would be to include more information about the origin of water, or at least what was originally thought to be the origin. There to further emphasis how shocking this discovery is. Katie touches on her thoughts of this discovery, but she could go more in depth. At the end she says she questions “other aspects of Earth and their origins” she could elaborate more here.
Immediately after reading the title of the article, I wanted to read more. One new fact or me was that,“It is believed that these ancient ice molecules survived the heat and rays from the sun, to form the water here on earth, other planets and moons. Thus, water you are drinking could be over 4.6 billion years old” It is cool that scientist have been able to make this discovery, it changes how I think about water.
Katie,
ReplyDeleteI like how you opened up your review with a statement that raised questions. This made me want to read on and figure out why water on Earth may be older than the Earth itself and even the sun. I also was fascinated by the information you provided, such as how scientists attribute water’s appearance on Earth to the ice specks floating in a cosmic cloud in space before the illumination of our sun or the creation of Earth. I did not know this. Finally, your point at the end of the second paragraph resonated with me because I too realize that there is much more to learn about the planet we live on.
One correction I would advise is to make sure you stay consistent. For example, when you mentioned Earth, you capitalized the “E”, but later on you forgot to. Regardless of consistency, this is also a grammatical error. You also used an “a” instead of an “an” in your last paragraph which is also a misuse. Mistakes like these are small, but impact your review and credibility as an author. Make sure you proof-read before you submit!
All in all, I was pulled in right away because this was a topic I was interested in. Both you title and first sentence caught my eye. Personally, I did not know about deuteriums and found it cool how the water we drink may have originated in clouds in space; it could possibly martian water. This opened my view to the origins of certain things.
Sam Connors
St. Fleur, Nicholas. "The Water in Your Glass Might Be Older Than the Sun."The New York Times. The New York Times, 15 Apr. 2016. Web. 17 Apr. 2016. .
Katie’s review on the article, "The Water in Your Glass Might Be Older Than the Sun” was very informative and well written. She did a great job of describing what Deuterium is, and her inclusion of quotes from the article strengthened her explanation. Also, the connection she made between this topic and society was very insightful; it leaves the reader wondering about the possibility of different water types on other planets. Lastly, Katie’s review was nicely balanced with consistent incorporation of interesting facts about the history of water weaved into analysis of the article.
ReplyDeleteAlthough this review was well written, there are a couple improvements that can be made. I think that if she had included more details about the previous theories about water’s origin and how these have changed over time, her review would be more interesting. Additionally, I would have liked to read more about Katie’s personal opinion on this discovery since it seems very important to the scientific studies of water.
I had no idea that there was even a slight possibility that water came before the Sun and the planets; this article and review shed light on a discovery that was entirely new to me. I now understand several new theories regarding the origin of water, and I hope to find development on this discovery in the future.
This article seemed the most interesting out of all the other reviews just from the title. Katie did a good job of making sure to address all the parts of the assignment. Specifically, including and explaining background information such as “heavy water”. deuterium. Katie also seemed like she connected with the article and the topic, which was conveyed in her writing; the fact that she wrote that she had found the article entertaining helped me to see it as entertaining too. Finally, your point at the end of the second paragraph resonated with me because I too realize that there is much more to learn about the planet we live on. However, you could have made more improvements. I think that if she had included more details about the previous theories about water’s origin and how these have changed over time, her review would be more interesting. I also thought that her hypothesis in the reference paragraph was not consistent with the proposal of the article. I was very interested by this article and the fact that the water we drink today could have potentially come from vapor clouds in space.
ReplyDeleteI think Katie did an excellent job reviewing this article, and I enjoyed many aspects of it. Specifically, I think she did very well in keeping the review concise and getting right to the point. This made the review so much better because it did not include much useless information that could potentially bore the reader. Another thing I enjoyed about this review was how well Katie integrated quotes and kept the flow of the review. One final thing I enjoyed about this review was how well she connected the topic of the origins of the water on earth to modern society.
ReplyDeleteAlthough this was a great review, I feel that there are a couple of things that could be improved upon. One thing that I think would make this review even better would be if maybe Katie went into a little more depth on the previous beliefs of the origins of water. Another thing that would’ve been nice is if maybe Katie went into a little more depth about the “other aspects of earth and their origins” as brought up near the end of her review of the article.
I was very intrigued by this article and review immediately, for just the title brought me in initially, and I was even more interested as I read the review. I found it crazy and had never thought before that the water we drink could potentially be older than the sun.
Nice job, Katie! I really enjoyed reading your current event about how the water on the Earth could possibly be older than the Earth itself. One thing that you did a very good job about was what deuterium was and how it could affect water. Deuterium is a variation of a hydrogen atoms that has a neutron in its nucleus, causing it to be heavier. Because it has been found on other planets, scientists believe it was formed not on a planet, but in an interstellar cloud. A second aspect you did a good job on in your current event, was giving brief summaries of topics, like the deuterium, allowing all readers to follow along without having outside knowledge of the topic. A third thing you did well was connecting the article to the outside world and acknowledging the importance that can be held in further research of the topic at hand.
ReplyDeleteWhile you did a very good job in your report, there were a few things that I think you make it even stronger. First, having direct quotes from either the authors or scientists conducting research could make your report have more validity and if you were to pick a side to support, it would pull support to that side. A second addition that could make your report stronger is by giving information about either the author or scientist in order to distinguish their information as valid source.
I chose to read your report because the title drew my attention and I try to be a very water conscious person, saving water wherever I can. This did not really change my opinion about water or its importance, rather it provided with a history of the Earth’s water sources and gave me a new way to look at the most important natural resource on the planet.
Katie, I really enjoy reading your review of the article “The Water in Your Glass Might Be Older Than the Sun”. I really enjoyed how simple and concise your summary paragraph was while still conveying the necessary material in the article. I also really liked how you even explained the complicated terms such as “Deuterium”. Finally, I really liked how you expanded the reach of your topic and thoughtfully explained how this finding could impact our lives and the future of space and extraterrestrial studies in the years to come.
ReplyDeleteWhile your review as very good, there are a few areas where it could have been improved. First, I would have appreciated it if you had elaborated more into the previous theory on the creation of water and why we originally believed this old theory. Also, I would have liked it if you had explained what reasoning or change led to the development of this new theory: why had we not thought of this previously?
I was enthralled with the topic of your article because I love seeing how new evidence and new theories reshape the current beliefs, especially on something as complex and controversial as the creation of the universe and the planets. I look forward to seeing the implication of this new theory and the discoveries which come along with it.