Alexander Plaza
Chang, Kenneth. "Ancient Jars Hold Clues About Earth's Fluctuating Magnetic Fields." The New York Times. The New York Times, 14 Feb. 2017. Web. 14 Feb. 2017.https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/14/science/magnetic-field-earth-jars.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fscience&action=click&contentCollection=science®ion=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=2&pgtype=sectionfront
I reviewed "Ancient Jars Hold Clues About Earth's Fluctuating Magnetic Fields." by Kenneth Chang. According to the article, Earth’s magnetic field has been weakening over the past centuries. However, scientists cannot tell whether this is a problem or simply fluctuation since records are so recent. Ancient pottery may be able to help scientists determine the strength of the field during that ancient time period. Erez Ben-Yosef, an archaeologist at Tel Aviv University of Israel says that “We can use it thousands of years later to track the changes with time and then use the jar samples to reconstruct the magnetic field intensities.” Small chips from the jars are heated and cooled in a magnetic field to determine the strength of the field when the jars were first made. Evidence from the jars show that the field would fluctuate drastically over time and that the reduced magnetic field at the moment is not too troublesome.
These findings are important since a reduced magnetic field, which deflects harmful solar radiation, could signal a eminent pole switch. A pole switch could bring on drastic environmental changes and can be detrimental to humanity. The pottery provides important data that increases the time frame for which scientists have recordings.
Overall the article was very strong. The main problem I have with the article is that it is vague on how exactly ancient pottery records the magnetic field in which it was created. The article should elaborate on that part of the argument. Other than that, it was a good article.
Overall the article was very strong. The main problem I have with the article is that it is vague on how exactly ancient pottery records the magnetic field in which it was created. The article should elaborate on that part of the argument. Other than that, it was a good article.
Evelyn Kluemper
ReplyDelete2/15/17
AP Biology
Chang, Kenneth. "Ancient Jars Hold Clues About Earth's Fluctuating Magnetic Fields." The New York Times. The New York Times, 14 Feb. 2017. Web. 14 Feb. 2017.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/14/science/magnetic-field-earth-jars.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fscience&action=click&contentCollection=science®ion=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=2&pgtype=sectionfront
Alex’s review of “Ancient Jars Hold Clues About Earth’s Fluctuating Magnetic Fields” by Kenneth Chang was interesting. He summarized how the Earth’s magnetic field is weakening and how scientists were unsure how to approach this phenomenon. Alex incorporated a quote said by Erez Ben-Yosef, an archaeologist at Tel Aviv University of Israel. He described how the jars are used as evidence, including heating and cooling small chips in a magnetic field. The critique of the article he provided was honest.
Although Alex’s review was good, he could have added some information to make it even better. It would be interesting to read about the implications of having a weakened magnetic field. I would also like to know if the recent issues with the Earth’s magnetic field may be due to human activity, and if it is, what can be done to reduce the damage.
Although the jars show that the field fluctuates naturally, it would be assuring to have further evidence to support this. However, I find it intriguing that scientists are able to use ancient artifacts to be able to track this phenomenon.
Chang, Kenneth. "Ancient Jars Hold Clues About Earth's Fluctuating Magnetic Fields." The New York Times. The New York Times, 14 Feb. 2017. Web. 14 Feb. 2017.https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/14/science/magnetic-field-earth-jars.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fscience&action=click&contentCollection=science®ion=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=2&pgtype=sectionfront
ReplyDeleteI read Alex’s review on the article, "Ancient Jars Hold Clues About Earth's Fluctuating Magnetic Fields”. He did a very good job. First I like how he incorporated quotes in his review. This allows a connection with the article in the review. Another aspect of the review that I liked is how he explained the experiment that was done at hand it was very interesting and gave the reader a better idea to what was actually done. And lastly the third is the last paragraph. It was clear that he understood the article and helped me understand it better as well.
Although I think that he did a very good job, there are a few areas in which he could have improved upon. He could improve a bit on his grammar. A few sentences were a bit confusing. Second, I wish that he could have included more detail in his summary. It would have allowed the reader to connect more to the article when reading it.
Overall I think that Alex did a very good job on the review. It was very complete. Through this I learned something I did not know prior and it was very interesting.