Current Event #4: “New Species of Sponges Found on the Pacific Seafloor”
Isabel Sondey
Lim, Xiaozhi. “New Species of Sponges Found on the Pacific Seafloor.” The New
York Times, 5 Oct. 2017,
www.nytimes.com/2017/10/05/science/sponges-species-pacific-ocean.html?rref=collect on%2Fsectioncollection%2Fscience&action=click&contentCollection=science%C2%AEion&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=7&pgtype=sectionfront.
The article I selected centers around the discovery of a new species of sponges living on rock nodules on the Pacific seafloor. Called Plenaster craigi for the number of stars that form the organism’s backbone, it is the most abundant organism living on nodules as far as scientists know. Craig Smith, an oceanographer at University of Hawaii, conducted two explorations with the goal of collecting the newly-discovered sponges. Led in 2013 and 2015, the expeditions covered ground between a part of the Pacific Ocean spanning from Hawaii to Mexico- a region the size of the US. Over a hundred scientific expeditions have been conducted in this region over the course of the last 40 years. Nodules found in this area contain an array of metals including iron copper, nickel manganese and cobalt and “range in size form golf balls to big potatoes”. In order to classify the new discovery based on genetic and appearance factors, Dr. Lim joined forces with Adrian Glover’s research team at the UK’s Natural History Museum. Dr. Glover, on the sponges, stated, “They’re living in a very food-limited environment. It’s quite remarkable that they can survive.” Despite their ability to defy odds and survive on minimal food supply, these creatures may face danger if nodule mining in the area begins. Deep-sea mining is becoming increasingly attractive to people, which puts the sponges’ habitat at risk of being mined. In the case that deep-sea mining isn’t economically feasible and minerals can’t be extracted from marine ore as some have hypothesized, then the sponges are safe. But if the opposite proves true, and the huge stores of sediments do prove valuable to people, mining would have damaging effects on the organism.
This new finding is of great importance, as it has opened scientists’ eyes to a whole new species that they weren’t even aware existed. A deep-sea biologist, Diva Amon, who embarked on Dr. Smith’s expeditions commented “This is one of the most abundant animals found living on nodules and we didn’t even know it existed.” Deep-sea biological oceanographer Stace Beaulieu of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution states that “This is very exciting because it is not only a new species but a new genus.” Genus is a subgroup ranking above species and below family. In other words the discovery of the new species is equivalent not to the discovery of dogs, but to the discovery of a larger group including wolves, coyotes, and jackals alike. Very little is currently known about the new species; what it eats, how they reproduce, and the extent of the area they inhabit all stand as mysteries to scientists in the present. However, further investigation of the creature in the near future will help us understand more about the creature and its environment.
Overall, I found the article to be well-researched and well-written. The author cited statements made by several reputable scientists in the subject area, including Mark Hannington, marine biologist at Geomar Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel in Germany, Stace Beaulieu, Deep-sea oceanographer at Woods Hole Oceanographic, Ann Vanreusel, marine biologist at Ghent University in Belgium, and Swee-Cheng Lim, sponge taxonomist at the National University of Singapore, who also published a paper on the organism in the journal of Systematics and Biodiversity. The scientists whose research was quoted and discussed came from across the globe. The author included researchers’ comments on all different aspects of the new creature, which allowed the reader to develop a very full understanding of all the research that has been conducted to date. However, not much about the creature is currently known, and the article fails to address research that can be done in the future to answer the lingering questions of the scientists on the creature. The article mentioned how the the regions the organism inhabits, its diet, and its method of reproduction are currently unknown, yet no research plan to develop an understanding of these items is discussed. The author also fails to mention exactly how scientists stumbled upon the sponge. In order to provide the reader with a fuller understanding of the new sponge and the research that is being done on it, the author could have provided some insight into how the creature was discovered, as well as experiments and expeditions that will be conducted in the future to obtain information on the creature that is unknown right now.
Nina Veru
ReplyDeleteAP Biology, C-Odd
Current Event 4
10/10/17
Lim, Xiaozhi. “New Species of Sponges Found on the Pacific Seafloor.” The New York Times, 5 Oct. 2017, www.nytimes.com/2017/10/05/science/sponges-species-pacific-ocean.html?rref=collect on%2Fsectioncollection%2Fscience&action=click&contentCollection=science%C2%AEion&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=7&pgtype=sectionfront.
I really enjoyed reading the review on an article about a new species located on the ocean’s floor, written by Isobel Sondey. One of the things I liked most about the article was that it was very easy to follow because it was well organized. Sondey first gives a brief summary of the article, then an explanation of the importance of the findings, and finally her own opinion on the article. Secondly, I thought Sondey did a good job of condensing the scientific details, making it easy for the reader to understand. For example, the author states, “Nodules found in this area contain an array of metals including iron copper, nickel manganese and cobalt”. By stating they contain an array of metals, the reader has a better understanding of the nodules. I thought it was interesting that Sondey made a suggestion to the author, in order to improve the article. For instance, she states how the author could have included information about how the species was discovered.
Although this article was well written, there are always ways to improve. For example, at times I found that their were unnecessary quotations. While talking about the nodules, Sondey incorporates the quote, ‘“range in size form golf balls to big potatoes”’. I found that this quote interrupted the flow of the writing. Instead, she could have just stated that some nodules were small, while others were big. In addition, there were also unnecessary examples. Sondey gives two examples of scientist who believed that the discoveries in the article are exciting. Since both of them had the same thoughts, only one example best suited to the writing should have been used.
Before reading this review, I knew very little about deep sea species. What I found most fascinating was that the discovery is not only of a new species, but of a new genus. Further investigation of the species, will give us more information on the genus, including its environment.
Jack Kochansky
ReplyDeleteAP Biology EF Even
Mr. Ippolito
10 October 2017
“New Species of Sponges Found on the Pacific Seafloor”
By Xiaozhi Lim
Reviewed by Isabel Sondey
Lim, Xiaozhi. “New Species of Sponges Found on the Pacific Seafloor.” The New York Times, 5
Oct. 2017,
www.nytimes.com/2017/10/05/science/sponges-species-pacific-ocean.html?rref=collect
on%2Fsectioncollection%2Fscience&action=click&contentCollection=science%C2%AE
ion&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=7&pgtype=sectionfront.
Isabel did a very good and thorough job on this current event assignment, and she was able to go into lots of detail about a subject that few know of. Even though I am not particularly interested in deep-sea sponges, Isabel’s analysis of the article was quite interesting and highlighted the importance of these organisms. In addition to summarizing the findings well and explaining some of the real-life results of this research, she demonstrates a clear understanding of the context of the research and provides lots of useful background information. For example, she explains the term “genus” and gives an example with dogs and wolves to emphasize the sheer magnitude of the discovery of these deep-sea sponges. Without that background information, it is likely that readers might not remember the various levels of taxonomic classification. Isabel also wrote a strong critique paragraph that specifically names many of the researchers cited in the article, which helps add to their credibility. Throughout the whole review, she makes sure to explain concepts and names that we might not understand, such as “nodules,” the understanding of which is essential to the article and topic in general. These little outcroppings of rock and metal, she explains, are deep underwater on the seafloor and do not provide many nutrients, but these newly discovered sponges can actually live on them. It would have been easy to overlook the addition of some of these key details, but she was sure to touch on pretty much all of them.
Because Isabel did such a good job on the review, there were few things that needed dramatic improvement. One thing, however, that did stand out to me was that there were a few places where she could have made minor grammatical edits and sentence rephrasings. These were indeed very minor and did little to detract from the review as a whole, but if she had made these changes, it would have strengthened the current event even more. I also would have liked to learn a little bit more about how the existence of these deep-sea sponges affects other forms of life and potential local ecosystems. Although the author points out that nodules are not nutrient-rich areas, there must be other forms of life there that are somehow impacted by the presence (or lack of presence) of these sponges. As it was, I did not know if there is any importance of these deep-sea sponges on a larger scale or if the mining of nodules would only really affect them. If Isabel had offered a little more context on the ecosystem as a whole, it would have further built up her review.
When Isabel explained the importance of this recent discovery and the surprisingly wide range of species that it uncovers, I was surprised, and it made me think about how much we still do not know about the biology of the world. When she points out that these sponges are of an entirely new genus, it caused me to think about how much we still have left to discover. When we wonder about the universe, we think we do not understand nearly everything -- we do not even fully understand our own planet. We’re not even beginning to! It is easy to think about the idea that we have not been able to understand and fully research the very interior of the earth, but the idea that we have not even identified all living organisms on the planet is more surprising. We think that because life is so unique, we would be able to at least keep track of it on our planet, but it’s so widespread that we cannot.
Clio Dakolias
ReplyDeleteAP Bio- Codd
Current Event 4
October 11, 2017
Lim, Xiaozhi. “New Species of Sponges Found on the Pacific Seafloor.” The New
York Times, 5 Oct. 2017,
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/05/science/sponges-species-pacific-ocean.html?rref=collect%20on%2Fsectioncollection%2Fscience&action=click&contentCollection=science%C2%AEion&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=7&pgtype=sectionfront.
This week, for Current Event 4, I decided to read Isabel’s review of the article “New Species of Sponges Found on the Pacific Seafloor,” by Xiaozhi Lim. Izzy did a great job of explaining the topic her article centered on in a simple way that made it very easy to follow. This makes it clear that her knowledge of her chosen article is very large and she did her research. By explaining the sponges in such a way-complete with comparisons to make certain terms clear- she manages to make a review of a not well known and arguably not particularly interesting topic interesting to read. While she did not incorporate many quotes, the quotes that were used were clearly credible, as she stated who they were stated by, and the person’s credentials. Finally, Isabel’s critique paragraph was excellent, clearly dictating what the author did well and what could be improved. Her opinions on the article are interesting to read, as she argues them in a way that is clear to follow and that makes perfect sense.
While Isabel’s response was overall an excellent one, there were a few points on which she could improve on. First, while the quotations used were helpful to the reader, they could have been incorporated in different places, as Isabel put them in somewhat distracting places. Also, she could have used a few more quotations to further her argument and depiction of her knowledge. Iz also could have given some background on preexisting deep sea sponges to give readers an idea of how the new one differs from the old ones, and how they can be compared in the broad ecosystem of the ocean floor.
I knew very little about deep-sea sponges prior to reading Isabel’s review of this article, and I was amazed that the species can survive on such a minimal food supply. It was also interesting how this new discovery was not just the discovery of one species, but of a more general genus.
Julia Pabafikos
ReplyDeleteAP Biology
Current Event #4
Mr. Ippolito
Lim, Xiaozhi. “New Species of Sponges Found on the Pacific Seafloor.” The New
York Times, 5 Oct. 2017,
www.nytimes.com/2017/10/05/science/sponges-species-pacific-ocean.html?rref=collect on%2Fsectioncollection%2Fscience&action=click&contentCollection=science%C2%AEion&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=7&pgtype=sectionfront.
Isabel Sondey did a great job reviewing her article “New Species of Sponges Found on the Pacific Seafloor.” I particularly enjoyed how Isabella took the time to incorporate some brief knowledge about the new sponge that was discovered, by going into detail about how its name relates to the structure of the organism. Additionally I enjoyed that Isabella included definitions of certain words such as “nodules” and “genus” which overall made both the review and the original article much easier to read and even picture this new species of sponges. Lastly I really enjoyed Isabella’s critique paragraph which states that although it was a very informative article there was no long term goals set, therefore not being able to catch the reader's attention in a way that could get them excited about such an astonishing discovery. By pointing out all these flaws in the original article, Isabella is able to strengthen her own review and ultimately prove that she has a certain view on how this new discovery of sponges could develop into something much more important.
However, I believe that Isabella did have two areas in her review in which she could improve upon. Primarily, I would recommend that Isabella make it more clear who the author of this article is by mentioning if they are either one of the scientists and doctors following this discovery or if it’s just a columnist of some sort who can not be fully sure about the next steps of this research. Additionally, I would encourage Isabella to include the researcher's’ comments on all the different aspects of new creatures that she briefly mentioned in order to give her reader a full explanation and understanding on the research that has been conducted so far.
Overall, Isabella did a great drop of creating a well written review that illustrated marine research and the problems often faced. I personally chose to read this article in order to gain knowledge on how marine research is carried out and also to expand my knowledge on how there are thousands of organisms that have abundant populations that we are only discovering now. Through reading this article I believe it provided me with a clear understanding of the slow and hard process of both marine research and marine preservation.
Alexander New
ReplyDeleteMr. Ippolito
AP Biology
October 12th, 2017
Lim, Xiaozhi. “New Species of Sponges Found on the Pacific Seafloor.” The New
York Times, 5 Oct. 2017,
www.nytimes.com/2017/10/05/science/sponges-species-pacific-ocean.html?rref=collect on%2Fsectioncollection%2Fscience&action=click&contentCollection=science%C2%AEion&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=7&pgtype=sectionfront.
I really liked reading Isabel’s review on, “New Species of Sponges Found on the Pacific Seafloor”, by Xiaozhi Lim from the New York Times. One of the things I liked most about the article was that it was very easy to follow because it was well organized. Sondey first gives a brief summary of the article, then an explanation of the importance of the findings, and finally her own opinion on the article. I also thought Isabel’s critique paragraph was excellent, clearly dictating what the author did well and what could be improved. Her opinions on the article are interesting to read, as she argues them in a way that is clear to follow and that makes perfect sense. Finally, I enjoyed that she included definitions of certain words such as “nodules” and “genus”. This made both the review and the original article much easier to read and even picture this new species of sponges.
Although Sondey did a great job on this review, there are some parts that could use slight improvement. First, I would encourage Sondey to include the researcher's’ comments on all the different aspects of new creatures that she briefly mentioned in order to give her reader a full explanation and understanding on the research that has been conducted so far. Also, there were also unnecessary examples. Sondey gives two examples of scientist who believed that the discoveries in the article are exciting. Since both of them had the same thoughts, only one example best suited to the writing should have been used.
Overall, I thought this article on taught me on the basics of sponges and that there are different types of species. The moment that struck me as eye-opening was how little we know about the new species, which sparks my curiosity. I think it is interesting that it is still a mystery to us of how they reproduce and what its diet is.
Robby Schetlick
ReplyDeleteAP Biology
Current Events Comment
October 11 2017
Citation: Lim, Xiaozhi. “New Species of Sponges Found on the Pacific Seafloor.” The New York Times, 5 Oct. 2017,
Isabel Sondey’s current event report on the article called“New Species of Sponges Found on the Pacific Seafloor” is genuinely well written. The best thing that she does is ground her statements in strong evidence. Especially in her second and third paragraphs, she stresses the credibility of her sources by referencing “...several reputable scientists in the subject area, including Mark Hannington, marine biologist...” She also integrates quotes from these scientists well into her report, which makes the reader more confident in the information she is conveying. The second thing she does well is organize her ideas. We follows the rubric structure nicely, but her ideas and paragraphs connect and flow in such a way that it does not feel like a distinctive shift. The slow and subtle change in topic makes the read much more pleasant. Finally, she does a great job of using analogies. For instance, she compares the discovery of a new species to discovering a new type of dog, and then some. It feels unthinkable, but that is exactly the emotion that Sondey is trying to draw out of the reader.
Her current event report still has room for improvement. The most glaring issue is her confusing summary. The beginning of her report has a lot of uncommon vocabulary that is left undefined and is critical to understanding. For example, she talks about “rock nodules” on the seafloor, but the reader may be unclear on what they even are. Clarifying all of the scientific terms at the beginning or in a timely manner will solve this problem. The second thing that could be improved in her report is the relevance paragraph. Sondey does a good job of helping the reader understand the threat of unregulated mining of the rock nodules, but it still lacks a strong connection to why our society should care. The paragraph would benefit a lot form trying to connect to the reader emotionally about why we should care about a species’ survival rather than trying to focus on fighting mining companies.
The thing that I learned from this article is that the world is a much bigger place than most of us imagine. Our society as a whole got distracted by space, the “final frontier,” but forgot about the other bigger frontier we have yet to conquer: the ocean. We don’t even know how many species we have yet to discover down at the bottom of the ocean. This article has gotten me more focused on the ocean, and has me watching out for more ocean related discoveries as our technology improves. Even the discovery of a new creature as insignificant as these sponges still represents just how little we know about our very own planet.