Kirsten Ircha 10/24/17
AP Biology E/F Even Current Event #6
AP Biology E/F Even Current Event #6
Citation:
Strickland, Ashley. “The Microscopic Critter That Can Survive Almost Anything.” CNN,
Cable News Network, 27 July 2017, www.cnn.com/2017/07/27/health/tardigrade-water-bear-survival-study/index.html
Ashley Strickland wrote an insightful article entitled, “The microscopic critter that can survive almost anything.” The article is centered around tardigrades, also commonly referred to as “waterbears,” or “moss piglets”. These small animals, no more than a millimeter long, can survive extremely cold and extreme heat. The tardigrades are often found in water or on plants such as moss or lichen. Due to their ability to survive in almost any condition, they live in a variety of climates, from icy mountains and polar regions, to the equator and at deep depth of the ocean. The article describes these animals stating, “They have eight legs with claws at the end, a brain and central nervous system, and something sucker-like called a pharynx behind their mouth that can pierce food.” Recent studies at Oxford University have stated that the animals have the possibility of outliving the human race by almost ten billion years. This is because tardigrades are able to withstand possible future scenarios, such as asteroids, supernovae, or gamma rays. The article then goes on to explain the different condition that have been tested on the animals, including drying them out, freezing them, or placing them in extremely pressure. In all cases, these scientist found that the tardigrades can be revived, even after being frozen for thirty years. As Mark Blaxter, professor at the University of Edinburgh's Institute of Evolutionary Biology, explains this phenomena, “ We have some Ramazzottius we keep dried up in Edinburgh and check each year: We are now at year four, and last month we got hundreds of wriggling tardigrades coming back to life in half a gram of the dried-up algae.” What most interests scientist is how tardigrades are able to withstand the loss of water. What the research has shown is that the animals do not dry out and, “Instead, tardigrades turn on certain genes to replace the water loss in their cells with proteins that essentially preserve their structure until water is returned. Other proteins appear to protect DNA from damage, like the kind they would sustain from radiation.” However, over one thousand species of tardigrades exist, and they each adapt and survive in a unique manner.
The article clearly states how the understanding of tardigrades can be beneficial to society. In general, researchers suggest that, “The proteins that allow the tardigrade cells to survive drying out could be used to preserve cells and cell products "indefinitely" in a dried up state without the need for a freezer or even power.” This can be helpful with childhood vaccinations, as current vaccination require refrigeration and have a relatively short shelf life. However vaccination, “coated in tardigrade desiccation proteins” would be able to be stored at room temperature and shipped to different posts. This would not only extend the shelf life of the vaccine, but would allow the vaccine to be used at anytime and in any place. This can have an astounding impact in third world countries that do not always have access to proper medical practices or electricity.
Many strength and weaknesses exist throughout the article. To begin, I feel that the author did a great job of writing about the topic in simple enough terms to allow the information to be understood by many ages and maturity levels. This is seen as the scientific terminology is not overly advanced. Furthermore, the author did an amazing job of providing context. This sets up the rest of the article and allows the reader to understand the information that follows. Although the article was written well, Strickland often quotes the same man, Mark Blaxter. Even though it becomes clear that he is a reliable scientist, I would have preferred studies and research from more scientists. This would have made the article more compelling and convincing, as more viewpoints would have been discussed. In order to improve on this issue in the future, I feel that a greater variety of resources should be included in the work. Lastly, I felt that some of the points were overly repetitive. This can be fixed simply in the future by writing as concisely as possible to ensure that phrases are not repeated.
Nina Veru
ReplyDeleteAP-Biology, C-Odd
Current Event 6
October 29, 2017
Strickland, Ashley. “The Microscopic Critter That Can Survive Almost Anything.” CNN,
Cable News Network, 27 July 2017, www.cnn.com/2017/07/27/health/tardigrade-water-bear-survival-study/index.html
The article, “The Microscopic Critter That Can Survive Almost Anything” by Ashley Strickland was reviewed by Kirsten Ircha. While reading the review, I felt that Ircha did many things well in her writing. At the beginning of the review, the author explains the background information on the article. For instance, Ircha states, “These small animals, no more than a millimeter long, can survive extremely cold and extreme heat. The tardigrades are often found in water or on plants such as moss or lichen. Due to their ability to survive in almost any condition, they live in a variety of climates, from icy mountains and polar regions, to the equator and at deep depth of the ocean”. Ircha did a good job of explaining information on these animals, giving the reader a better understanding. In addition, I liked how the author mentioned current research being done on these creatures. For example, Ircha includes the research from Mark Blaxter, a professor at the University of Edinburgh. Blaxter is currently testing the different environments that these creatures can survive in: including drying them out, freezing them, and placing them in extreme pressure. Lastly, I enjoyed how Ircha incorporated numerous quotes to back up information stated in the review. An example is a quote stated by Blaxter backing up his research. Blaxter stated, “We have some Ramazzottius we keep dried up in Edinburgh and check each year: We are now at year four, and last month we got hundreds of wriggling tardigrades coming back to life in half a gram of the dried-up algae”. This quote helps further explain the information on his current research.
Although Ircha wrote a great review, there can always be areas for improvement. Ircha should have read over the review more thoroughly, for that there were some grammatical errors. For instance, Ircha states, “or placing them in extremely pressure”. Instead, the proper way of stating this phrase would be, “or placing them in extreme pressure”. I also felt that the some of the transitions between Ircha’s paragraphs could have been more smooth. After talking about the importance of the Tardigrade research in her second paragraph, Ircha transitions to her third paragraph by stating, “Many strengths and weaknesses exist throughout the article”. To make this transition more smooth, the author could have stated something like, “While reading this article, I noticed many strengths and weaknesses the author had”.
Overall, I felt that I learned a lot of new information by reading this review. What I found most interesting, was the benefits of the Tardigrade research. The research can be especially beneficial for childhood vaccinations, something that is very important. Tardigrades contain proteins that help the cells survive drying out, so they can be used to preserve cells and cell products without the use of a freezer. This fact is especially beneficial to third world countries that do not have access to a freezer, which is the typical method of preserving these products. Vaccines coated in Tardigrade proteins can be shipped to third world countries, and improve the lives of sick children there.
AP Bio
ReplyDeleteOlivia Scotti
10/29/17
Current Event # 6
Strickland, Ashley. “The Microscopic Critter That Can Survive Almost Anything.” CNN, Cable
News Network, 27 July 2017,
www.cnn.com/2017/07/27/health/tardigrade-water-bear-survival-study/index.html
There were many aspects of Kirsten’s review written well. One part of her review that I felt she did particularly well was her summary about the microscopic critters known as tardigrades. For instance she states how “Due to their ability to survive in almost any condition, they live in a variety of climates, from icy mountains and polar regions, to the equator and at deep depth of the ocean.” Through this summary the reader is able to understand the main point of the article that is being reviewed. Also the reader understands details about what tardigrades are. Another part of the review which was done well was the large number of quotes added to the article. For example she states “As Mark Blaxter, professor at the University of Edinburgh's Institute of Evolutionary Biology, explains this phenomena, ‘We have some Ramazzottius we keep dried up in Edinburgh and check each year: We are now at year four, and last month we got hundreds of wriggling tardigrades coming back to life in half a gram of the dried-up algae.’” Through this the reader understands what research has been done to understand cardigans and their benefits to humans. This is also allows the reader to understand the tone of the article through direct quotes from the passage. Another part of the review that was done well was her ability to describe how this discovery is beneficial to the rest of the world. For instance she states “This can be helpful with childhood vaccinations, as current vaccination require refrigeration and have a relatively short shelf life.” This strengthened her review because the reader was able to see how research on tardiness would benefit our lives. Also this gave the reader an understanding of what Kirsten thought of the review and the importance of cardigans.
Although there were many parts of Kirsten’s review written well there were areas for improvement. One part of the review that could've been improved was her transition between the second paragraph and the third paragraph. This part needs improvement because she switches from discussion about the research of tardigines to how it will affect society. If she had just added a word or two to connect these paragraphs the review would be better off as a whole. Another part of her review which could have been improved was her critique paragraph. Although she did mention the negatives and positives of the article I wish she had been less general when stating her positives and gone into more detail. Through adding more specific details about the positives of the article the reader would have had a better understanding of the article.
Overall I felt Kirsten wrote a strong review of this article which the reader could easily understand. Her review was written clearly and smoothly which allowed the reader to learn about the topic more easily and understand the research conducted. I enjoyed reading this review because I learned about how there is a new species can help improve vaccinations and fight diseases that face humans in the future. Also through adding so many details about this species allowed the reader to clearly understand how useful this medical innovation will be. Overall I liked how she described the research that was done and the effects on the present world. Through her discussion of this article the reader got a better grasp on the topic and the importance of this new research.
Amanda Shkreli
ReplyDeleteAP Biology
Current Event Review #7
November 6th, 2017
“The Microscopic Critter That Can Survive Almost Anything”
Strickland, Ashley. “The Microscopic Critter That Can Survive Almost Anything.” CNN,
Cable News Network, 27 July 2017, www.cnn.com/2017/07/27/health/tardigrade-water-bear-survival-study/index.html
Kirstan Ircha’s review of “The Microscopic Critter That Can Survive Almost Anything” summarizes new findings regarding tardigrades, which can survive in extremely hot and cold temperatures. In this review, Ircha includes three aspects that make her review well written. Firstly, Ircha does an excellent job at defining what tardigrades are, and what key aspects they have that make them unique. Ircha picks a great quote from the article that gives insight on their anatomy. “They have eight legs with claws at the end, a brain and central nervous system, and something sucker-like called a pharynx behind their mouth that can pierce food.” She also includes that tardigrades are often found in water or moss, and can survive in regions ranging from mountains, to the bottom of the ocean. By including this information, Ircha helps the reader understand what the animals are, and how they live. Secondly, Ircha includes information about a study conducted at Oxford University, that states that tardigrades have the potential to outlive the human race by almost ten billion years. Ircha then goes on to explain how this is possible. According to the study, tardigrades are able to withstand catastrophic scenarios that humans are not, such as asteroids, supernovae, or gamma rays. By including this information, Ircha puts an emphasis on how extraordinary these animals are. Lastly, Ircha includes further information that proves that the animals can withstand such extreme conditions. Experiments have tested their reactions to being dried out, frozen, or put under extreme pressure. In each experiment, it was found that tardigrades can be revived, even after being frozen for thirty years. Research has also shown that the animals do not dry out, and the tardigrades turn on certain genes to replace to replace the water loss in their cells with proteins that essentially preserve their structure until water is returned. By including these details, Ircha supports her argument that the tardigrades are “indestructible” with evidence from studies. In doing so, her claim becomes more logically consistent.
Though Ircha’s review is well written, there are certain areas where there is room for improvement. For example, in order for the reader to have a further understanding of tardigrades, I think that she should include more information on the history of the animal in the first paragraph. Ircha could fix this by including when it was first discovered, and how long it has existed on earth. Another area where there is room for improvement is also in the first paragraph. Ircha writes, “Ashley Strickland wrote an insightful article entitled, “The microscopic critter that can survive almost anything”” (Ircha, 1). Instead of correctly writing the title as ‘The Microscope Critter That Can Survive Almost Anything,’ Ircha writes the title without proper punctuation. In order to increase the credibility of her work, she could easily fix this problem by capitalizing the title.
After reading this review, I have learned that tardigrades are animals that can survive in extreme hot and cold temperatures, and that they are predicted to outlive humans by ten billion years. The reason why I chose to read this current event was because I was intrigued by the idea of an animal being ‘indestructible.’ As a result of this new information, I now question, how many other animals exist that have incredible properties such as the tardigrade?
Mia Gradelski
ReplyDeleteMr. Ippolito
AP Biology
November 8, 2017
Strickland, Ashley. “The Microscopic Critter That Can Survive Almost Anything.”
CNN, Cable News Network, 27 July 2017,
Overall, Kirsten’s review was very interesting and she has illustrated key points of this article that seemed confusing while reading the original article. At the beginning, I think she clearly stated the main idea of the article, highlighting key points of how these tardigrades which are microscopic animals, can withstand these extreme conditions of either the environment or weather. When Kirsten explains in further detail the affect of where tardigrades are found which relates to the variety of climates, she showed a good details by incorporating a very detailed piece of evidence from the reading. It reads, “due to their ability to survive in almost any condition, they live in a variety of climates, from icy mountains and polar regions, to the equator and at deep depth of the ocean.” Furthermore, another aspect that she has demonstrated profoundly was when using her evidence in a concise and orderly fashion, rather than piling statistics on at once. When she introduces Mark Blaxter, the professor at the University of Edinburgh, she nicely includes a quote which summarizes his findings. Lastly, the way Kirsten incorporated the author’s bias towards this research was excellent. She had given two arguments regarding the vaccination and writes, “However, vaccination coated in tardigrade desiccation proteins would be able to be stored at room temperature.” This last statement that she included in her review lets readers fully understand that contradictory arguments with the temperature and environment of this creature.
Although Kirsten wrote a well composed and accurate review based on the article, “The Microscopic Critter that can survive almost anything,” at times I felt she could’ve improved her writing skills and ways she cited evidence to make her argument. For example, inside her last paragraph she mentions that she “would have preferred studies and research from more scientists” yet looking back into the original article, I noted at least two scientists would could've been used as a piece of evidence. This is an example of her weakness by not checking the full article for all cases that support her review. In order to correct this, I would suggest taking notes and organizing evidence underneath your main argument to make that sentence true. In addition, at the top of her last paragraph, I’ve noticed a small grammatical error in the sentence which says, “Many strength and weaknesses exist throughout the article.” It might of been true that she did not proofread her work and she should’ve rather said strengths, as a plural word.
After reading Kirsten's article, I gained a new grasp on the difference microorganisms that I would've never known existed in this world. Part of the reason choosing this article for the reason of not knowing which “critter” can survive any type of environment, I was also curious how CNN, as being a sensational news network, would interpret these new findings. In addition, I learned that tardigrades can be able to “withstand possible future scenarios, such as asteroids, supernovae, or gamma rays” which I would’ve never thought that would be possible by any organism. As a result, these findings have changed my perception on all different forms of life on Earth, from big to small and that researching and identifying new organisms and their capabilities are endless.