Olivia Doyle
Mr. Ippolito
AP Biology
28 October 2017
Fleur, Nicholas St. “A Turkey-Size Dinosaur With a Raccoon-Like Bandit Mask.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 26 Oct. 2017, www.nytimes.com/2017/10/26/science/dinosaur-raccoon-bandit-mask.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fscience&action=click&contentCollection=science®ion=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=2&pgtype=sectionfront.
This week, I read an article entitled “A Turkey-Sized Dinosaur With a Racoon-Like Bandit Mask” that discussed new discoveries from research on the dinosaur Sinosauropteryx. Researchers were able to determine its color from the preserved plumage of its fossils, and found that the creature likely had a dark camouflage pattern on their backs and a lighter pattern on their bellies. This pattern is similar to gazelles or pronghorns of today, displaying its evolutionary significance. Lead author of the study Fiann Smithwick decided to research how this pattern shows us what kind of environment the dinosaur lived in. He made 3D models of the pattern and tested it under different lights, finding that the pattern was most effective in open, sunny environments. Additionally, Smithwick believes that the mask around its eyes was another form of camouflage, which is still seen today in racoons and some badgers and red pandas. Some researchers think that the patches were used as warning signs for predators, signifying their dominance.
Many scientists commented on the significance of this new discovery not only for advancing paleontology, but also for understanding evolutionary adaptations as a whole. Dr. Smithwick says the discovery “shows that the world of dinosaurs wasn’t so crazily far from what we could imagine today.” His 3D tests provide insight into how patterns of camouflage are effective in different environments. He found that “Animals that live in open, grassy environments have sharp transitions high on their body, from dark to light. But those that live in wooded or forested areas, like deer, tend to have a more gradual transition that appears much lower on the body.” The research is a leap forward in paleontologists’ understanding of the Sinosauropteryx. However, it is also “suggest that countershading is not a modern evolutionary development, but a timeless camouflage technique.” This creature’s camouflage is still visible in animals today, which gives us a wider perception of evolution as a whole.
In my opinion, the author effectively structured his article so that it could be understood by the reader. He included research from many different scientists and then commented on the conclusions they drew as whole in order to create a coherent analysis of these discoveries. I liked how he included pictures of the 3D model of Sinosauropteryx, as well as picture of the fossil specimen. I also think it was important that he included information about how this connects to our understanding of science and evolution as whole, and not just paleontology. However, I do think he could have included more information about the dinosaurs’ predators, and how the camouflage was able to successfully (or unsuccessfully) drive them away. It would have been interesting to know if the Sinosauropteryx was around for a long time, or if it died out quickly. Overall, though, the article was very informative and heightened my interest in camouflage as an evolutionary adaptation over time.
ReplyDeleteFleur, Nicholas St. “A Turkey-Size Dinosaur With a Raccoon-Like Bandit Mask.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 26 Oct. 2017, www.nytimes.com/2017/10/26/science/dinosaur-raccoon-bandit-mask.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fscience&action=click&contentCollection=science®ion=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=2&pgtype=sectionfront.
Doyle , Olivia. “" A Turkey-Size Dinosaur With a Raccoon-Like Bandit Mask.’” Review of NYTimes.com. NYTimes.com, www.nytimes.com/2017/10/26/science/dinosaur-raccoon-bandit-mask.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fscience&action=click&contentCollection=science®ion=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=2&pgtype=sectionfront.
Olivia Doyle wrote an excellent review on “A Turkey-Sized Dinosaur With a Racoon-Like Bandit Mask” by Nicholas Fleur. While reading the review, I found multiple factors Doyle achieved that improved her review. For example, while describing the appearance of the dinosaur the article focuses on, she included specific examples her readers could use to compare the dinosaur to. As most readers will not know what the Sinosauropteryx looks like just by its name, her elaboration on its appearance as having a “dark camouflage pattern” and how it is “similar to gazelles” offers readers imagery. Another aspect well done can be found in Doyle’s explanation of the experiment Fiann Smithwick designed to find where the dinosaur lived. She goes in depth while only writing about the important information so readers are not flooded with data they do not need to know. For example, she wrote “he made 3D models of the pattern and tested it under different lights.” After this, Doyle also included the outcome of the experiment, that the pattern is best fitted for sunny environment, so readers were not left confused. Lastly, Doyle effectively described how the discovery is essential in the understanding of evolution. Here she explained that even though the creature was dark and did well living in sunny environments, it helps us understand that it is a camouflage technique and not only evolutionary. From this explanation, readers can see a connection from evolution to camouflage, underlining the subject of the article.
Although Doyle wrote very well in some areas, others still needed to be improved. One aspect that had room for improvement is her connections to society. Throughout the second paragraph, Doyle did make connections from the findings to the world of science, but not to society specifically, as she didn’t use the word society in her review. To fix this flaw, Doyle could include a few sentences at the end of her paragraph explaining how the growing evidence supporting evolution has altered the way people view their religions, and how schools in society are faced with the question of how to teach evolution. Another area of improvement is also found in the second paragraph. Doyle uses an excessive amount of quotes, so much so that they make up at least half of the whole section of the review. A solution for this would be for Doyle to take some crucial information out the quotes and incorporate them in sentences. By doing this, every other sentence would not be another quotation and she could then write in her own words.
I chose this review to comment on because of it’s title about a weird looking dinosaur. A dinosaur the size of a turkey with racoon like coloring is hard to imagine, as must dinosaurs I’ve seen in books and on T.V. are large and earth-toned. After reading the article, I learned that not all dinosaurs are the stereotypical type shown in Jurassic Park, and that creatures in all sizes roamed the Earth millions of years before humans. I also learned more about evolution that is evident in the time of the dinosaurs, and how their coloring corresponded with the environment they lived in. From now on, I will perceive evolution as a process that has happened since the beginning of life, and that it is evident in many periods of time.
Luke Redman
ReplyDeleteMr.Ippolito
Current Event 6
October 30th 2017
Fleur, Nicholas St. “A Turkey-Size Dinosaur With a Raccoon-Like Bandit Mask.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 26 Oct. 2017, www.nytimes.com/2017/10/26/science/dinosaur-raccoon-bandit-mask.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fscience&action=click&contentCollection=science®ion=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=2&pgtype=sectionfront.
My classmate, Olivia Doyle, wrote a great review on Nicholas Fleur's article for the New York Times, “A Turkey-Size Dinosaur With a Raccoon-Like Bandit Mask.” Olivia made her review great by including a description of the dinosaur, the Sinosauropteryx, which made the dinosaur easier to imagine because readers without prior knowledge of the dinosaur would have been clueless other than the raccoon-like bandit mask. Another positive about Olivia’s article is the easy to read writing style, which puts any confusing science terms into simpler, more digestible words. The third thing that Olivia excels at it is her inclusion of the outcome of the experiment, which helps the reader understand the experiment as a whole.
However, there were some aspects of Olivia’s article that could have been improved. She did not really explain how this experiment connects to our society, and she did not even include why it does not connect to our society, which would have been interesting to read. Another negative on Olivia’s article was the excessive amount of quotes. At some points, it seemed that there were more quotes than actual original writing, she could have fixed this easily in the editing process.
Overall, Olivia’s article was well informed and she did a great job describing the discovery. I had no idea that dinosaurs could look like racoons. I look forward to reading her next review.
Isabella Dibbini
ReplyDeleteMr. Ippolito
AP Biology
6 November 2017
Fleur, Nicholas St. “A Turkey-Size Dinosaur With a Raccoon-Like Bandit Mask.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 26 Oct. 2017, www.nytimes.com/2017/10/26/science/dinosaur-raccoon-bandit-mask.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fscience&action=click&contentCollection=science®ion=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=2&pgtype=sectionfront.
Olivia wrote an excellent review of the article “A Turkey-Sized Dinosaur With a Racoon-Like Bandit Mask.” She created a great summary of the article, and including all of the main points that the author addressed. Also, Olivia included a lot of detail, making her review interesting and easy to follow. Lastly, she does a great job of supporting her ideas with evidence directly from the article. For example, she quotes Dr. Smithwick, when explaining the discovery: “shows that the world of dinosaurs wasn’t so crazily far from what we could imagine today,” and goes on to elaborate on this topic.
This review is extremely well written, however, there are a few small things that she could change to make it even better. For instance, if Olivia wanted to make her review even more interesting, she could have done outside research, which would allow her to incorporate additional information. Also, it would be interesting if Olivia included plans for what the researchers would do in the future.
After reading Olivia’s review of the article“A Turkey-Sized Dinosaur With a Racoon-Like Bandit Mask,” I learned how this topic was relevant to our society today. By reading this review I was able to further my knowledge on dinosaurs. Overall, this review was very interesting and shows a great understanding of this article.