Robby Schetlick
Mr. Ippolito
AP Biology
11/7/17
Citation: University of Central Florida. "Biological clock found in fungal parasite sheds more light on 'zombie ants' phenomenon." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 6 November 2017. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/11/171106145654.htm>.
The Sciencedaily article “Biological clock found in fungal parasite sheds more light on 'zombie ants' phenomenon” brings great news for pop-culture zombie fans. New research has revealed that a parasite fungus can overtake an ant’s brain. The interesting fungus can control the ant with completely unexpected precision in order to spread fungal spores. Charissa de Bekker, Ph.D., is a longstanding researcher of this phenomenon and went to UCF earlier in the year to progress her research. In essence, these “zombie ants” have their biological clocks hijacked by the fungus, making the ants perform abnormal behaviors and search for vegetation and new hosts. The parasite then kills the host ant, and sprouts out through the ant’s skull to reproduce. Little more than this information is known at the moment, as research is happening at forests around UCF right now to continue to seek more answers. There are definitely no brain-hungry ants right now like in classic zombie movies, and it is unlikely that the fungus will have the same effect on humans, but is it still interesting to see that an idea of science fiction might be closer to reality than it is to fiction.
The research into zombie ants is very important, not just in order to satisfy the nerds in all of us, but also to solve an important neurological problem. The way the fungus is able to manipulate the ants’ brains is still inexplicable according to current understanding of neurology. De Bekker said, “"Even the most brilliant neurologists can't change behavior that effectively. The goal of my lab, therefore, is to learn more about this." Research into the neurological effects of biological clocks and manipulation of other organisms could be very helpful, and also harmful to society. The ability to manipulate others is very powerful, and could be used in crimes. However, it could also be used in schools to help improve behavior disorders or solve other behavior related problems.
The article’s main strength is that it is very direct and objective. It is not too scientific, and is meant for the general public to read in a relatively short amount of time. The biggest issue with the article is its lack of details when necessary. The author is almost too reluctant to take a risk and go into explaining a more difficult scientific concept, which makes the article less clear. This can be improved by adding in some more explanatory paragraphs for new terms and concepts so that the article can be more efficient with its ideas later on.
Olivia Doyle
ReplyDeleteMr. Ippolito
AP Biology
15 November 2017
University of Central Florida. "Biological clock found in fungal parasite sheds more light on 'zombie ants' phenomenon." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 6 November 2017.
This week, I read my classmate Robbie’s review of the article “Biological clock found in fungal parasite sheds more light on 'zombie ants' phenomenon”, which discussed the discovery of a fungal parasite that can overtake an ant’s brain. Robbie provided an adequate explanation of this phenomenon, explaining how these “zombie ants” have their biological clocks “hijacked by the fungus, making the ants perform abnormal behaviors and search for vegetation and new hosts. The parasite then kills the host ant, and sprouts out through the ant’s skull to reproduce”. This allows the reader to better understand the new discovery. In addition, Robbie provided a solid explanation of how this new research on neurological effects of biological clocks could be both helpful and harmful to society, which puts the article into perspective for the reader. Lastly, Robbie offered a few good suggestions for how the article could be made better, which demonstrates his careful analysis of the author’s style.
Although Robbie’s article was very well-written and structured, there are some areas which he could have improved on. For one, Robbie should have included quotes in his summary from researchers, as it would have given his review credibility. Robbie also should have described the experiment as it was discussed in the article, as it would have informed the reader of how researchers reached these findings. He should have described the procedure in the lab in which ants are infected with the parasite “so that they team can observe their behavior in a controlled environment.”
Overall, I found the article Robbie reviewed very interesting and informative. I had no idea that a parasite had the ability to take over the brain and cause the organism to act differently. I would like to read further into this, and I hope that researchers can find an explanation for how the fungus is able to manipulate ants’ brains. This phenomenon is both helpful and harmful to society, and I am interested in finding out how it could be used in other fields of science.
Susie Goodell
ReplyDeleteMr. Ippolito
AP Biology
11/17/17
University of Central Florida. "Biological clock found in fungal parasite sheds more light on 'zombie ants' phenomenon." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 6 November 2017. .
Current Event 8
For this current event, I read my classmate Robby’s review of the article, "Biological clock found in fungal parasite sheds more light on 'zombie ants' phenomenon" by the University of Central Florida in ScienceDaily. This article discusses the recent discovery of a parasite fungus that can overtake an ant’s brain and control the ant to spread fungal spores. Robby did a great job summarizing the article. He described the fungus’ actions in the ants using terms that were easy to understand and did not include too many details that would confuse the readers. Additionally, Robby succinctly explains the significance that this discovery has on our world, as he stated that understanding the power of manipulating the mind could be both harmful and beneficial to our society. Robby also analyzed the article very well and added helpful suggestions for what the author could do to improve his work.
Despite all of the good aspects of this review, Robby could do a few things to improve it. First, he could have added more background information on what the “zombie ants” phenomenon is because I did not know what this was and I’m sure other readers will not either. He doesn’t mention it in his review, even though it was written in the title of the article. This was one of the reasons I chose to read this review, so even if it was not in the article, it would be advantageous for him to acknowledge the fact that it was not written about. Robby could also add more quotes to support his statements. He did include one quote in the second paragraph from a scientist researching the fungus, but it would have been beneficial for him to use another, especially in his summary. However, Robby’s review was very well-written and structured and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I chose to read this review because I had never heard of the “zombie ants” phenomenon. Even though not much was included about the phenomenon itself, I was still intrigued by the discovery discussed in this review. I didn’t know that something could have the capability to take over the mind of another. Robby had a really interesting take on the situation as he stated that the power of mind control could be both destructive and constructive. This made me really interested in the capabilities of the parasite fungus and I will continue to track the progress that the researchers make in this field.
Kirsten Ircha 11/16/17
ReplyDeleteAP Biology E/F Even Current Event #8
Citation:
University of Central Florida. "Biological clock found in fungal parasite sheds more light on
'zombie ants' phenomenon." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 6 November 2017. .
Robby Schetlick wrote an insightful review on the article, “Biological clock found in fungal parasite sheds more light on 'zombie ants' phenomenon”. I feel that many aspects of the review were done well. For example, Robby includes a variety of sentence structure, both short and long. By doing so, the review is more entertaining and intriguing for the reader. Furthermore, the article chosen for the review is very relevant to today’s society, since many people are interested in fictitious zombies due to pop culture, media, and televisions. Due to this, I found the review to be very interesting and constantly entertaining. At no point did I space out or feel that the information was unimportant. Lastly, I like how Robby appeals to humor through his sentences such as, “ The research into zombie ants is very important, not just in order to satisfy the nerds in all of us, but also to solve an important neurological problem,” and “There are definitely no brain-hungry ants right now like in classic zombie movies, and it is unlikely that the fungus will have the same effect on humans, but is it still interesting to see that an idea of science fiction might be closer to reality than it is to fiction”. This allows him to engage with his audience and makes Robby seem more relatable.
Although the review was written extremely well, I feel a couple of areas could be easily improved. For example, some of the main points stressed throughout the passage were overly repetitive, such as the ideas surrounding neurological effects. This makes the reader feel as if Robby does not have a full understanding of the article or has not read and analyzed the entire passage. To improve on this in the future, Robby can makes sure to not repeat the same ideas multiple times and to include a greater variety of detail within the review. Additionally, Robby uses very few quotes throughout the review. Although this is not a major issue, the review would have been seen as more reliable with additional information provided by an expert scientist or doctor.
What most shocked me is when Robby claims, “The ability to manipulate others is very powerful, and could be used in crimes. However, it could also be used in schools to help improve behavior disorders or solve other behavior related problems.” I found this so surprising because it relates how studying, “Neurological effects of biological clocks and manipulation of other organisms,” can lead to a positive change in society. This review will effect my life as I am deeply interested in the topic and will follow further updates on this issue in the future.