“Growing Number Of Cancer Cases Caused By Excess Weight”

Clio Dakolias

AP Bio

Mr. Ippolito

March 26, 2017

CE 20

Adamson, Allan. “Growing Number Of Cancer Cases Caused By Excess Weight.” Tech Times, 26 Mar. 2018, www.techtimes.com/articles/223715/20180326/growing-number-of-cancer-cases-caused-by-excess-weight.htm.

For Current Event 20, I chose to review an article from the Tech Times titled “Growing Number of Cancer Cases Caused By Excess Weight,” by Allan Adamson. Researchers have recently found that excess weight is now responsible for 6.3 percent of all cancer cases in the United Kingdom, a number that has risen 5.5 percent since 2011 (in only 7 years). While smoking remains a leading cause of cancer, the number of cases linked to tobacco use is falling, and the number caused by excess weight is growing. Weight problems are often preventable through a healthy diet and regular physical exercise, but many countries, including the United States, are currently facing an obesity epidemic. Those who are obese and have unhealthy eating and physical activity habits face a number of health issues, which include: an increased risk for type 2 diabetes, gallstones, high blood pressure, heart disease, asthma, and sleep apnea. The study, published in the British Journal of Cancer, provided evidence that excess weight is a growing risk factor for cancer, but this information is not new. Obesity has long been associated with higher odds for bowel cancer, breast cancer, and womb cancer. Obesity is not the only preventable risk factor for cancer, some of which include smoking, UV radiation, eating too little fiber, drinking alcohol, and outdoor air pollution. Katrina Brown, from Cancer Research UK, stated in the study: “Changing population-level exposure to modifiable risk factors is a key driver of changing cancer incidence.” The researchers found that over 135,000 cases could have been prevented through lifestyle changes.

Obesity is a growing issue in the United States- recent findings have stated that more and more American adults are getting fatter, and the obesity epidemic is growing worse. Knowing that obesity has such undesirable implications such as cancer. While the study mentioned in the article was based in the UK, a 2016 study summarizing worldwide estimates of the fractions of different cancers attributable to obesity reported that the US had the highest fractions attributable to obesity for colorectal cancer, pancreatic cancer, and postmenopausal breast cancer. It is important to note that many studies have displayed consistent evidence that those adults with a lower weight gain have lower risks for many types of cancer. As our country continues to report a growing obesity rate, it is important to understand that obesity has many risks and dangers, which can lead to death. Maintaining a healthy diet and constantly exercising throughout your life is important so as not to fall overweight, because it is preventable (when not related to genetics).

The author, Adamson, did a great job with this article and topic. She cited sources, including the study itself and key contributors to the initial report. Grammatically and topically, the article was very well written, and it flowed nicely, making it an interesting read. There was no urgency to the article, no indication that the topic was important. In some cases, it is important to write articles solely based on facts, but in important topics such as this, it can be more beneficial if the author displays a passion for the topic, which would have added something to the article that seemed to be missing, and made the reader want to care about the topic as well. Overall, the article was well written, and very informative.

“Was a Tiny Mummy in the Atacama an Alien? No, but the Real Story Is Almost as Strange.”

Sarah Goodell

Mr. Ippolito

AP Bio: Current Event #20

March 26th, 2018

Current Event #20

Zimmer, Carl. “Was a Tiny Mummy in the Atacama an Alien? No, but the Real Story Is Almost

as Strange.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 22 Mar. 2018,

www.nytimes.com/2018/03/22/science/ata-mummy-alien-chile.html?rref=collection%2F

sectioncollection%2Fscience.

This week, I read the article “Was a Tiny Mummy in the Atacama an Alien? No, but the Real Story Is Almost as Strange” by The New York Times author Carl Zimmer. Nearly 20 years ago, a small skeleton, rumored to be a mummified alien, was found in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. The skeleton is only 6 inches, but is almost complete. However, it has 10 ribs, instead of 12, large eye sockets, and an elongated skull. Despite the claims that Ata, as the skeleton is known, is an alien, scientists have investigated her DNA and claim that she was, in fact, human and even belonged to the local population. Scientists even discovered multiple mutations in her DNA that have been linked to defects in bone structure. The author writes that “Some of these mutations might be responsible for the skeleton’s bizarre form, causing a hereditary disorder never before documented in humans.” Dr. Antonio Salas Ellacuriaga, a geneticist at the University of Santiago de Compostela in Spain, has also said that these “‘DNA autopsies’” could help humans better understand medical disorders “by looking to the past to understand the present.” DNA studies have shown that Ata is less than 500 years old, but many of her bones were as developed as those of a six-year-old. There is still much research to be done on Ata’s bone structure, DNA, and lifetime, but her discovery has helped scientists learn more about our past, present, and future.

This article is relevant because it proves that archaeologists are constantly discovering new remains of humans, animals, and artifacts from cultures that can help expand upon our knowledge of the world and our universe. Through these findings, scientists have been able to pinpoint genetic mutations never seen before amongst humans today, which can give researchers insight into how mutations function and can help prevent future mutations or find cures for current diseases and disorders. It is crucial to understand how these skeletons can help advance our technology and improve our comprehension of science-related topics that are not yet fully developed.

Zimmer wrote a very thorough and descriptive article on the discovery of Ata and how scientists have examined her DNA and bone structure to learn more about humans today. He successfully interviewed credible scientists, incorporated their statements, and included examples of studies that have been done regarding Ata’s DNA. Zimmer also did a great job providing his audience with an understandable summary and explanation of each scientific study. Although he wrote an informative article, Zimmer could have improved upon a few aspects of his article. Zimmer could have provided his readers with more information regarding where scientists will go from here. He also could have detailed how scientists have used Ata’s DNA to explore modern mutations.

Vampire bat immunity and infection risk respond to livestock rearing

Mairead Cain

Mr. Ippolito

A.P. Biology

27 March 2018

University of Georgia. "Vampire bat immunity and infection risk respond to livestock rearing." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 26 March 2018. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/03/180326140237.htm>.

www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/03/180326140237.htm

For my current event report, I decided to read and analyze the article, “Vampire bat immunity and infection risk respond to livestock rearing,” from the online news source Science Daily. The article discusses the study of how human provided food, such as bird feeders and livestock, affects the immunity and disease rate of vampire fats. The research endeavor was led and organized by Daniel Becker, a doctoral student at the University Georgia Odum School of Ecology. The study showed several different results from observing the vampire bats. In several cases, infection rates lowered as the vampire bats didn’t need to worry as much about food sources. Their bodies only focus was spent towards maintaining a healthy immune system. However, the provided food sources led to more reproduction and therefore the subsequent rapid spread of disease. The supplied food would also lead to more interactions between populations who do not normally interact, “allowing pathogens to cross over from one species to another -- including to humans.” The team conducted the study by taking hair and blood samples from various bats and observing their gender and maturity level. “The vampire bats in low- and high-livestock habitats have very different immune profiles. Vampire bats in the high-livestock sites really showed immune data skewed toward innate immunity, but vampire bats in low-livestock areas are investing more in adaptive immune response.”

Considering the fact that this article describes the “cross-species transmission of pathogens,” it is evident that it is important to the world of biology. This can be dangerous for the humans in the area. Despite this, Becker described how easily this problem could be avoided. “It's when you start clearing vast tracts of forest that's probably a big driver of what's going on here, because then you're depleting the bats' natural food and replacing it with this new food source, and that's having all these individual and population level consequences for the bats.” Future studies involving these vampire bats could help scientists further understand the “cross-species transmission of pathogens.” If scientists find more ways to observe the various transmissions, then they can surely make large strides down the path of further understanding how to avoid such occurrences.

Overall, I believe the article “Vampire bat immunity and infection risk respond to livestock rearing,” was very well written and equally informative. The authors easily simplify the advanced science behind the data to allow all readers to be able to interpret the information given. Many of the terms used are also defined and described. The authors go into amazing description when discussing how such transmissions could be avoided. In an effort to improve the article, the authors should have discussed why, exactly, such transmissions are bad for the humans involved. It would have also been beneficial for the article to immediately go into detail with how the researchers were able to obtain vampire bat blood and hair samples.

“Report: Earth Is Losing Plants And Animals At A Dangerous Rate.”

Susie Goodell

Mr. Ippolito

AP Biology

3/27/18

Chan, Athena. “Report: Earth Is Losing Plants And Animals At A Dangerous Rate.” Tech Times, 25 Mar. 2018, www.techtimes.com/articles/223648/20180325/report-earth-is-losing-plants-and-animals-at-dangerous-rate.htm.

Current Event 20

For this current event, I decided to read the article “Report: Earth Is Losing Plants And Animals At A Dangerous Rate” by Athena Chan of Tech Times. This article discusses the results of four new papers on the state of biodiversity and ecosystems of the planet. The 550 researchers from all across the globe spent three years compiling data into the reports. They studied the Americas, Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Europe, and Central Asia. The results found for the Americas show high biodiversity has a huge impact on poverty reduction and the economy. However, after taking a closer look, scientists realized that the average species population of a particular area is 31 percent less than at the time of European colonization. Scientists calculated that because of climate change, this rate will reach 40 by 2050. They also stated that “nature's land-based contributions of $24 trillion per year are already 65 percent in decline.” In Africa, manmade and natural causes are already affecting biodiversity, especially climate change to which the continent is very vulnerable. By 2100, scientists estimate, half of the birds and mammals in Africa will be gone and lakes and plants could be 30 to 40 percent reduced. The population is also having an effect on biodiversity and will only get stronger as it is expected to double by 2050. In Asia and the Pacific, extreme weather events, invasive species, waste pollution, agricultural intensification, and sea level rise have the most impact on biodiversity. Steps have been taken over the past 25 years to fight the steep decline in biodiversity. Marine protected areas have increased by 14 percent and a 0.3 percent increase in land protected areas has led to a 2.5 percent growth of forest cover. However, the actions may not be enough, especially for the marine ecosystems and their extremely endangered coral reefs. In Europe and Central Asia, growth of conventional agriculture and forestry has the biggest impact on biodiversity. 28 percent of solely European-based species are threatened and 42 percent of all land and animal species are already declined. The wetlands have been cut in half since the 1970s, as well. Professor Markus Fischer of Switzerland, co-chair of the Europe and Central Asia assessment, said that "The people of the region consume more renewable natural resources than the region produces," which has led to the decline in biodiversity.

Overall, the research shows that plants, animals, and clean water are disappearing at dangerous rates. As the author states, “[The] four scientific reports from the United Nations reveal that the Earth may be in store for a lonelier existence.” The main pressures that cause the rate to increase so much include habitat stress, air, water and land pollution, and invasive species, climate change, and an unsustainable use of resources. Everyone has to do their part to fight the effects of climate change and our own misuse of the environment to protect the biodiversity of our planet and keep it habitable for all species. There are actions already being taken, such as some sustainable agriculture practices in Europe and Central Asia, that have been beneficial to biodiversity, but it is not enough. We have to take stronger action to combat the destruction of our planet and its beautiful biodiversity.

The author did a great job on this article. It was easy to understand and was not packed with information that would confuse the reader or turn them away from reading it. However, there are a few things that the author could have done better. She could have added a paragraph at the end of the article describing the importance of the research. Although, it may seem obvious, it would be more powerful if it was stated. Also, the author should have included more details about the research and the steps they took to obtain their results. Overall, the author wrote a powerful, informative article.

Was a Tiny Mummy in the Atacama an Alien? No, but the Real Story Is Almost as Strange

Charlie Gay

AP Biology

Mr. Ippolito

3/25/18

Zimmer, Carl. "Was a Tiny Mummy in the Atacama an Alien? No, but the Real Story Is Almost as Strange." The New York Times. The New York Times, 22 Mar. 2018. Web.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/22/science/ata-mummy-alien-chile.html

Current Events 20

I really enjoyed reading Carl Zimmer’s “Was a Tiny Mummy in the Atacama an Alien? No, but the Real Story Is Almost as Strange.” This article discusses how a tiny six inch skeleton was discovered in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. People originally thought that this could be an alien. However, scientists explained that Ata, the name they gave the skeleton, was in fact a human. According to Zimmer, “Ata’s bones contain DNA that not only shows she was human, but that she belonged to the local population.” Scientists believe that she had multiple mutations that led to her lack of bone development. Antonio Salas Ellacuria, a geneticist at the University of Santiago de Compostela in Spain, said it was “a very beautiful example of how genomics can help to disentangle an anthropological and archaeological dilemma.” A series of tests have been done on Ata to help learn more about why she developed like she did. They have discovered that she is less than 500 years old. One scientist found 2.7 million variants in the genome of Ata’s DNA. More research must be done on Ata to discover what genetic disorder she possessed. Scientists are hoping that they will be able to find information that will tell them more about genetic disorders we already know about. Some scientists think that Ata underwent a stillbirth.

The discovery of Ata will hopefully shed light on skeletal deformities seen today. Scientists are hoping that they can discover what mutations caused Ata to develop the way she did. She had an abnormal amount of ribs and huge eye sockets. Even if Ata does not teach us anything about the genetic disorders we have today she will still teach us something about the past. Ata was supposedly “part of the local population” which means that she could teach us what this population was like 500 years ago. Ata will hopefully find her way to a museum where everyone can learn about her intriguing and mysterious past.

I thought this article was very well written. I thought that Zimmer did a great job of explaining some complex topics in everyday common language. I also liked how Zimmer included quotes from reliable scientists. One thing that Zimmer could have done better is he could have explained how the scientists figured out all the information about Ata. I would have been interested to know how they were able to examine the DNA of a person who has been deceased for 500 years. Overall, this article was very interesting and informative. I definitely want to do further research on Ata.

We’re sleepwalking into a mass extinction

Isabella Dibbini

Mr. Ippolito

AP Bio

March 25, 2018

“'We're Sleepwalking into a Mass Extinction' Say Scientists.” ScienceDaily, ScienceDaily, 21 Mar. 2018, www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/03/180321121558.htm.

The article “We’re sleepwalking into a mass extinction,” from the online source Science Daily, talks about diverse aquatic communities, and how they could be the most vulnerable to extinction. Researches from various well known Universities in the United Kingdom have published a study in Communication Biology, where they examined the patterns of diversity change across the evolutionary tree of the caridean shrimps. These crustaceans are a crucial component of the marine food chain, but also make up an vital important contribution to the fisheries worldwide. This allowed scientists to explore where rates of diversification sped up and slowed down over the past 200 million years. Their data showed that shrimp have independently transitioned from marine to freshwater habitats repeated, creating more diversity. A professor of Evolutionary Paleobiology at the Milner Centre for Evolution at the University of Bath, Matthew Wills said “We are sleepwalking into a mass extinction of magnitude unparalleled since the asteroid impact that wiped out the dinosaurs.” He continues to talk about how diversity takes millions of years to evolve, but it can also be damaged in an instant. Wills believes that we are losing diversity that has never been documented, and that is is absolutely necessary to understand the mechanisms that drive evolution into new species.

Although this investigation was conducted on animals, it does have a crucial effect on our society today. The research they are doing is important for predicting the effects of ongoing, human-made environmental change. Dr Katie Davis, the lead author of the paper, supported this fact when she stated “... the responses of groups in the geological past can predict their likely responses in the future.” She continued to state “We hope our work will help us to learn lessons from the last 200 million of years -- a different scale to that of most ecological studies.”

Throughout this article, the author makes statements and supports them with concrete evidence. In addition, the structure of this article is well planned out. The author begins by introducing his main argument and then goes into depth about the studies conducted by researchers from the University of York, the University of Bath and Oxford University. While this article was well written, there are a few things that the author could have done to make their story more compelling. One suggestion that can be made to improve this article would be to incorporate additional plans on how scientists would further this study. Overall, this article was interesting and very well written.

Mice Change Their Appearance as a Result of Frequent Exposure to Humans

Hannah Beldotti

AP Biology

Current Event #19

March 18, 2018

“Mice Change Their Appearance as a Result of Frequent Exposure to Humans.” ScienceDaily,

ScienceDaily, 16 Mar. 2018,www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/03/180316113053.htm.

This week I read the article, “Mice Change Their Appearance as a result of Frequent Exposure to Humans,” which discusses how domesticated animals have different appearances than those in the wild. Throughout time, animals have been domesticated to be farm animals or pets and have shown certain differences than those in the wild. The author of the article states, “For example, domestic rabbits, dogs, and pigs all have white patches, floppy ears, smaller brains, and shorter snouts,” to introduce the topic of domestication syndrome. Scientists’ knowledge of this came from an experiment by soviet geneticist Dmitry Belyaev in Siberia in 1959. In this experiment, Belyaev tamed wild foxes to investigate their, “evolutionary changes”. He found that over time, their behavior towards people became friends and their fur developed white patches along with their snouts shortening, ears dropping, and tails turning curly. To explore the phenomenon further, researchers conducted an investigation led by Anna Lindholm, a researcher from the Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies at UZH, on wild mice that live in a barn near Zurich, Switzerland. The researchers observed that in over a decade, the mice developed white patch in their brown fur and shorter snouts. Anna Lindholm then continued to explain their observation by stating, “The mice gradually lost their fear and developed signs of domestication. This happened without any human selection, solely as a result of being exposed to us (humans) regularly.” Scientists eventually found that a small group of stem cells in the early embryo are responsible for these behavioral and physical changes.

Overall, I think the authors wrote a well-written article, however, their are some improvements that can be made. One aspect of the article that I thought was well done, was the introduction paragraph which provided details to help the reader understand the topic at-hand. On the other hand, I thought the rest of the article could have included more specific details. For example, when the authors are discussing the, “Neural crest cells provide link,” they did not go into much detail about the small group of stem cells. Additionally, there was no point at which the authors related the topic in the article to society. The writers could have said that animals play an important role in sculpting human societies. For example, in our history, domesticated animals, such as horses, were used to help farmers plow.

I learned a lot while reading this article. I was initially intrigued by the title because I wondered how human exposure could affect animals appearance. I thought this article was well written and simple to follow along with.

What's Behind Many Mystery Ailments? Genetic Mutations, Study Finds

Olivia Doyle

Mr. Ippolito

AP Biology

18 March 2018

Zimmer, Carl. “What's Behind Many Mystery Ailments? Genetic Mutations, Study Finds.” The New

York Times, The New York Times, 15 Mar. 2018, www.nytimes.com/2018/03/15/health/genetic-mutations-diagnosis.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fscience&action=click&contentCollection=science®ion=rank&

This week, I read the New York Times article entitled “What’s beyond mystery ailments? Genetic mutations, study finds”. The article discussed a study that examined DNA of a group of patients to look for mutations responsible for certain diseases. Scientists have begun to realize that the genetic causes of many inherited diseases are overlooked, which can be dangerous for patients. The study found that it may be possible to identify these dangerous mutations with computer programs, but that much larger databases are needed before we can start sequencing entire genomes of patients. In the experiment, scientists, including Dr. Joshua C. Denny, found 807 undiagnosed patients “carrying mutations in genes linked to 17 different diseases…. Only 8 of these patients had gotten a test that revealed the mutation”. The test revealed that there are hundreds and hundreds of mutations that go unidentified in a patient’s genome.

This study is highly important to the field of genetics, but also to humanity as a whole. With improved technology that can “flag suspicious clusters of symptoms in groups of patients”, scientists now can identify potential causes of disease in an effort to treat or even cure them. According to the article, “It’s possible that as many as 4.5 percent of cases of apparently nongenetic diseases, from infertility to kidney failure, are the result of such mutations”, meaning that gene sequencing identifying mutations could be highly effective in diagnosing genetic diseases. In diagnosing early on, we are increasing each and every patient’s chance of survival. Dr. Denny and Dr. Rehm forsee the best solution as sequencing the entire genome of every patient even before birth, but that this solution does not seem to be in the near future.

In my opinion, the author did an excellent job of presenting the details of the study and explaining their importance. He provided a thorough analysis of the results of the study, leaving the reader highly informed. He included the opinions of the scientists who conducted the experiment, as well as both the failures and successes of the study. However, I think the author should have ended on a more positive note--he ends with a mere quote from Dr. Denny that does not sound too hopeful about future research. I would have liked for him to tie up the article in a more satisfying way. Overall, though, I found this article very interesting and informative and am eager to see the other undiagnosed diseases that scientists have found.

A Quiet Drug Problem Among the Elderly

Ava Austi

AP Biology

Current Event  #19

March 18, 2018

“A Quiet Drug Problem Among the Elderly.”

Span, Paula. “A Quiet Drug Problem Among the Elderly.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 16 Mar. 2018.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/16/health/elderly-drugs-addiction.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fhealth&action=click&contentCollection=health&region=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=sectionfront

In the article, “A Quiet Drug Problem Among the Elderly” by Paula Span from The New York Times, it discusses how geriatricians and researchers have sounded the alarm about the use of benzodiazepines among older adults. Often called “benzos,” the problem drugs include Valium (diazepam), Klonopin (clonazepam), Xanax (alprazolam) and Ativan (lorazepam).The cautions have had scant effect: Use of the drugs has risen among older people, even though they are particularly vulnerable to the drugs’ ill effects. Many patients take them for years, though they’re recommended only for short periods. Now the opioid epidemic has generated fresh warnings, because pain relievers like Vicodin (hydrocodone with Tylenol) and OxyContin (oxycodone) are also frequently prescribed for older people. When patients take both, they’re at risk for overdosing. “Why are opioids dangerous? They stop you from breathing, and they have more power to do that when you’re also taking a benzo,” said Keith Humphreys, a Stanford University researcher and co-author of a disturbing editorial about overuse and misuse of benzodiazepines last month in the New England Journal of Medicine. Numbers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tell the story: In 1999, it tallied just 63 benzodiazepine-related deaths among those aged 65 and older. Almost 29 percent also involved an opioid. By 2015, benzo deaths in that age group had jumped to 431, with more than two-thirds involving an opioid. (Benzo-related deaths in all age groups totaled 8,791.) Persuading older people that benzos can hurt them — and that alternative treatments like cognitive behavioral therapy and improved sleep hygiene can be as effective for insomnia, though they take longer — has proved an uphill fight.

Without a doubt, this issue among the elderly affect societies. These drugs cause a range of symptoms to those who take it. Symptoms that include nausea, chills, anxiety, even delirium. “You taper down very gradually,” says Dr. Maust. Scientists and researchers need to emphasize the risk of these drugs to allow doctors to understand what they are actually handing to their clients. This quiet problem needs to be stopped. Significant declines in benzo use among older people in Ontario, Canada, in Australia and in the Veterans Administration health care system in the United States show that it can be done, with more cautious prescribing and programs to help users become ex-users.

I thought this article was very interesting but at the same time, very straightforward. I didn’t choose this article for a specific reason but I am happy that I did. I found it very intriguing how this large problem within elderly communities is not talked about more. I was able to understand the main idea of the article due to the strengths of the author. Paula Span did a great job of providing the reader with the perfect amount of detail. Because of this, I was able to grasp the perfect idea of this ‘quiet problem.’ There was never a point where I was confused because she told it like a story. Although Paula did things well, I wish she included more quotes from researchers because this would have allowed me to get an idea of what other researchers opinions were on this problem. Overall, I believe the author did a excellent job of addressing the quiet drug problems among elderly.

How Stephen Hawking Defied ALS To Become the Physicist of Our Time

Mia Gradelski

Mr. Ippolito

AP Biology: Current Event #20 Review

March 18, 2018

Associated Press. “How Stephen Hawking Defied ALS To Become the Physicist of Our Time.”

Popular Mechanics, Popular Mechanics, 14 Mar. 2018, <www.popularmechanics.com/science/a19430581/how-stephen-hawking-defied-als-to-become-the-physicist-of-our-time/.>

Known to be one of the greatest physicists of all time, Stephen Hawking has not only shaped the world of science but has proven that ALS is able to be defeated. He defined ALS “as a degenerative disease that eats away at the nervous system” He died this week at the age of 76, never imagining that he would survive this long. When he was diagnosed at the age of 21 with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis also known as ALS, he was traumatized. Not only his effort to stay alive fascinated the world but his contribution to the world of science. In the beginning of the article, his credits were listed as being, “a masterwork of popular science, one that guided a generation of enthusiasts through the esoteric world of anti-particles, quarks,and quantum theory.” Primarily, the article goes in depth with Hawking’s struggle and surprisingly long life with ALS. It was fascinating to read that “Hawking defied the normally fatal illness for more than 50 years, pursuing a brilliant career that stunned doctors and thrilled his fans.” Although readers are impressed upon Hawking’s incredible life span, the writer also focuses on the daily experiences that all ALS patients have to endure and misconceptions that patients have with believing that “their perfect minds are trapped in an imperfect body” as a scientist. Hawking’s incredible advancements and achievements in science were most credited in the article. The writer states, “Hawking first gained prominence for his theoretical work on black holes. Disproving the belief that black holes are so dense that nothing could escape their gravitational pull, he showed that black holes leak a tiny bit of light and other types of radiation, now known as ‘Hawking radiation.’” Hawking has made a prolific impact on the way the next generation hypothesizes about physics and cosmology along with the next leading doctors on ALS.

Over the past decades, Hawking has met with prominent world leaders such as Nelson Mandela and President Obama that lead a lasting impact on the world. The article goes in detail about Hawking’s success and how he is compared to Einstein and Newton. In the science world, he has made a prolific achievement in cosmology as well as in physics, discovering the universe’s origin and evolution. The article mentions the work he has done with Jim Hartle of the University of California, Santa Barbara. The writer states, “Hawking proposed in 1983 that space and time might have no beginning and no end. ‘Asking what happens before the Big ang is like asking for a point one mile north of the North Pole.’” Furthermore, the article specifies on the revised rejections that Hawking made upon his previous work on the idea that “objects sucked into black holes simply disappeared, perhaps to enter an alternate universe. Instead, he said he believed objects could be spit out of black holes in a mangled form.” This lead to further theories to be made regarding the paradox in scientific thinking. Overall, this article demonstrates the key impact and legacy that Stephen Hawking has presented upon the scientific world that is demonstrated in his perseverance with ALS and his theoretical theories in physics and cosmology.

After reading this article, I certainly think that writer did an excellent job describing the work Hawking has done over his career and how it has lead the new generation of thinkers to further advance his theories in cosmology and physics. In addition, I like how the writer describes specific events when Hawking met with world leaders such as President Obama and Nelson Mandela to illustrate the impact he has lead in his life. Some weaknesses that I had observed were the lack of information on ALS. It would of been interesting to learn more about his struggle and lifestyle dealing with ALS Lastly, at the end of the article, I thought it was a bit boring how the writer gave the readers a timeline format of Hawking’s life rather than discussing his battle with ALS. To improve upon these weaknesses, I would recommend finding more evidence from his family or doctors that described Hawking’s experiences with this deadly disease and how he is one of very few patients in the world to have lived up to 76.

Rewilding' Missing Carnivores May Help Restore Some Landscapes

Timothy Cushman

AP Biology

Current Event #19

March 18, 2018

Klein, Joanna. “'Rewilding' Missing Carnivores May Help Restore Some Landscapes.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 16 Mar. 2018, www.nytimes.com/2018/03/16/science/rewilding-carnivores-wolves.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fscience&action=click&contentCollection=science®ion=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=2&pgtype=sectionfront.

With the increase in the number of endangered and threatened species, researchers are looking into how to successfully rewild large carnivores. Rewilding not only helps animals that are threatened, it helps whole ecosystems. In cases where wolves have been reintroduced, “wolves tidied up explosive deer and elk populations … ate coyotes, freeing up their prey for others.” The reintroduction of animals is seen as beneficial to many species and areas. Dr. William Ripple and Christofer Wolf analyzed hundreds of areas, where large carnivores have disappeared, where rewilding could succeed. When planning to rewild a species, researchers look for areas that have had a small human impact and are large and have available prey. Despite finding over 130 potential spots for rewilding, their paper included only two specific areas where they believe rewilding would work out as planned. Putting grey wolves in Olympic National Park in Washington and red wolves into the Everglades National Park. They felt that these areas had sufficient “space for reproduction and development, prey and humans who may tolerate them.” The problem with the other locations is humans who still hunt for animals or humans who compete for carnivores prey. In their research, they found that their largest problem was finding areas where humans are willing to live with large carnivores nearby and are willing to stop the activities that caused a decline in their population in the first place.

This article is very important to everyone because as humans we need to live alongside other species. The author quotes an anthropologist, Layla AbdelRahim, who stated: “Perhaps the solution is rethinking what it means to be humans in a natural world.” Humans have to realize the damage we have done to certain species and be willing work alongside relief efforts to increase the populations of certain endangered species. This article is an important step in bringing awareness to relief efforts and human impact on the environment.

Overall, I feel that the author, Joanna Klein, wrote a wonderful article. She laid it out in a way that was easy to follow. Klein also included quotes from researchers that added to specific ideas. These quotes also added credibility to her article by proving there was research backing up her claims. Despite being overall wonderful, there were two ideas that could be improved upon. Firstly, she mentions how two specific areas were selected for rewilding, however, she never goes into details on what those areas have that others do not. She mentions how they have ample space and prey, but never specifically says what separates it from many other areas. The inclusion of this information would allow the reader to gain an even better understanding of how hard it is to find a suitable site for rewilding. Another improvement to the article would be to spend more time talking about how rewilding works. It would be interesting and informative if she had included information on where the animals came from and what was done to help their populations grow. The inclusion of these two pieces of information would allow for a better understanding of how rewilding works and why it is so hard to do.

Hotter, Drier, Hungrier: How Global Warming Punishes the World's Poorest

AP Bio

Olivia Scotti

Current Event 19

Sengupta, Somini. “Hotter, Drier, Hungrier: How Global Warming Punishes the World's Poorest.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 12 Mar. 2018, www.nytimes.com/2018/03/12/climate/kenya-drought.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fscience&action=click&contentCollection=science®ion=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=sectionfront.

The article I read “Hotter, Drier, Hungrier: How Global Warming Punishes the World’s Poorest”  by Somini Sengupta discussed how climate change is have a greater effect on people living in northern Kenya and  Ethiopia. They have found that as a result of drier an arid climate there has been more famine. Also this has lead to drought causing people to harvest less food and herd less animals. This has lead 12 million people to rely on food aid. Chris Funk a climatologist, “linked recent drought to the long-term warming of the western Pacific Ocean as well as higher land temperatures in East Africa, both products of human-induced climate change.” Also he found how global warming causes more severe weather deviations and la nina and el nino. The article also discusses how bad the conditions have become in Somalia. They found that “In Somalia, after decades of war and displacement, 2.7 million people face what the United Nations calls “severe food insecurity.” luckily because of international aid famine was prevented.

This article effects are society because we are causing a large part of this famine. As a country we have caused lots of global warming and although we are not experiencing the  immediate effects of global warming other countries are and we must compensate for are actions. Although this does not seem something affects your daily life we need to help with this problem because ““You wake up one morning and five are dead, then 10,” said David Letmaya, at a clinic in Isiolo County where his family had come to collect sacks of soy and cornmeal.” This demonstrates how we need to make a change to help with these people life. Overall everyone needs to help with this problem because many people are dying and becoming malnourished.

Overall this article had many strengths and weakness. One strength of this article was the incorporation of quotes which allowed people to see the research that has been done to understood this problem. Also this article showed many places affected by this problem which allows people to understand how many people are being affected by this issue. Although there were many strengths this article did have some weakness. One thing that hurt this article was their inability to smoothly from section to section. Also they could have added a better description of the effects this problem is having on the rest of world. The article could be improved by adding more information about each country be affected. Overall this article was well written and got its point across.