Abbey Thomas
Mr. Ippolito
AP Biology / Current Event
20 April 2018
Zimmer, Carl. “Bodies Remodeled for a Life at Sea.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 19 Apr. 2018,
For this current event, I reviewed Carl Zimmer’s article on recent human evolution entitled, “Bodies Remodeled for a Life at Sea”. There had been previous adaptations that scientists had already known of, for example, people from high elevation have adapted to living at high altitudes and cattle herders in East Africa have a mutation that allows them to digest milk better. The uncovering of mutations that help humans adapt to the oceans was unexpected, and it was first reported in the journal Cell. There is a group in Southern Asia, known as the Bajau, who have adapted to become better divers. The Bajau culture is centered around the ocean, as that is their primary source of food and their houses are built over the ocean as well. The genetic changes have allowed them to swim 200 feet underwater with only wooden goggles. Dr. Ilado, from the University of Copenhagen, says that “It seemed like the perfect opportunity for natural selection to act on a population,”. The population can survive 200 feet underwater because they have a “diving reflex” that slows the heart rate and causes vasoconstriction. All mammals having a diving reflex, but the Bajaus’ is very strong. The mutation has also caused their spleens to be 50% larger than land dwellers, and research with seals shows that the larger the spleen, the deeper they can swim, as it acts like a scuba tank.
The natural selection occurring in Southern Asia is one of the only modern examples of human evolution, so therefore scientists are excited to begin to research new questions that appear from the case of the Bajau. One of the questions that scientists will be studying was how quickly these changes happened. History shows that divers only begin going to great depths in the 1600s to capture sea cucumbers to sell, but some scientists hypothesize that the evolutionary change began at the end of the Ice Age when sea levels in the region started to rise. Answers to either of these questions would help us understand the rate of human evolution.
One of the strengths of this article was it included information of the two different genes that could be the cause of the increased diving ability and went into detail about what research had been done to prove that these genes could be the ones mutated. One aspect of the article that could have been better would be to include some of the future studies about the Bajau would be done. The addition of this information would have helped the reader understand the significance of this discovery. Overall, Zimmer wrote an interesting article that highlighted how species are constantly evolving and adapting.
Nina Veru
ReplyDeleteAP Bio, C-odd
Current Event 22
4/19/18
Zimmer, Carl. “Bodies Remodeled for a Life at Sea.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 19 Apr. 2018,
I read Abbey Thomas’ review on the article “Bodies Remodeled for a Life at Sea” by Carl Zimmer. This article described how certain genetic mutations have allowed for species to better adapt to their environment. One thing that I really liked about Abbey’s review was that she included many examples of evolution. For example, she claims that people living in mountainous areas have evolved to these higher altitudes. In addition, she claims that cattle herders in East Africa have a mutation that allows them to digest milk better. In addition, the Bajau people have adapted to their ocean environment. Thomas states that the Bajau people can dive deep within the ocean because of a “diving reflex” that slows the heart and causes vasoconstriction. I also really liked how Abbey chose a topic that relates to what we are learning about in class. Recently we learned about vasoconstriction, which is when blood vessels contract, which helps the body hold onto heat. We also learned about evolution, and how some adaptations have been beneficial to some organisms. I also really enjoyed how Abbey mentioned a researcher: Dr. Ilado from the University of Copenhagen. Dr. Ilado stated that the genetic mutations allowed the Bajau people to swim 200 feet underwater with only wooden goggles.
Although Thomas wrote a great review, there are some things she could improve upon. For example, she did a really good job of incorporating a quote from the original article and I think it would have been beneficial for her to have included more. By adding more quotes, the review would of had some more credibility and scientific information. In addition, I think she could have also included more information on the modern examples of evolution. She could have also expanded upon the new research projects scientists wish to explore.
One thing I learned from this article is that there are current examples of evolution, and organisms including humans today are still evolving. I thought it was really interesting how the Bajau people are the most current example of evolution, and that a mutation causing their spleens to be large helps with this adaptation.
Hannah Beldotti
ReplyDeleteAP Biology
Current Event #22
April 20, 2018
Zimmer, Carl. “Bodies Remodeled for a Life at Sea.” The New York Times, The New
York Times, 19 Apr. 2018,
This week, I decided to read Abbey Thomas’ current event review on, “Bodies Remodeled for a Life at Sea” by Carl Zimmer. This current event review focused on how larger spleens result in deeper diving due to it acting like a, “scuba tank.” Abbey’s current event review had many commendable aspects. For example, her introduction paragraph was both well-written and informative. She states, “All mammals having a diving reflex, but the Bajaus’ is very strong. The mutation has also caused their spleens to be 50% larger than land dwellers, and research with seals shows that the larger the spleen, the deeper they can swim, as it acts like a scuba tank,” providing the reader with concise concluding sentences to summarize for the reader what she just discussed. I also found it interesting to read how Abbey thought this information that scientists gathered would be relevant when observing other societies. For example, she claims, “The natural selection occurring in Southern Asia is one of the only modern examples of human evolution, so therefore scientists are excited to begin to research new questions that appear from the case of the Bajau. One of the questions that scientists will be studying was how quickly these changes happened,” to show that the research is continuing and becoming more specific. In addition, when trying new products, people must recognize and regulate any effect they are experiencing from these products and discontinue use if irritation or other health-related issues occur,” in order to emphasize the importance of using more natural based products. Lastly, I thought Abbey did a great job of explaining what she thought the author did well and could have improved upon when she says, “One of the strengths of this article was it included information of the two different genes that could be the cause of the increased diving ability and went into detail about what research had been done to prove that these genes could be the ones mutated.”
Even though Abbey’s article was entertaining and interesting, there were some aspects of it which could be improved. For example, in her review, she did not include why she chose to read this article; sometimes this information is interesting to the reader. Also, I thought that although she used specific information, she could have included more quotations from researchers and scientists to further the points she made.
Overall, I found Abbey’s current event review compelling and well-written. She did a great job of writing her review so that it was simple to understand and reflect upon. I chose this article because I was intrigued by the title and ended up learning a lot about different communities.
Susie Goodell
ReplyDeleteMr. Ippolito
AP Biology
4/30/18
Zimmer, Carl. “Bodies Remodeled for a Life at Sea.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 19 Apr. 2018, https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/19/science/bajau-evolution-ocean-diving.html
Current Event 23
For this current event, I decided to read my classmate Abbey’s review of the article “Bodies Remodeled for a Life at Sea” by Carl Zimmer of The New York Times. This article discusses the discovery of genetic mutations that allow for humans to adapt to oceans. The genetic changes of the Bajau people in Southern Asia help them swim 200 feet underwater, wearing only wooden goggles. Abbey did a great job on her review. She included many details in her summary of the article, but not enough to overload the reader with information. She also incorporated a quote from a professor that backed up her claims about the Bajau people and the effects of the mutations. Abbey analyzed the article thoroughly as well. She provided specific examples about what was successful and what could be better.
Despite all of the good aspects of this review, there are a few areas in which Abbey could improve it. First, she could add a bit more information in her description of the importance of these genetic mutations. She mentions that the studies of the mutations will help scientists better understand the rate of evolution in humans, but doesn’t relate it to the broader world and its future. Also, she could include quotes from scientists researching the Bajau people in order to provide the reader with the opportunity to see that perspective. However, overall, Abbey wrote a wonderful review.
I chose to read this review because I found the topic interesting. The title caught my eye and made me wonder if it is possible for scientists to modify human bodies in this way or if it must occur naturally. This is a really interesting topic for researchers to study as it could change the future of mankind. I had never heard of the Bajau before, but reading this review made me very intrigued by their history and their genetics. This review was very informative and well-written.