Jordan Hoang
Mr. Ippolito
AP Biology C Even
10/22/18
Zimmer, Carl. “Deep in Human DNA, a Gift From the Neanderthals.” The New York Times, The
New York Times, 4 Oct. 2018,
www.nytimes.com/2018/10/04/science/neanderthal-genes-viruses.html?action=click
&module=Associated&pgtype=Article®ion=Footer&contentCollection=Matter.
&module=Associated&pgtype=Article®ion=Footer&contentCollection=Matter.
In recent years, scientists discovered something surprising: many people of Asian or
European descent actually share a common ancestor with the nethandrals. They believe
that this phenomenon may be attributed to humans mating with them around 40,000 years
ago. But considering that this group of people have been extinct for many years, scientists
tried to look further into why their DNA are still present today in our genetic code.
What they uncovered was astounding: neanderthal DNA may have helped us fight off certain
diseases. According to scientists however, this immunity was acquired quite unconventionally.
Through breeding with one another, nethanderals actually spread new diseases to humans,
some of which could have been ancient forms of “influenza, herpes and HIV”. Consequently,
European descent actually share a common ancestor with the nethandrals. They believe
that this phenomenon may be attributed to humans mating with them around 40,000 years
ago. But considering that this group of people have been extinct for many years, scientists
tried to look further into why their DNA are still present today in our genetic code.
What they uncovered was astounding: neanderthal DNA may have helped us fight off certain
diseases. According to scientists however, this immunity was acquired quite unconventionally.
Through breeding with one another, nethanderals actually spread new diseases to humans,
some of which could have been ancient forms of “influenza, herpes and HIV”. Consequently,
this may have left some of the first encounters with nethandrals to end in death. But through
eventual adaptation of genes and exposure, humans were able to form a shield against some
of these diseases and survive. Specifically, Dr, Enard from the University of Arizona studied
over 1,000 different proteins and uncovered that over “one-third of the adaptive changes in
our proteins have occurred among those that interact with viruses”. In short, by interaction
and mating with nethanderals, the ancestors of humansmay have acquired traits to be able
to fend off certain diseases.
eventual adaptation of genes and exposure, humans were able to form a shield against some
of these diseases and survive. Specifically, Dr, Enard from the University of Arizona studied
over 1,000 different proteins and uncovered that over “one-third of the adaptive changes in
our proteins have occurred among those that interact with viruses”. In short, by interaction
and mating with nethanderals, the ancestors of humansmay have acquired traits to be able
to fend off certain diseases.
These findings were particularly interesting to read about, considering that much of ancient
history is relatively unknown to us. Additionally, it was intriguing to hear how such large
groups of people today could share the same codes of DNA. Although it mentions in the
article that nethanderals only accounts for about 1 to 2% of our total DNA, the number
is actually quite significant considering how long ago these interactions were. Furthermore,
with just this one fraction of DNA from this group, we adapted a form of immunity against
some serious illnesses. I believe that these findings are a great advancement into learning
more about our ancient ancestry and how much it still affects humanity today. I believe
this specific discovery will interest more people to research more about what makes up
our complex genetic code.
history is relatively unknown to us. Additionally, it was intriguing to hear how such large
groups of people today could share the same codes of DNA. Although it mentions in the
article that nethanderals only accounts for about 1 to 2% of our total DNA, the number
is actually quite significant considering how long ago these interactions were. Furthermore,
with just this one fraction of DNA from this group, we adapted a form of immunity against
some serious illnesses. I believe that these findings are a great advancement into learning
more about our ancient ancestry and how much it still affects humanity today. I believe
this specific discovery will interest more people to research more about what makes up
our complex genetic code.
In light of the article, I enjoyed how the author used visuals to interest the readers. I also
liked the simplicity of his writing and straightforward descriptions throughout the piece.
However, I would have wanted to see more information regarding the ancient viruses and
diseases he mentioned at the beginning of the article. It would have been interesting to read
more about how individuals exactly gained immunity from these specific diseases. Besides
that, I throughly enjoyed how the article was organized and written.
liked the simplicity of his writing and straightforward descriptions throughout the piece.
However, I would have wanted to see more information regarding the ancient viruses and
diseases he mentioned at the beginning of the article. It would have been interesting to read
more about how individuals exactly gained immunity from these specific diseases. Besides
that, I throughly enjoyed how the article was organized and written.
Anabel Maldonado
ReplyDeleteAP Biology Ippolito C Even
Current Event #6
October 24th, 2018
Zimmer, Carl. “Deep in Human DNA, a Gift From the Neanderthals.” The New York Times, The
New York Times, 4 Oct. 2018,
www.nytimes.com/2018/10/04/science/neanderthal-genes-viruses.html?action=click
&module=Associated&pgtype=Article®ion=Footer&contentCollection=Matter.
There are several things that I think Jordan explained well. I think her critique of Zimmer’s article was very accurate. I really enjoyed how she connected the history of this current event to the main purpose. She gave background information and the history behind the genes of Asian and Europeans yet then transitioned to the main purpose. As she stated “They believe that this phenomenon may be attributed to humans mating with them around 40,000 years ago. But considering that this group of people have been extinct for many years, scientists
tried to look further into why their DNA are still present today in our genetic code.” I also thoroughly enjoyed how she explained why she was interested in this topic. Unlike most classmates, she clearly mentioned why this topic is so intriguing to her: “it was intriguing to hear how such large groups of people today could share the same codes of DNA.” Lastly, Jordan's explanation of how this will impact and benefit our future scientifically as well as historically really opened my eyes. Personally, I associate the topic of science with new advanced technology or experiments; yet, Jordan's current event truly illustrated that biology could also include past generation studies - such as this one.
One thing I think Jordon could improve upon is when she explained the viruses involved in the process with nethanderals. I had to reread this multiple times and still do not fully understand how it all relates. I think if she explained what some of the viruses were or transitioned into this new information more smoothly, this would have been much easier to comprehend. Another thing I think Jordon could work on is her critique of the piece. She stated her opinions… which I agree with! However, I think she should have included some examples or explained more in depth about her opinions on Zimmer and his article.
Overall, I really enjoyed this review that Jordan wrote. I found it very refreshing to read something that was not involving heavy scientific material. Her review left me in shock that these two large and different groups (Asians and Europeans) share some of the same genetic information. After reading this article, I question if all people in the world sharing some similar genetic information.
Cassidy Mullen
ReplyDeleteAP Biology Ippolito C Even
Current Event #6
October 24th, 2018
Zimmer, Carl. “Deep in Human DNA, a Gift From the Neanderthals.” The New York Times, The
New York Times, 4 Oct. 2018,
www.nytimes.com/2018/10/04/science/neanderthal-genes-viruses.html?action=click
&module=Associated&pgtype=Article®ion=Footer&contentCollection=Matter.
Jordan did many things well in her article review. One of these things is the fact that she not only gave a good explanation of how Neanderthals could have helped humans develop an immune to specific diseases, but she also gave examples of these diseases. I like how she writes, ‘In short…” in her last sentence in the first paragraph because it clarifies the main point of the paragraph as a whole. I also like how Jordan comments of how 1 to 2% of our DNA comes from Neanderthals and then follows this fact with an explanation that even though these percentages seem small, they are surprisingly significant because Neanderthals lived a long time ago. Lastly, I like how Jordan quotes Dr. Enard because it brings a second opinion into the review and identifies the man who conducted the significant studies Jordan continues to talk about.
I don’t like how Jordan’s last sentence of her second paragraph is unspecific. Jordan says, “I believe
this specific discovery will interest more people to research more about what makes up
our complex genetic code.” Jordan does not provide a reason as to why this genetic discovery will initiate more research compared to genetic studies in the past. It is also unclear when she writes “what makes up our complex genetic code” because many readers may not know what genetic DNA is composed of and how specifically it can be further researched. In addition I believe Jordan should have read over her review more carfully because typos such as “...the ancestors of humansmay have…” distract from the main focus of the review. This simple mistake can be corrected by carefully reading over the review before posting it.
I thought that Jordan wrote her review on a very interesting topic. Before reading this essay I did not know that there were significant differences between the immune systems of Americans and Neanderthals or that Neanderthals bred with early humans. Learning this new information has provided me with a better understanding of how our immune systems have developed the ability to fight off diseases over generations.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteCharlotte Cagliostro
ReplyDeleteMr. Ippolito
AP Biology / Current Event 6
10/26/18
Zimmer, Carl. “Deep in Human DNA, a Gift From the Neanderthals.” The New York Times, The
New York Times, 4 Oct. 2018,
www.nytimes.com/2018/10/04/science/neanderthal-genes-viruses.html?action=click
&module=Associated&pgtype=Article®ion=Footer&contentCollection=Matter.
Jordan did a very nice job explaining Carl Zimmer’s article, “Deep in Human DNA, a Gift From the Neanderthals.” One feature of her review that I particularly enjoyed was her writing style. Jordan was able to find a good balance between writing in a concise and informative manner. She took a relatively long article and was able to provide an adequate summary in just a few sentences in her first paragraph. Secondly, I liked her critique of the article. She explained her favorite parts of Zimmer’s article and also mentioned what she thought was lacking from his article. Finally, I appreciated that she provided quotes from Zimmer’s article; I think she was able to transfer most of the major information from his original article to her review.
While I enjoyed reading Jordan’s review, I think it could be improved upon in two ways. I think that Jordan should elaborate more on her ideas. In both the second and third paragraphs, I was left wanting more analysis. For example, in her final paragraph, I wanted to read more about how Zimmer could improve his piece. Additionally, I believe that Jordan should have delved deeper into the importance and significance of this subject.
One interesting thing I learned from reading Jordan’s article is that we share anywhere from one to two percent of our DNA with Neanderthals. At first, that percent seemed relatively small and insignificant to me, but after further thought, I realized just how substantial that is considering our first interactions with Neanderthals were around 40,000 years ago.
Gaby Laval
ReplyDeleteMr. Ippolito
Ap Biology
Current Event 7
Zimmer, Carl. “Deep in Human DNA, a Gift From the Neanderthals.” The New York Times, The
New York Times, 4 Oct. 2018,
www.nytimes.com/2018/10/04/science/neanderthal-genes-viruses.html?action=click
&module=Associated&pgtype=Article®ion=Footer&contentCollection=Matter.
Jordan provided a very good summary of the article written by Carl Zimmer. I really liked the way in which she elaborated on the importance of our connection to neanderthals. This allows the reader to better understand the argument of the article. I also think her argument was strengthened by including a quote from another source, which was Dr. Enard. Including an outside source further verifies the claims of the author. Finally, I like how Jordan fully explained the connection between fighting disease and our prehistoric roots.
I do believe there are some areas in which Jordan could improve. For example, she could have better explained Dr. Enard's connection to the topic. I am not fully aware of his relevance in this article. Secondly, I think Jordan could elaborate more on the importance of studying our genes. Genetic modification is a very big topic which could be very critical in the coming years, so it is important for her to mention that.
Something very interesting that I did not think about before was the development of our immune systems in relation to that of our early ancestors. By comparing our internal defense systems to those of the neanderthals, it shows how evolution and survival of the fittest resulted in the healthiest, strongest humans. This is an interesting concept which can have significance to the future of gene editing.
Alisa Kanganis
ReplyDeleteAP Biology
October 30, 2018
Current Event 7
Zimmer, Carl. “Deep in Human DNA, a Gift From the Neanderthals.” The New York Times, The New York
Times, 4 Oct. 2018,
www.nytimes.com/2018/10/04/science/neanderthal-genes-viruses.html?action=click
&module=Associated&pgtype=Article®ion=Footer&contentCollection=Matter.
I really enjoyed reading Jordan’s review of “Deep in Human DNA, a Gift From the Neanderthals” by Carl Zimmer. I appreciated how her writing was concise, yet still packed with enough information to give the reader a good understanding of the topic at hand. I also like how she critiqued Zimmer’s article by stating that she “would have wanted to see more information regarding the ancient viruses and diseases he mentioned at the beginning of the article.” Jordan makes a good point because information like such would help the reader better understand the science behind and importance of the inherited DNA from Neanderthals. Lastly, I like how she stated that humans have 1-2% Neanderthal DNA, and while that seems small “the number is actually quite significant considering how long ago these interactions were.” This is a very interesting point to bring up, and I like how she made a point that 1-2% is more than it seems given the time frame.
While Jordan’s review is very well written, there are a couple of areas where she could improve. Firstly, I wish she went deeper into why this discovery is significant and what might have happened if humans never gained immunity to the mentioned diseases. Would the consequence be as drastic as our extinction, or not even nearly as significant? Secondly, I think it would have been a good touch if she included a more in depth criticism of Zimmer’s article. She states that it would have been interesting if he included more information, but does not go on to say why exactly this would strengthen his article or why she wants to learn more about the subject. She could have included why she personally chose to review this topic.
I found this topic very interesting. I knew that 1-2% of our DNA is from Neanderthals but I did not know that it played a role in our immunity against diseases such as HIV and influenza. I also never considered how large 1-2% of our DNA really is considering the interactions between humans and Neanderthals occurred nearly 40,000 years ago.
Clara DeMagalhaes Current Event #7
ReplyDeleteZimmer, Carl. “Deep in Human DNA, a Gift From the Neanderthals.” The New York Times, The
New York Times, 4 Oct. 2018,
www.nytimes.com/2018/10/04/science/neanderthal-genes-viruses.html?action=click
&module=Associated&pgtype=Article®ion=Footer&contentCollection=Matter
Jordan picked an article that delved into a very interesting scientific topic, and I believe her review reflected that well. One thing that she did well was how she included her own opinions about the importance of the article. I thought that what she said was intriguing and provides new insight into what people can learn from the topic. I also appreciated how her critique of the article was specific but concise. The point was very clear yet the language was simple and easy to understand. There was also no filler there, so every sentence contributed to the main idea. Lastly, I like how she incorporated direct quotes and statistics from the article. This makes her work appear more credible and overall does a better job of explaining what the subject of the piece was.
However, I feel like the structure of the summary paragraph was a bit clunky. Some of the sentences had extra words inserted in that disrupted the flow and made them seem overly superfluous. To improve, these sentences could be simplified a bit and the excess language could be removed. Additionally, the first couple of sentences were a bit confusing. They said that humans and the neanderthals share a common ancestor, which is correct, but then goes on to say that this is because humans mated with them around 40,000 years ago. I think that this is misleading, and that it should say that the neanderthals are the common ancestors of people who have their DNA, not that they and humans share one. Regardless, the rest of the article was still very well written and outweigh these two flaws.
Reading the review and the original article gave a new fascinating perspective about where our genetic code may have come from. It’s very interesting to read about how historically, Asians and Europeans were once very connected despite their differences being pretty diverse today. And like Jordan said in her article, the fact that we share a percentage of our DNA with a group of people that lived over 40,000 years ago is intriguing considering the gap in time. I feel like this will get me more interested in researching the origins of our species because now I know that differences in location and recent ancestry don’t accurately equate to where humans originally came from.
Caitlin Mooney
ReplyDeleteMr. Ippolito
AP Biology
11/2/18
Zimmer, Carl. “Deep in Human DNA, a Gift From the Neanderthals.” The New York Times, The
New York Times, 4 Oct. 2018,
www.nytimes.com/2018/10/04/science/neanderthal-genes-viruses.html?action=click
&module=Associated&pgtype=Article®ion=Footer&contentCollection=Matter.
For this week's current even comment I read Jordan’s review of the article, “Deep in Human DNA, a Gift From the Neanderthals.” by Carl Zimmer. I think that Jordan did a great job in her article review. One thing I liked about her review was that she included statistics, an example of this is when Jordan comments of how 1 to 2% of our DNA comes from Neanderthals, she then follows this fact with an explanation, this helps the reader understand what the percentages mean and gives her review credibility. Another thing I thought Jordan did well was that she was able to structure her review well. Jordan made her points clear and concise, and her review flowed nicely. Finally, I think Jordan quote from Dr. Enard adds to the credibility and structure of her essay because it identifies someone who is a professional in her topic, therefore they are very knowledgeable about it.
Although I think Jordan did a good job overall, I feel like there is some room for improvement. One thing I think Jordan could have done better is that she could have given more background in her review because as a reader I was a little confused about the topic. Another thing I think she could have done better is that she could have checked her review over better because there were some grammatic and spelling errors. Even though there was room for improvement Jordan's review was well written.
After reading Jordan’s review and the article that it was based on, I was very interested to find the similarities of human and Neanderthal’s DNA. Although I understood this topic to a lesser extent before choosing this article, I am happy to have learned about the development of the human immune system and how our ability to fight off disease as evolved in our ancestors.
Emily Perry
ReplyDeleteMr. Ippolito
AP Biology
November 1, 2018
Zimmer, Carl. “Deep in Human DNA, a Gift From the Neanderthals.” The New York Times, The
New York Times, 4 Oct. 2018,
www.nytimes.com/2018/10/04/science/neanderthal-genes-viruses.html?action=click
&module=Associated&pgtype=Article®ion=Footer&contentCollection=Matter.
I think that Jordan did an excellent job at explaining her article. Her summary was succinct and thorough, and everything that she wrote was easy to understand. I also like how Jordan explains why the findings are significant. For example, she explains that “although it mentions in the article that nethanderals only account for about 1 to 2% of our total DNA, the number is actually quite significant considering how long ago these interactions were”. I like that she includes this part to explain how such a seemingly small percentage of our DNA is important. Finally, I thought that Jordan’s criticism of the article was very strong. I like that she focused on both writing style and content in her critique, as both are very important to convey scientific discoveries to a larger audience.
One thing Jordan could have done better is to go into more depth about how this finding would affect humans. The last two sentences of her second paragraph are vague and do not provide examples for how the finding has an impact on human. Additionally, there were a few grammatical errors, such as misspelling “Neanderthal”. I feel that this word would be especially important to spell correctly because it is the subject of the article.
One thing that I took away from this article is that such a small percentage of DNA (1-2%) can be very significant. I also think it is amazing how evolution can keep favorable traits around in a species. Although Neanderthals were from 40,000 years ago, we still maintain the ability to fight off certain diseases due to the DNA that we share with them.