Paul Magaud
Mr. Ippolito
AP Biology
Current Event 4
“Getting a Grip on the Slow but Unique Evolution of Sharks.” ScienceDaily, ScienceDaily, 8 Oct. 2018, www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/10/181008114610.htm.
“Getting a Grip on the Slow But Unique Evolution of Sharks” - no author, ScienceDaily
A genome is the complete set of genetic material that an organism possesses, consisting of all of its DNA. Acquiring the basic genome sequences for a wide variety of species provides a profound impact into the biological world, especially in regards to a species’s evolutionary history. The vast majority of sharks have massive genomes, even larger than human beings. As a result, biologists have spent decades trying to decode shark genomes completely. Recently, a research team at RIKEN Biosystems Dynamic Research raised sharks in an aquarium, using cutting-edge technology to sequence the genomes. They found that sharks have genetic counterparts for characteristics we have as humans, including sleep, growth, and reproduction, indicating that “elements of our molecular machinery for basic physiology have existed for more than 450 million years, before sharks split from our common ancestors.”
The research discussed in the article is significant because it represents a large step in fully understanding sharks’ evolutionary history. The research team fully identified the genomes of two different shark species, and made improvements to the genome sequence already established for the whale shark. Comparing these genomes with genomes of other species, such as humans, can lead to connections that clear up the evolutionary pasts of many organisms. According to Keiichi Sato, the deputy director of the aquarium, the results will “help us gain greater understanding about metabolism, reproductive cycle, and health monitoring of sharks."
The article, although not too detailed, was well-written and straight to the point. The abstract establishes the main focus of the piece, and the article itself discusses regarding the team and the processes that it used to obtain its results. However, I felt that the article needed some more specific detail from the study it mentions. The author writes that the team used “cutting-edge technology” to get the genome sequence, but doesn’t even begin to describe how. A lot of details were presented on the insights that the study provides, but the article doesn’t detail the scientific processes enough for a clear understanding of the research performed.
James Apostolatos 10/9/18
ReplyDeleteCurrent Event 4: 3-2-1 Comment AP Biology
This current event was very interesting and a great topic in the field of evolution and genetics. One aspect that was done well was the use of explaining what a genome is, and notifying the reader how the study of genomes is helping scientists understand sharks better. Another aspect that was well down was the use quotes and supporting evidence to convince the reader the importance of genomes in the study of shark evolution. Paul explained how sharks have a very complex genome, and how more studies can further help the scientific community. The third aspect that was well done was formatting his essay in an easy to read manner and using clear and concise language. Paul did a good job of explaining the importance of shark evolution and especially the role of a shark genome in an easy to understand format.
An area to improve is to back up his claims with many pieces of evidence. Although Paul explained the importance of evolution in sharks, I would have liked a more in-depth analysis on how the evolution of marine animals affects humans and their role in the environment. Paul can improve this, by adding more quotes, or by finding more factual evidence. A second area to improve is more emphasis on its importance to the world as a whole, and how this can be a huge breakthrough for scientists. What do sharks tell us about evolution of marine animals as a whole? Paul could easily answer this question, with a little more information.
The field of evolution shows how different organisms, like sharks, have branched off and created their own evolutionary trees. From this Current Event, I learned that sharks have a very complex genome and how evolutionary pasts of many organisms are starting to be studied in greater depth. These studies can be crucial for scientists to understand more about the metabolism, reproductive cycle, and health status of sharks.
I decided to read Paul Magaud’s review pertaining to the article “Getting a Grip on the Slow but Unique Evolution of Sharks” published by RIKEN, an institution in Japan that studies biodiversity at the genomic level. The article in question describes the recent discovery of two complete sets of shark genomes and the elaboration on the genome map of the whale shark. These discoveries are critical because they lend us greater insight as to both the differences between shark species and provide an evolutionary blueprint of sorts that shows how humanity evolved along the same lines as other animals that still exist today (since shark genomes evolve so slowly). Paul’s review was concise without losing detail, and I found it interesting and easier to understand the scientific concepts discussed in the article. He states everything clearly and offers definitions and explanations where one may be needed, such as when he explains that “A genome is the complete set of genetic material that an organism possesses, consisting of all of its DNA” before delving deeper into the topic. Paul also explained the significance of the discovery especially well, relating it to not only the importance of the sharks’ evolutionary history, but that of human beings as well. He drew some interesting parallels between what this means for sharks, humans, and other seemingly unrelated organisms as well, which I found particularly intriguing. Lastly, Paul was also able to directly pinpoint the weakness of this article, which I noticed as well as I was reading it over- namely, the fact that it was never discussed exactly how the machine that decodes the genomes fundamentally works. This resulted in a gap in logic for me, and I was left pondering the science behind the technology- more aptly put by Paul, “The author writes that the team used ‘cutting-edge technology’ to get the genome sequence, but doesn’t even begin to describe how.”
ReplyDeleteAlthough Paul’s review was concise and well done, there are a few areas of improvement worth noting. For one, Paul could have elaborated more on the specific discoveries made concerning sharks and their genomes, such as the rhodopsin pigment, which is used by the whale sharks to see light wavelengths that penetrate to deep underwater areas. This ability is not demonstrated by a close relative, the bamboo shark, which, according to the article, relates to “the unique lifestyle of the whale shark”. I think that Paul could have gone into a bit more detail concerning the information uncovered about sharks themselves. Since sharks were the primary focus of the article and the discoveries of the RIKEN team, the original research of the team and its subjects deserves more merit than what was given to them in Paul’s review. Additionally, there are some minor grammatical issues with sentence structure and other similar literary elements. For example, he comments that “acquiring the basic genome sequences for a wide variety of species provides a profound impact”, but one cannot provide an impact. To correct this issue, he could have proofread his review more carefully. Nevertheless, besides these slight issues, Paul’s review was successful in its purpose.
After reading this article and Paul’s review, I learned more about the genomes in sharks and how they act as fossils of the past in terms of evolutionary history. I chose to read this article and review because I found it interesting that sharks could have, at one point, evolved from the same branch of evolution as human beings. Since I had also written a review concerning this type of discovery, I was intrigued by the prospect of learning more. This discovery has a profound impact on evolution and the study of animal history because it shows us that there may be thousands if not millions of undiscovered links between organisms as different as sharks and homo sapiens, opening up a new area of study for biologists working in this field.
Anabel Maldonado
ReplyDeleteCurrent Event #5
Ippolito D Even
October 14th, 2018
“Getting a Grip on the Slow but Unique Evolution of Sharks.” ScienceDaily, ScienceDaily, 8 Oct. 2018, www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/10/181008114610.htm.
I really enjoyed how Paul first explained what a genome is, and then connected it. Most of us would assume that the audience knows what genomes are. However, Paul’s explanation ensures his audience is on the same page. In addition, his explanation shows how his topic connects to what we are learning in our Biology class. Another thing that Paul succeeded with was illustrating the procedure that these scientists are using to study sharks: they put the sharks in a tank and then use certain technology to research their genomes. One more thing that Paul succeeded with was explaining how this new research is relevant to our present day. He explains that if these scientists uncover more information, our knowledge of evolution will increase.
Most of Paul’s review is very well-written. However, one thing that he could work on is citing one of his two quotes that he used. He states: “elements of our molecular machinery for basic physiology have existed for more than 450 million years, before sharks split from our common ancestors.” In previous sentences, it is somewhat indicated that the team at RIKEN stated this. Although, it is not clearly stated; as a result, I had to reread this several times. Another improvement Paul could make is explaining why sharks are so important for our marine life. I would have been more interested in his topic if he explained what new information could uncover about these species and marine life. He could improve this by doing outside research.
One thing that I found intriguing was the sharks’ genomes. I did not know that “The vast majority of sharks have massive genomes, even larger than human beings.” When Paul included this, he related the information back to his audience while expanding our knowledge on this topic. Paul’s review opened my eyes to the fact that new research can ultimately change our knowledge on evolution forever. From this, I can clearly conclude that Paul spent a lot of time analyzing and reviewing this article.