Ellyn Paris
1/29/20
AP Biology
Current Event 15
Guo, Haitao. “Snakes Could Be the Original Source of the New Coronavirus Outbreak in China.” Scientific American, Scientific American, 22 Jan. 2020, www.scientificamerican.com/article/snakes-could-be-the-original-source-of-the-new-coronavirus-outbreak-in-china/.
In this interesting article about the coronavirus, Haitao suggests that snakes could be the original source of the deadly virus, more specifically the Chinese kraik and the Chinese cobra. Scientists have analyzed the virus and determined that the coronavirus is in the same family SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV, both of which are deadly respiratory illnesses. The eruption fo the virus is fairly new, and since scientists do not have a good understanding of its life cycle there is no available cure yet. However, the coronavirus has been classified as zoonotic (coming from an animal), and by analyzing the protein code of the virus and compared to that of other animals, it has been found that the protein codes of snakes are the most similar to that of 2019-nCoV (the official name of the coronavirus). This is a plausible explanation as to how humans were affected since snakes were sold at the seafood market in Wuhan.
This topic is extremely relevant to our present-day society. The coronavirus and its deadly impact are all over the news worldwide. While the virus came from a province in China, its influence has spread to reach an international level. This outbreak has had devastating impacts, both for the health of humans and the economy. Furthermore, it has our population to go into a state of panic. It is very important to learn about this virus and its severity. Becoming aware of it can help people be more conscious about staying healthy (washing hands, not eating wild animals...).
I found the article very interesting. The author wrote his piece in a very simple way that was both informative and easy to comprehend. He also included information on how the virus was transmitted from bats to snakes, as well as how scientists were able to determine that snakes were at the root of the transmission from animal to human. However, the author spent the majority of the article explaining what the coronavirus is and what family of viruses it belongs to. While this is vital information to include in this article, to improve the article the author could limit this information and focus more on how snakes are involved in transmitting the disease.
Amanda Troy
ReplyDelete1/30/20
AP Biology
Current Event #15
Guo, Haitao. “Snakes Could Be the Original Source of the New Coronavirus Outbreak in China.” Scientific American, Scientific American, 22 Jan. 2020, www.scientificamerican.com/article/snakes-could-be-the-original-source-of-the-new-coronavirus-outbreak-in-china/.
https://bronxvilleapbiology.blogspot.com/2020/01/ellyn-paris-12920-ap-biology-current.html#comment-form
For this current event, I read Ellen’s review of the article, “Snakes Could Be the Original Source of the New Coronavirus Outbreak in China” by Haitao Guo. First, Ellen states what the author suggests: snakes, the Chinese kraik and the Chinese cobra to be specific, could be the original source of the Coronavirus outbreak. Next, Ellen discusses some background of the virus. She notes that the eruption is fairly new, but are in the same family as the SARS-Cov and MERS-CoV, which are both deadly respiratory illnesses. Next, Ellen discusses the relevance to this issue in our present-day society. It’s influence has spread to reach an international level.
While Ellen’s review of the article is very well written, there is room for improvement. First, Ellen could have included more quotes, as this would have made a more professional and informative review. Also, in some cases, the virus has mild side effects, but as we can see on the news, more and more cases are reported to be deadly. Ellen could have gone into more detail about what causes the virus to become fatal, or perhaps why some suffer from more severe side effects while others do not.
I chose to read this current event because I am fascinated by the outbreak of this alarming new virus. This issue is extremely relevant to our current society, and it is especially important to become aware of the Corona virus and educate ourselves on all aspects of the rapidly spreading illness so that healthy individuals can take the correct precautions.
Olivia Conniff
ReplyDeleteAP Biology
Mr. Ippolito
Current Event 16
Guo, Haitao. “Snakes Could Be the Original Source of the New Coronavirus Outbreak in China.” Scientific American, Scientific American, 22 Jan. 2020, www.scientificamerican.com/article/snakes-could-be-the-original-source-of-the-new-coronavirus-outbreak-in-china/
For my 16th current event, I read Ellyn Paris’ review of the article “Snakes Could Be the Original Source of the New Coronavirus Outbreak in China”. Overall, it was a very strong, informative review. Ellyn includes a great deal of detail about the study, which makes it very easy to understand and follow. Also, I really appreciated how Ellyn explained exactly why this is so significant, to society, with the Coronavirus crisis going on. Finally, she included very helpful quotes which were not too long but still very informative.
While overall it was a great review, there are a few minor things that Ellyn could do to improve it even further. While the quotes she did include were very helpful, I feel that she could have included even more to strengthen her review. Also, I would’ve liked it if she explained more background information on what is going on in society right now with the virus.
Overall, Ellyn’s review was extremely informative and taught me a great deal about how powerful and complex the brain truly is. Her review of the article beautifully captured the details of the article into a condensed summary that was equally as informative. It was extremely eye-opening and interesting to learn about Coronavirus and its possible causes and complications, which is very relevant in society right now.