Julia Reich
Mr. Ippolito
AP Bio C Even
10/22/20
Nuwer, Rachel. “356 Elephants Dropped Dead. Did This Bacteria Poison Them?” The New York
Times, The New York Times, 23 Sept. 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/09/23/science/dead-elephants-botswana.html.
Botswana, a country located in Southern Africa, has experienced a growth in deaths of elephants in the recent months of 2020. The article, “356 Elephants Dropped Dead. Did This Bacteria Poison Them?” written by Rachel Nuwer discusses possibilities of why the elephants have seemingly dropped dead and how their deaths may impact environments. Essentially, the whole subject is very confusing and unknown to scientists and researchers. Many experts are worried about the future of larger mammals, including elephants, and their habitually high survival. Experts have begun to dissect the deaths, ruling out any direct human interference. There was no evidence of bullet holes or tusks removed. Though there is a possibility of poisoning by the local people, many believe this is not the explanation. In late September 2020, Botswanan officials announced a discovery that “neurotoxins produced by cyanobacteria, a type of microscopic algae, caused the elephants to die after they drank from large puddles that formed after rains,” (Nuwer). Though this discovery is a beginning to the mystery, the verdict is still divided. Conservationists seem to accept the explanation while other experts are considering a new danger to elephants. One of the most frequently asked question is why elephants were the only species affected by the potential algae. Roy Bengis, a veterinary wildlife specialist at the University of Pretoria in South Africa claims, “that elephants are ‘exquisitely sensitive’ to whichever particular neurotoxin killed them, whereas other species are more resistant,” (Nuwer). As well, elephants can drink up to forty gallons of water a day, which may lead them to ingest a large dose of toxin. Another argument questions the size of the mammals. There are also cows near the elephants, potentially drinking from the same water sources. There have been no deceased cows found, however, which calls into question why cows are not dying and they are much smaller creatures inducing roughly the same ratio or more of toxin. No expert has solved the mystery yet, and this problem is exacerbated by the Botswana government who is not disclosing specific names and data from labs. The situation in Botswana is a mess and may affect wildlife and ecosystems.
In Botswana, elephants are known as “keystone species” meaning they are an essential part of the numerous ecosystems they occupy. Without an abundance of these species maintaining their symbiotic relationships, ecosystems would begin to fail. Adding on to the fact that biodiversity would not be maintained, elephants are large tourism magnets. The revenue brought in from attraction helps to fund protected wilderness areas. If elephant numbers go down, there will be less tourists, ergo less area protected for a variety of species. If the cause of over three-hundred-fifty and rising numbers of dying elephants is not figured out soon, there could be a dramatic decrease in species diversity and protected wilderness areas -- this could be catastrophic to the economy as well as to other species.
Rachel Nuwer was able to depict the confusion and frustration of experts regarding the death of the elephants. She includes many experts on the subject, including Dr. Thouless, head of research at Save the Elephants and Roy Bengis, a veterinary wildlife specialist at the University of Pretoria in South Africa. This was one aspect done very well in her article. The inclusion of these experts helps to provide valid arguments from real scientists on the matter. One weakness Nuwer could have improved was incorporating statistics and data regarding the effects the loss of elephants would have on the ecosystems. She could have done this by contacting labs, being granted permission for data use, and adding their data at the very end of her article. Overall, her take on the topic is very interesting and captivating. The article was well written.
Riley Morgan
ReplyDeleteMr Ippolito
AP Bio
10/5/20
Nuwer, Rachel. “356 Elephants Dropped Dead. Did This Bacteria Poison Them?” The New York Times, The New York Times, 23 Sept. 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/09/23/science/dead-elephants-botswana.html.
https://bhscsi.blogspot.com/
The review Julia Reich performed on the article: "356 Elephants Dropped Dead. Did This Bacteria Poison Them?." was very interesting and informative. She discusses how a country located in Southern Africa, has experienced a growth in deaths of elephants in the recent months of 2020. I like how she was straightforward with the information. When she stated how “Many experts are worried about the future of larger mammals, including elephants, and their habitually high survival”, it was a good way to put the information because it was a bunch of information packed into one sentence. I also appreciate how she was able to captivate the reader by using captivating words at the beginning like “356”, “elephants”, and “dead”. She did a good job stating things in her article that could have been improved and fixed in the future.
One thing Julia could improve on is explaining how and why she chose the article. She did not provide any reasoning behind her decision to write about it. Julia’s analysis was also very short and didn't provide the detail she needed to do the article justice. She could provide a longer analysis that makes the reader feel she has read the full article and knows what it is about. She also did not state the importance of the article. To improve, Julia could spend more time talking about the details explained as well as making more connections as to why she chose the article and inserting the importance to deepen her analysis.
I chose this article because it was very interesting and I enjoy reading things like this. I also wanted to see Julia’s writing style as I have never looked at one of her reviews before. By reading this article I learned about how If the cause of over three-hundred-fifty and rising numbers of dying elephants is not figured out soon, there could be a dramatic decrease in species diversity and protected wilderness areas. It will change my perception because now I have another piece of knowledge that I can use.
Eric Fleisig
ReplyDelete10/21/20
Ap Bio
Current Event 4
Citation:
Nuwer, Rachel. “356 Elephants Dropped Dead. Did This Bacteria Poison Them?” The New York Times, The New York Times, 23 Sept. 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/09/23/science/dead-elephants-botswana.html.
Link:
www.nytimes.com/2020/09/23/science/dead-elephants-botswana.html.
Blog Link:
https://bronxvilleapbiology.blogspot.com/
For this current event I chose to comment on Julia’s article “356 Elephants Dropped Dead. Did This Bacteria Poison Them?” by Rachel Nuwer. This article talks about the elephants who are dying suddenly in Southern Africa. The article speaks about the possibilities and the consequences of these elephants dying. While there are many possibilities, there is nothing to say for sure yet which is what makes this article so interesting. I like the way this article used quotes to connect this review back to the article and show proof of her stance. She has evaluated both sides of the story and takes time to mention every possibility which is good for a review of an article. The sources she uses from the article are also reliable, not just a random source. She uses professors and other scientists to prove their evidence to back up several of her points.
While this current event was strong, there were some minor things she should fix. One question I had is if there is enough science and evidence to support the claims she is making. Several times she says this is only speculation and nothing is known yet. It seems as though the science is unproven and only hypothetical right now. While using known and trustworthy sources, the data and evidence for it is not seen/ proven.
This current event is very relevant for people, especially animal lovers. While it doesn’t affect us directly, these dying elephants are affecting a lot of people in southern Africa. Many scientists and researchers are scrambling to find a solution to save these big animals from dying out. The worry is that it could start happening to other animals that would actually affect humans directly. Overall, I thought her current event was very interesting and informative about the dying elephants in southern Africa.
Spencer Dessart
DeleteMr. Ippolito
AP Bio
October 22, 2020
Nuwer, Rachel. “356 Elephants Dropped Dead. Did This Bacteria Poison Them?” The New York
Times, The New York Times, 23 Sept. 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/09/23/science/dead-elephants-botswana.html.
Reich, Julia. “356 Elephants Dropped Dead. Did This Bacteria Poison Them?” Bronxville AP Biology, 17 Oct. 2020, bronxvilleapbiology.blogspot.com/2020/10/julia-reich-mr.html.
I decided to read Julias Article, and thought that she did a fantastic job summarizing the article “356 Elephants Dropped Dead. Did This Bacteria Poison Them?” by Racher Nuwer. I liked how she decided to describe step-by-step how experts can dissect the deaths of elephants to see what actually caused their deaths. This made the article very easy to read and understand, because the structure was so simple yet in depth. Additionally the way that Julia opened up her article made it very enticing to the reader. She actually described the spike in death of elephants as opposed to just introducing the article and the writers name. I also found it very interesting how Julia included facts and evidence when supporting her arguments made in the review. I enjoyed looking at the numbers used, because seeing that 400 elephants are dead is quite alarming. She makes a very solid transition from fact to commentary which makes this review easy to understand and enjoy.
To be honest, Julia’s review was very well done and there weren’t many places to improve. One aspect that could be improved however, is when she could explain some of the key vocabulary which appears in the article. For example, the words cyanobacteria and neurotoxin may be confusing to some readers. Additionally, I think it would be a strong point in the review if Julia would take one side of the argument and propose some outside knowledge of elephants and/or bacteria to bring to the review. This would give the reader something to think about when reading the review and consider more sides to the story, and see if they truly agree with what is being stated in the article.
I think overall, this review of the article was very solid, informative, and well written. I chose this article because I am interested in elephants and I don’t like seeing animals dying by hunting, so I wanted to explore another way that they might perish. I also chose the review because the title of the article is very interesting. I learned about the government and the science behind the bacteria and how they should start treating the animals in better ways; they don’t deserve to be treated so poorly. Overall, I believe that reading this article and review from Julia was very beneficial.
Kelly Baclija
ReplyDeleteMr. Ippolito
AP Bio
October 22, 2020
Nuwer, Rachel. “356 Elephants Dropped Dead. Did This Bacteria Poison Them?” The New York
Times, The New York Times, 23 Sept. 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/09/23/science/dead-elephants-botswana.html.
Reich, Julia. “356 Elephants Dropped Dead. Did This Bacteria Poison Them?” Bronxville AP Biology, 17 Oct. 2020, bronxvilleapbiology.blogspot.com/2020/10/julia-reich-mr.html.
I found Julia’s article on “356 Elephants Dropped Dead. Did This Bacteria Poison Them?” by Rachel Nuwer to be captivating and well-written. She goes through the step-by-step process by which experts are attempting to dissect the deaths of these elephants to determine the cause in great detail, greatly helping the audience to understand the issue going on in southern Africa; for instance, she states how “though this discovery is a beginning to the mystery, the verdict is still divided. Conservationists seem to accept the explanation while other experts are considering a new danger to elephants”. Furthermore, I like how Julia incorporated many quotes by regarded professionals of the field in her article in order to strengthen and validate her point, such as one in which she says “Roy Bengis, a veterinary wildlife specialist at the University of Pretoria in South Africa claims, ‘that elephants are ‘exquisitely sensitive’ to whichever particular neurotoxin killed them, whereas other species are more resistant’”. Finally, I appreciate how she defined the term ‘keystone species’, stating that “they are an essential part of the numerous ecosystems they occupy”, later in her article since some of her audience may not have known to the term prior to reading this.
Although Julia’s article was very well-written, I believe that there are a few aspects that she can improve on. For instance, although she claims that Nuwer should incorporate “statistics and data regarding the effects the loss of elephants would have on the ecosystems” (which was reflected in her article), I believe that she could have done further research in order to find such data that would further help the audience develop an understanding on the issue. I also think that she could have discussed in greater detail how the topic of these elephants dying relates to biology and more specifically the neurotoxins produced by cyanobacteria that caused the elephants to die since it was skipped across and I’m sure it would have been an interesting detail to read about for the audience.
I chose this article to learn more about the situation in southern Africa involving these elephants’ sudden deaths and now, after reading, I feel as though I do in fact have a deeper understanding, considering that I did not know about the issue prior to reading it. This is an incredibly important topic, not only for those in southern Africa but the whole world, because a species that becomes endangered or even extinct has great consequences for its ecosystem as well as the human race.
Erin Foley
ReplyDeleteAP Bio
Oct. 21st, 2020
Comment on Julia’s Current Event
Nuwer, Rachel. “356 Elephants Dropped Dead. Did This Bacteria Poison Them?”
The New York Times, The New York Times, 23 Sept. 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/09/23/science/dead-elephants-botswana.html.
Reich, Julia. “356 Elephants Dropped Dead. Did This Bacteria Poison Them?” Blogspot.Com, 21 Oct. 2020, https://bronxvilleapbiology.blogspot.com/2020/10/julia-reich-mr.html.
Julia’s review of the New York Times article was captivating, informational and effective in proving the article’s significance on a local and global scale. Firstly, she was very good at drawing the reader in, as instead of opening with the conventional “I read the *insert article name here*”, she began with an unexpected description of a growing rate of deaths in elephants. This made me want to continue to read her review, to find out why this is happening. Another strength of Julia’s review is that she gives many possible explanations of why this is happening, supporting and corroborating multiple theories presented by the author. For instance, she cites explanations given by Botswana officials as well as veterinary wildlife specialists, allowing us to see how local Botswanans as well as foreign observers are reacting. In one short paragraph, I went from being very confused as to why elephants are dying, to understanding various theories, with corroborating evidence for each. Finally, Julia’s review explained the mutli-faceted significance of the article, showing the deaths of the elephants impacts the Botswana economy as well as its biodiversity (and the consequences of a weakened biodiversity). She explains how “without an abundance of these species maintaining symbiotic relationships, ecosystems would begin to fail” and also how if “elephant numbers go down, there will be less tourists, ergo less area protected for a variety of species”. Here, she not only brings up the significance mentioned in the article, but also the sequence of events that will follow, showing her understanding of the topic at hand.
Although it was very well-written, Julia could do a few things to strengthen her review. Firstly, I think it would’ve been beneficial to take one side of the argument over why this is happening, or to project the theory most supported by the author. Without presenting which theory is being most accepted at this point, the reader feels a little lost and still has a lot of questions unanswered. She could do this simply by stating the theory she most aligns with or by explaining which one had the most corroborating evidence. Additionally, Julia could’ve strengthened her review by providing more data/explanations of the studies to support the different theories, rather than simply quotes. This would make the theories easier to understand and easier to align with, as it is difficult for the reader to visualize the different theories without knowing what was done to form them.
Overall, Julia’s review was clear, concise and impactful. I originally chose to read her review because the title was so eye-catching, and her topic sentence drew me in. I learned a lot about how the removal of one single species of an ecosystem can have a big impact on biodiversity as well as society, helping me to have a specific example of biological concepts. After reading this review, I better understand why knowledge of biology is so important in the real world, and how scientists theorize and corroborate with scientific studies to solve real-world issues.
Nate Kim
ReplyDelete10/21
Mr. Ippolito
Article Citation:
Nuwer, Rachel. “356 Elephants Dropped Dead. Did This Bacteria Poison Them?” The New York
Times, The New York Times, 23 Sept. 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/09/23/science/dead-elephants-botswana.html.
Blog Citation:
Reich, J. (n.d.). Bronxville AP Biology. Retrieved October 21, 2020, from Blogspot.com website: https://bronxvilleapbiology.blogspot.com/2020/10/julia-reich-mr.html
Julia’s analysis of “356 Elephants Dropped Dead. Did This Bacteria Poison Them?” is a brilliant deep dive into the dangers of microscopic algae and the death of a keystone species. Julia chose an awesome article that is both interesting and relevant. Talking about mass death is always interesting because it seems like a murder mystery. This topic is relevant right now because elephants are an endangered species which means that the death of almost 400 elephants is extremely concerning. Julia does a great job of weaving in facts and evidence into her narrative. This analysis has great flow as it doesn’t really feel super analytical. She provides the necessary information but she doesn’t go too over the top to bog the reader down in facts they will probably not retain anyway. Julia is also able to express and show the emotions of people discussed in the article well. It is clear that many scientists are troubled about this topic but the cooperation of the Botswana government leaves a lot to be desired. Her narrative makes it very easy to understand why some scientists are troubled.
While Julia’s analysis was excellent on many levels, there are some places for her to improve.
When Julia is talking about cyanobacteria, it would have been beneficial to the reader if she had explained the terms microscopic algae and neurotoxin. Of course, many of the people in AP Bio know these terms, but for the average reader, these terms need to be clarified or explained. Also, in the middle of the second paragraph Julia could have included a statistic or data point about how much money would be lost from the death of the elephants. Data points and real numbers give readers something tangible to hang onto after they finish the article. This helps readers remember the article after reading.
I chose this article because after taking Environmental Science, my eyes have been opened up too a lot more injustice that is happening in our world. Unfortunate things like 356 elephants dying is a travesty and learning about why it happened to prevent it in the future is of the utmost importance. I wild definitely look at the Botswana government differently now for not cooperating and I will also look at drinking water for animals differently. It was always a conception in my head that animals don’t get sick from drinking water because they are animals. This misconception has been overwritten today, thanks to Julia.
Megan Krestinski - Current Event 4 Comment
ReplyDeleteNuwer, Rachel. “356 Elephants Dropped Dead. Did This Bacteria Poison Them?” The New York Times, The New York Times, 23 Sept. 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/09/23/science/dead-elephants-botswana.html.
Link to Julia’s Current Event: https://bronxvilleapbiology.blogspot.com/julia-comment-form
This article is written about the growth in deaths of elephants in Botswana. Julia’s current event was really well written, describing why this increase in deaths is occurring and what scientists are doing to figure this out. She states that scientists ruled out any direct human interference, including death by gunshot or any tusks removed. Julia also does a good job in explaining what she thinks the cause of death is, poisoning by microscopic algae. She includes an important quote, that states that elephants drink up to 40 gallons of water a day, meaning they can be easily exposed to toxins and this algae. Also, Julia explained why this is important. In Botswana, elephants are a ‘keystone species” and extremely important to their environment and surrounding species. Also, they are large tourism magnets, so the decreasing number of elephants could be detrimental to Botswana as a whole.
Although Julia’s current event really informed me as a reader, there are some slight things that she could improve upon. I think she could have found more information to support either side of the argument, rather than leaving readers wondering if this hypothesis is true or false. Also, she could have added how the toxins are harmful to the elephants and why they are deadly.
I chose to read this article because I was intrigued by the opening fact that 356 elephants “dropped dead”. This issue is incredibly important to the all around environment, wildlife and economy as well to Botswana, as the decrease of elephants could significantly decrease the number of tourists. Another fact I found interesting was that there are cows near these elephants that have not died. I wonder if that means they were somehow not exposed to the water, or if there is something else besides the toxic water causing these elephants to die.
Ava Black
ReplyDelete10/21/20
AP Bio
Current Event 4
Nuwer, Rachel. “356 Elephants Dropped Dead. Did This Bacteria Poison Them?”
The New York Times, The New York Times, 23 Sept. 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/09/23/science/dead-elephants-botswana.html.
Reich, Julia. “356 Elephants Dropped Dead. Did This Bacteria Poison Them?” Blogspot.Com, 21 Oct. 2020, https://bronxvilleapbiology.blogspot.com/2020/10/julia-reich-mr.html.
Julia’s review of the New York Times Article “365 Elephants Drop Dead. Did This Bacteria Poison Them?” was extremely well written and easy to understand. Julia provided a brief description of the issue and did a great job of digging into the different possibilities of the deaths of the elephants. I was captivated by the different ideas and Julia did a good job of explaining the why or why not each possibility seemed reasonable. I also liked how she incorporated quotes from researchers mentioned in the article and included a brief description of the researchers name and what they specialize in; it made the quote (as well as the article) seem more reliable. Finally, I thought Julia did a great job explaining the importance of this issue in her second paragraph. She stated that elephants are “keystone species” and also explained what this phrase means. I thought this was an appropriate fact to discuss because, as Julia explained, the ecosystem would fail without these keystone species.
One improvement that Julia could make would be to describe the situation with some more detail. Her first couple of sentences were somewhat vague and did not describe the problem with enough detail. I would have liked to know when the elephants were found dead as well as where, specifically in Botswana, they were located. Additionally, I think Julia could have enhanced her review of the article by including her own opinion at the end of the first paragraph regarding her thought as to why 356 elephants dropped dead.
After reading this article, I understood more about the possible reasons for the death of the elephants. I had already heard about this issue, but I was unaware of the different ideas researchers had for the cause of death. I learned, specifically, that because cows have not died, despite drinking from the same water sources, the idea that a neurotoxin killed the elephants may not be correct. I also learned that in Botswana, elephants are “keystone species” so the ecosystem is dependent on their abundance. Overall, I thought Julia did a great job of explaining the issue and reviewing the article.
Ava Black
ReplyDelete10/21/20
AP Bio
Current Event 4
Nuwer, Rachel. “356 Elephants Dropped Dead. Did This Bacteria Poison Them?”
The New York Times, The New York Times, 23 Sept. 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/09/23/science/dead-elephants-botswana.html.
Reich, Julia. “356 Elephants Dropped Dead. Did This Bacteria Poison Them?” Blogspot.Com, 21 Oct. 2020, https://bronxvilleapbiology.blogspot.com/2020/10/julia-reich-mr.html.
Julia’s review of the New York Times Article “365 Elephants Drop Dead. Did This Bacteria Poison Them?” was extremely well written and easy to understand. Julia provided a brief description of the issue and did a great job of digging into the different possibilities of the deaths of the elephants. I was captivated by the different ideas and Julia did a good job of explaining the why or why not each possibility seemed reasonable. I also liked how she incorporated quotes from researchers mentioned in the article and included a brief description of the researchers name and what they specialize in; it made the quote (as well as the article) seem more reliable. Finally, I thought Julia did a great job explaining the importance of this issue in her second paragraph. She stated that elephants are “keystone species” and also explained what this phrase means. I thought this was an appropriate fact to discuss because, as Julia explained, the ecosystem would fail without these keystone species.
One improvement that Julia could make would be to describe the situation with some more detail. Her first couple of sentences were somewhat vague and did not describe the problem with enough detail. I would have liked to know when the elephants were found dead as well as where, specifically in Botswana, they were located. Additionally, I think Julia could have enhanced her review of the article by including her own opinion at the end of the first paragraph regarding her thought as to why 356 elephants dropped dead.
After reading this article, I understood more about the possible reasons for the death of the elephants. I had already heard about this issue, but I was unaware of the different ideas researchers had for the cause of death. I learned, specifically, that because cows have not died, despite drinking from the same water sources, the idea that a neurotoxin killed the elephants may not be correct. I also learned that in Botswana, elephants are “keystone species” so the ecosystem is dependent on their abundance. Overall, I thought Julia did a great job of explaining the issue and reviewing the article.
Holden D’Avico
ReplyDeleteMr. Ippolito
AP Bio/Current Event #4 Comment
10/21/20
Article Citation:
Nuwer, Rachel. “356 Elephants Dropped Dead. Did This Bacteria Poison Them?” The New York Times, The New York Times, 23 Sept. 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/09/23/science/dead-elephants-botswana.html.
Blog Citation:
Reich, J. (n.d.). Bronxville AP Biology. Retrieved October 21, 2020, from Blogspot.com website: https://bronxvilleapbiology.blogspot.com/2020/10/julia-reich-mr.html
Julia’s review of “356 Elephants Dropped Dead. Did This Bacteria Poison Them,” was very intriguing and I was able to learn a lot. An aspect of Julia’s review that was especially well presented was her first paragraph where she explained the confusion surrounding this recent concern. Julia summarized the information in the article in a way that made the reader understand the ambiguity surrounding this topic. After reading the first paragraph of Julia’s review, I was able to realize the uncertainties surrounding the sudden death of many elephants in Botswana. Another aspect that was well presented was Julia’s emphasis on the importance of elephants. In the second paragraph, she mentions many reasons as to why elephants are very important to Botswana: they attract tourists and are a keystone species. I was able to understand the importance of elephants through her analysis. The last aspect that was well presented was Julia’s inclusion of her own opinion (opinionated words). An example of this occurred when she mentions, “The situation in Botswana is a mess and may affect wildlife and ecosystems.” The inclusion of opinionated words helps the reader understand her perspective which is very helpful.
Julai’s review was very interesting, however, there are two areas of possible environment. First, I believe that it would’ve been very helpful if Julia elaborate more on her suggestion for the original author of the article. She explains that “one weakness Nuwer could have improved was incorporating statistics and data regarding the effects the loss of elephants would have on the ecosystems.” However, after this sentence she doesn’t explain how adding statistical data would actually improve the article. I think her review could have been improved if she explained how the inclusion of data would have improved the original article. Another area of improvement is cutting down the introduction a little. I understand that introducing the topic is very important, however, I think that cutting down her intro a little bit would make her review more concise and to the point, leaving out unnecessary information.
The piece of information that left the strongest impression on me was the fact that other large animals such as cows were not affected at all by this bacteria. It is explained that cows consume the same rain water at a greater rate than elephants, however, they are unaffected. This fact was interesting to me because it made me want to conduct more research on this topic to figure out why elephants are the only species that are affected by this bacteria.
In her review of the New York Times article “356 Elephants Dropped Dead. Did This Bacteria Poison Them?” Julia does a great job of summarizing and critiquing Nuwer’s article. Throughout her review, Julia presents several aspects of the article very well. One aspect of the article that I thought Julia presented very effectively to the reader was the initial concern of the article. She does a good job of navigating the different causes that scientists posed in order to explain the deaths of the elephants without being too confusing or taking away from the main point of the article. I also thought that Julia did a good job of transitioning between the possible causes to the current widely accepted explanation and her analysis of that explanation. I think that Julia did a really effective job of explaining why the neurotoxin had such a devastating impact on the elephants but also why it didn’t harm certain species that might drink from the same source. I think it was important that Julia acknowledged that not everybody accepts this theory, but also did a good job of explaining why it is one of the most widely accepted theories. I also think that it was great how Julia included the counterargument that the water intake to toxin ratio would be roughly the same for each species was a very valid point that could sway some opinions. Lastly, I think Julia did an exceptional job of presenting the possible implications that the increased and unexplained deaths of these elephants could have on society. I had not considered the fact that elephants are such a lucrative part of the economy in certain regions of the world because of the tourists that they attract. Julia presented these implications in a way that made me realize the truly devastating impact that these deaths could have not only on food chains and ecological environments, but also the wellbeing and stability of certain communities.
ReplyDeleteAlthough Julia did a great job of presenting a lot of the information from the original article, I think there were also some aspects that could be improved upon. One suggestion that I have would be to discuss the toxin ratio. While I definitely think that Julia was right to include it, I think that including a brief example would have made including it more worthwhile. For example, Julia could have included an example of another, perhaps smaller, species that inhabits the same region as these elephants and drinks from the same water source in order to emphasize the possibility that the elephants have some biological difference that makes them susceptible to a specific illness from the toxin. Another slight improvement I would add would be to address specific data that she would like to have included in the article. I definitely agree with the suggestion, but I think the reader would benefit from having a better idea of exactly what is meant by this statement.
One fact from this article that really stood out to me was how much of an impact elephants have on certain local economies. I was aware of the fact that they are a lucrative resource when attracting tourists, but I was still surprised to read that they have a much more significant impact than I had previously thought.
Hugh Duffy
ReplyDeleteMr. Ippolito
AP Bio
October 22, 2020
Nuwer, Rachel. “356 Elephants Dropped Dead. Did This Bacteria Poison Them?”
The New York Times, The New York Times, 23 Sept. 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/09/23/science/dead-elephants-botswana.html.
Reich, Julia. “356 Elephants Dropped Dead. Did This Bacteria Poison Them?” Blogspot.Com, 21 Oct. 2020, https://bronxvilleapbiology.blogspot.com/2020/10/julia-reich-mr.html.
Julia’s review of the New York Times Article “365 Elephants Drop Dead. Did This Bacteria Poison Them?” was beautifully written, and presented a great biological mystery. She was very straightforward while summarizing, making the text engaging and easy to read. I found her emphasis on the effects that elephants bring to ecosystems to be intriguing, and she included many outstanding facts about elephants that kept my attention. "As well, elephants can drink up to forty gallons of water a day, which may lead them to ingest a large dose of toxin." (Reich) The review also felt very conversational, which is essential for an engaging text.
One Area for improvement is further explanation. I would've liked to see more emphasis on what precautions were taken to prevent the mystery deaths from spreading to other species within the Botswana locality. While the article may not explicitly state any such information, external research would have been appreciated.
Overall, the review was well-written, understandable, and had an engaging story. There were many interesting elements to Julia's writing, and I really enjoyed her integration of "fun facts" to engage me as a reader.
ReplyDeleteAnnabelle Krause
10/22/2020
Reich, Julia. “356 Elephants Dropped Dead. Did This Bacteria Poison Them?” Bronxville AP Biology, 17 Oct. 2020, bronxvilleapbiology.blogspot.com/2020/10/julia-reich-mr.html.
Nuwer, Rachel. “356 Elephants Dropped Dead. Did This Bacteria Poison Them?” The New York
Times, The New York Times, 23 Sept. 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/09/23/science/dead-elephants-botswana.html.
Julia’s analysis of the article “356 Elephants Dropped Dead. Did This Bacteria Poison Them?” was well written and interesting. Julia began by summarizing why this research is relevant and the background that elephants are in fact dying. She made it overwhelmingly clear that very little is known by scientists about this development but that research is being done, hence the open-ended question as a title. There are many theories, including poisoning and bacteria, which Julia touches on briefly, greatly enhancing my understanding. Julia also explained well why we should care. Yes, the elephants are important and should not go extinct, but they also do not appear to have much relevance to our lives in Bronxville. Julia made clear that the death of the elephants will impact their entire ecosystem and environment by taking out a trophic level and symbiotic relationships, as well as that the elephants dying is consistent with a worrisome pattern of large mammals not surviving. This made it overwhelmingly obvious that we should care about this research. Lastly, Julia explained the actual scientific discovery well, while also leaving room for the reader to interpret and understand that there is no real answer as of yet. Through her quoting of the article throughout, alongside her analysis, the science is very easy to understand.
One thing that Julia could have done to improve her article was pick up Nuwer’s theory rather than constantly fluctuating between supporting and disproving. It is important for the reader to understand that the science is not quite there yet, but it also would have been more interesting if Julia had argued for a side and presented her own opinions on the work. It also would have helped to clear up any confusion around if the research is actually relevant, as I would assume Julia believes. Julia also could have brought more hard science into her review. She did explain the science, but she did it from a much more literary standpoint and focused more on explaining the concepts and theories than the actual scientific research that was done. It would have been clearer if she had incorporated statistics and data into her article alongside her summary.
Overall, I greatly enjoyed Julia’s review. I do not often spend a lot of time considering the fate of the elephants, but it was very interesting to be reminded that they are important. I think my greatest takeaway from this is that different species cannot be allowed to go extinct because they are so important to their ecosystems. Although elephants may seem inconsequential at first glance since they are not carnivorous predators or prey in any meaningful capacity, elephants are still very significant due to the positive more mutualistic relationships they form with other species in their environments. Going forward, I think this has changed my perception of what makes a species important, and I will take more factors into consideration when deciding how to feel about the extinction of a species (which I would not like regardless of how important they are).
Meg Outcalt
ReplyDeleteOctober 22 2020
Nuwer, Rachel. “356 Elephants Dropped Dead. Did This Bacteria Poison Them?” The New York Times, The New York Times, 23 Sept. 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/09/23/science/dead-elephants-botswana.html.
Hyperlink to article:
www.nytimes.com/2020/09/23/science/dead-elephants-botswana.html.
Hyperlink to blog:
https://bronxvilleapbiology.blogspot.com/2020/
In Julia Reich’s review of the article, “356 Elephants Dropped Dead. Did This Bacteria Poison Them?” from September of 2020, she explores a new phenomenon occurring in Botswana. Ultimately, Reich provides a very informative, interesting, and comprehensive summary of the article, as well as a prominent analysis of the facts and data presented. Overall, she offers an excellent review of this article. Although her entire article is interesting, there are three main strengths that stand out. Reich’s most obvious strength is made known in her use of statistical analysis to back up her claims. Instead of making baseless claims that do not mean anything, Reich is able to support her information with citation from the article itself. She first quotes Roy Bengis, a veterinary wildlife specialist at the University of Pretoria in South Africa who claims, “that elephants are ‘exquisitely sensitive’ to whichever particular neurotoxin killed them, whereas other species are more resistant,” (Nuwer). She also goes into depth when she introduces a complex or likely unknown term. For instance, she speaks on the idea that elephants are known as “keystone species.” Instead of assuming that the audience understands what this kind of species is, Reich takes time to define the term. As she states, “In Botswana, elephants are known as “keystone species” meaning they are an essential part of the numerous ecosystems they occupy.” Her final strength is in the summary at large. Her summary and ultimate response to the article is very easy to read, as it is in order and flows well. It is ultimately very well written and informative.
Although Reich’s writing is very strong, there is always room for improvement. First of all, Reich should have included even more direct quotes and citations. Because she is covering a moderately complicated topic where it is unclear as to how these elephants are dying so abruptly, the review would have definitely benefited from more direct quotes from the article. With this, the audience would have been able to get a true understanding and glimpse into the original article. Additionally, Reich simply states that “this article was well written” in the very last sentence of her review. This is extremely broad and undetailed. Her overall review would have been stronger if she had included why exactly this article is so well written. To improve upon this issue, Reich just needs to write with more specificity. Although the review has some flaws, it is still strong.
Ultimately, Julia Reich’s article educated me on the phenomenon of abrupt elephant deaths in Botswana, Africa. As of September, 356 elephants had dropped dead. Even though scientists have ruled out human interaction with these elephants as a cause of their death, researchers are still unaware of what exactly is killing these animals. Prior to reading the article, I had no idea that this was occurring. I feel that I have been so wrapped up in news regarding COVID-19 or the upcoming presidential election, that I have not had the awareness and chance to read articles like this. However, this information is highly relevant. 356 deaths is a massive number, and I feel that it is important to be informed and educated on these worldly issues. I chose to read this article because I do not usually read about animals. I wanted to step out of my comfort zone in reading this article about elephant deaths. Also, I found the title intriguing. With the new knowledge I have gathered, I am excited to share with my peers. I will also be on the lookout for new articles concerning these topics.
Macklin Pettee
ReplyDeleteMr. Ippolito
Current event 4
10/23/20
Nuwer, Rachel. “356 Elephants Dropped Dead. Did This Bacteria Poison Them?”
The New York Times, The New York Times, 23 Sept. 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/09/23/science/dead-elephants-botswana.html.
Reich, Julia. “356 Elephants Dropped Dead. Did This Bacteria Poison Them?” Blogspot.Com, 21 Oct. 2020, https://bronxvilleapbiology.blogspot.com/2020/10/julia-reich-mr.html.
Julia’s review of the article, “356 Elephants Dropped Dead. Did This Bacteria Poison Them?” was very well done, and it left me very interested in this article. What I found so fascinating was that, as Julia said, this event still leaves many unanswered questions to scientists. As a scientist, you are always left with questions and unknowns, but when it comes to something like this, there seemingly should be something that scientists can find out for certain. Furthermore, the neurotoxin that is produced by cyanobacteria, which is a type of microscopic algae, Julia spoke about is very interesting. I found it particularly interesting that it only affects elephants, and Julia did a great job on explaining why this was the case. Lastly, another great example of Julia’s analysis is in the second paragraph. She centered the reader's attention on how important Elephants are to those ecosystems and did an outstanding job in explaining why. She gave specific examples instead of just stating simple reasons.
Although I felt that Julia’s analysis and reflection on the article was very well done, I could point out a few things she could improve on for the future. First off, there was a lack of depth in some of her points. A few of Julia’s points throughout the article were very strong, but I seemed to be left on edge with them. She could have had more information and went deeper into some of these topics. For example, when she talked about the cyanobacteria, she could have expanded much more on what it is, and how it is created. Furthermore, I feel like Julia could have done a better job in quoting some of her writing. She could have again looked for some valid quotes to further strengthen his argument and review.
After reading this review by Julia, I was fascinated at some of these issues and unknown cases in the world. Many of these groundbreaking events sometimes go under the radar too often, and that can sometimes be damaging to areas that truly need the help and support. I would have never imagined something like this happening, and it really broadened my perspective on some important issues on these topics.
Conor O’Neil
ReplyDelete10-21-20
AP Bio
Mr. Ippolito
Nuwer, Rachel. “356 Elephants Dropped Dead. Did This Bacteria Poison Them?” The New York Times, The New York Times, 23 Sept. 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/09/23/science/dead-elephants-botswana.html.
Reich, Julia. “356 Elephants Dropped Dead. Did This Bacteria Poison Them?- Julia Reich.” Blogspot.Com, 17 Oct. 2020, https://bronxvilleapbiology.blogspot.com/2020/10/julia-reich-mr.html#comment-form. Accessed 20 Oct. 2020.
I thought Julia’s review of “356 Elephants Dropped Dead. Did This Bacteria Poison Them?” was very interesting and thought provoking. To start, although her article does not directly describe any extraordinarily specific scientific details, it still does a good job of breaking down the various sides of the argument. She describes how a South African country has experienced a rise in elephant deaths in recent months in a fairly simple way. Along with this, the structure Julia used to write her article was very logical and made the article easy to understand. Another thing that Julia's article does a good job of is incorporating quotes about the topic in her review. Specifically, she included a quote from a veterinary wildlife specialist at the University of Pretoria in South Africa supporting the argument that “elephants are ‘exquisitely sensitive’ to whichever particular neurotoxin killed them, whereas other species are more resistant.” Lastly, Julia does an excellent job of connecting the events of her article to topics outside of biology. For example, in her second paragraph, she describes how “if elephant numbers go down, there will be less tourists” which would mean “less area protected for a variety of species.” This made her review much more graspable by a non-scientific audience. Overall, I think that she did a great job in her review of Nuwer’s article.
While Julia’s review of “356 Elephants Dropped Dead. Did This Bacteria Poison Them?” was very well done, there were a few minor mistakes that could be fixed. One such thing is not defining her terms. To the uneducated reader, things such as”cyanobacteria” and “symbiotic relationship” are somewhat foreign in nature, so if they were not defined in the article, they would make the reader confused. Secondly, I think it would have been interesting if she wrote about what her own opinion was on the debate. By doing so, she would likely cite evidence from the article and further explain the topic at the same time. It would also make the review more personal and thus more compelling to the audience.
Overall, I genuinely enjoyed Julia’s review. I chose to read this review of this article because of its intriguing title; I was intrigued by the fact that 356 elephants “dropped dead,” seemingly out of nowhere. This article also really changed the way in which I see the endangered species crisis. It made me realize that not only are endangered species threatened by human action, but also by random, unforeseen natural circumstances that further decrease population size. Another thing that stood out to me was the fact that other large animals such as cows were not affected at all by this bacteria, despite consuming more rainwater. I found this review fascinating. Because of my interest in the knowledge I have gained from it, I will be looking out for new articles concerning this subject.
Angelinna Faisca
ReplyDeleteAP Biology E/F
Nuwer, Rachel. “356 Elephants Dropped Dead. Did This Bacteria Poison Them?” The New York
Times, The New York Times, 23 Sept. 2020,
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/23/science/dead-elephants-botswana.html
Julia’s review of “356 Elephants dropped dead. Did this bacteria poison them?” by Rachel Nuwer, was very informative. I think she didn a great job in telling us, the reader, what the article really talked about and how humans may have contributed to these strange strings of death. I like how she talks about how the whole situation is confusing and new to scientists, showing how this bacteria may have a major impact on the lives of these elephants, and their population. She also did a great job on giving quotes from the article and explaining some terms and what they mean. Finally, Julia included other scientists' perspectives on the case, giving diversity in knowledge and opinion.
I would include more statistics, somehow, so that her work can be reinforced with facts, which can make her work stronger, leaving a bigger impact on the reader, showing that this is an actual problem. I think that she should also explain some terms, because it is better for the reader to understand what is actually being said in the article. I think she also could have included more about the elephants and what the bacteria actually affects in the elephant in more detail.
I thought that this was very interesting, because scientists have found dinosaurs in piles because of bacteria as well from dead carcasses, so I thought it was really interesting that this was brought to light, as these types of things have occurred millions of years ago. I think that it’s good that Julia chose this article because it brings light to something that isn’t really talked about, especially because it is new and scientists don’t know much about it.