Large Sections of Australia's Great Reef Are Now Dead, Scientists Find

Cave, Damien, and Justin Gillis. "Large Sections of Australia’s Great Reef Are Now Dead, Scientists Find." The New York Times. The New York Times, 15 Mar. 2017. Web. 20 Mar. 2017.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/15/science/great-barrier-reef-coral-climate-change-dieoff.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fearth&action=click&contentCollection=earth&region=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=sectionfront

The Great Barrier Reef in Australia and the sea animals living near it are in danger.  Sections of the reef were recently found to be dead due to the hot seawater.  Many people are shocked; Terry P. Hughes, a director of a center for coral reef studies states, "we didn't expect to see this level of destruction to the Great Barrier Reef for another 30 years."  Scientists say that this is the "most widespread and damaging" mass bleaching of coral reefs, and many state that the damage was due to global climate change.  Bleaching means that the reefs getting too overheated, which can lead to them dying, but cool water can help them recover.  The state of the coral reefs is bad for many reasons; a big part of sea life will be lost, and in poorer countries, many get their protein from reef fish.  Scientists state that the emissions from greenhouse gases in the ocean are causing the reefs to die.  They went on to say that the coral reefs need warm water to thrive, but too much heat can be dangerous, and water even a couple of degrees warmer can have a negative effect.  The Australian government is trying to fix the problem, and came up with a Reef 2050 plan.  The plan restricted dredging, and other potential risks to coral reefs.  Hughes research, however, showed that the efforts were not able to combat the higher water temperatures.

The topic in this article has a huge affect on society.  The Great Barrier Reef provides 70,000 jobs, billions of dollars annually, and is a national asset.  So, the fact that the reef is bleached, and some parts have died, affects many people.  This is a hard problem to fix however, especially because one of the reef's main threats is coal mining, but Australia is the largest coal exporter in the world.  This article is a reminder that climate change has affected the world and will continue to affect the world unless there is a way to stop it.

The authors of this article had many strengths.  The information was clear and concise, and the article had many quotes from scientists which made it more sophisticated.  Also, the authors went into a lot of detail, and explained the whole problem with many examples.  The only weakness that I saw was some of the terms were a little unclear at the beginning of the article.  They later defined the terms, but it would have minimized confusion if they had defined the terms right away.  Overall, the article was well done, and very interesting to read.

Mystery of how sperm swim revealed in mathematical formula

Sophia Dibbini March 21, 2017

University of York. "Mystery of how sperm swim revealed in mathematical formula." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 20 March 2017. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/03/170320085505.htm>.

I read the article called “Mystery of how sperm swim revealed in mathematical formula” by ScienceDaily and I found it very interesting and informative. In this breakthrough article, it explains that researchers have developed a mathematical formula based on the rhythmic movement of a sperm’s head and tail, significantly reducing the complexities of understanding and predicting how sperm make the difficult journey towards fertilizing the egg. These researchers, from the Universities of York, Birmingham, Oxford, and Kyoto, found that the sperm’s tail creates a characteristic rhythm that pushed the sperm forward, while pulling the head backwards and sideways in a coordinated fashion. Successful fertility relies on how a sperm moves through fluid, but capturing details of this movement is a complicated issue. Dr Hermes Gadêlha, from the University of York's Department of Mathematics, said: "In order to observe, at the microscale, how a sperm achieves forward propulsion through fluid, sophisticated microscopic high precision techniques are currently employed. Numerical simulations are used to identify the flow around the sperm, but as the structures of the fluid are so complex, the data is particularly challenging to understand and use. Around 55 million spermatozoa are found in a given sample, so it is understandably very difficult to model how they move simultaneously. Now that the team has a mathematical formula that can predict the fluid movement of one sperm, the next step is to use the model for predictions on larger numbers of cells. They also believe that it will have implications for new innovations in infertility treatment.

This article will affect our society because this discovery has improved scientific research and findings because it has simplified it. The team aim to use these new findings to understand how larger groups of sperm behave and interact, a task that would be impossible using modern observational techniques. The work could provide new insights into treating male infertility. Their actions have impacted society because they have created a mathematical formula that would simplify how we address this problem and make it easier to predict how large numbers of sperm swim. This would help us understand why some sperm succeed and others fail.

I really enjoyed reading this article because it thoroughly explained their discovery and what they plan to do with their new mathematical formula and how effective is it in the study of sperm movement. This author also provided many quotes by the researchers themselves supporting the importance of this discovery. However, this author did not provide details into a specific case study that used this formula, which would have been helpful for the reader. Also, the author failed to include how they found this formula, they only included what this formula could do. Even though there are some weaknesses, I really enjoyed reading this article and I found it very educational and informing.

After a Stillbirth, Tests Can Help Pinpoint the Cause

Saint Louis, Catherine. "After a Stillbirth, Tests Can Help Pinpoint the Cause." The New York Times 9 Mar. 2017: Print.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/09/well/family/after-a-stillbirth-tests-can-help-pinpoint-the-cause.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fscience&action=click&contentCollection=science&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=2&pgtype=sectionfront

The article “After a Stillbirth, Tests Can Help Pinpoint the Cause” by Catherine Saint Louis describes a recently published study which found that an examination of the placenta helped find the cause of the stillbirth in two-thirds of cases, a fetal autopsy helped 40 percent of the time, and genetic testing found a cause in 12 percent of cases. Researchers conducting the study analyzed 512 stillbirths from 2006 to 2008 from 59 hospitals in five different states. Saint Louis includes information related to the causes of the stillbirths that have been found by a large group of researchers focused on this issue. Complications during the birth process account for 30 percent of stillbirths, placental problems before labor make up 25 percent of the cases, genetic conditions/ birth defects are responsible for 14 percent, infection for 13 percent, and umbilical cord issues for 10 percent of cases. The author explains that the placental testing shortly after birth is important because knowing why the stillbirth occurred can help the parents during future pregnancies. 
Saint Louis’s piece is extremely important to society because it deals with the devastating issue of stillbirth. Her article shows that certain testing on the placenta or on the infant can provide the parents and the doctors with answers to the question of why the tragedy occurred. These tests can help doctors and scientists as they strive to find solutions and cures for stillbirths, and it can help the family of the infant as they struggle to understand why the baby died. In some cases, these tests can help guide a patient’s care in future pregnancies if their is a specific problem with the genetics or the immune system of the mother. 
The author did an amazing job of approaching this sensitive topic by introducing the scientific information gently and by weaving in anecdotal information. She includes the testimony of one mother as she describes her grief and confusion after she lost her baby, which has an emotional effect on the reader. The author also did a great job of including examples of certain conditions that can be treated accordingly during the next pregnancy if the cause of the stillbirth is pinpointed. While the article is well-written and informative, the author could have included information related to the procedure and background of the study. She discussed the results and the implications of the study at length, so her article could have been more well-rounded if she included these details. I also wish that she had written about what the researchers plan on doing with the results and if there are any studies or experiments that plan to use these results to find a solution to stillbirths.

"Why We Can't Look Away From Our Screens."

Isabel Caton

March 10, 2017

“Why We Can’t Look Away From Our Screens.”

Dreifus, Claudia. "Why We Can’t Look Away From Our Screens." The New York Times. The New York Times, 06 Mar. 2017. Web. 09 Mar. 2017.

I read the article “Why We Can’t Look Away From Our Screens.”  by Claudia Dreifus, I thought the article was very interesting and I was able to learn a lot. The article talks about how people are actually addicted to their phones, similarly to cocaine or nicotine. Today people are spending nearly three hours a day tethered to their cellphones. Snapchat boasts that its youthful users open their app more than 18 times a day. The author defines addiction as “something you enjoy doing in the short term, that undermines your well-being in the long term” She states that we’re biologically prone to get hooked on these experiences. For example if you’re someone who “compulsively plays video games the minute you load up your computer, your brain will look like that of a substance abuser.” We are engineered in a way that our brains will release the neurotransmitter dopamine. We get a flood of dopamine that makes us feel wonderful in the short term, though in long term you build a tolerance and want more.

This article is very relevant for today because everyone today is on their phones constantly. Even children are becoming addicted to phones and other technology devices. In South Korea and China they have a law called the Cinderella law. This law is to protect children from playing certain games after midnight. Games and internet addiction is a serious problem, some parents commit their children for months where therapists treat them with a detox regime.

The article taught me a lot about how we look at technology and how our brain works. I was attracted to the article because I am curious about why and how we are constantly looking at our phones. Overall the article was very well written, each paragraph was formatted by asking a question and then the author answered it which I thought was an interesting format. I wish that the author had included more facts about the addiction to our phones and what professionals and scientists think about it, and included a possible solution.

"Wild Elephants Clock Shortest Shut-eye Recorded for Mammals"

Milius, Susan. "Wild Elephants Clock Shortest Shut-eye Recorded for Mammals." Science News. Science News, 01 Mar. 2017. Web. 05 Mar. 2017.

The message of “eight hours of sleep a night” is ubiquitously heard in human health circles. Most problems, many say, can be solved with a few more hours of shut-eye. However, one of the most intelligent mammals on earth, the African Elephant, is challenging our notions of sleep and its purpose for all creatures great and small. In a recent study of two wild African elephants it was found that they “get by just fine on about two hours of sleep a day. Much of that shut-eye comes while standing up — the animals sleep lying down only once every three or four days.” By using a highly precise fitbit-style tracking system this data may allow their species to break sleep records for mammals. This study is revolutionary according to neuroethologist Paul Manger of the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg who stated, “most of what scientists previously knew about sleeping elephants came from captive animals.” Interestingly in zoos and enclosures, elephants have been recorded snoozing about “three hours to almost seven over a 24-hour period.” Evidently, captive animals, who face far less challenges for food and safety than wild, seem to be able to sleep more. However, these specifically tracked animals are something special as the two females wearing activity recorders for about a month averaged less sleep than any other recorded mammals. Manger believes “especially intriguing is the elephants’ ability to skip a night’s sleep without needing extra naps later.” The results of the experiment are yielding the question of what sleep’s purpose truly is and begging scientists to rethink their theories.  “Ideas that sleep restores or resets aspects of the brain for peak performance can’t explain animals that sleep only a little and don’t need catch-up rest...The results also don’t fit well with the thought that animals need sleep to consolidate memories” says Niels Rattenborg of the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology in Seewiesen, Germany. However, it remains unclear how these findings for two females will translate to entire elephant populations. But the results “do fit a trend that links larger species with shorter sleep and smaller species with longer sleep” according to  Manger. Manger and his colleagues are hypothesizing that sleep duration might be related to a daily time budget. Bigger animals may sleep less as they need that time for tasks to sustain their size. Building and maintaining an elephant body, may take more feeding time than maintaining a minute bat body (bats sleep over 18 hours a day).

This article and its premise about the concept of sleep’s purpose will be transformative in our society. As we better understand the thing so many of us do for nearly a third of our lives, we may better understand ourselves. Although elephants seem very different than humans, we are both mammals and perhaps we will learn something about surviving off less sleep which would make our societies even more productive. Although just speculation this could make a major difference in the way our society functions. Additionally, this article exemplifies how keeping animals in captivity may interfere with their natural sleep cycles which may perhaps be unhealthy for them.

The author of this article, Susan Milius, overall wrote a wonderful piece. I particularly enjoyed her use of quotes as well as her evident in-depth research about the topic. By including the ideas and point of views of many leading researchers on the topic Milius asserts a sense of authority and intellectual exploration of the complex issue.Additionally, Milius does an excellent job juxtaposing the sleep length of elephants versus bats in order to assert her notion that smaller animals sleep longer while large sleep less. However, Milius did err a little with her assertion of the significance of her article. For example, I felt that she never really included any ideas about why this research matters. Although, she provided in-depth details about the fitbit technology used and the findings found, Milius never stated why any of this matters. Even though the reader should come to their own conclusions I think it would have been advantageous is Milius had added just one short sentence about where this research may lead and its impact on how we view sleep’s purpose.

SpaceX Plans to Send 2 Tourists Around Moon in 2018

Chang, Kenneth. "SpaceX Plans to Send 2 Tourists Around Moon in 2018." The New York Times.

The New York Times, 27 Feb. 2017. Web. 01 Mar. 2017.

<https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/27/science/spacex-moon-tourists.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fspace&action=click&contentCollection=space®ion=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=sectionfront&_r=0>.

The article that I read this week is called “SpaceX Plans to Send 2 Tourists Around Moon in 2018.” This article is about how SpaceX wants to send private citizens into Space. Mr. Musk said that the space tourists would not land on the moon, but instead loop around it, taking them 300,000 to 400,000 miles away from Earth, something that has not been done since the early 1970s. The Rocket, called the “Falcon Heavy,” will be carrying these space tourists. The rocket has not flown yet and still has not been tested by NASA as safe to use, experts such as Dr. Dittmar say it is “unsafe for use,” due to the lack of crew aboard the rocket. Musk has said that the rocket will be fully automated and his space tourists will be trained for emergency scenarios only. Finally, the article concludes by discussing the founding for SpaceX, which has been mostly NASA. NASA will finally be able to reap the rewards of the billions of dollars they poured into R&D because they will be able to send astronauts to land on the surface of the moon along with the journey. In addition, Musk has stated that “Nasa will get the first priority,” on many of the missions the rocket will be used for.

This article impacts society greatly. The first reason is because astronauts have not been out of low earth orbit since the 1970s, and this will be another large step for mankind should private citizens be sent into space. Also, with new advancements in rocketry, a safe maiden voyage will sway the public opinion more in favor of deep-space exploration. Also, with new planets being discovered, this could be the first step towards discovering them.

Overall, this was a very well written article as Mr. Chang provided a very good summary of what Mr.Musk plans to do with his first trip without making it too confusing for the reader. Also, he was able to acknowledge that some people don't believe that it is safe for private citizens to go into space and refute it beautifully. Overall, Mr.Chang wrote a very good article on a poppin’ topic.

Africa's New Biofuel Literally Grows on Trees

Allison Barker

March 2, 2017

Monks, Kieron. "Africa's New Biofuel Literally Grows on Trees." CNN. Cable News Network, 4 Jan. 2017. Web. 28 Feb. 2017. <http://www.cnn.com/2016/12/28/africa/croton-nuts-biofuel-aes/index.html>.

Biofuel production in Africa has long been a difficult and controversial issue. The jatropha crop, one popular solution, caused the waste of immense amounts of both money and land, and another solution, palm oil, is associated with both human rights violations and danger to the environment. However, an alternative solution now seems almost perfect. The Croton megalocarpus tree is common throughout East and Central Africa, and the nuts of the tree, which had previously only been used for firewood, contain high concentrations of oil and protein, which scientists can use to make a fuel that is a clean alternative to diesel. Croton nuts are abundant and cheap, making them a great energy source. In 2012, Alan Paul established Eco Fuels Kenya to explore croton after early data showed promising uses for the nut. At first, the business operated on a low budget in order to avoid a high-profile failure like that of jatropha. EFK Managing Director Myles Katz describes, “(Paul) said we can grow organically by sourcing what is already there from one of the most common trees… We can buy nuts from farmers so they get an income and we have a business model that does not require $10 million of funding and a big plantation to get off the ground.” In order to attract local farmers and entrepreneurs, EFK put out radio ads. Suppliers, who had previously thought their croton trees were useless, were eager to sell the nuts. For this reason, EFK has been able to double production each year, making 1,000 tons of nuts this year after producing 500 in 2015. The company has not planted a single tree, but is instead only using the nuts it is provided with. Croton oil production is low-tech and low-energy when compared with traditional oil products, and Katz describes the process as “comparable to any other nut or oil pressing facility.” The business provides fuel primarily to local businesses that run generators and also sells by-products of the nuts, including seedcake to use as poultry feed and organic fertilizer from the shells. Because many do not trust biofuels, the fact that the company sells other things provides insurance to potential investors. Although the company stays local, it is planning on expanding into Tanzania and on planting its own trees in an “orchard model,” which will allow the company to test how many croton nuts they can get the trees to produce. Dr. Gerald Kafuku, research officer at the Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology, believes that the only thing keeping croton back from the mainstream is a lack of funding for research and development. He argues that “croton is one of the most promising sources of biofuel,” which many agree with.

The development of croton as a possible biofuel alternative to the current options available is incredibly important to the world as a whole, and especially to areas such as Africa, whcre much environmental degradation has occurred as a result of the search for biofuel. Croton is already grown en masse, and it is usually wasted, so the use of croton oil would provide the world with an energy alternative that is efficient, effective, and abundant. This would help both the environment and economy, as oil and other fuels would become less popular.

Overall, I very much appreciated this article, as I had never heard about croton nuts or their possible use as biofuel. I liked that the author included many quotes and spoke a lot about the main company’s business model. I would have liked the author to write a little bit more about the downfalls of the biofuel alternatives and even to include statistics. Despite these lacking areas, this article was both comprehensive and comprehensible, and I learned a lot from it.