Hitting Pay Dirt on Mars

Chang, Kenneth. "Hitting Pay Dirt on Mars." The New York Times. The New York Times, 30 Sept. 2013. Web. 28 Oct. 2013. <http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/01/science/space/hitting-pay-dirt-on-mars.html?_r=0>.

                In the Article Hitting Pay Dirt on Mars by Kenneth Chang, The author talks about the Mars rover, Curiosity, and one of its most recent discoveries.  It has found an alkaline rock, which is a very rare form of rock to find on earth, and has never been seen before on Mars.  Though it looks like all the others, under closer examination it is very different.  This rock, being an alkaline rock can only be created by the melting of rocks deep in the mantle with the presence of water.  This is very important, because until now there was no proof of water on Mars.  During further testing of a dust pile, the rover found that when heated, water vapor was released.  This provides the possibility of some form of carbon-based life form to be able to exist on Mars.  Knowing that the dust on Mars contains water could be important for astronauts in the future.  One other interesting thing found by Curiosity is the presence of perchlorates.  These are chemicals that are known to cause thyroid problems, and would be very bad for astronauts to be around. 

                This pertains to humanity because it is a big step in astronomy, and could be important for future trips to Mars, or if needed colonization on Mars in the very distant future.  Without water, being on mars for extended periods of time would be very difficult, and may not ever happen. 

                I thought that the author did a very good job of describing everything, and did a good job of including quotes from specific people and explaining who they were and what they researched.  He also does a good job of providing specific details about the rocks, and rovers.  One thing I felt that he did poorly is that he talked about the perchlorates in  very little detail and it just didn't seem to fit in with the rest of the article.  Otherwise the author did a very good job.  

Response to a City's Smog Points to a Change in Chinese Attitude

Response to a City's Smog Points to a Change in Chinese Attitude

Wong, Edward. "Response to a City’s Smog Points to a Change in Chinese Attitude."New York Times. N.p., n.d. Web.         

          In the recent article “Response to a City’s Smog Points to a Change in Chinese Attitude” by Edward Wong, the Chinese government has begun an emergency response to the smog levels in China. One city specifically by the name of Harbin is currently suffering extreme amounts of smog leading to the entire city having to close its schools and have buses get off the road, farmers were also told to stop the burning of their fields. To put the current situation in perspective the smog is so thick that residents may only see a few yards of what is around them, this is increases the risk of a car crash by quite a lot. This smog is caused by the excessive use of coal in China, seeing as China has a 70% dependency on coal as the main source of energy. Chinese residents all over China have begun to fear what is to come because of how bad the air quality has become. Overall the lifespan of Chinese citizens is reduced by decades because of how toxic the air currently is. Another large problem is how residents sometimes are careless and do not wear masks. The Chinese government has recently begun to be very focused on the issue of the smog that has affected the air, ground, and water of China by sending officials to certain cities; this shall allow the Chinese government to enforce pollution limiting methods. These recent actions by the Chinese government seem promising but the only thing that can save China is to limit industries that are very dependent on the burning of coal.

          I believe the issue of pollution is beginning to show up in all places around the world, and not just in China and is relevant to all our lives. Pollution has been greatly increasing since the 1900s, and most countries have not done anything to limit smog in their countries. I believe that if we continue down this path every city shall resemble Harbin. Pollution directly affects all humans on Earth because we all share the same planet with the same atmosphere; this is why all humans should be aware of how the environment is currently being treated very badly.

          I enjoyed the way the article was written for it flowed pretty well and did not have too many facts that to an untrained eye would seem gibberish. The article is also made strong by its amount of viewpoints from Chinese officials and Chinese residents. However the length of the article did seem too long making the article longer than it had to be for it to get its point across. Overall it was an interesting article.

Polluted Water Interferes With Drug That Combats Parasitic Scourge

Yeager, Ashley. "Polluted Water Interferes with Drug That Combats Parasitic Scourge." Science News. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Oct. 2013.

             In the article, Polluted Water Interferes With Drug That Combats Parasitic Scourge, by Ashley Yeager it talks about how water that is contaminated with arsenic maybe blocking the effectiveness of a drug that doctors use deal with leishmaniasis.  For those of you who don’t know what leishmaniasis is it is a deadly parasitic scourge that is spread by sand flies. 

            Alan Fairlamb of the University of Dundee in Scotland and colleagues saw that there was a resistance to antimony- based treatments in regions where there was arsenic- laced water.  A region of the world where this water is commonly found is India.  Arsenic is a poisonous chemical often used in herbicides and pesticides.  Fairlamb and his colleagues conducted an experiment to see if the antimony-based treatments were the true reason as to why the drug was not effective.   In this experiment scientist gave mice the contaminated drinking water filled with arsenic and then gave them Lesihmania parasites.  Next the scientists moved the parasites in a second group of mice that had also drank the contaminated arsenic water. Some of those mice got an antimony –based treatment, Pentostam.  Finally it was proven that the parasites in the treated mice made them resistant to the drug.  So this proves that arsenic contamination could contribute to the ineffectiveness of one out of the four drugs doctors use the treat lesihmaniasis.

            I thought this article was very informative.  The plus side to this article was that is gave many facts.  The downside to it was that is didn’t give that much detail so at some points while reading it, was hard to understand.   It was short which made me never get bored while I was reading.  From reading this article I now know that when I travel to certain countries I have to be careful when drinking their water. 

Skull Fossil Suggests Simpler Human Lineage

In a recent article, published by the New York Times, scientists have come to a conclusion about a 1.8 million year old skull found in the Republic of Georgia. After eight years of debate scientists have decided that this skull may tell us that instead of having many Homo species there might have just been variation among one species. Scientists were led to believe that the different bone structure among historic skeletons might just mean that they looked different. Just like how we each look different today. This skull was called skull 5 and had many primitive features. It was found in a cave with 4 other skulls, this lucky find gave scientists the chance to compare and contrast the 5 skulls.

 This has a big effect on our history as humans. Instead of our development being explained as a merge of multiple species, our history could be explained as one or two species that came together to create humans. This find means that our lineage as humans is much more simple than scientists had previously thought. Scientists believe this is one of the most important discoveries yet. They believe this because it is a key component is the understanding of the development of the early Homo species.

 This was a really good article and had a lot of information. The article could have been a little more detailed about what had happened and why it took them eight years to figure out what this skull meant or where in Georgia the skull was found. The article did have a lot of information, which was helpful, but the author could have put in more detail, but the author did give a lot of background information that helped me understand the article better.

 Wilford, John N. "Skull Fossil Suggests Simpler Human Lineage." Newyorktimes.com. New York Times, 17 Oct. 2013. Web. 19 Oct. 2013. <http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/18/science/fossil-skull-may-rewrite-humans-evolutionary-story.html?ref=science&_r=0>.

Corruption in Peru Aids Cutting of Rain Forest

Corruption in Peru Aids Cutting of Rain Forest

By William Neuman and Andrea Zarate

            This article discusses the effects of cutting down trees illegally in Peru and other countries. More than half of Peru is covered by dense forest, and the preservation of these forests is crucial to combating global warming. Also, the forests protect many species that live only in this region. In the past, Peru has passed laws to try to stop illegal logging, one of which was a 2007 trade agreement with the United States. Recently, large quantities of timber are illegally cut and are sometimes sent to the US to be used for flooring and furniture. It is believed that the cause of the corruption was authorities being bribed in order for loggers to cut down and take away the trees.

            This article is important because illegal logging is still an issue today, and people need to become aware of what is happening around them in order to stop it. It’s important for people to understand the effects of logging and to figure out a way to try to prevent corruption in these countries. International demand for cheap illegal products is a main cause for illegal logging around the world, and because of this animals are losing their homes, the environment is suffering, and systems are growing more corrupt. The more awareness this gains around the world, the more people can try to prevent it from happening.

            I thought this was a good article, but there were a few things that were missing. I think that the author should have included more information on the effects of illegal logging and how to prevent people from logging, because if this issue hasn’t been stopped already there is obviously more to it. The article was written in a way that was easy to understand, and helped me learn about a topic I wasn’t aware of before.

Neuman, William, and Andrea Zarate. "Corruption in Peru Aids Cutting of Rain Forest."The New York Times. The New York Times, 18 Oct. 2013. Web. 20 Oct. 2013. <http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/19/world/americas/corruption-in-peru-aids-cutting-of-rain-forest.html?pagewanted=2&ref=science>.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/19/world/americas/corruption-in-peru-aids-cutting-of-rain-forest.html?pagewanted=2&ref=science

Amid Heavy Pollution, Beijing Issues Emergency Rules to Protect Citizens

Tatlow, Didi Kirsten. "Amid Heavy Pollution, Beijing Issues Emergency Rules to Protect

Citizens." Sinosphere Amid Heavy Pollution Beijing Issues Emergency Rules to Protect Citizens Comments. The New York Times, 17 Oct. 2013. Web. 20 Oct. 2013. <http://sinosphere.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/10/17/amid-heavy-pollution-beijing-issues-emergency-rules-to-protect-citizens/?ref=science>.

            In Beijing, China, there is a new system to try to reduce air pollution. For years, the air in cities in northern China, like Beijing (the capitol), has been heavily polluted by things like asbestos, ultraviolet radiation, and tobacco smoke. Substances like these are known to be cancer-causing substances. Air pollution in China gets especially bad in the winter when coal-powered heating systems are used. Now, when there is heavy air pollution, a blue alert will be put in place and an extra street cleaning will take place. When there is even heavier pollution, a yellow alert will be put out and another street cleaning will happen. One three days of predicted pollution, there will be an orange alert and factories and construction sites will close. When three days of serious pollution are predicted, the above actions will take place, as well as certain cars being able to drive on alternate days and schools will close. Also, the Chinese government has announced a project to clean the air, but it will not be easy or quick.

           

            Issues like this are relevant in cities all over the world. Air pollution is a major issue and is the cause of many diseases, including cancer! The fact that schools have to close, not because of a naturally occurring issue, but because of a man-made environmental issue, is very bad. No country should be compromising the education of the next generation for needs that cause excessive pollution. Also, the fact that people are dying of diseases cause by air pollution is horrific. This issue can be fixed, and its very important that it does get fixed.

            I enjoyed reading this article because it was very informative yet straight to the point. It wasn’t difficult to read and it kept me engaged. One thing that I would’ve liked to read more is statistics about the pollution and maybe statistics about the diseases it causes. Overall, I thought this was a very good article and I learned a lot from it.

Study Sees a Higher Risk of Storms on the Horizon

           In this article called Study Sees a Higher Risk of Storms on the Horizon it talks about how in the eastern and central United States we are likely to see a bigger risk of extreme weather. This is mostly predicted to happen in the middle of this century, because the gain in temperatures is triggering atmospheric changes, which will cause storms. Not only, will there be storms, but the data also suggests, but does not flatly predicts, that the warning of tornadoes will increase as well. The scientists measured the increases in temperatures on conditions that are mostly known to produce big thunderstorms. Dr Diffenbaugh says “We can look starting in the recent past and analyze how many severe thunderstorm environments there are in each model, in each year, all the way out to the end of 21^st century.” There were 10 models, and all of them showed an overall increase in the extreme weather days in the spring and autumn around the 2040s. Kevin Trenberth, a scientist, says, “The likelihood of severe weather is probably fairly robust and prospects worrying”. There are many different types of weather conditions that help cause thunderstorms, but the most important ones would be humidity, wind, and atmospheric instability (“Which can cause warm air to rush upward through colder air”).  Scientists say that they have a big challenge to try and understand whether or not there have been any changes to these weather conditions.

The climate changes that are happening are causing the change in the weather that is yet to come. This article shows what the scientists are telling us to expect in whether later in the century. They want it to get better, and they do not want any of the tornadoes or the extreme thunderstorms to occur. Those could be very dangerous towards people, because the thunderstorms and the tornadoes could take the people’s houses away, which will be very disastrous.

            I think that the author did a very good job explaining this article. He used really good descriptive words, which helped me understand the article better. The author could have used more statistics in his article, to show the percentages or the chances of the thunderstorms and the tornadoes that are bound to happen. I found this article very interesting, because it gives you a small description on how the weather and a little bit of the life will be in the future.  Before reading this article, I never thought about the weather in the future, and I hope that these extreme weather conditions will change. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/24/us/study-sees-a-higher-risk-of-storms-on-the-horizon.html?ref=globalwarming