Julia Curran
Mr. Ippolito
Biology D-Odd
24 October 2016
Zimmer, By Carl. "Brain Science." Secrets of the Brain. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Oct. 2016.
In the article “Brain Science” by Carl Zimmer it explains in detail the new technologies that are instrumental in deciphering how the brain really works. There is a device created by Van Wedeen and it consists of 96 miniature antennas, close enough to the brain in order to pick up the radio waves it was about to emit. According to Zimmer, Wedeen is “creating in unprecedented detail representations of the brain’s wiring: the network of some 100,000 miles of nerve fibers, called white matter, that connects the various components of the mind, giving rise to everything we think, feel, and perceive.” By observing active brains, neuroscientists can identify the differences in “normal” brains and the brains of people with various disorders such as Autism, schizophrenia and more. Zimmer explains how “as they map the brain in greater detail, they may learn how to diagnose disorders by their effect on anatomy, and perhaps even understand how those disorders arise.”
This article has a drastic effect on society because we now are developing more and more technology that will allow neuroscientists to map the brain. This is crucial because neuroscientists will be able to distinguish between average brains and brains with a mental illnesses or disorders. Meaning they could possibly be able to diagnose these illnesses and disorders and possibly understand how and where these disorders stem from. This is huge because in the near future, with this technology, if scientists know where disorders such as Autism and Alzheimer's come from, they may possibly be able to prevent it from occurring.
The article was very detailed however it was slightly challenging to grasp, reading this article as a 10th grade student. I think this article was intended more for scientists and college level readers onward.The article was also quite long and lengthy and could've been condensed to a slightly simpler and shorter version. But in all the article provided great detail and was extremely fascinating and provided me, as a reader with great insight on the brain and the importance of fully understanding it and how it works.
Nicole Semenyuk
ReplyDeleteMr. Ippolito
Core Biology D
4 November 2016
Zimmer, By Carl. "Brain Science." Secrets of the Brain. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Oct. 2016.
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2014/02/brain/zimmer-text
My classmate, Julia Curran, wrote an interesting and informative review for the article “Brain Science.” In it she was able to clearly and efficiently summarize the article. She wrote, “...explains in detail the new technologies that are instrumental in deciphering how the brain really works.” This is able to give the reader a quick understanding of the article, as well as draws them in. I also liked how she included a quote from the creator of the new technology, explaining the significance of the device. She quoted, “‘...as they map the brain in greater detail, they may learn how to diagnose disorders by their effect on anatomy, and perhaps even understand how those disorders arise.’” This clearly explains to the reader why the creation of the device is so important as well as what possibilities could be achieved because of it. Lasly, I enjoyed how Julia connected the devices purpose to possible disorders, quoting Zimmer, “...as they map the brain in greater detail, they may learn how to diagnose disorders by their effect on anatomy, and perhaps even understand how those disorders arise.” This allows the reader to connect the importance to current problems, deepening the reader’s understanding.
One thing I wish Julia did was further connect Autism and Alzheimer’s to the new device being created. In her review she wrote, “...if scientists know where disorders such as Autism and Alzheimer's come from, they may possibly be able to prevent it from occurring.” She could have given a quick overview of both disorders and explained what knowledge scientists are lacking that this device can make up for. Julia also didn’t really explain how the new device works and is suppose to get all this new information. She writes, “...consists of 96 miniature antennas, close enough to the brain in order to pick up the radio waves it was about to emit...giving rise to everything we think, feel, and perceive.” Although she briefly explains it, a more detailed analysis of the devices function would provide the reader a better understanding of the device.
While reading Julia’s review, my attention was immediately caught, and I actually went on to read the original article. I initially chose the review since I find the functions of the brain fascinating, and always enjoy reading about new discoveries about the behavior of the brain. I changes my perspective since it shows how were are slowly but surely learning more and more about the brain, where we will (hopefully) be able to identify the reasons why currently unsolvable disorders occur.
Alexander New
ReplyDeleteMr. Ippolito
Core Biology H
11/14/16
Zimmer, By Carl. "Brain Science." Secrets of the Brain. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Oct. 2016.
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2014/02/brain/zimmer-text
Julia Curran, one of my classmates, wrote a review for an article called “Brain Science” by Carl Zimmer. It explains in detail the new technologies that are instrumental in deciphering how the brain really works. One thing that Julia did very well was incorporate quotes in the first paragraph For example, “According to Zimmer, Wedeen is ‘creating in unprecedented detail representations of the brain’s wiring: the network of some 100,000 miles of nerve fibers, called white matter, that connects the various components of the mind, giving rise to everything we think, feel, and perceive”. After using these quotes, Julia then went on to explain the significance of the quotes in the second paragraph of the review. This showed a level of understanding and told the reader that she had read the article thoroughly, “The article has a drastic effect on society because we now are developing more and more technology that will allow neuroscientists to map the brain”. Finally, I was impressed that Julia was able to grasp the idea of the article, as she states that the article was directed towards scientists and college-level readers.
Even though Julia did a great job on her review, there is always room for improvement. Something that could have helped was if Julia had made a stronger connection between the disorders and the new device that was being implemented. She explains, “Meaning they could possibly be able to diagnose these illnesses and disorders and possibly understand how and where these disorders stem from”. I think if she was more specific it could add the understanding of the article and reassure the reader. Secondly, Julia goes into great detail mapping out the brain and explaining how it works, but she does not explain what the device looks like. She also does not explain how it is going to extract the information that Julia mentions in the article.
I decided to comment on Julia’s article, because it caught my attention very quickly and I found it interesting to read about. This is intriguing to me because I am curious as to how these disorders begin and how the affect the brain. I hope this device is successful and the world will finally find an answer.
Andres Saralegui
ReplyDeleteMr. Ippolito
Core Bio 10
20 November 2016
Zimmer, By Carl. "Brain Science." Secrets of the Brain. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Oct. 2016.
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2014/02/brain/zimmer-text
My classmate Julia Curran wrote a current event article on “Brain Science” by Carl Zimmer. This article discusses a device created by Van Wedeen which consists of 96 miniature antennas, close enough to the brain in order to pick up the radio waves it was about to emit. In her first paragraph, Julia gives the reader an important and interesting fact about the device and how it can help scientists regarding how the brain works. Weeden’s device would be able to tell neuroscientists if a brain was “normal” or if a brain had a disorder like Autism or Schizophrenia. Information like this kept me intrigued and interested in the topic and article. Julia also adds a quote from the author of the article talking about the benefits of the device, “as they map the brain in greater detail, they may learn how to diagnose disorders by their effect on anatomy, and perhaps even understand how those disorders arise”. The quote added here gives the reader more knowledge about the device and how it can discover how disorders arise. After using these quotes, Julia went on to explain the significance of her previous facts in the second paragraph of the review. This showed a level of understanding and told the reader that she had read the article thoroughly and completely, “The article has a drastic effect on society because we now are developing more and more technology that will allow neuroscientists to map the brain”.
One element that Julia could have used to improve her current event article was explaining how the device really works. Julia writes, “...consists of 96 miniature antennas, close enough to the brain in order to pick up the radio waves it was about to emit...giving rise to everything we think, feel, and perceive.” Although she briefly explains it, a more detailed analysis could have been used here to give the reader more background on how the device works. Another element that Julia could have used to improve her current event article is to connect further on Autism and Alzheimer’s to the new device. In her review she wrote, “...if scientists know where disorders such as Autism and Alzheimer's come from, they may possibly be able to prevent it from occurring.” She could have given a quick overview of both disorders and explained what knowledge scientists are lacking that this device can make up for.
In conclusion, I thought this article was very intriguing and I was surprised to read that people can create devices such as these that can possibly prevent brain disorders from developing.