Catherine Faville
Mr. Ippolito
Core Biology Honors
February 7, 2017
The recent article, “Deep sea mining could imperil rare, ghostlike octopus” by Sharon Oosthoek discusses the endangered, newly discovered clear octopus and the safety of their eggs. Researchers and scientists investigated that where miners are looking for valuable metals was the same area in which these ghost octopuses, also know as Caspers, lay their eggs. The miners in particular are interested in nodules on the seafloor, containing within them metals that are used for electronics. If the miners pursue the nodules they will disrupt the surrounding environment of the Casper octopuses. The marine biologist, Autun Purser, and his research team decided to send a swimming robot to the seafloor to learn more about the surrounding area and the creatures living there. From the many pictures the robot took it was discovered that the octopuses lay their eggs on the dead stock of sea sponges that the octopus then wraps itself around as they try to protect their precious eggs. Unfortunately, these stocks are on top of the desired nodules.
The importance of this article to society is that with the steady increase of mining, sea life is constantly in danger. Mining areas keep growing larger and could soon be the size of small countries. With this expansion companies are obligated to choose safe spots to mine, areas in which there would be minimal effect on the surrounding environment. Also, the excessive amount of mining brings awareness for how people are treating the planet and its animals. If the companies do decide to pull up the nodules from the sea for the metals, the sea sponges wouldn't grow, so then the Casper octopuses wouldn't have anywhere to lay their eggs.
To me the article could have went into more depth about how the nodules can affect other sea creatures, besides the octopuses. The article could have specified if any scientist had conducted any experiments on the Caspers, or if they have just taken pictures of them so far. Also it would have been nice to know exactly why these particular octopuses are attracted to the dead sea sponges as a destination to lay their eggs. The article was very helpful with its expansive details on the dilemma, however it should have given a little more background on the animal, not just the event itself.
Oosthoek, Sharon. "Deep-sea Mining Could Imperil Rare, Ghostlike Octopus." Science News for Students. N.p., 03 Feb. 2017. Web. 08 Feb. 2017.
https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/deep-sea-mining-could-imperil-rare-ghostlike-octopus
Alyssa Lee
ReplyDeleteMr. Ippolito
Biology 10H
14 February 2017
Oosthoek, Sharon. "Deep-sea Mining Could Imperil Rare, Ghostlike Octopus." Science News for Students. N.p., 03 Feb. 2017. Web. 08 Feb. 2017.
https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/deep-sea-mining-could-imperil-rare-ghostlike-octopus
My classmate Catherine Faville did a commendable job in reviewing this article. She was able to create a fascinating and yet concise review that draws in the reader without having them lose their attention. One aspect that Catherine executed very well was the explanation for why the mining of nodules will have a negative impact on the native Casper octopus species that lay their eggs atop these much-desired nodules. She explains very clearly that disrupting these octopi in their reproduction process will be detrimental to their lives as they will lose the only home they have, which will undoubtedly cause the unnecessary decline in the population of this rare species of octopus. For example, Catherine explains that “If the miners pursue the nodules they will disrupt the surrounding environment of the Casper octopuses”. Another aspect that Catherine was able to do nicely was describing the process by which they discovered this shocking fact. She explains this in simple terms, but with enough detail so as to provide the reader with accurate picture of the overall process. The scientists who were trying to find out more about this fact “send a swimming robot to the seafloor to learn more about the surrounding area and the creatures living there”. Catherine also provides sufficient evidence for her claim that the mining could be dangerous to the octopus species laying their eggs there. She not only clearly states her claim, but also supports it very thoroughly and words her explanation eloquently. She explains that “ if the companies do decide to pull up the nodules from the sea for the metals, the sea sponges wouldn't grow, so then the Casper octopuses wouldn't have anywhere to lay their eggs”.
Although her review was very well written, there are certain areas in need of some improvement that she could fix. For example, Catherine could have explained what exactly the nodules are. Although I understand that they contain “metals that are used for electronics”, that could easily apply to many other metals. I did not truly understand what made them so special or different from other metals. Another aspect that could be fixed would be the effect that the disappearance of this species would have on the rest of the ecosystem. Although it is most definitely important that they not go extinct and Catherine stated that “the article could have went into more depth about how the nodules can affect other sea creatures, besides the octopuses”, she still could have still speculated the effect that it would have on other animals.
It was certainly surprising to see how this incredible species of life form is being threatened by mankind even despite its individuality and the fact that it is a living thing like us. I chose this article because I myself am an avid supporter of animals rights, living with multiple pets of my own, and it is concerning to see this happening. This article and review truly opened my eyes up the power that technology has over our very lives, and the unfortunate impact this has on the animal lifeforms around us.
Bailey Barton
ReplyDeleteMr. Ippolito
Core Biology
February 15, 2017
Oosthoek, Sharon. "Deep-sea Mining Could Imperil Rare, Ghostlike Octopus." Science News for Students. N.p., 03 Feb. 2017. Web. 08 Feb. 2017.
https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/deep-sea-mining-could-imperil-rare-ghostlike-octopus
Faville, Catherine. "Deep Sea Mining Could Imperil Rare, Ghostlike Octopus." Deep Sea Mining Could Imperil Rare, Ghostlike Octopus. N.p., 01 Jan. 1970. Web. 15 Feb. 2017.
http://bhscorebio.blogspot.com/2017/02/catherine-faville-mr.html#comment-form
My classmate, Catherine Faville, wrote a review on the article “Deep-sea Mining Could Imperil Rare, Ghostlike Octopus”. I enjoyed this review and found it very informative. In the first paragraph catherine gives an interesting summary on the article, giving specific details on the issue she read about, and who it affects. The article she reviewed exposes miners who are looking to extract metal for technology, however their desired material lays beneath the most common surface for Casper Octopuses lay their eggs. Seeing as this issue greatly affects both humans and sea life, Catherine did a good job assessing its importance. As well as focusing on the article, Catherine was able to point out her difficulty in completing the task and fully addressing all the important aspects of the article due to the articles lack of detail.
Although I enjoyed the article and I believe it gives great intel on the issue, there were errors. In the first paragraph, I had difficulty reading past grammatical errors involving switching tenses within the same sentence. “Researchers and scientists investigated that where miners are looking for valuable metals was the same area in which these ghost octopuses, also know as Caspers, lay their eggs”. My suggestion would be to rather have “are” and “was”, switching from present to past, she change “was” to is because this is an ongoing issue. As for the content, catherine gives great detail on the issue however I would have liked to know more about things like nodules and the octopuses themselves.
Overall, I enjoyed reading this review because rather than reading an entire article, I was able to read a review of the most important takeaways from the article. I chose this article because sea life and issues pertaining it often catches my attention. After continuing to read about sea life issues, my concern is increasing and has caused me to seek out more information.