1 In 4 Kindergartners Aren't Fully Vaccinated in County with Measles Outbreak

Ava Chiang

1/30/19

Biology 10H

Current Event #1

Chodosh, Sara. “1 In 4 Kindergartners Aren't Fully Vaccinated in County with Measles Outbreak.” Popular Science, Bonnier Corporation, 29 Jan. 2019, www.popsci.com/measles-outbreak-vaccination.

For current event 1 I read an article named “1 in 4 kindergarteners aren’t fully vaccinated in county with measles outbreak” by Sara Chodosh. I chose to read this article because I’ve always been interested in social events and anti-vaccination movements is an highly controversial topic. In this article, Chodosh described the circumstances that led the governor of Washington to declare a state of emergency after an outbreak of measles in Clark and King counties. Measles is “one of the most highly contagious disease” and “a prime candidate for causing outbreaks.” It requires at least 95 percent of a population “to be immunized for herd immunity to work against measles.” Therefore, it shouldn’t be a surprise that “only 76.5 percent of Clark County’s kindergarteners had completed vaccinations in the last school year.” Currently, there are 36 cases with 11 more potential victims waiting for confirmation. Among the 36 cases, 35 are children under 18 years old. This is another alarming aspect of measles, people such as newborns or “individuals with deficient immune systems” who are unable to get immunized are at an increased risk of contracting the disease. The tragedy of this situation is that the United States had once eradicated measles from this country. Other than “a small number of Americans [who] contracted the disease by traveling abroad” and those who came into contact with them, there were no cases of measles in the United States. This was until anti-vaccination movements ruined the streak. Studies have found that in states that allow exemptions from vaccinations based on personal belief, there is “an upward trajectory” in numbers of these exemptions with Washington state and Texas being “hotspots of low vaccination coverage” among the 18 states that allow exemptions. The article concludes by warning people who live near Clark County or have recently visited to get the MMR vaccine (measles, mumps, rubella) to avoid contracting the disease and reassured people that most cases so far had been unvaccinated children.

This article describes the effect of unvaccinated children on society and the potential disaster it could cause. Measles was an disease that could’ve been completely eliminated from society but due to the selfish decisions of certain people, countless families are at risk of contracting a dangerous disease. Among these people are innocent newborns and people who are unable to be vaccinated; they don’t have a choice but those who do chose to throw their’s away based on faulty science. On the other hand, the statistics given in this article shows in-depth research and proves the connection between anti-vaccination movements and outbreaks of disease.

This article acts like a summary to help people that don’t know about the measle outbreak understand the situation quickly. Its concise and has a fast pace without being repetitive of ideas. The flow of topics was smooth and her arguments and ideas were backed with statistics. However, there are a few typos that show the author’s hastiness; for example “Texas is one of the worth offenders.” I feel like small mistakes like this don’t affect the flow of the article but it does damage the credibility of authors. Other than small mistakes like this there is nothing majorly wrong with this article, however, i would’ve preferred the author to give a little background about anti-vaccination movements. I believe that it would better clarify the situation.

Current Event 1

Megan Barker

Bio 10H

1/25/19

Current Event 1

Boddy, Jessica. “This Ancient Stegosaurus-Platypus Mashup Has Everything.” Popular Science, 24 Jan. 2019, www.popsci.com/stegosaurus-platypus-mashup-triassic.

https://www.popsci.com/stegosaurus-platypus-mashup-triassic

For Current Event 1, I reviewed the article “This Ancient Stegosaurus-Platypus Mashup Has Everything” by Jessica Boddy. In the article, Boddy explains that scientists have recently discovered fossils of the heads of Eretmorhipis carrolldongi, a marine reptile similar to a platypus and stegosaurus fused together from the Early Triassic era. She first explains what the fossils are and when they are from, and informs readers that the head fossils were found in China.  She goes on to explain how the bone structure of the head supports the notion that the carrolldongi had a bill, similar to that of a platypus. This is because the hole in the bone of its snout was most likely occupied by a cartilaginous bill. She adds that that the creature also probably had small eyeballs, so a bill would be useful in digging up food. She analyzes the bone plates that are located on the E. carrolldongi’s spine, and how they were probably not useful, since the creature was probably very rigid and bad at swimming. In the final paragraph, Boddy describes how the discovery of this fossil changes what scientists thought they knew about evolution. The article left an impact on me because it proved that what scientists think they know about evolution is constantly changing.

Boddy’s article is extremely impactful, as the scientists’ findings prove that what they had thought about evolution was wrong. The Eretmorhipis Carrolldongi provides evidence that after the mass extinction event of the Permian era, evolution did not continue at a slow and steady pace. Rather, evolution might have been quite quick and produced many different creatures. This is important because evolution impacts us all greatly, as without it, humans and all other creatures would not be who they are today. Understanding how we got to be who we are is necessary, and these new fossils have helped us become one step closer to finding it.

Jessica Boddy has a strong article. Her sentences are clear and easy to read and understand. The language is informal enough so that one can read the article without needing to look up terms and definitions. That being said, I do wish that she had given more background information about the Permian and Early Triassic Eras. One suggestion would be to add a small paragraph in the beginning of the article that gives some information as to what conditions were in the time period of the  Eretmorhipis Carrolldongi. This would help the reader to contextualize and further absorb the information given later in the article. This article, overall, was very enjoyable and compelling to read. It was informative and contemporary, without being too lengthy.

“Here's How the Record-Breaking Government Shutdown Is Disrupting Science.”

Olivia Conniff

Bio 10H

1/13/19

Current Event 13

Hamers, Laurel. “Here's How the Record-Breaking Government Shutdown Is Disrupting Science.” Science News, 12 Jan. 2019, www.sciencenews.org/article/how-record-breaking-government-shutdown-disrupting-science?tgt=nr.

For Current Event 13, I decided to read the article, “Here’s How the Record-Breaking Government Shutdown is Disrupting Science,” by Laurel Hamers, because the title really interested me. The current government shutdown is now entering its fourth week, becoming the longest in history. Scientists in all areas of work are being impacted immensely. Those who handle food safety and public health are furloughed and countless projects that research everything from climate change to pest control to hurricane prediction are on hold. EPA employees who enforce laws restricting air and water pollution are on leave, and work to clean up Superfund sites, areas of extreme environmental contamination, is suspended. That means that any research into the potential health or environmental effects of new contaminants is on hold. The government agencies that have been affected are the U.S. Geological Survey, the Department of Agriculture, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency and NASA, where nearly all employees are on leave. Also, 40% of the Food and Drug Administration’s workers are furloughed, as are most employees of the National Parks Service and the Fish and Wildlife Service. Perhaps one of the greatest impacts, the National Science Foundation, which is responsible for providing nearly $8 billion in research funds each year, has stopped awarding grants and has canceled review panels with outside scientists.

This article really impacted me because I truly care about science and new research discoveries being made and it upsets me that because the government is shut down, these things have been halted. I think it is terrible that the government has been shut down for 2 weeks, because that means that extremely important agencies have been shut down for 2 weeks. All of the agencies listed are crucial to the safety of the environment, which is in a delicate state. Funding to research projects is also halted, stopping new scientific discoveries from being made, which is also very upsetting to me. Without this research, problems that need solving are left unsolved.

This article was extremely informative and for the most part Hamers did an excellent job. I really liked how Helmers used language that was not too sophisticated but also not too simple or boring to read. She also included a lot of detailed information on exactly which government agencies are affected by the shutdown, as well as how they are affected. She left no stone unturned as far as listing every single aspect of science that has been affected. While the article was very good for the most part, I feel that there were some instances where Hamers was a bit repetitive and could have cut down on some of the things she was writing multiple times. Overall, I really enjoyed reading Hamers’ article and gaining a better understanding of how the government shutdown is affecting science.

Maya Brinster

Bio 10H | Mr. Ippolito

January 13, 2019

Current Event 13

Eschner, Kat. “Good News: Space Bacteria (Probably) Aren't Evolving to Destroy Us.” Popular Science, 10 Jan. 2019, www.popsci.com/space-bacteria-evolving.

For current event 13, I read Kat Eschner article entitled “Good News: Space Bacteria (Probably) Aren’t Evolving to Destroy Us.” In the article, she explains the popular fear that bacteria carried by spaceships into space will adapt to conditions and potentially become harmful to humans. However, Eschner says that in reality, there is an extremely small chance that this is actually possible. She explains, “While space holds plenty of other terrors, new research suggests that bacteria we bring with us from Earth are more likely to evolve to survive alongside the spaceship’s human crew.” This study was conducted through mSystems, which shows that bacteria are actually jut adapting to survive, and not to harm us. In the study, genomes of bacteria that had very contrasting lifestyles from the International Space Station (ISS) and ones on Earth were compared. Although the bacteria from the ISS were genetically different from those on Earth, these differences did not make the bacteria in the ISS more dangerous or harmful than the bacteria on Earth. Researchers of the experiment explain, “the most crucial bacterial functions involved in this potential adaptive response are specific to bacterial lifestyle and do not appear to have direct impacts on human health.” Although there is still much more to learn and research about the bacteria, as of right now, there is no sign of any potential threat to life on Earth because of the bacteria in space.

This article has a great impacts on me as well as many other readers. Before this, many people were suspicious and paranoid that the bacteria could be harmful and could even take over life on Earth, leading to the destruction of all humans. However, because of the article, these fears are almost completely eliminated, as strong evidence suggests that there is nothing to be afraid of. This also impacts people who weren’t worried about bacteria specifically, but about other potential threats in space. Because life forms that people were so afraid of aren’t actually dangerous, other parts of space shouldn’t be stressed about until there is substantial evidence to either prove or contradict the fears.

The article was very helpful and informative. I liked how the Eschner wrote for a wide span of reading levels. Teens like me could thoroughly understand what she was writing about because it wasn’t extremely sophisticated, but it wasn’t extremely elementary either, so there was a perfect balance to satisfy a large range of ages. She also made sure to include detailed information about the study conducted and information given by important scientists, which backed up her writing and arguments thoroughly. However, I do feel as if her writing was a bit repetitive, as I found her repeating the same idea multiple times. If she just stated this once, her argument could have become much stronger. Overall, I enjoyed reading Eschner’s article and learning more about the bacteria in space.

Isabella Bouvard

1/14/19

Core Biology 10H|Block C-Odd/Mr. Ippolito

Current Event #13

Rehm, Jeremy. “Floating Seabirds Provide a Novel Way to Trace Ocean Currents.” Science News, 10 Jan. 2019, www.sciencenews.org/article/floating-seabirds-provide-novel-way-trace-ocean-currents.

For this week's current events, I reviewed the article “Floating Seabirds Provide a Novel Way to Trace Ocean Currents” By Jeremy Rehm. This article primarily describes how scientists are beginning to use birds in order to determine ocean current velocities, instead of using the traditional radar, floating buoys or autonomous underwater vehicles. This study was conducted in large part due to sea regions not being accessible to the utilization of these mechanisms. Even if this may not fully replace the collection methods that scientists have been using, it can lighten the weight of expensive technology. “I don’t think it’s going to replace the various instruments we use,” says Evan Mason, a physical oceanographer at the University of Washington in Seattle. “It was just interesting to see what we might find.” In order to go about this study, Mason and his colleagues used seventy-five Scopoli’s shearwaters (Calonectris diomedea), a seabird found in the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, with GPS tags. They tracked their movements in the Balearic Sea off of eastern Spain. Even though the birds did not spend as much time on the water: the researchers determined ocean currents, winds or both drove the animals’ direction comparing wind and water velocity information with the way birds drifted. Such calculations were found to match up well with satellite and buoy-derived data of winds and surface currents.

Although this aspect was not covered in much depth, the effect on society is covered in large part by certain details in this article. At one point, it describes how the use of traditional radar, floating buoys, or autonomous underwater vehicles can affect the climate, ecosystems and the movement of important seafood. By using birds, scientists are not doing as much harm to the environment as they would be by using the original methods. They are simply taking natural components of the water without doing much disturbance to other variables that can affect the data as a whole. What I mean by this is that by using birds they will be able to gather more information without doing potential harm to the communities of other organisms. Researchers will also have the ability to gather more information on the behavior and movement of animals and how ocean characteristics change with time and location. This can eventually open new doors to additional scientific studies and theories.

In general, the article was very concise and understandable. I found it very easy to comprehend the topic and was overall very interested in what the author was explaining. Additionally, I feel as if the author organized the main ideas of the review very nicely. However, I feel as if Rehm could’ve gone into a little more depth in certain areas, as it was hard for me to understand the initial collection instruments that scientists had been using prior to that of the birds. Also, the author could’ve described more of the environmental and ecological effects as well, which would help the reader get a better idea of why this study was conducted in general. These small additions would improve the article greatly, and describing certain terms can be an easy fix for the author.

Interesting and rigorous courses offered by Columbia University for high school students in the metropolitan area. If interested apply on line. Science teachers will be happy to write you a recommendation for this competitive program.

Teddy Wardell

1/3/29

Core Bio

Current Event

Grossman, Lisa. “China Just Landed the First Spacecraft on the Moon's Farside.” Science

News, 3 Jan. 2019,

www.sciencenews.org/article/china-change4-first-spacecraft-lands-moon-farside.

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/china-change4-first-spacecraft-lands-moon-farside

In the article “China just Landed the First Spacecraft on the Moon's Far Side” by Lisa Grossman it describes the Chang’e-4 lander and rover and how it just became the first spacecraft to land on the far side of the moon. The spacecraft landed on the moon at 9:26 p.m. Eastern time on January 2, according to an announcement from Chinese Officials.  The spacecraft is part of a series of Chinese space missions named Chang’e This spacecraft is named after the Chinese goddess of the moon. A rover came out of this spacecraft an it explored different areas on the moon's surface. The rover was assigned to search around certain craters in the moon to find parts of the moon’s interior that could reveal details of its formation and early history. The moon always shows the same face to Earth and this impossible to communicate directly with spacecraft on the far side.

This article is very important to our society today because it shows how many other countries are getting much more involved in explorations to outer space. This very ambitious task that the Chinese Space Program is attempting to do could be very important to the history of the moon and give us a better understanding on how the moon was formed and why it orbits the earth. Also, this article gives us an idea on how it is possible to communicate from the other side of the moon to earth. The Chinese are said to create a Satellite that will be able to transfer signals from earth to the other side of the moon. This article gave a very interesting view on how the Chinese are investing more time and money into their space program.

Overall this article was very decent and interesting. The article was very straight forward and gets straight into the facts. For example, the author, Lisa Grossman, opens the article with, “China’s Chang’e-4 lander and rover just became the first spacecraft to land on the far side of the moon” (Grossman 1). This is very straightforward and gets the reader very engaged into the article. The author also wrote in a style that is very engaging and easy to read. This makes the reader want to finish the article quickly and helps make it more interesting. Some weaknesses in this article were that it was very brief and short. The article was straight to the point and did not give much background information or details. This problem could be fixed by using more sources and making the article longer. Overall, this article was very engaging and informative.