"Insect May Make Moves to Survive the Harvest"

Key Purpose: The purpose of this article is to alert farmers and all people about a new behavior of certain pests to avoid destruction during harvests.

Key Ideas:

• Both species of caterpillar (O. scapulalis and Ostrinia nubilalis) are pests in places where corn is grown
• O. nubilalis burrows itself inside corn and eats the corn during spring, while O. Scapulalis burrows itself in a weed called mug wort
  
• Both of these species have developed a behavior: when farmers harvest corn (summer), the caterpillars will sink to the bottom of the stalk to create their cocoon, and avoid being cut during the harvest
• This behavior is called geotaxis
• Harvesting has acted as a selective pressure for the caterpillar and is causing it to evolve to avoid being harvested with the corn

Key Conclusion:
The first statement of this article really popped out at me, "One thing about evolution — you never know what’s going to influence it." This statement is very true. From my past conclusions in some articles, this statement has summed it up. There are many things that humans are doing that are causing other organisms to change, for this example, it is the process of harvesting corn. After thinking about it, everything we do, every day will make a difference. While it is somewhat scary to think about, it is the only way life could exist on this planet. Earth is a hostile planet, but because humans and other organisms are able to adapt, we are able to survive. I think this article is just another point on the significance that we humans have on the world, some that we may not know about.

Fountain, Henry. "Observatory - Insect May Make Moves to Survive the Harvest - NYTimes.com." The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. 26 Apr. 2010. Web. 17 May 2010. .

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/27/science/27obborer.html

"Mountian Gorrillas Nearly Extinct"

Key Ideas:

• Gorillas in the jungles bordering Uganda, the Congo, and Rwanda are at risk of extinction
• The way that many people want to protect the gorillas by having all three countries together
• The three countries would agree to protect the gorillas by preserving the gorillas' natural habitat
• The gorillas are a large part of the ecosystem of the habitat in all three countries
• Gorillas have brought tourism to this part of Africa

Key Conclusion:

Watching this video, I really thought about much more than gorillas. I realized however small any organism is, there is a reason for that organism. I think this is why the scientists in Africa want to save these gorillas. These gorillas are a large help to the region. They help with the erosion of the area, they are used for their genes, and even tourism. But there are some problems with the gorillas. The fact that their habitat will be protected will cause farmers to lose some of their farm land, and produce less income. This has become a problem because Africa is already a poor continent and with less farmland, problems may occur.

"Video - Breaking News Videos from CNN.com." CNN.com - Breaking News, U.S., World, Weather, Entertainment & Video News. Web. 15 May 2010. .

"Could Pandas Be an Evolutionary Mistake—or Proof of an Intelligent Designer?"

Key Purpose: The purpose of this article is to explain the evidence of evolutionary flaws.

Key Ideas

• People believe that pandas are a sign that God created the world
• They believe that the panda is a sign from God because it does not have the “attitudes to try to survive, to diet, reproduce, etc.
• The panda unlike other bears is a vegetarian that prefers less nutrition than it needs.
• Males do not instinctively know how to reproduce

Key Conclusion:

This story seems, to me, somewhat odd, just because of the connection that was made between God and pandas. I would agree that the attitudes of the pandas are weird but it doesn’t seem all that different than some humans. I chose this story in particular because the whole God vs. Evolution battle interests me. On that matter, I believe that evolution can be an answer to how instead of why. This is definitely an interesting topic but sometimes I feel that people are desperately trying to prove the other party wrong. From this story, I feel that this is almost a desperate attempt to bring together an animal and God, showing that God is in evolution. I am not saying that the article is wrong in saying the panda’s connected to God, but it doesn’t seem like a well thought out theory. The traits of the panda are indeed not pointed toward survival, but I don’t think that God would create an animal, just to disprove evolution. These are my thoughts about this article.

"Could Pandas Be an Evolutionary Mistake—or Proof of an Intelligent Designer? | Evolution | DISCOVER Magazine." Science and Technology News, Science Articles | Discover Magazine. Web. 15 May 2010. .

http://c2.api.ning.com/files/EKrj6wlCNzqUbDu4IMYAt3-OqcLlD0YaOOwt-VjURtH2fX0eEIMKFqVp4LHAOxG0shdK2NS080A-N8BTNHBQ4sCIzuV84auM/pandas.jpg

"37 Million Years Ago, an Evolutionary Oddity"

Key Purpose: The purpose of this article is to introduce a newly found species of primates.

Key Ideas:

• Scientists have found a new set of teeth belonging to an uknown primate
• Scientists have found the teeth and hopefully will find a skeleton in northern Africa
• Scientists often classify old animals from their teeth because teeth often fossilize and preserve longer than other bones
• The primate does not match any other on the tree of life
• Scientists have other species of primate to classify this one with

Key Conclusion:

Reading this article made me realize something. There is so much more to discover that will change everything we know about evolution. With this one discovery we have found a primate that may ultimately change our evolutionary line. I think that as technology becomes more advanced, we will be able to uncover more and more about where we came from. With better drills and more tools to uncover fossils there will be discoveries that will change the world. Right now, all we can do is wait and follow the discoveries made now. I really am interested to see if they find more parts of this primate and see what changes it will make.

"FOXNews.com - 37 Million Years Ago, an Evolutionary Oddity." Breaking News | Latest News | Current News - FOXNews.com. Web. 15 May 2010. .

http://www.foxnews.com/static/managed/img/Scitech/Strange%20Teeth_monster_397x224.jpg

"Mosquitoes May Inherit DEET Insensitivity"

Key Purpose: The purpose of this article is to alert people that mosquitoes have developed an insensitivity to DEET.

Key Ideas:

• DEET is used in most bugs sprays because it blocks the scent of human sweat, something that mosquitos and other insects are attracted to
• Mosquito's have developed an ability to not be able to sense the DEET, therefore they are able to detect human sweat without any obstacles
• This trait mosquitos have developed has become genetic, more and more mosquitos are now able to feast on human blood
• Each generation is growing DEET insensitive faster than all scientists thought
• Scientists don't have an alternative to DEET to prevent mosquitos from biting humans

Key Conclusions:

This can be a very large problem for many people. For two specific reasons: I hate mosquitos and mosquito bites, and many people may die because of this. Mosquito bites are annoying, they are something that can ruin a camping trip, a downside to summer evenings, and something that will bother you for weeks. Now that there might not be a repellent, there will be even more mosquitos biting your legs around the campfire. But, more importantly, an absence of mosquito repellent many people will be infected with the diseases that mosquitos can carry. There could be an outbreak of malaria because of the growth of population, more people will be infected. This could be a very devastating thing because scientists have not been able to discover anything that will deter mosquitos from human blood. So hopefully there will be a discovery before all mosquitos become immune to DEET and be able to keep many people safe.

Weise, Elizabeth. "Mosquitoes May Inherit DEET Insensitivity - Science Fair: Science and Space News - USATODAY.com." News, Travel, Weather, Entertainment, Sports, Technology, U.S. & World - USATODAY.com. Web. 05 May 2010. .

http://www.3dchem.com/molecules.asp?ID=125

"Fungus Feasted Off the World's Worst Extinction"

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to show that there is more than one theory about the KT extinction and also that the asteriod was not the only factor that contributed to the mass extinction.

Key Ideas:

• A fungus spread across the world that consumed many dead trees and plants that were an outcome of the asteroid impact.
• The fungus was able to spread because of the single contient: Pangea.
• Carbon isotopes inside the fossil of this organism showed that it ate wood, therefore scientists found that it was a fungus.
• If scientists can find the type of fungus, they will be able to find what the environment was during the Permian - Triassic Period
• Because of the harsh conditions from volcanoes and acid rain created from the asteroid, thousands of animals couldn't survive, but the fungus could.

Key Conclusion:

This article teaches a key lesson in any field of science. Anything can be proven wrong. As time goes on and new technologies are invented which allows for new discoveries. Because of these discoveries; hypothesis, theories, etc. can all be proven wrong with the new information that we gather. In this case, because of new technologies to examine fossils, scientists have found a key part of the KT-extinction. With even more reasearch I am sure that there will be new information about the extinction and we will know so much more. People have had misconceptions about the asteroid and how the dinosaurs died, many people believe that the asteroid was responsible for killing the dinosaurs directly, but the theory is that the asteroid caused an environmental collapse that ultimately killed the dinosaurs. With this new discovery the main theory could be wrong, and that is why I think that no theory is final and new evidence may arise to disprove it.

"Discovery Channel :: Interstitial." Discovery Channel : Science, History, Space, Tech, Sharks, News. Web. 12 Apr. 2010. .

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJRV2vRhYATolUz6yCXkxKajRkHvBXuuds3XVHmkhHNSgIXJvUVK6nvRKeKkBT-B750bQ_JJCcMpYhtb34S1FntFEdpZm4NdGYB6w6Q7q5s_HRW2aZDaeCKzkZz2IDU8HqKyIljBWuyO-U/s320/Screen+shot+2010-04-24+at+1.28.17+PM.png