Hunter Cowles
hc17@geneseo.edu
INTD 105-19: Science Writing
Research Question: What has caused the water shortage on the west coast? Furthermore, how will this water shortage also lead to a food shortage and a major agricultural crisis that will cripple America’s economy in the long run?
Hunter Cowles 207 words
hc17@geneseo.edu
INTD: 105-19 Science Writing
In the article “The Heart of the Antarctic,” a research group discovers an organism with remarkable adaptations so it could not only survive, but thrive in it’s very harsh and unforgiving environment. The organism discussed in the article was very similar to a species referred to as the “white crocodile fish”. This fish is the only type of its kind that doesn’t have red blood cells or hemoglobin which facilitates circulation and blood flow in the frigid waters which can fall as low as -1.8 degrees celsius in the winter. A striking disadvantage of this mutation however, is the fact that the icefish must exert a considerable amount of energy just to circulate its blood and maintain homeostasis compared to fish that live in more temperate waters.
I’m very curious to see how manmade climate change would affect these fish due to the fact they are most vulnerable to slight deviations in temperature. Additionally, how much of the population would be able to revert back to their former state (with red blood cells). Climate change and global warming continues to be a major contributing factor towards the loss of species. Many scientists estimate we are losing dozens of species on the daily.
Hunter Cowles 180 words
hc17@geneseo.edu
Science Writing: INTD 105-19
Prior to reading this article, I had a basic understanding of how singing benefitted the respiratory, and circulatory system. I had no idea however that there were neurological advantages of singing and singing could benefit those with speech impediments. According to this article singing is “the behavior that lies at the boundary between speech and song”. As a result, singing is a sort of hot-wiring trick that has can in some circumstances, have more perks than reading. Singing enables people with learning disabilities , speech difficulties, and even recovering stroke victims to retrain their bodies to articulate what they want to say more fluently. Even in a disease as severe as Parkinson’s disease, patients showed an improved ability to control and monitor their pitch, loudness, and rhythm when they speak. This case study made me curious about how these studies could benefit former football players, fighters, and athletes that suffer from severe and frequent head trauma. Additionally, has this studied proved a more effective substitute for medication, or should this form of therapy used with standard medication as a compliment?
Hunter Cowles 183 Words
hc17@geneseo.edu
105-19 INTD: Science Writing
In Kim Tingley’s article, “Whisper of Wild”, she discusses how the acoustic integrity of nature has been destroyed by human inventions such as roads, planes, and railroads. The astonishing aspect of this article that one can even hear the noise of transportation over the sound of runoff from the snow from icecaps and mountains. In Leornardo Dicaprio’s National Geographic documentary “Before the Flood”, the impact of emissions from vehicles has a significant impact on our planets climate change. While he was filming his blockbuster movie, The Revenant, the film crew had to relocate all the way across the planet because their original set (which was located in northern Canada) all the ice melted. In the coming years, the sounds of our cars will be drained out by the roaring currents of the run-off. We all need to be be increasingly more conscientious of our human footprint and start investing in alternative forms of energy. The noises we hear in nature will be a relatively trivial issue if there is no nature to return to in the beginning.
Hunter Cowles 275 words
hc17@geneseo.edu
INTD 105-19
A huge controversy has come to many environmentalists’ attention recently due to Volkswagen’s most recent blunder. Many popular shows including John Oliver’s, Last Week Tonight, have expressed their displeasure with Volkswagen after they openly admitted to tampering with a car so it would appear that it had lower emission levels than the legal requirements. Emission levels recorded from the Jetta, one of Volkswagens most popular models, were recorded to be up to 35 times than the accepted amount. It’s also become common knowledge that many other companies, not just Volkswagen are involved in these scandals as well. Groups such as the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) have made strides to make more realistic road tests so the results can’t be that misleading. Many of the cars were intentionally placed on a sort of “lower energy mode” for the in lab testing so when the results came back, it appeared as if the car was running more efficiently than it actually was.
William Cronon wouldn’t be surprised by this at all since he’s always had such a cynical view of humanity. It’s extremely discouraging to hear that people would rather try to cheat an emission test than find an alternate source of energy that is cleaner. These emissions aren’t just harmful to plants and the environment, but can be harmful to people. Particularly in Europe where diesel cars are used a lot, there have been thousands of deaths a year as a result of nitrogen dioxide levels. These companies should have their experts try to explore alternatives such as electric and hydrogen fuels, since they have shown so much promise in recent years.
Hunter Cowles 177 words
INTD: Science Writing
In William Cronon’s article “A Trouble with Wilderness,” Cronon states that there is nothing truly natural about today’s wilderness and human’s have tricked themselves into believing nature is uncontaminated by human influence. Although Cronon makes a very strong case, many would argue that the world a vast place that would be impossible for us to have uncovered and discovered it all. Almost everyday on campus I discover a quiet nook of our campus where I can type a paper or read a book in solitude. Although it’s most likely someone has been to that place before, the setting is completely free of any sign human presence. Although Sturges Hall may seem very artificial the ivy that grows on the side of it needs sunlight, water, and oxygen just like any plant would. Since this ivy is physically no different from a plant we’d find in nature, it is still completely natural. The fact it is maintained by campus officials should play no role in how Cronon chooses to perceive it.
Hunter Cowles 250 words
INTD: Science Writing
In William Cronan’s article, “The Trouble with Wilderness,” Cronan constantly criticized the fact that a vast majority of our protected land (places such as national parks and wildlife reserves) are actually stolen land from the Native Americans. Cronan said “The movements to set aside national parks and wilderness areas followed hard on the heels of the final Indian Wars, in which the prior human inhabitants were rounded up and moved onto a reservation”.Cronan felt it is unfair that we get to decide what happens with this land since it wasn’t even ours to begin with. Cronan would most likely have a very similar opinion towards our own campus since it was Native American territory. Although our campus wouldn’t be categorized as the “complete wilderness” that Cronan refers to several times in his article, a lot of the concepts are transferrable. The idea that the ivy on the Sturges Hall walls is constantly manicured and maintained , ties into Cronan’s beliefs that there is nothing natural about modern society’s perception of wilderness. Much like the national parks mentioned in Cronan’s article, our campus is also built on land stolen from the natives. Most people fail to realize what a significant impact Native American culture has on Geneseo.Cronan would most likely conclude that people are as destructive to the planet as we are to one another. Personally, I agree with Cronan since we have destroyed Native American culture by stealing their land and way of life.
Hunter Cowles About 150 words
INTD: Science Writing
In Bruno Latour’s paper, “We Have Never Been Modern,” he breaks down the various domains that together, complete our society. By viewing each of these categories as independent subjects, and by not letting your beliefs in one cross over into another, one can draw conclusions in a “pure” and unbiased manner. Latour uses the hole in the ozone layer as an example. He states ” Companies are modifying their assembly lines in order to replace the innocent chlorofluorocarbons, accused of crimes against the ecosphere… I discover that the meteorologists don’t agree with the chemists; they’re talking about cyclical fluctuations unrelated to human activity.” This excerpt reveals that two groups (chemists and meteorologists) have contradictory theories on what is causing our environmental crisis.
Latour also correlates secularization to modern beliefs and why our society can operate the way it does successfully. Religious bias interferes with science, law, and other departments. If we find a way to overcome our personal convictions aside, we will be able to give our undivided attention to the issues at hand.
Hunter Cowles About 150 words
hc17@geneseo.edu
INTD 105-19: Science Writing
In his paper, William Cronon establishes that preserving the environment should be humanity’s first priority, and analyzes how society’s perception of “wilderness” has changed so drastically over time. Cronon also proposes if humanity can find balance between both urban and nature, the more appreciative we will become of both. In today’s society however, people have a very fabricated idea of what the true wilderness actually is. Cronon explains how various places such as national parks can be misleading representations of the uninhabited wilderness. If one wanted to discover a destination that is still truly uncontaminated by humanity, we’d have to travel miles away from the city. In the past, surviving in nature was a life or death matter, which caused people to fear the . However today nature is viewed as an oasis or a safe haven where people can escape the stresses of everyday life. As our technology changed, so did our perceptions of nature.
Hunter Cowles About 150 words
In Donna Haraway’s article, “A Cyborg Manifesto”, Haraway explains there are three boundaries that divide humans from animals, organisms from machines, and organic from inorganic. The metaphorical “cyborg” symbolizes something that can go beyond these boundaries due to the fact cyborgs have both mechanical and organic components. Haraway states anything capable of overcoming the things that limit it, can reach its true potential. Motivational speaker Eric Thomas once said “The most important thing is: to be able at any moment, to sacrifice what you are, for what you will become”. This quote means in one must test one’s limitations in order to improve itself. This theory also applies to social, racial, and gender related boundaries. If we accept a society without labels or limitations, we can achieve prosperity. Haraway embraces growth under ambiguous, and unbiased circumstances. Since the cyborg is both natural and artificial, it is exempt from traditional binarisms;a cyborg isn’t confined to one identity.