How does the change in frequency of bird calls in specific urban areas effect the evolution of birds? Will having multiple frequencies cause different species to form due to divergent evolution?

How does the change in frequency of bird calls in urban areas effect the evolution of birds? Will having multiple frequencies cause different species to form?

Rachael Natoli                                                                                                  10/30/16

INTD 105-19: Scientific Writing                                         About 215 Words

Appendix One in The Heart of the Antarctic is about the biology of Antarctica. The microbiology section focused on very unique microorganisms living in the Cape Royds Lakes. There were many species of microorganisms found after studying the sediment of a weed found in one of the lakes but the book focused mainly on the specific species of Rotifers and Water-Bears. What makes these organisms so unique is the extreme conditions the adult organism can survive. They can survive the extreme salinity of certain lakes and continue to live after being frozen in the harsh cold of the Antarctic. Researchers were most surprised to find out that it was the adults that could survive the harsh conditions because in most other scenarios it is the eggs of the organism that can survive in cold temperatures.

In the appendix there were various images of Rotifers and Water-Bears taken under a microscope; these images connect the sciences to the arts as it gives a visual representation of what the biologists are researching. This reading reminded me of the organisms that live near deep sea hydrothermal vents and do chemosynthesis rather than photosynthesis as no light reaches that far down. I would be interested in researching if there are other organisms that can survive equally harsh conditions

Rachael Natoli                                                                                                  10/30/16

INTD 105-19: Scientific Writing                                         About 230 Words

In “The Therapeutic Effects of Singing in Neurological Disorders” by Catherine Y. Wan, Theodor Rüber, Anja Hohmann, and Gottfried Schlaug, the benefits of singing on different neurological disorders were discussed. The article was broken up into sections of Stuttering, Parkinson’s Disease, aphasia, and autism are all disorders that affect language and these disorders can be helped by singing treatment. In the article it describes studies that were done involving singing treatments such as LSVT and MIT, These treatments are meant to improve specific aspects of speech such as respiration, phonation, articulation, and resonance. Many patients involved in these studies were said to have major improvements in certain areas of speech depending on the specific study. However it was also said that these studies were often small and uncontrolled making them unreliable, yet under the right conditions the researchers believe a controlled study would yield similar results.

There is a very strong correlation between the arts and sciences in this article. Singing and making music is an art form that can actually help diminish the results of a medical condition. In the aphasia section of the article there was information about the difference between fluent and non fluent aphasia depending on where the lesion is located in the brain. The two different types both cause speech issues but these issues are very different and I would be interested in researching why this is.

Rachael Natoli                                                                                                  10/30/16

INTD 105-19: Scientific Writing                                         About 170 Words

In “Whisper of the Wild”, Kim Tingley wrote about her experience with soundscape ecology in Denali National Park and Preserve in Alaska. She wrote about the influence that man made sound, specifically the disturbances of planes, has had on many species of animals. Although many of the species can adjust the noises they make so they can be heard, the problem is that man made noise makes it difficult for species to hear noises around them that could cause harm. Tingley wrote about her experience with a sound station she helped to set up in Denali that was used to detect the soundscape in the middle of winter.

This experience of being in the completely silent Alaskan winter seemed to really affect Tingley’s perspective on man made sound and also seemed to be something that interested her. If I were to create an experience similar to this I would want it to be related to the effects of pollution on the environment because it is an issue that I am very interested in.

Rachael Natoli                                                                                                  10/25/16

INTD 105-19: Scientific Writing                                         About 200 Words

Josie Glausiusz wrote about the effects overtaking of Israel by an Islamic militant group called the Hamas has had on the Gaza Strip in her article “Land Divided, Coast United”. She focuses mainly on the poor quality of the water due to the limited number of sewage treatment plants and the inadequate amount of electricity required to power the plants. Glausiusz explained that Israel restricts the materials that are allowed to be transported into the Gaza Strip due to the fear that certain materials can be used to make military weapons. Materials that would be used to build better treatment plants are banned from entering the region making it impossible to improve the quality of the water.  

She brought up the very horrifying fact the people in Gaza dump “90,000 cubic meters of raw or partially treated sewage into the Mediterranean Sea everyday.” This sewage seeps in the drinking water and the infectious bacteria found in the water can live for an extended period of time and cause water-borne illness. This problem is similar to the problem of illness due to the poor disposal of power plant waste that a very recent and and major concern in the United States.

Rachael Natoli                                                                                                  10/23/16

INTD 105-19: Scientific Writing                                         About 215 Words

In the epilogue “The Clan of the One-Breasted Women” by Terry Tempest Williams, she describes her family history. Nine women in her family were affected by breast cancer and most have died. She makes it clear from the beginning that her Mormon upbringing is an important factor in her story. Williams learned from her father after the passing of her mother that she had witnessed the nuclear weapon testing in Utah as a child while sitting on her mother’s lap. She goes on to describe how she cared for the women in her family in their final days of life and how she was too apprehensive to do anything about the United States Government’s irresponsibility toward its citizens and specifically her family. Growing up as a Mormon she was taught not to be disobedient but she soon realized she needed to question authority. Williams ideas about questioning authority and her realization that being disobedient is worth the repercussions if it is done for her family was very inspiring to me. I did not grow up in a religious family and was always taught to speak my mind when something seemed unfair and so I have always done that. Standing up for the safety of my family is the most important thing to me.

Rachael Natoli                                                                                                  10/15/16

INTD 105-19: Scientific Writing                                         About 230 Words

“Why a Goat May Stare at You With Puppy Dog Eyes” by Nsikan Akpan is a very good example of public facing science writing. It explains the topic clearly and simply to a an audience who possibly would not understand and or is not interested in hearing every piece of evidence about the subject that was studied. Including a lot of data can bog down an article making it an arduous task to read and difficult comprehend to the general public, even if the topic in general interests them. A good piece of public facing writing must teach the reader about the research generally and compellingly while also explaining why the experiment or finding is important to the reader and how it may affect them in the future. In this article specifically, enough but not too much complex information is included about an experiment in which goats are trained to do a task and then when the same task is made more difficult the goat would look into the eyes of the human in the room. The researchers seem to believe this eye contact is a form of animal to human communication. The article then goes on to explain why this response of eye contact is unique and important because it is rarely seen in undomesticated animals; they wonder if the animal is requesting help from the humans. http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/why-a-goat-may-stare-at-you-with-puppy-dog-eyes/

Rachael Natoli                                                                                                  09/25/16

INTD 105-19: Scientific Writing                                         About 160 Words

My essays argument claims that having information about how a topic is related to both the natural world and the cultural world is more beneficial in learning about the topic as a whole and incorporating that information into daily life. Although it could be said that the controversy of farming only affects those who care about living a healthy lifestyle, it should in fact concern many as it is directly related to what you put in your body.

Putting unhealthy, genetically modified, or pesticide covered food into your body could lead to a very undesirable result such as severe or chronic illness. Having the knowledge of the scientific research related to these food products that have been grown in unhealthy conditions and also knowing how to avoid these foods in their cultural world can help one in their daily lives to make the right decision about what they are putting in their body and how it will affect them in the future.

Rachael Natoli                                                                                                   9/18/16

rln5@geneseo.edu                                                   Approximately 160 Words

INTD 105-19: Scientific Writing

Bruno Latour commonly refers to the dichotomy between natural science and society in We Have Never Been Modern.  Latour states that “all of culture and all of nature gets churned up again everyday.” In other words, writing about natural sciences and writing about culture should not be kept separate as many issues in our world today must be thought about and dealt with in more ways than one.

If Latour were to look out from the gazebo and see the many acres of farmland that surrounds Geneseo he would agree that the topic of farming could be discussed in many aspects. On the natural science side one could talk about how many farmers use unsustainable farming techniques that corrode the soil and cause bodies of water to become polluted with pesticides. However, agriculture also has many political and social factors that are also part of the larger conversation such as, the legality of GMO labeling and food safety concerns.