Drew Brummitt: Outside Reading 2 - Extinction

 https://naturalhistory.si.edu/education/teaching-resources/paleontology/extinction-over-time


One of the main takeaways from this class is the discussion that we had about the endangerment/extinction of species due to human activities. We had discussed that it is really sad to think about how humans have caused an entire list of species to die out around the world. Some examples from this reading include Tasmanian wolf, Golden toad, and St. Helena olive tree. The article discusses how at least 15,000 species are at risk at the moment for extinction. It is saddening to know that even though we make an effort to reduce our ecological footprint, we as humans have each had a role in contributing to this situation. Another discussion we have had in our class is regarding the potential for our own extinction. The sixth mass extinction could be our own downfall that could arise due to multiple reasons such as rapid technological growth or raising temperatures. A really interesting takeaway from this article is that scientists have been studying the potential for bringing back species that have become extinct through genetic engineering using the DNA from a single cell. The controversy behind this logic is understandable, but it is fascinating to consider the possibility.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Nature Walk

 I took a walk around the Noland trail last week to just be able to say I have done it before my time ends at CNU. This was always a bucket list thing to do and after the 6-mile walk, I wish I had done it a lot earlier. I felt at peace during the walk like I didn't have finals coming up or papers to write. The only thing that was going through my head was "Wow it's been an hour already". The walk calmed my nerves and prepared me for my finals week and everything to get crazy. I wish I did this freshman year so I could have made it a habit before my final semester.
Read more

Haley Conroy - 2/14/23 - John Muir - (Outside of Class Reading)

  In the beginning section of John Muir’s essay titled Wild Parks and Reservations , he goes into depressing detail about noticeable changes in landscapes, particularly plant life, in many different regions of the United States. As I read this section I found myself thinking that it seems somewhat similar to something you would see in an essay on the environmental changes induced by climate change today. One connection between the text and modern-day was between ecotourism and the quote "Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home; that wilderness is a necessity, and that mountain parks and reservations are useful not only as fountains of timber and irrigating rivers but as fountains of life." (721). Muir has taken the ideas of simplicity in life suggested by philosophers such as Thoreau and embodied them, although I think that Muir is a well-educated man that understood the complexities that exis...
Read more

Makenna Sowards—Free Response 3, Vegetarianism

 Dr. Kip speaking in class about renouncing vegetarianism because he considered it to boost him onto a moral high ground made me consider my own stance on vegetarianism. I haven't eaten meat in a year and a half, and my reasons for starting on this journey have remained as my reasons to continue. After learning about the detrimental impact of the meat-packing industry, I very quickly realized that was not something that I wanted to perpetuate by spending money on meat products. Though, it can very easily be argued that my small, personal movement against the food conglomerates responsible for releasing grotesque amounts of methane into the atmosphere as well as carbon emissions from large numbers of fossil-fueled machines does not make a very big impact, I think it serves another purpose: awareness. When people ask why I refuse to eat meat, it gives me the opportunity to speak on the carbon footprint of the meat-packing industry and how it is one of the largest contributors to dest...
Read more