Chapter 4

I think in this instance, Kolbert’s use of the butterfly as an example for the destruction of global warming is a good one based on her explanation previous to her information. The fact that Europeans were collecting butterflies for centuries shows that people care about things that are being destroyed by our actions. Using such a figure as Charles Darwin can bring about any biologically related scientific point easier than using basically any other scientist.

As far her writing, I still like the little things she adds. For instance, describing someone’s facial hair in relation to a movie star is not usually seen in a science book. That makes this much easier to relate to.

Field Notes 2

Kolbert presents a lot of strong evidence in proving that global warming exists. I think the findings that Co2 levels increasing causing a blanket of warmth over the Earth is a pretty impactful fact. Also, reports that the ice sheets are no longer stable, but instead floating on a layer of water.

However, though I am a believer that global warming does exist, I am beginning to believe that this book is more of a persuasion than a factual presentation of the issue of global warming. Though all of these facts Kolbert gives are great observations, I am waiting for a defense. What angles against global warming could be presented? Even if the angles could be presented in a light that made them look bad compared to her angle on the book, it would still show WHY global warming is right.

As far as her writing is concerned, descriptions are the key. If there is any question of what she is talking about, it will eventually be explained with further reading. Her random information is used to break the reading up well, making a scientific book seem more like a person-to-person story.

Field Notes

1. The book starts off in startling fashion. Statistics about global warming from the Charney report, such as the disappearance of the glaciers by 2030 give an instant edginess to it. When she flies into Alaska and the woman tells her that dogs were just wearing masks to battle the smog, it sets the tone of what the author is looking for.
2. I’m a little confused with something on page 18. Is “five P.M.” correct? It looked funny to me, but what do I know. Overall, her writing is outstanding. It’s solid and very easy to follow for a scientific book, simplifying global warming to a more personal level.
3. Kolbert’s time spent with Romanovsky was crucial to the book. For a guy who has lived in Alaska since 1967 to say personally that it’s getting warmer made the first part of this book much better.

And As We Look Into The Sun...

Among the many things my parents urged me not to do when I was younger, one was to never look directly into the sun. It was so fascinating with its brilliance and colors. Being the clever one, I found that it must help to wear sunglasses when I gaze into the sun. However, they still yelled at me. Why? It can’t be that, right? What does looking into the sun do to you?

The theory that looking into the sun can cause blindness is spot on. It can cause a lot more damage, though. One condition the sun creates is called solar retinopathy, or the burning of the retina in your eye. The problem occurs not from the brightness of the star, but its massive outputs of ultraviolet radiation. The overdoses can cause the macula, the part of the eye that focuses on central vision instead of your peripherals, to fail after even brief exposures to the sun. Though the damage is sufficient, unless the parts of the eye are destroyed, they can mainly be repaired by medicine.

What if the sun is being eclipsed by the Moon? With special glasses, the eclipse can be viewed safely. However, without protection when our Moon passes by the sun, you can become instantly blind.

Even though the sun is damaging, some people actually believe it helps them. In a practice called sungazing, people believe the sun provides nourishment to their bodies. One man, Hira Ratan Manek, claims he hasn’t had to use food for nutrients in nearly 15 years. People also believe sunlight can be converted into energy in something similar to photosynthesis. Of course, none of this is scientifically proven.

So, when your parents tell you to not look at the sun NO MATTER WHAT, listen to them!

Mr. Hawking

Discover’s article regarding the life and achievements of physicist Steven Hawking was an excellent profile. Though it was very long, I felt it went through his life very methodically. If I were to give it a grade, it would have to be a 90. The lede is terrific, setting the scene of an enormous figure, only to have it be someone who can barely move his hand enough to signal his speech machine. I give that 20 of 20. For content, if there was anything I needed to know about Hawking, I know it now. From his days of college partying to marriage and contracting ALS to his theories, no stone was left unturned in his life. That also receives a 20 of 20. The writing structure and organization both receive full credit as well. His life was spelled out beautifully from the start to today, and the writing was great. The only quarrel I have with this article is the clarity of the scientific information. I don’t really know what half his material was, and though I understand it was concerning astrophysics, it may have been better if it was simplified. That gets a 10. Overall, it was a great and interesting article.

That Ringing Sound

We live in a sonic world, immersed in vibrations that stimulate microscopic hair cells deep inside our ears. This unseen energy influences our mood, our learning, even our health. We experience it as comforting music, as information-laden speech, or—all too often—as irritating noise, a by-product of our increasingly mechanized world. Despite all the ways sound affects us, we often let it slip unnoticed into the background of our lives. Hoping to understand it better, I set out to explore the mysteries of sound in the course of one day.

At 6:50 a.m., my alarm clock begins the assault on my ears as the groggy gray matter between them is rudely yanked toward consciousness. My eyes shoot open, and as awareness slowly crystallizes, a single idea crowds out all others: Make the noise stop. My right hand knows just what to do and immediately puts an end to the awful blare.


I like this lede because the writer puts you in all of the situations of sound associated with your everyday life. Things like waking up to the alarm clock to the busy subway, to a silent room in your own home are all things you don’t think of when you go through the day. The intro also makes me want to find out what her sound-filled journey was like, so it successfully drew me in to read the rest of the article.

The Lede

It is twilight time on Saturn.

Shadows lengthened to stretch thousands of miles across the planet’s famous rings this summer as they slowly tilted edge-on to the Sun, which they do every 15 years, casting into sharp relief every bump and wiggle and warp in the buttery and wafer-thin bands that are the solar system’s most popular scenic attraction.

From her metaphorical perch on the bridge of the Cassini spacecraft, which has been orbiting Saturn for five years, Carolyn Porco, who heads the camera team, is ecstatic about the view. “It’s another one of those things that make you pinch yourself and say, ‘Boy am I lucky to be around now,’ ” Dr. Porco said. “For the first time in 400 years, we’re seeing Saturn’s rings in three dimensions.”


I like this lede for a couple of reasons. First, the structure is very good with a nice variety. It starts with a catchy one-liner to get the reader an idea of what they're reading. The second graf has a very vivid description of the rings, and the third has a good quote, setting the reader up for the remainder of the story. The topic itself intrigues me, making this lede even better.