Ruby Howell
Forensics Current Event #9
Mr. Ippilitto
November 24th, 2019
O’Brien, Stephen. “DNA Evidence Used to Protect the Rhinoceros from Extinction.”
This article discusses how research done at Nova Southeastern University has led to the creation of a genetic database that has the power to help solve cases regarding the accusation of poaching, specifically of rhinoceros. Doctor Stephen O'brien, a scientist at Nova Southeastern, has intelligently used outside research to better support their creation, as he collaborated with University of Pretoria's Veterinary Genetics Laboratory for their report on the illegal killing of rhinoceros in Africa, to later sell to southeast Asia markets. As the numbers of rhinoceros being poached just continues to grow, so does the profit, and its consequences were highly unknown, until the new study titled Robust forensic matching of confiscated horns to individual poached African rhinoceros. This study was conducted through the results of a “database of individual rhinos' composite short-term repeat-STR (also called microsatellite) genotypes so they could match confiscated tissue-DNA to real time crime scenes for prosecution” (Obrien, 2019). Through the collection of blood stained evidence and recovered horns, this study has connected multiple people to be convicted of poaching the endangered species, and will hopefully implement further investigations regarding the illegal poaching of other species.
Doctor O'brien hopes that this database will influence the poaching market enough to make the consequences and risks just not worth it for smugglers. This Article provided incredible studies and information regarding not only forensic science, but also discussed problems regarding Animal Rights and protections throughout the world. The collection of a multitude of data on rhinoceros to create the database and its findings are just one example of the power of Forensic science.
9 comments:
Clara DeMagalhaes Current Event #10
ScienceDaily, ScienceDaily, 8 Jan. 2018, www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/01/180108105929.htm.
https://bhscsi.blogspot.com/2019/11/ruby-howell-current-event-9.html
Ruby’s review of the article “DNA Evidence Used to Protect the Rhinoceros from Extinction” was informative and was good at ensuring that the reader knew what was going on without it being too confusing. I also enjoyed the fact that the summary of the article was clear and concise and was generally easy to follow along. Lastly, I liked how thorough the section about the significance of the discovery is to the world. It was clear that a lot of thought went into identifying all the possible impacts that this DNA evidence could have.
Despite the fact that the review was well done as a whole, there are a couple of areas of improvement. Sometimes, the formatting of the sentences felt a bit choppy off in the summary, like a couple of sentences that were very long. I recommend separating different points into multiple sentences in order to ensure a smoother flow. Additionally, I would have liked to hear Ruby’s personal thoughts on the article, such as a bit more critique. It could have added flair and an alternate perspective on the issue, but this is optional and the review was very good overall.
Poaching is a large concern in many areas of the world, and it’s definitely relieving to hear about a technique that can help combat it as well as address other issues at hand. This could potentially drive down cases of poaching in the near future as it will make it tougher for criminals to get away with it. That also means that more criminals will be caught. A discovery like this inspires me to look into more updates on this topic and related topics.
Jordan Hoang
Mr. Ippolito
Forensics C Odd
12/2/19
O’Brien, Stephen. “DNA Evidence Used to Protect the Rhinoceros from Extinction.”
ScienceDaily, ScienceDaily, 8 Jan. 2018, www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/01/180108105929.htm.
https://bhscsi.blogspot.com/2019/11/ruby-howell-current-event-9.html
In Ruby’s review of the article “DNA Evidence Used to Protect the Rhinoceros from Extinction”, I enjoyed how clearly Ruby indicated what exact procedures genetic databases were used to track down potential poachers. I also thought Ruby did a good job of weaving in information from the text that was informative and useful to her review. Finally, I thought Ruby did a nice job of highlighting the significance of this database outside the forensics realm. It was insightful on her part to mention it might also be useful for animal rights as well since poaching is such a great threat to wild animals such as rhinoceros.
One thing that I believe Ruby could work on is making her sentences a bit more concise or shorter. I found it a bit difficult to understand her review at some points because her sentences were long. In addition, Ruby mentioned how the article provided “incredible studies and information” about animal rights. While I enjoyed her insight concerning this topic, I wish she could have summarized more about how the author of the article dove into this as well.
It is amazing to see how advanced forensics technology is today. For me, it was interesting to see that can be that databases can not only be utilized to detect criminals against humans but criminals against animals as well. It will be interesting to see what other fields of forensic technology can be used in the future.
Lorelei Heath
Mr. Ippolito
Current Event 9
12.3.19
O’Brien, Stephen. “DNA Evidence Used to Protect the Rhinoceros from Extinction.”
ScienceDaily, ScienceDaily, 8 Jan. 2018, www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/01/180108105929.htm.
Ruby’s analysis of O’Brien’s findings was very well written. She included examples and information from her chosen article. She also included context from O’Brien’s article which provided readers with insight on the topic, then gave her own insight on her understanding.
Although Ruby’s presentation was informative and knowledgable, she seemed to have a lack of understanding of the article. It contained many details, but I felt as if I was reading the actual article and not a short summary.
I enjoyed reading Ruby’s analysis of the article written by Stephen O’Brien, because of it I now have expanded my knowledge on forensic science and the issues with Rhinos.
Lorelei Heath
Mr. Ippolito
Current Event 9
12.3.19
O’Brien, Stephen. “DNA Evidence Used to Protect the Rhinoceros from Extinction.”
ScienceDaily, ScienceDaily, 8 Jan. 2018, www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/01/180108105929.htm.
Ruby’s analysis of O’Brien’s findings was very well written. She included examples and information from her chosen article. She also included context from O’Brien’s article which provided readers with insight on the topic, then gave her own insight on her understanding.
Although Ruby’s presentation was informative and knowledgable, she seemed to have a lack of understanding of the article. It contained many details, but I felt as if I was reading the actual article and not a short summary.
I enjoyed reading Ruby’s analysis of the article written by Stephen O’Brien, because of it I now have expanded my knowledge on forensic science and the issues with Rhinos.
Masha Popovic
Mr. Ippolito
December 4, 2019
Current Event 10
ScienceDaily, ScienceDaily, 8 Jan. 2018, www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/01/180108105929.htm.
https://bhscsi.blogspot.com/2019/11/ruby-howell-current-event-9.html
For current event number 10, I had the pleasure of reading Ruby Howells report on the article, “DNA Evidence Used to Protect the Rhinoceros from Extinction”. Ruby did a great job with bringing to light the very troubling topic of poaching. On top of adding forensic evidence, she made sure to highlight problems regarding Animal Rights and protections throughout the world. Ruby also did a great job at writing concisely and being straight to the point. Lastly, I believe Ruby did a wonderful job at concluding her report with the hopes of the author. She perfectly explained the power of forensic science and the troubles of poaching.
I felt that Ruby could have elaborated a bit more on certain points and maybe talk more about the database/research. She also should have put her own opinion describing her feelings towards the article.
Overall, Ruby did a great job with this report, highlighting important information in the article and successfully sharing the thoughts of the author.
I had the delight of perusing Ruby Howell's report on the article, "DNA Evidence Used to Protect the Rhinoceros from Extinction". Ruby worked admirably with exposing the disturbing subject of poaching. Over including scientific proof, she tried to feature issues with respect to Animal Rights and insurances all through the world. Ruby likewise worked admirably at composing briefly and being direct to the point, in other words, she kept it simple. In conclusion, I trust Ruby made a magnificent showing with finishing up her report with the expectations of the creator. She impeccably clarified the intensity of criminological science and the issues of poaching. Generally speaking, Ruby worked superbly with this report, featuring significant data in the article and effectively sharing the considerations of the writer.
O’Brien, Stephen. “DNA Evidence Used to Protect the Rhinoceros from Extinction.” ScienceDaily, ScienceDaily, 8 Jan. 2018,
www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/01/180108105929.htm.
Ruby’s review of “DNA Evidence Used to Protect the Rhinoceros from Extinction” by Stephen O’Brien was very informative and thoroughly explained. Ruby did a very good job of explaining the research that has been conducted and how this new technique that was discovered would be applied. Similarly, Ruby also did a very good job of outlining why this new revelation is important in terms of protecting endangered species, how it will help species, and how it works scientifically. Lastly, Ruby also did a good job of referring to specific quotes from the article and mentioning the scientific practices used in the research and execution of the plan which made the review much more detailed and informative.
While Ruby did a good job summarizing the article and the contents discussed there were a few things she could have done to make her review better. First, the review had some minor errors grammatically. I think simply reading the review once more would have allowed Ruby to realize that some sentences were slightly choppy and could have been reworded to flow better. Additionally, the review could have benefited from more of her own opinion. Ruby does a great job discussing the research but fails to include her take on the issue and proposed solution.
Overall, I found this article and review to be engaging and informative. It was no surprise to me that poaching was an issue affecting many species but this research is new and promising. The biggest takeaway for me was the news that this research has been conducted and lots of time has been put towards finding a solution and there is now a way to hopefully cut down the number of illegal activity harming endangered species.
Esther Devitt
12/12/19
Forensics D-Odd
Current Event #11
ScienceDaily, ScienceDaily, 8 Jan. 2018, www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/01/180108105929.htm.
https://bhscsi.blogspot.com/2019/11/ruby-howell-current-event-9.html
For this week's current event I read Ruby's review of the article, “DNA Evidence Used to Protect the Rhinoceros from Extinction”, After reading Ruby's review on this article I think she did a great job writing about this article because she wrote a very informative, yet straightforward review. She included details from the article which make the topic easier to understand, and she included information on how DNA evidence is used in real life which added a real-world factor to her article.
I really enjoyed reading Ruby's piece but if she added a few more things I think would have really made her review stand out. If Ruby added more direct quotes from the reading I think her piece would have gone above and beyond. I also think that Ruby should have added critiques for the author of the article.
Overall, I really enjoyed reading the review that Ruby wrote, it was very well written and interesting to read. While the topic is controversial, Ruby handled the topic very well and wrote a very informative review.
Luke Sheehan
11/7/21
Forensics
Current Event
Link to Review:
https://bhscsi.blogspot.com/2019/11/ruby-howell-current-event-9.html
Link to Actual Article:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/01/180108105929.htm
Today I decided to comment on Ruby Howell's review of the article on DNA evidence used to protect the rhinoceros from extinction. While reading the review I noticed three things that Howell did extremely well. The first thing that I noticed she did really well was the summary of the article. Her summary was extremely detailed and which was extremely helpful. This allowed for the reader to fully understand the context of the article she was writing about. The next thing that I thought she did really well was when she provided her own opinion on the article. This allowed for the reader to understand that she fully understood the article and that she cared about the article enough that she wrote her own opinion on it. The last thing I did really well was referring to specific quotes from the article and mentioning the scientific practices used in the research and execution of the plan which made the review much more detailed and informative.
Although this was a very well written review, there are two things that I would fix if I were her. The first thing that I would fix is some of her eros grammatically. There were some sentences that I feel that Howell could have fixed grammatically to allow for the reader to get a better understanding of the review and article, this would help her tremendously. The next thing I would fix is adding some critiques of the actual article. By doing this it would help fix some questions the reader might have about some information that she might not have been able to provide.
My learning experience was very positive as I learned about how DNA can actually protect Rhinos from extinction, this was very interesting. I chose this article because I did not know that DNA would be able to save Rhinos so I wanted to read the review so I could learn more. This will change my perception of DNA evidence because now I know that it can help save rhinos and it might be able to help save some other animals and humans.
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