Charlotte Cagliostro
Forensics
C Odd / Current Event 12
12/13/19
Murphy, Heather. “The Case of a Man With Two Sets of DNA Raises More Questions.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 12 Dec. 2019, www.nytimes.com/2019/12/12/science/chimera-bone-marrow-dna-semen.html.
In her New York Times article, “The Case of a Man With Two Sets of DNA Raises More Questions,” Heather Murphy explains the mysterious story of Chris Long. That man received a bone marrow transplant, and soon after, scientists discovered that his semen had his donor’s DNA. This is a groundbreaking case, and scientists do not have many answers. They suspect that with future research, a conclusion can be made regarding why it is exactly that Chris’s semen no longer expresses his genetic makeup. Scientists hypothesize that white blood cells could be a factor; “The two most common types of cells in semen are sperm cells and white blood cells… Because he had a vasectomy, all that’s left is the white cells.” The author explains that since Chris had a vasectomy, a procedure that prevents sperm from reaching semen, his semen is largely composed of white blood cells, which are composed of the donor’s DNA. In the coming months, new studies and tests will be performed to pinpoint the exact root of this anomaly.
While Chris Long is the first person to have this type of condition, he will not be the last. Other individuals with vasectomies and bone marrow transplants could present their donor’s genetic makeup in their semen. It is important to note that Chris, along with others who could be affected, will not be able to pass on their donor’s DNA through their offspring, since the foreign genetics are isolated to the white blood cells. It is incredibly interesting to think about the ramifications of this discovery and the research it has inspired.
Heather Murphy wrote a fantastic article explaining Chris’s story. She articulated her ideas in a very sophisticated yet accessible manner that engages her readers. In her article, she summarized the main ideas associated with this case and spoke to the subject’s relevance, which I appreciated. I do wish that she had elaborated on some of her ideas, however, but overall, I thoroughly enjoyed reading her piece.
6 comments:
Ruby Howell
Forensics Current Event 12
Mr. Ippolito
December 12th, 2019
Murphy, Heather. “The Case of a Man With Two Sets of DNA Raises More Questions.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 12 Dec. 2019, www.nytimes.com/2019/12/12/science/chimera-bone-marrow-dna-semen.html.
After reading the review by Arielle of the article “The Case of a Man With Two Sets of DNA Raises More Questions,” by Heather Murphy, I was able to learn about the condition that Chris Long has and how scientific investigation was able to come to conclusions about his condition. After going through a bone marrow transplant, scientists found that due to the fact that Chris’s semen does not possess his genetic makeup, it instead has the DNA of his donor. While scientists weren't able to find a clear reason to his condition, they believe it may be due to his vasectomy which removed the sperm from his cells, which in turn left just the white blood cells. Arielle made an amazing job of explaining this conclusion that scientists made, quoting the article explaining how vasectomy’s work: “since Chris had a vasectomy, a procedure that prevents sperm from reaching semen, his semen is largely composed of white blood cells, which are composed of the donor’s DNA.” which allowed me to further understand Chris Long’s case without confusion of his condition. Not only was Chris Long the first to have this condition, but that he will not be the last one. In addition, the reviewer made a conscious effort to make it clear to the reader the importance of this case, explaining that this condition entails the fact that those with it will “not be able to pass on their donor’s DNA through their offspring”.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this article as it focuses on something new that neither I nor any scientist had never heard about before. While I think the reviewer was able to coherently explain the main points expressed in the article, it would be helpful to have an explanation as to how scientists were able to come to their conclusions.
Molly Palma
Forensics- C-Odd
Current Event 12: Comment
Due on January 6th
Murphy, Heather. “The Case of a Man With Two Sets of DNA Raises More Questions.” The New
York Times, The New York Times, 12 Dec. 2019,
www.nytimes.com/2019/12/12/science/chimera-bone-marrow-dna-semen.html.
https://bhscsi.blogspot.com/
Charlotte had an exceptional summary: she described Chris Long’s medical history, why there were more white cells than sperm cells in his sperm, and what will be coming soon in the coming months. I also liked how Charlotte used a quote from what the scientists hypothesize, which keeps the review solely focused on forensic science. Lastly, Charlotte’s relevance paragraph was concise but informational. I liked how she said “It is important to note that Chris, along with others who could be affected, will not be able to pass on their donor’s DNA through their offspring, since the foreign genetics are isolated to the white blood cells.” This pretty much the point of the article, summed up in one sentence.
I thought that Charlotte’s conclusion paragraph could’ve been reworked. While, she addressed areas of improvement and techniques she liked she did not elaborate enough. Sometimes Charlotte’s wording and sentence structure was confusing--maybe because she was in a rush. An example of this is when she ended a sentence with the name Chris Long. And then continued the following sentence with ‘That man…’
I chose this review because I was intrigued by the title. I never knew that a man could have two sets of data, nor that it was possible for it to happen more than once (with either a vasectomy or bone marrow transplant). Charlotte did an excellent retelling of Chris Long’s story. She kept me intrigued during the entire duration of reading this review and has me wondering what will come with the new studies and tests.
Lorelei Heath
Mr. Ippolito
Current Event 11
12.19.19
Murphy, Heather. “The Case of a Man With Two Sets of DNA Raises More Questions.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 12 Dec. 2019, www.nytimes.com/2019/12/12/science/chimera-bone-marrow-dna-semen.html.
Charlotte’s review of the article was very detailed and was supported greatly. She begins her summary by briefly writing about the case. She provides background and what happened during the time of the crime. I sincerely enjoyed this case, it was interesting and to the point. Which is good for comprehension and understanding.
Charlotte’s review was very detailed in the summary but needed more forensic evidence and explanation in her analyzation of forensic science. The writing also needed more time to explain, it was very scattered and needed a main purpose. And could have explained her thoughts on the tests the scientists made from the evidence. Overall, her review was good but could use more information.
This article was very interesting and went over the information I already knew before. This article was a review for everyone who is in class. It went over DNA in which we learned in class. As a result, I enjoyed reading the article and her review.
Charlotte Dotson
Mr. Ippolito
Current Event 12
1/5/19
Murphy, Heather. “The Case of a Man With Two Sets of DNA Raises More Questions.” The
New York Times, The New York Times, 12 Dec. 2019,
www.nytimes.com/2019/12/12/science/chimera-bone-marrow-dna-semen.html.
The first thing Charlotte did well in this review was her summary/introduction. She included all relevant details from the article to provide a concise, clear summary. Secondly, she backed all of her information with quotes and specific details from the article. Lastly, I thought Charlotte wrote a very enticing, interesting review. I was never bored while reading and it was fascinating to hear about the idea that a man could have two sets of DNA.
One thing Charlotte could have improved was her conclusion paragraph. To improve this paragraph, she could have elaborated on what she thought could have been improved in the article. Secondly, I think Charlotte could have elaborated on her opinions on the article and its findings. The content of the article was so interesting and the reader of the review would have liked to hear more about Charlotte’s thoughts on the study.
I found this article and review to be incredibly interesting. It challenged everything I thought I knew about DNA and genetics. It is mind boggling that a man could have two separate sets of DNA and it is a concept I would like to learn more about in the future.
Esther Devitt
Mr. Ippolito
1/5/20
Current Event #12
Murphy, Heather. “The Case of a Man With Two Sets of DNA Raises More Questions.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 12 Dec. 2019, www.nytimes.com/2019/12/12/science/chimera-bone-marrow-dna-semen.html.
https://bhscsi.blogspot.com/
For this week's current event I read Charlotte’s review of the article," The Case of a Man With Two Sets of DNA Raises More Questions” by Heather Murphy. After reading Charlotte’s review on this article I think she did a great job writing because she wrote a very informative, yet straightforward review. She included details from the article which make the topic easier to understand, like why the man had two sets of DNA from surgeries like bone marrow transplants and vasectomies. She also included specific pieces from the text which made it easy to understand the topic.
I really enjoyed reading Charlotte’s piece but if she added a few more things I think would have really made her review stand out. If Charlotte included what she think the author could have changed I think it would have enhanced this review. I also think that she should have connected this article more to the things we have learned in class.
Overall, I really enjoyed reading the review that Charlotte wrote, it was very well written and interesting to read. While the topic was a little confusing I think Charlotte did a good job explaining the main points.
Manu Monogenis
Mr. Ippolito
9/14/2021
Forensics
Murphy, Heather. “The Case of a Man With Two Sets of DNA Raises More Questions.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 12 Dec. 2019, www.nytimes.com/2019/12/12/science/chimera-bone-marrow-dna-semen.html.
https://bhscsi.blogspot.com/2019/
For this week’s current, I read Charlotte’s review of “The Case of a Man With Two Sets of DNA Raises More Questions.” One thing she did well in this review was how well she described Chris Long’s medical work and history and why there were more white cells than sperm cells in his sperm. I also liked how Charlotte used evidence from the article itself on the scientist’s hypothesis. The final thing I liked about this review was her relevancy paragraph and how it was very concise, but still retained the important information necessary to help us understand.
Despite all the positives of this review. There were still some flaws present. Her conclusion paragraph could have been done slightly better. She mentioned some areas to improve, but there wasn’t enough elaboration. The last thing that that I found a little flawed was the structuring of sentences. I found her wording in some instances to be slightly confusing. She ended a sentence with “That man” after saying Chris Long in the sentence before.
I really liked this review. And I chose this review because the title of the article really intrigued me. I also never knew a scientist could use two sets of data. This review will change my perspective of life as it helps me understand more about the rules you can break in science, and the implications of those rules applied to DNA.
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