Week 15 RJA

Reflection
Research has not always been one of my strong points. I consider myself to be a decent writer but not great at any type of research project. My focus in school is business. This class and this type of research will be useful in my career. Online research has always been scary, but the knowledge I gained from this class makes it easy. I have already used Diigo for another research paper I had to write. The search engines I used  for this class are also very helpful. Research is a lost art. With the knowledge we can get from the internet, this type of research will be all that is used in the future.

Week 14 RJA

 Application Project Progress Report
For my application project I have chosen to write an editorial about my topic. The extinction of the dinosaurs is one of the most controversial topics in the science world. The accepted theory was that an asteroid impact in what is now Mexico, caused the dinosaurs to go extinct. A small number of scientists have argued against this for years. Recent discoveries are now beginning to shed light on the possibility that it was two asteroid impacts in combination with volcanism and climate change that actually caused the extinction.
I have begun my editorial with only my arguments in mind. I recently discovered a new article on-line (and changed some of my paper because of it) that argues the same idea as I have. After reading this article my editorial has become a little easier.
I still have a lot of work to do on my editorial. Arguing my points is easy, but finding people and articles that agree with me is a little more difficult. All in all this editorial is turning out to be much easier than I originally though t it would be.


Word Cloud
http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/3550141/Dinosaurs

Week 13 RJA

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/23/opinion/23sat3.html?_r=1&ref=editorials

The application project that I have chosen to do is an editorial. This specific piece that I have chosen is about gun control. The fact that it is such a controversial subject creates a desire for people to read the article. Whether the reader agrees or disagrees does not matter because both sides feel the urge to read other people's opinions. Although my topic is not as controversial or important as gun control, I hope to write an editorial that will make people want to read it. A good editorial brings up the argument quickly and then delves into what the writer believes. There is no exploring other ideas, only the writer's own.  

Week 12 RJA

For my field research, I wanted to interview some of the paleontologists from the Museum of Nature and Science. None of the paleontologists ever returned my emails or calls. I visited the museum and went through their Prehistoric Journey exhibit and discovered many interesting facts about dinosaurs and their extinction. I also conducted a survey of some friends and family to get their opinions. This is a copy of the questions I asked and their results:

1.       What field do you work in?

Sales – 15

Business – 6

Education – 3

Other – 6

2.       Are you currently or have you attended college?

Yes – 20

No – 10

3.       Have you ever studied paleontology?

Yes – 6

No – 24

4.       65 million years ago the dinosaurs disappeared off the face of the planet. What do you think caused the extinction?

Asteroid – 18

Volcanoes – 5

Don’t know – 6

Both asteroid and volcanoes – 1

5.       Is it possible that we are causing another mass extinction with global warming and pollution of the planet?

Yes – 24

No – 6

6.       Do you think it is important to study the extinction of the dinosaurs?

Yes – 24

No –6

 

As you can see most people know about the extinction and most have come to accept the impact theory that has been pushed ahead by the majority in the scientific world. I believe that it was a combination of many things that caused the extinction of the dinosaurs.

For my application project i intend on writing an editorial explaining why my opinion is right. I will focus on the idea that there are many causes of the extinction but omit any arguments against. I will focus on how each theory interacts with these others in order to prove my opinion is right.

Week 11 RJA

Annotated Bibliography

Parsell, D.L.(2001, May 10). Mass Extinction That Led to Age of Dinosaurs Was Swift, Study Shows. National Geographic News. Retrieved April 10, 2011 from http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/05/0510_massex.html.

     The time period that it takes for a mass extinction to occur is one of the determining factors into what actually caused the extinction. The extinction that occurred previously to the age of the dinosaurs is important as a comparison to what caused the extinction of the dinosaurs. This particular study has found that the previous mass extinction occurred very quickly, leading scientists to conclude that it was most likely caused by a cataclysmic event, such as an asteroid striking the Earth's surface. This event was important in shaping the way the dinosaurs evolved.


Britt, Robert Roy. (2004, October 14). In Extinction Debate, Dinosaurs and Science Writers are the Losers. Space.com. Retrieved April 10, 2011 from http://www.space.com/420-extinction-debate-dinosaurs-science-writers-losers.html.

    The scientific world has been divided over the causes of the extinction of the dinosaurs. They fall into two different categories. One group believes that the dinosaur extinction occurred suddenly and the other believes that the dinosaurs were already declining when a catastrophic natural event caused a massive climate change that destroyed a large part of the life on this planet. Whichever you believe, the debate has raged on so long that people are becoming discouraged by the disagreement. It is very possible that we will never discover the truth behind the disappearance of the dinosaurs.


Handewerk, Brian. "Lost World" of Dinosaurs Survived Mass Extinction?(2009, May 1). National Geographic News. Retrieved April 10, 2011 from http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/05/090501-dinosaur-lost-world.html.

     Scientists have discovered a small area in Colorado and New Mexico that contains dinosaur bones dated earlier than the believed mass extinction event that occurred between the Cretaceous and Tertiary period. The discovery of these bones has created a little controversy. Some scientists believe there was a pocket of dinosaurs that somehow survived the mass extinction while others believe that it is possible that the asteroid did not cause the mass killing of the dinosaurs. Either way, more study needs to be done.


Dalton, Rex. Gas may be to blame for extinction. (2007, October 31). Nature News. Retrieved April 10, 2011 from http://www.nature.com/news/2007/071031/full/news.2007.205.html.

    A study of plankton found that there is a good possibility that gas released because of volcanic activity may have been the main cause of the extinction of the dinosaurs. The group the leading the charge in this theory has always suggested there is an alternative to the impact theory because of dating of core samples that have led some scientists to believe that the impact occurred 300,000 years prior to the mass extinction event. If this is the case, then the cause of the extinction could be blamed on volcanism.

Visual Aid Ideas


A map of the Chixculub Crater off of the Yucatan peninsula showing the impact size and area affected by the impact.
A sample of rock showing the layer of iridium that is believed to have been left by the impact of the asteroid.
A core sample and graph showing the age of the impact and comparison to the theorized date of the mass extinction.
A fossil sample dated after the believed impact theory.
Samples of rocks from the Deccan Traps in India dated to the mass extinction


 

Week 10 RJA

APA-style Annotated Bibliography

T. Rex Cousin Discovered in China. (2011). The History Channel website. Retrieved 9:27, April 4, 2011, from http://www.history.com/topics/t-rex-cousin-discovered-in-china.

    In a paper published on April 1, 2011, scientists in China have discovered a dinosaur similar to the Tyrannosaurus Rex in size and features. This creature, called Zhuchengtyrannus Magnus was excavated from a mine. It is slightly smaller than its Tyrannosaur cousin but is still considered to be one of the largest carnivores to walk the planet.

What Killed the Dinosaurs? (2006) DinoBuzz website. Retrieved April 1, 2011, from http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/diapsids/extinctheory.html.
 
   The article What Killed the Dinosaurs? goes into an in-depth discussion of the different theories of the extinction of the dinosaurs. It looks at the competing theories and delves into the differences and the reasons why scientists believe the different theories. Almost every scientist believes that it was a culmination of events that led to the disappearance of the dinosaurs, but what events culminated is the origin of the differences.

Why Did They Go Extinct? Smithsonian Natural Museum of Natural History website. Retrieved April 4, 2011, from http://paleobiology.si.edu/dinosaurs/info/everything/why_6.html.

     This article discusses the history of the theories of the extinction of the dinosaurs including related evidence supporting the most prevalent theory of an asteroid impact. The article goes into in depth reasons why the asteroid impact is the most widely accepted hypothesis. It also discusses the history of the paleontologists that first suggested this theory.

 National Science Foundation (2009, April 28). New Blow Against Dinosaur-killing Asteroid Theory, Geologists Find. ScienceDaily. Retrieved April 4, 2011, from http://www.sciencedaily.com­ /releases/2009/04/090427010803.htm

    The theory that an asteroid killed the dinosaurs is accepted by the majority of scientists. Here we see that not everyone believes this is the case. With recent scientific discoveries, it is now believed that the asteroid impact that occurred off the Yucatan peninsula possibly happened 300,000 years before the K-T extinction. If this is actually true then the cause of the extinction of the dinosaurs would have to be reevaluated. 

Presentation outline

What Killed the Dinosaurs?

I.                    Introduction

II.                  Asteroid impact theory

   A.                  Chicxulub crater

   B.                  India crater

III.                Volcanic activity theory

   A.                  Deccan Traps

   B.                  Tectonic plate movement

IV.                Climate change

   A.                  Effects of climate change on the planet

   B.                  Effects of climate change on animals

V.                  Natural evolution

   A.                  Lack of diversity in dinosaur family

   B.                  Mammal egg eating

   C.                  Destruction of flora

VI.                Common ground of all theories

   A.                  Global climate change

   B.                  Layer of iridium

   C.                  Many species affected

VII.              Conclusion

Week 9 RJA

Thesis Statement:
The extinction of the dinosaurs has been credited to many different theories including asteroids, volcanoes and climate change, but one claim, evolution, has been largely ignored.


Argument:

Research question: What killed the dinosaurs?
Thesis: Although it is almost impossible to discover the truth, I believe that evolution played an important role in the extinction of the dinosaurs.
   Reason #1: With carbon dating, scientists claim that the K-T extinction occurred between 65.5 and 66 million years ago. That is a window of 500,000 years in which the dinosaurs were killed off.
  Reason #2: A combination of evolution and climate change possibly could have eliminated 75% of the species of plants and animals on the planet.
  Reason #3: A mass extinction caused by a natural disaster would have taken much less time to destroy the flora and fauna on the planet.
  Reason #4: The claims that a large meteorite or volcanic eruptions caused the extinction of the dinosaurs does not explain how mammals were able to survive in a post-apocalyptic reality.

  Counterargument #1: Super volcanoes caused by the shifting of the tectonic plates caused the extinction of the dinosaurs
  Counterargument#2: A large meteorite or asteroid crashed into the Earth creating an explosion that wiped the plants and animals off the face of the planet.
  Counterargument#3: Climate change caused by either of the previous arguments or by greenhouse gases created a planet that was uninhabitable.

Week 8 RJA

 Field Research Plan
For my field research, I plan on interviewing a paleontologist at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. I am currently waiting for a response to the e-mail I sent to three different paleontologists. My plan is to interview at least one, maybe two of them, and discuss their ideas on what caused the K-T extinction. Some of the questions I plan on asking are as follows:
1. What field do you specialize in?
2. Where did you go to school?
3. What are the prominent theories about the extinction of the dinosaurs at the K-T boundary?

4.  How have the theories changed in the last twenty years?
5. What do you believe caused the extinction?
6. What are the theories of the causes of the other mass extinctions?
7. Is it possible that we are causing another mass extinction with global warming and pollution of the planet?



Bibliography
 Officer, Charles and Page, Jake. The Great Dinosaur Extinction Controversy. New York: Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, Inc.,1996. Print.

The Great Dinosaur Extinction Controversy describes in detail the history of the "Asteroid Theory" and how it became accepted by the majority of the world. The authors then explain how scientific discoveries have shown that this theory could be wrong. It goes into scientific detail about the effects an asteroid or volcano would have on the planet. The detail in this book is very technical, but explains how an asteroid could not have caused the extinction of the dinosaurs.

Keller, G., Sahni, A., and Bajpai, S. "Deccan volcanism, the K-T mass extinction and dinosaurs." Journal of Biosciences. Volume 34, Issue 5, November 2009. Pgs. 709-728.

This article goes into detail about the Deccan volcano theory of the extinction of the dinosaurs. It uses scientific research to show the large eruptions of volcanoes in three different time periods around the same time as the extinction of the dinosaurs. This theory contradicts the idea that an asteroid caused the mass extinction and goes further to explain the scientific reasoning behind the volcanic theory.

 Cowen, Richard. "The K-T Extinction". ucmp.berkeley.edu. 1999. Web. 14 March 2011.

This article explores both the asteroid and volcano theories. It discusses the scientific findings by geologists and how both theories are possible. It also touches on the other theories that are possible including an evolutionary theory. It also talks about "the ecology of a catastrophe" as well as "the doubts of a catastrophe". The author does a great job of looking at more than one side of the topic.

Week 7 RJA

Evaluation of Sources
To start with my evaluations, I have chosen an encyclopedia article from www.encyclopedia.com. I searched the site for information about the article and found all the information I needed quickly and easily. The article actually comes from The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. The encyclopedia was copyrighted in 2008, which for my topic, fits the timeliness. I did not find the name of the author, but since it is in a recognized encyclopedia, I can find that information. There also were no citations, but there were many links to related articles. Overall this source is reliable and suitable for my paper.

My second evaluation is on the book The evolution and extinction of the dinosaurs by Professor David Fastovsky, Cambridge [U.K.]; New York: Cambridge University Press, 2005. He is a professor at University of Rhode Island in Geosciences. He has earned a PhD in Geology and has worked at many fossil digs. He used many sources that are all cited in the book. Again the timeliness of the book is okay for my topic and the suitability is great. He has written in many journals and is considered an authority on this subject matter. I would consider this an excellent source of information.

For my periodical article, I have chosen to use an article titled Mass extinctions and macroevolution from the journal Paleobiology. The article was written by David Jablonski who is a professor at University of Chicago. The article was published in June of 2005. The author is writing in a scientific journal and is, therefore, writing to his peers. The article was peer reviewed and cites sources for his information. The timeliness is still okay for my topic and the suitability is good for my research. Overall this is an okay source but I will continue to look for better articles.

For my website, there was one site that every search engine refers to. It is called DinoBuzz and is written by the University of California Museum of Paleontology. There are many links to all subjects related to dinosaurs. The authors of the site last updated in 2005 but it is still within the right time frame for my subject. All sources are cited on each article. The site is not as easy to navigate as some that I have looked at, but the information is suitable for my paper. DinoBuzz is a good source for basic information.

Quotation, Paraphrase and Summary
"But before we dive into the complex issue of the K-T extinction, we need essential background information to understand the basics of the controversy. The "great dying," as it is sometimes called, is an example of a mass extinction: an episode in evolutionary history where more than 50% of all known species living at that time went extinct in a short period of time (less than 2 million years or so)." www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/diapsids/extinction.html


Research into the extinction of the dinosaurs begins with a definition. We define a mass extinction as "an episode in evolutionary history where more than 50% of all known species living at that time went extinct in a short period of time (less than 2 million years or so)." With that definition in  mind we will now delve into the extinction of the dinosaurs approximately 65 million years ago.

Before we can discuss the extinction of the dinosaurs we must define what constitutes a mass extinction. It is when most of the species on Earth died off over a period of time. This is the beginning of the controversy surrounding what actually caused the extinction.

As we begin our research of what caused the dinosaurs to die, we have to first decide what entails mass extinction. Mass extinction is a period of time that sees the majority of the species of life on the planet disappear over a period of about 2 million years.

Webpage Annotation
DinoBuzz

Week 6 RJA

For my first internet search I chose to try a different search engine. I used All the web to see if I received any new web sites as a result of my search. I actually did find a few sites that didn't pop up on bing, yahoo or google.

• All the web
• extinction, dinosaurs, comets, volcanoes
• extinction+dinosaurs, dinosaurs+volcanoes, extinction+comets
• 2/27-2/28
• There was actually over two million hits for my first search but I narrowed it down with other searches
• relevancy was 4 out of 5

For my meta search engine I used Academic index.net. I was hoping to find more scholarly journals and sites. I was not disappointed. I found many sites that I had not found previously including more scientific sites.

• Academic index.net
• extinction, dinosaurs, asteroids, volcanoes
• extinction+dinosaurs, extinction+dinosaurs+asteroids
• 2/26-2/28
• There were a large number of sites again, but I actually found an article that has changed my ideas about the time of the extinction.
• 5 out of 5

For my directory search I used Open Directory Project. I don't remember actually ever using directories prior to this but I found several great essays about my topic.

• Open Directory Project
• extinction, paleontology, dinosaurs
• extinction+dinosaurs, with a little help from the site I was able to narrow down my topic. Earth Sciences: Paleontology: Extinction: Cretaceous-Tertiary
• 2/28
• I found fourteen articles on my topic
• 5 out of 5

For my search through the invisible web, I used IncyWincy. I was never aware of the amount of information that is out there that we never see.

• IncyWincy
• extinction, dinosaurs, K-T
• extinction+dinosaurs
• 2/28
• There were over 1100 hits
• 3 out of 5

My search for social media was much more difficult. The number of sites and blogs about my topic are very limited.

• Addictomatic
• extinction, dinosaurs, paleontology
• extinction+dinosaurs+paleontology
• 2/27
• only about three hits actually had any relevancy for me\
• 1 out of 5

• Blog catalog
• dinosaurs
• dinosaurs - I actually had to broaden my search to find anything at all about dinosaurs
• 2/28
• 0 relevant blogs
• 0 out of 5

•  Icerocket
• Dinosaurs
• Dinosaurs- again broad term
• 2/28
• 0 relevant social media hits
• 0 out of 5

 For my multimedia search I found many relevant videos as well as many links to Discovery Channel, BBC, and PBS shows.

• Blinkx
• Dinosaurs, extinction
• dinosaurs+extinction
• 2/27
• 832 videos but most were aimed towards children and lacked much relevancy.
• 2 out of 5

Week 5 RJA

Bloom, Arnold J.

The Age of the Dinosaurs

The Encyclopedia of Earth

Online

December 18, 2010
Edited: January 28, 2011

http://www.eoearth.org/article/The_Age_of_the_Dinosaurs?topic=54289

02/20/2011

"mass extinction." The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 21 Feb. 2011 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

As I began my search for the right sources to reference for my topic, I started with books, then moved on to periodicals and finished up with my reference sources. It was actually a good thing I did. Searching for books was quite easy online and in the library; the periodicals were easier to find online; and the reference sources were easier in the library. As I was searching for reference materials online, I only found three sources that were easy to access and get information. The relevancy of the articles I found were very high (five out of five).I searched a few different encyclopedias and dictionaries. I used very general keywords and search strings. I only used dinosaur and extinction, because the more specific the words the less information was found. I started this search on 2/19 and finished on 2/21.

Books
Fastovsky, David E.
The evolution and extinction of the dinosaurs/ David E. Fastovsky, David B. Weishampel: with illustrations by John Sibbick
Cambridge [U.K.]; New York : Cambridge University Press, 2005.
2nd ed.

Officer, Charles B.
The great dinosaur extinction controversy/ Charles Officer and Jake Page
Reading, Mass.: Addison-Wesley, c1996
Helix Books

Ward, Peter Douglas
Under a green sky: global warming, the mass extinctions of the past, and what they mean for our future
New York : Smithsonian Books/Collins, 2007.
1st Smithsonian Books ed.


Frankel, Charles
The end of the dinosaurs : Chicxulub crater and mass extinctions
New York : Cambridge University Press, 1999.
Researching the books I wanted to use took quite a bit of time. I started out looking on the Auraria Library web site and found many different books just using the keywords extinction and dinosaurs. I started off using the search string KT dinosaur extinction and then become a little more general. I found 29 books with high relevancy for my topic, four out of five. I then went to Barnes and Noble and bought two of the books (the first and fourth ones). I also went to the Denver Library and found the second one. I feel like the books I found will be very beneficial to my subject. I do plan on returning to the library for other books as well. I am finding that this topic has many possible sources.

 Periodicals
Keller, G. , Sahni, A. , Bajpai, S.
Deccan volcanism, the KT mass extinction and dinosaurs
Journal of Biosciences
Vol.: 34 Issue: 5 Pgs.: 709-728
Published: Nov. 2009

Buffetaut, E.
Polar dinosaurs and the question of dinosaur extinction: a brief review
PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY
Volume: 214    Issue: 3    Pages: 225-231    Published: NOV 18 2004

My research with periodicals was quite easy. I used the databases from the Auraria Library, specifically the ISI web of knowledge and Academic Search Premier Plus. I easily found a large amount of relevant information using only two keywords and one search string. The keywords I used were extinction and dinosaurs and the search string I used was “mass extinction” and dinosaur not animals. I started my search on 2/19 and finished my readings on 2/21. Of the thirty articles I found the average relevancy was around a four (out of five).

week 4 RJA

Keyword
  Extinction, Disappearance, Dinosaurs, Animals, Lizards, Volcanoes, Asteroids, Cretaceous, Tertiary, Meteor, Disease, Climate change,

Search Strings
  Dinosaur and Extinction not Animals
  Extinction near dinosaurs
  Extinction or disappearance and dinosaurs
  Volcanoes+Asteroids -Meteor
  (Meteor*+lizards*)-animals
   disease+climate change+meteor+volcano+extinction+dinosaurs -animals

Field Research Options
  Interview a scientist at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science
  Attend a Dinosaur Ridge Tour
  Attend live chat with paleontologist
  Visit Morrison Natural History Museum
  Attend lecture by a paleontologist

week 3 RJA

Research Topic Exploration

                While exploring my topic, I discovered that there were many more sub topics than I thought. Many scientists actually doubt the idea that the dinosaur extinction was one catastrophic event. Mass extinction has happened a few times in history and could have actually happened over a period of millions of years. If evolution does not occur, species will die off. Many scientists debate the different ideas of extinction, including the scientists at University of California at Berkeley who originally proposed different theories of the extinction. The evidence discovered by archaeologists lead scientists to discuss the ideas of asteroids, volcanoes, disease and climate change, although there are many more theories. The topic of the dinosaur extinction is much more involved than I originally thought.

Research Topic Focus

                I believe that my ideas are still going to focus on the four major theories of the extinction of the dinosaurs which are asteroids, volcanoes, disease and climate change. After the little amount of research I have done, I am beginning to believe that it might have been a combination of all of these things. If you ask most people the two major theories are asteroids and volcanoes. My issue with these ideas is the lack of evidence to support one catastrophic event causing the extinction of 70% of the life on the planet. This was not the first major extinction. Previous to this there was an extinction that caused the loss of 90% of the life on this planet. Is it possible that both of these extinctions could have been caused by the same things? Could it happen to us? These are the questions that need to be answered by the scientific investigation.

Research Question

What caused the extinction of the dinosaurs?

When did this happen and was it a catastrophic event or a process of time?

Why did it happen (overpopulation, weather, etc.)?

Would this have happened under different circumstances?

If this was caused by a major catastrophic event, where did it happen?

How did the environment impact the extinction of the dinosaurs?

Who originally proposed the different theories of the extinction of the dinosaurs?

week 2 RJA

Diigo Account     www.diigo.com/user/wdial10
Possible Topics

• nature vs. nurture
• extinction of the dinosaurs
• string theory
• death penalty
• is there a criminal (sociopath) gene

 Research Topic  The topic of my research paper has taken me a long time to decide. I have been thinking about what to write since I registered for this class. The range of topics has gone from steroids in professional sports to is there a gay gene to the string theory in physics. The reason for this wide range of topics is that I have many interests and a lot of useless information in my head. I have always considered myself a trivia buff which means that my knowledge covers a varied array of topics. After much deliberation, I have decided that my topic is going to be one that children everywhere want to know the answer. How did the dinosaurs become extinct?
   I have never studied dinosaurs or had much interest in them until recently. While researching global warming for a speech I had to give, the topic of the extinction of dinosaurs came up in an article I was reading. I think everyone has thought about it at some point in time. My theory has always been the prevalent one. A giant comet hit the Earth and wiped out the dinosaurs. But as popular as that belief is, it is not the only one. Climate change, volcanoes, and disease are also popular ideas.
   After seeing the different theories, my interest was piqued. I am a firm believer in global warming and the idea of climate change destroying a large population of this world had me intrigued. Also the idea that a super disease could kill so many living things was interesting. I feel like the study of the mass extinction is relevant today because of the advances we are making in science. The human race has created some awful diseases and weapons and yet we still could miss an asteroid and still can't control the weather. I have felt like mother nature is out to get us for a long time. If we study what happened to the dinosaurs then maybe we can stop it from happening to us.