7 & 8

"Here in the United States, most of us begin generating CO2 as soon as we get out of bed."

This statement from chapter 7 stood out to me because it is something we all know, but we never think about. Everyone wakes up and starts their days different ways, but all contain CO2. Kolbert discussed how we wake up, make coffee, watch the news, and drive to work. All of those things I do every morning, and more that I've never realized how harmful it can be to the Earth.

Kolbert explains everything very well in these two chapters and makes it easier for me to read and understand. She discusses wedges, which could have been mind-boggling, but she used examples and language that made the science understandable.

I thought Kolbert's interview with Paula Dobriansky in chapter 8 was very amusing. I think it is important for a journalist to describe to the readers how an interviewee acted and exactly what they said, especially if they repeated the same cookie-cutter phrase over and over.

I enjoyed chapter 7 and 8. Questions that I have and questions that I didn't even have are being answered in every chapter of her book.

Chapters 5 & 6

I have to admit, chapter 5 was not my cup of tea. She lost me when she began the chapter discussing Sargon of Akkad and Babylonian cities, I wondered the whole time I was reading, where's global warming? I guess I understand how she is trying to relate the empire to now, but I just didn't like the comparison. This chapter had fewer flowery words and descriptions than the others, which made it a little boring for me.

Kolbert got very "sciency" in this chapter, some of which went over my head, but some details were interesting. "If greenhouse gases were held constant at today's levels, it is estimated that it would take several decades for the full impact of the forcing that is already in place to be felt," Kolbert said. I think it's interesting that our CO2 levels are so high that if we stopped them from rising, the effects of global warming would eventually still happen.

I liked chapter 6 because Kolbert went back to her fun, matter-of-fact writing and I'm interested in the subject of the rising sea level and flooding. I've always understood the basics: Glaciers are melting, sea levels are rising, towns are flooding. Kolbert described how water expands when it is warm. "In a small body of water, the effect is small; in a big body, it's commensurately larger." Also, the warmer Earth changes precipitation patterns, which could lead to more downpours and more flooding.

I think flooding and the rising sea level are effects of global warming that many people are able to see happening already. Beaches are losing their beach, the water is getting closer to their homes every day and more storms and rain are flooding people's houses.

Chapter 4

In Chapter 4 Kolbert discusses the risk of extinction. "Any species that is around today, including our own, has already survived catastrophic climate change." That quote is interesting because I've never thought of it that way. When I think of global warming, I'm nervous about what the consequences will be for thousands of species, including our own, but I never put into perspective that these same species have survived other changes before. Could they handle another change? That's still the unknown question that we're faced with because of global warming.

I thought the most interesting part of the chapter was about the number of species that have been wiped out. Even before the full effect of global warming has set in, humans have still managed to kill many species because as Kolbert describes, "of farms and cities and subdivisions and mines and logging operations and parking lots..." We are all worried about our future and paying little attention to the present and ignoring the problems we are causing for the world at this moment.

I continue to enjoy Kolbert's writing and love her descriptive words. She makes the difficult subject easy, interesting and enjoyable to read about.

Global Warming

After reading chapters 2 and 3 of Field Notes from a Catastrophe I learned a lot more about global warming. The most startling information that I found was when Kolbert discussed the prediction by Swedish chemist Svante arrhenius. CO2 levels have been recorded since 1959 when they were at 316 parts per million and by 2005 it had risen to 378 parts per million. Kolbert says that at this rate, the levels will reach 500 parts per million by the middle of this century, which is 2,850 years ahead of Arrhenius' prediction "to live under a warmer sky."

This information is compelling and I'm a true believer of global warming and this book is reinforcing my beliefs. My only question is what will happen? What is going to happen to the world? What will happen to us? There are too many unanswered questions and consequences of global warming.

I enjoy Kolbert's writing style and it keeps me interested in her story. She personalizes scientists like Arrhenius and Tyndall to keep the story interesting instead of dull.

Field Notes

I like how the author, Elizabeth Kolbert, describes Alaska in the beginning of the book. Her language and descriptive words put me right there with her and it's a very refreshing way to begin a book.

I think global warming is a huge concern in our world and it should be, but not everyone sees it. Maybe in Plattsburgh, NY there are not any signs of global warming noticeable to the everyday college student. However, in Alaska, Kolbert describes a different scene. Alaska is already being affected by global warming and people can actually see the changes.

Understanding global warming can be difficult but Kolbert makes it a little easier to understand with her casual writing and I think reading this book will be more interesting than some other scientific books out there!

The Big Yawn

Q: Why are yawns contagious?

A: It never fails. No matter who it is, where I am, or if I'm even tired a huge yawn takes over my face every time I see someone else do it first. Why?

I searched everywhere for the answer to this burning question and unfortunately there is not a definite answer because not everyone agrees on the reason why we yawn to begin with.

Scientists used to believe that people yawned when there was too much carbon dioxide and not enough oxygen in their blood. When a yawn stretched over your face you exhaled CO2 and inhaled oxygen into your lungs which then heads to your bloodstream. They also believe you yawn more when you are tired because the breathing is slowed down.

Recently though, some scientists have said the theory is false and believe that being warm could cause yawning. In 2007, researchers from the University of Albany proposed that yawning may be a means to keep the brain cool.

No matter why we yawn, someone will still follow us. According to WorldScience.net, the Finnish government funded a brain scanning study to find the answer. The study found that yawn contagion is unconscious meaning we often do not even realize we are doing it and have no control stopping it. "Wherever it might affect the brain, it bypasses the known brain circuitry for consciously analyzing and mimicking other people's actions," according to the study.

The circuitry that is bypassed is called the mirror-neuron system. This contains a special type of neurons that are active when the person does something and when he or she senses someone else doing the same thing, like yawning. The study says the mirror neurons do not play a role in yawn contagiousness because the area typically becomes active with conscious actions and scientists believe yawning is an unconscious action.

The study also found a deactivation in a part of the brain called the left periamygdalar region. This part of the brain has been linked to the unconscious analysis of emotional expressions in faces, so why would it be deactivated during yawning? Researchers say the reason why it deactivated is unclear.

So it seems to me after all this fancy and probably pretty expensive research at Helsinki University the answer has still not been found. The one clear answer believed to have been found through the study is that "contagious yawning does not rely on brain mechanisms of action understanding."

I'm still confused and started looking into the social aspect of yawning. Adelie penguins yawn as a part of their courtship- the male penguins open their beaks wide and point their faces toward the sky while trying to get the attention of their future partner. Could humans yawn as a way of communication too?

Yawning may be a survival instinct inherited from our evolutionary past. "During human evolutionary history when we were subject to predation and attacks by other groups, if everybody yawns in response to seeing someone yawn, the whole group becomes much more vigilant, and much better at being able to detect danger," said Gordon Gallup.

Believe what you believe. There are several reasons and explanations about the contagiousness of yawning, but I think it's probably just your own personal opinion about why it happens.

Why Don't Humans Have a Mating Season?

Deer, dogs, cats, and whales all have mating season in fact most mammals do, but why don't humans? According to the Naked Scientists forum, humans have evolved much more than other mammals not to need a mating season. Many animals reproduce at a certain time of the year because of their food resources or the temperature changes that they experience throughout the year. Animals want a lot of food available for the pregnant and nursing mother to stay nourish her and obviously don't want their little bundle of joy freezing at the time of birth.

Humans, in most cases, will not starve during pregnancy and their babies will stay warm even if they're born in the middle of December. So in this case there is no real reason for humans to have a mating season. If all these factors are taken care of the babies will survive whether they were conceived in January or July.

Another, more interesting theory is beer. According to Nkruman Steward, "if it wasn't for beer, humans would have a mating season just like every other animal on the planet." He believes there is no need for a mating season for humans because after a six pack of Bud Light, we can jump start one for ourselves at any time. Alcohol stimulates the part of the brain that determines facial attractiveness. In studies by researchers at University of Glasgow and St. Andrews, they found that the more people drink, the higher they ranked pictures of the opposite sex. So apparently people get drunk and reproduce; therefore, leaving no need for a mating season.

The beer theory is interesting and may have some explanation of why humans do not need a mating season, but I think the human evolution theory is more accurate.