- Summarize, in your own words, the differences between uniformitarianism and catastrophism. Why do you think it took so long for catastrophism to become the dominate theory?
- What is the difference between a “background extinction” and a “mass extinction”?
- Why does the author refer to the EVACC as a “preserve” rather than a zoo? What does she mean when she claims that “instead of protecting the amphibians in their natural habitat, the center’s aim is to isolate them from it”? (56)
- Why is it significant (and shocking) that frogs bred in tanks at the National Zoo are “suddenly… wiped out”?
- In summarizing the history of various extinction, the author notes that, very often, the hardest-hit species are generally the larger animals, whereas smaller creatures tend to weather catastrophes more successfully. What might be some reasons for this?
- What is “first contact extinction”? What are some examples given in the article.
- The scientists researching the dying off frogs and toads have a strong theory that a fungus is to blame. But this fungus had not been a problem in the past. How did the fungus become a world-wide problem rather than simply a regional one?
- Walter Alvarez’s father, Luis, was the lead researcher for the previous study you read (“Extraterrestrial Cause for the Cretaceous-Tertiary Extinction” ). How did the father’s research contribute to the son’s research?
- Late in the article, the author presents an important problem: “One of the puzzles of mass extinction is why, at certain junctures, the resourcefulness of life seems to falter.” (69) What plausible explanations does she find through her interviews?
- There’s no explicit argument being made in the article, but one might be implied. What might the author be trying to say about the issue of mass extinction?
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Prof. Fulton"In science, 'fact' can only mean 'confirmed to such a degree that it would be perverse to withhold provisional assent.' I suppose that apples might start to rise tomorrow, but the possibility does not merit equal time in physics classrooms." Archives
May 2015
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