News articles usually include a claim accompanied by evidence to back it up. However, not all evidence supplies the claim with credible nor valid support. Depending on the reader’s interpretation of the given information, one could find the argument unconvincing. In the case of the article “Almost a fifth of vertebrate species are endangered” published by New Scientist on October 27th, 2010, I found the argumentative support to be unsatisfactory.
The claim stated in the news article is that the rate of endangerment is becoming a grim statistic due to human activity. The statement made by the news paper is a reasonable one; however, the scientific information has two major weaknesses.
The first flaw is the lack of scientific information concerning the extinction process. Evolution, in which extinction plays a significant role, has been occurring continuously since the origin of life on Earth. That means the natural process of extinction has been present for billions of years. Humans have studied this process and collected data on the matter for mere centuries. We have not completed the full history of the process; therefore we are dealing with insufficient and possibly misleading information. There is no way of identifying any abnormalities with recent extinction rates or patterns.
In addition to the insufficient extinction trend, we have not yet (and may never) obtained a complete catalogue of all living organisms within the biosphere. Once again, the lack of information discredits all the of the statistical support provided by the article. According to the published article, “19 per cent of vertebrate species are threatened” (Marshall 2010) and “at least 15 per cent [of invertebrates] are currently endangered.”(Marshall 2010) These percentages are invalid because they are derived solely on the total sum of organisms of which we are aware. There is a possibility that the statistics are being exaggerated from the real values that would be retrieved had we known all the organisms currently inhabiting the planet. To place a final emphasis on the human error included in the statistics provided, the article admits to the lack of scientific information available by stating “the world is a storehouse of beauty and variety that we are depleting before we have truly explored it.”(Marshall 2010)
Following the main body of the article is a list of four examples supporting the claim. The examples included the fossa from the forests of Madagascar, the African damselfly, the cycad plant of South Africa, and mussels in Morocco. This section was one of the stronger areas of the article because the author was able to make some connections between human activity and the extinction of certain animal species. However, this is also where the second major weakness arises.
Within each example, the author manages to provide information that contradicts the claim that extinction rates are fluctuating due to human activity. In the example describing the Madagascar fossas (large carnivores), the author states that “nobody is quite sure what a fossa is.”(Marshall 2010) This gives the impression that we do not know enough about this species, let alone what could be affecting its population size. Next we are told about the damselflies of Africa that have not only shrunk in numbers, but in size as well. As in the first example, the author provides alternative causes for the decrease besides human activity. The physical size decrease was theorized to be caused by a decrease in oxygen in the atmosphere. As for the population size, the author described how the larvae of the damselfly are carnivorous and are inclined to eat each other. This self-detrimental habit amongst the larvae could be held responsible for population decline instead of humans. Coming to our third species, the cycad plant, we are told that it is the oldest seed-bearing plant on Earth. Having shared this information, the article has given the audience the impression that it could just be nearing its natural time of extinction as many species have done in the past. Lastly, a clan of mussels believed to be extinct were discovered “clinging to life after all”(Marshall 2010) in Morocco. The fact that these mussels have been found tells readers that species are able to preserve their population numbers against harsh environment conditions. Some could theorize that the mussels have adapted to their new environment with human activity; therefore, disproving the original claim in the article.
In conclusion, the article is addressing a very plausible theory connecting human activity with increasing extinction rates. The article also provided scientific support to the best of its ability with the information that is currently available. However, due to incomplete research, lack of trend structuring of extinction rates and contradictory examples on the authors part, I cannot fully agree with the claim. With more time and research, the correlation between human activity and extinction rates stands a chance of being proven correct in the future.
References:
Marshall, M. “Almost a fifth of vertebrate species are endangered”. New Scientist, October 27th, 2010. Retrieved November 6th, 2010 from http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn19642-almost-a-fifth-of-vertebrate- species-are-endangered.html
The claim stated in the news article is that the rate of endangerment is becoming a grim statistic due to human activity. The statement made by the news paper is a reasonable one; however, the scientific information has two major weaknesses.
The first flaw is the lack of scientific information concerning the extinction process. Evolution, in which extinction plays a significant role, has been occurring continuously since the origin of life on Earth. That means the natural process of extinction has been present for billions of years. Humans have studied this process and collected data on the matter for mere centuries. We have not completed the full history of the process; therefore we are dealing with insufficient and possibly misleading information. There is no way of identifying any abnormalities with recent extinction rates or patterns.
In addition to the insufficient extinction trend, we have not yet (and may never) obtained a complete catalogue of all living organisms within the biosphere. Once again, the lack of information discredits all the of the statistical support provided by the article. According to the published article, “19 per cent of vertebrate species are threatened” (Marshall 2010) and “at least 15 per cent [of invertebrates] are currently endangered.”(Marshall 2010) These percentages are invalid because they are derived solely on the total sum of organisms of which we are aware. There is a possibility that the statistics are being exaggerated from the real values that would be retrieved had we known all the organisms currently inhabiting the planet. To place a final emphasis on the human error included in the statistics provided, the article admits to the lack of scientific information available by stating “the world is a storehouse of beauty and variety that we are depleting before we have truly explored it.”(Marshall 2010)
Following the main body of the article is a list of four examples supporting the claim. The examples included the fossa from the forests of Madagascar, the African damselfly, the cycad plant of South Africa, and mussels in Morocco. This section was one of the stronger areas of the article because the author was able to make some connections between human activity and the extinction of certain animal species. However, this is also where the second major weakness arises.
Within each example, the author manages to provide information that contradicts the claim that extinction rates are fluctuating due to human activity. In the example describing the Madagascar fossas (large carnivores), the author states that “nobody is quite sure what a fossa is.”(Marshall 2010) This gives the impression that we do not know enough about this species, let alone what could be affecting its population size. Next we are told about the damselflies of Africa that have not only shrunk in numbers, but in size as well. As in the first example, the author provides alternative causes for the decrease besides human activity. The physical size decrease was theorized to be caused by a decrease in oxygen in the atmosphere. As for the population size, the author described how the larvae of the damselfly are carnivorous and are inclined to eat each other. This self-detrimental habit amongst the larvae could be held responsible for population decline instead of humans. Coming to our third species, the cycad plant, we are told that it is the oldest seed-bearing plant on Earth. Having shared this information, the article has given the audience the impression that it could just be nearing its natural time of extinction as many species have done in the past. Lastly, a clan of mussels believed to be extinct were discovered “clinging to life after all”(Marshall 2010) in Morocco. The fact that these mussels have been found tells readers that species are able to preserve their population numbers against harsh environment conditions. Some could theorize that the mussels have adapted to their new environment with human activity; therefore, disproving the original claim in the article.In conclusion, the article is addressing a very plausible theory connecting human activity with increasing extinction rates. The article also provided scientific support to the best of its ability with the information that is currently available. However, due to incomplete research, lack of trend structuring of extinction rates and contradictory examples on the authors part, I cannot fully agree with the claim. With more time and research, the correlation between human activity and extinction rates stands a chance of being proven correct in the future.
References:
Marshall, M. “Almost a fifth of vertebrate species are endangered”. New Scientist, October 27th, 2010. Retrieved November 6th, 2010 from http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn19642-almost-a-fifth-of-vertebrate- species-are-endangered.html
Leah deBortoli
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