TOW #3 In Fragmented Forests, Rapid Mammal Extinctions

Hearing the word extinct people usually think of mammoths and dodo birds, thinking animal extinction is a part of the earth’s past. Today scientists are worried about animals that live in tropical forests going extinct. In Fragmented Forests, Rapid Mammal Extinctions by Carl Zimmer juxtaposition and a sophisticated tone are used to explain to readers that extinction remains an urgent problem facing the world today. Carl Zimmer a columnist for The New York Times published twelve books and writes his own blog. His expertise is the frontiers of biology and Zimmer commonly speaks at universities, medical schools, museums, and festivals.

Zimmer’s column this week dives into the topic of fragmented islands in Thailand constructed by a dam built across the Khlong Saeng in 1987 river creating isolated wildlife. Zimmer and many other biologists were concerned about the species living on these islands being affected by mutations and lack of diversity leading to extinction. Studies were preformed for over two decades to measure the speed of animal extinctions.

The juxtaposition of information in this article increases the fear about the scientific discoveries. Data from 1992 is placed next to data from 2012. The results show major differences that make the audience see the need for immediate action. The experiment displays that all species have disappeared from the islands but Malayan field rats followed by a quote from a respected scientist, “Our results should be a warning,” said Dr. Gibson. “This is the trend that the world is going in.” A surplus of alarming information placed together expresses the urgency that needs to be taken for this cause.

The sophisticated tone presents the facts in such a way that a mature audience would believe their truth. The advanced vocab and scientists quoted throughout the article present the argument in an impactful way, “Dr. Pimm and Dr. Gibson agreed that the fast pace of extinction in forest fragments gives an urgency to conserving the large swaths of tropical forest that still remain.” Zimmer uses these informative methods to make his purpose clear and significant. The article makes it easy to comprehend the trepidation scientists are experiencing when it comes to about animal extinction.