I thought this was the best part of the reading, as I felt that part one was more boring than this part, and that part three was anti-climactic from all the suspense that was built up in this portion of the book. I learned that there are measures that help prevent the spread of diseases monkeys are carrying including a "safe house," and that is a pretty effective means of containing the spread of viruses. I was disappointed to learn that the workers inside the safe house do not use any means of protecting themselves from getting a virus from the monkeys. I learned that electron microscopes are used by biologists, not just chemists. I learned more about how the scientists test blood for diseases such as Marburg and Ebola. I also learned that the government takes diseases like this very seriously, as they should. At this point I wondered whether or not the disease would pass onto humans, but that was answered later on.
Scavenger Hunt-
Modified root of a plant: These tree roots have been modified in order to
support themselves in an environment that doesn't allow for the roots to appear as they typically do.
support themselves in an environment that doesn't allow for the roots to appear as they typically do.
Eubacteria: There are plenty of eubacteria in this image, they're just too small to see, as they live in moderate environments like this one; they are unlike archaebacteria, which live in extreme environments.
Seed dispersal: This chipmunk is burying seeds, which disperses the seeds from the plant and allows new plants to grow, assuming the chipmunk forgets where he planted them.
Homologous structures: Leaves perform the same function in different plants, even though they look different, which suggests that they all evolved from a common ancestor.
Parasitism: This fungus has acted as parasite, as it benefited by taking nutrients from the tree, and as an effect, the tree died, although you cannot tell that from the angle I took the picture.
I disagree that this part of the book was more interesting. Only one thing eventful happened, where the first part was full of outbreaks and people being exposed all over the place. I was also disappointed that the workers did not follow policy that was set in order to protect them. You would think that when well educated professionals are telling you to take extra precautions, that you would listen. I too learned more about how doctors test for diseases. I liked that Jahrling double checked by retesting a second time before making any powerful assumptions. I give doctors props for being able to be in a closet with a space suit testing for hot agents without melting down. That's really intense and I didn't realize such a process was required for that work. It makes me happy to know that the US government does take it very seriously, and that their primary priority is to protect the people. I wish I new if it could pass to humans!
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