Spineless: The Science of Jellyfish and the Art of Growing a Backbone by Sophia Mihalek

Spineless: The Science of Jellyfish and the Art of Growing a Backbone by Sophia Mihalek https://padlet.com/20mihaleks/Spineless Reading and Dialectical Journal for AP Language and Composition en-us 2018-11-14 17:40:50 UTC 2025-10-23 02:26:27 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/icons/Lovecookie.png Bio of myself 20mihaleks https://padlet.com/20mihaleks/Spineless/wish/304438647 The book I am reading is Spineless by Juli Berwald. It is in the point of view of Berwald, and it is about jellyfish, specifically, her passion for them. I chose this book because 1) I was trying to find a book and this was in an article about nonfiction books and 2) jellyfish are cool. I love environmental science and the ocean. In a description, it mentioned the environmental impacts of jellyfish and the impacts of the environment on jellyfish. So, I decided to read it, and thus far, I am enjoying it.]]> 2018-11-14 17:44:40 UTC https://padlet.com/20mihaleks/Spineless/wish/304438647 Schedule 20mihaleks https://padlet.com/20mihaleks/Spineless/wish/305371635 Due date 1: 11/30
Due date 2: 12/7
Due date 3: 12/14
I am not sure my schedule considering my book is a library book. I hope to get most of it done by the first due date, since I do not want my book to be overdue at the library. I know that this is a lot of work, considering the book is over 300 pages. Therefore, my goals are flexible, and the book can be overdue, even though this is obviously not ideal. ]]> 2018-11-16 17:42:23 UTC https://padlet.com/20mihaleks/Spineless/wish/305371635 "Studies of jelly genomes show that jellies we thought were one species were actually a dozen. Not all jellies are created ecologically equal: they have different tastes in prey, different styles of mating, and even different predators. If the 1900s were the age of gelata, today we are on the brink of a jelly renaissance" (page 14). 20mihaleks https://padlet.com/20mihaleks/Spineless/wish/308519639 Staring off with a simple sentence then explaining that in the next sentence allows the reader to have time to process what was said. Similarly, by using the colon to then connect another sentence that explains what was said (the differences in jellyfish) allows the reader to pause and understand the material. Then, Berwald compares the past to now to allow readers to understand the current state of innovation happening. It is allusion to the 1990s, which was states earlier in the chapter, and a metaphor comparing to the unknown of now.]]> 2018-11-27 20:22:36 UTC https://padlet.com/20mihaleks/Spineless/wish/308519639 " 'We found a giant jellyfish' ... It was a massive jelly, three feet across. We all touched its top surface. The kids turned it over. Someone struck a sand shovel through the outer bell, splaying open clear jelly innards. No one could resist. In a frenzy of pink, yellow, and green beach toys, the jellyfish was cut to shreds" (page 39). 20mihaleks https://padlet.com/20mihaleks/Spineless/wish/308528173 In this, kids are ripping apart a dead jellyfish. Berwald is clearly upset as seen by her short, blunt language and syntax. Also, by clarifying the way the children cut the jelly fish- what was displayed, the color of the toys- Berwald shows she paid attention to what was happening and her knowledge of jellies. She knows how amazing they are, and to have one not cared about, be called stupid (later, not in quote), and be ripped apart, Berwald is hurt.]]> 2018-11-27 20:41:52 UTC https://padlet.com/20mihaleks/Spineless/wish/308528173 " 'So we put [ a robotic jellyfish] in the water, turned it on, and it actuated.' ('Actuated' is bio mechanics talk for 'contracting') 'And it was just doing this.' Jack cupped his hand like a medusa. He bent his fingers inward and scooted his hand upward. But instead of continuing on the forward path, when he expanded his fingers, he lowered his hand to its original location" (page 88). 20mihaleks https://padlet.com/20mihaleks/Spineless/wish/308532301 In this, Berwald is visiting scientists working on building a robotic jellyfish for the US Navy. Berwald understands her audience may not be bio mechanics or have science degrees, so she explains the terms the scientist uses. She also uses simple terms when she writes as to ease the audience's understanding of the text. Additionally, she uses vivid descriptions and exact quotes, which she does throughout the book, which shows she put great detail and care into interviews and everyday occurrences about jellyfish. ]]> 2018-11-27 20:51:41 UTC https://padlet.com/20mihaleks/Spineless/wish/308532301 "More of a jellyfish called hydrozoa were identified during that same decade than any other time in history" page 11 20mihaleks https://padlet.com/20mihaleks/Spineless/wish/309113490 Definition of hydrozoa- a taxonomic class of individually very small, predatory animals, some solitary and some colonial, most living in salt water. (they are a predatory jellyfish)
Part of speech- noun
Original sentence- The 2,700 (or so) species of hydrozoa tend to live in groups with members of their species. ]]> 2018-11-29 01:57:49 UTC https://padlet.com/20mihaleks/Spineless/wish/309113490 "Thus freed from its sessile existence, the baby medusa is called an ephyra, a name shared with an ancient Greek sea nymph..." page 56 20mihaleks https://padlet.com/20mihaleks/Spineless/wish/309113666 Definition of sessile- (of a plant or animal structure) attached directly by its base without a stalk or peduncle (fetus jellyfish have to attach to a surface, this is when they are free)
Part of speech- adjective
Original sentence- The sessile bacteria stuck to the petri dish that they grew in. ]]> 2018-11-29 01:58:59 UTC https://padlet.com/20mihaleks/Spineless/wish/309113666 "One of the most beautiful but unfortunately also the rarest scyphomedusae in the Adriatic and the Mediterranean..." page 74 20mihaleks https://padlet.com/20mihaleks/Spineless/wish/309114850 Definition of scyphomedusae- A subclass of medusoid (type of jellyfish) cnidarians whose members lack a velum (type of membrane) and have a coelenteron (part of digestive tract) partly divided by four interradial endodermal septa (separation)
Part of speech- noun
Original sentence- The scyphomedusae are a large, colorful group of jellyfish that sometimes disrupt industries in China and Japan due to their overpopulation. ]]> 2018-11-29 02:05:59 UTC https://padlet.com/20mihaleks/Spineless/wish/309114850 "... and hauntingly like a heartbeat. This isn't a coincidence. Besides helping scientists understand the physics of propulsion, the medusoid was created as a new way to conceive of regenerative medicine," (91) 20mihaleks https://padlet.com/20mihaleks/Spineless/wish/311622198 Before this, Berwald introduced new research about artificial jellyfish and the capability to grow jellyfish. Saying the heartbeat was haunting alludes to the idea that it can lead to further discoveries because of how similar it is to a heartbeat. This too, is further emphasized by saying that is was not a coincidence this happened. Berwald points out the multiple uses for this technology: understanding jellyfish, propulsion, and regenerative medicine.]]> 2018-12-05 22:25:42 UTC https://padlet.com/20mihaleks/Spineless/wish/311622198 "It was a chain of jellyfish, a thirty-foot-long siphonophore that had bumped into the submersible," (102) 20mihaleks https://padlet.com/20mihaleks/Spineless/wish/311623921 Definition of siphonophore- an order of the hydrozoans, which is defined in another post, the animals are actually a collective group of jellyfish that work together (I was confused by this word, so it's a coincidence they are similar)
Part of speech- noun
Original sentence- The siphonophorae, with each organism performing its special function, caught the prey.]]> 2018-12-05 22:35:18 UTC https://padlet.com/20mihaleks/Spineless/wish/311623921 "We shared our strategies around the table. 'I'll agree to go on a blind date I've been avoiding.' 'I'll ask that guy Charlie I met last week to go rollerblading.' 'I'll go to a party I don't feel like going to.' 'I won't call my old boyfriend for the whole week.'" (137) 20mihaleks https://padlet.com/20mihaleks/Spineless/wish/311625431 Berwald is describing her conversation with her friends about boys, when she was in grad school, before she was married. She uses quotes to create a light hearted tone to emphasize the nature of the discussion. She also creates reliability to the reader due to the common nature of talking about boys among women. This discussion and change of tone allows readers to feel related to the text here versus when discussing jellyfish, which is a heavy, complex topic. ]]> 2018-12-05 22:43:28 UTC https://padlet.com/20mihaleks/Spineless/wish/311625431 "Dorothy Spangenberg speculated that thyroxine might play a role in the development of statocysts"(130) 20mihaleks https://padlet.com/20mihaleks/Spineless/wish/311648474 Definition of statocysts- a small organ of balance and orientation in some aquatic invertebrates, consisting of a sensory vesicle or cell containing statoliths (stimulates responses to gravity to enable balance and orientation)
Part of speech- noun
Original sentence- To sense balance, jellyfish and many other aquatic invertebrates use statocysts.]]> 2018-12-06 01:17:16 UTC https://padlet.com/20mihaleks/Spineless/wish/311648474 "So why would we change the way we treat the world? Why isn't protecting out life-sustaining ocean more urgent? We haven't reached a low point. Intellectually, we know there are a lot of problems, but we don't feel them intensely enough. ... This wasn't about being capable; it was about being willing. Making a difference would require our collective intention and effort. It would mean growing a spine." (178-9) 20mihaleks https://padlet.com/20mihaleks/Spineless/wish/312073846 I know this is long, but this is THE climax so far. This is the turning point. I love learning about climate change, and when its reveled why the title of a book is the title, which both happened here. To begin with, Berwald uses questions to engage the reader and make them think about the impacts of climate change, and why we haven't made any large changes as a whole. By focusing on the divide that we don't feel them, relates to earlier when she stated that she didn't make changes in her life until she hit her low points/ rock bottoms. Then, adding about change needing to be collective goes back to her use of we. She is trying to inspire collective change in readers to make a difference (about climate change). Growing a spine means we need to step up, but it also relates to the fact that jellyfish are invertebrates. Overall, POWERFUL quote, I had to stop reading to write this, which I don't normally do, because I was so inspired. ]]> 2018-12-06 23:27:00 UTC https://padlet.com/20mihaleks/Spineless/wish/312073846 "Monty, for all is gruffness, is an outstanding scientist, and as outstanding scientists do, he questioned that paradigm," (170). 20mihaleks https://padlet.com/20mihaleks/Spineless/wish/312086631 Definition of paradigm- a distinct set of concepts or thought patterns, including theories, research methods, postulates, and standards for what constitutes legitimate contributions to a field (basically, questioning established science ideas, in this case, the idea that jellyfish were an ecological dead end)
part of speech- noun
original sentence- The paradigm of muscle contraction is known as the Sliding Filament theory.
(for extra info, the sliding filament theory is a theory because the contraction takes place in a tiny part of the muscle cell, and is not able to be seen currently)]]> 2018-12-07 01:04:20 UTC https://padlet.com/20mihaleks/Spineless/wish/312086631 "Here was a place where the oceanic Garden of Eden that Ferdinando Boero had spoken of, place where we were still hunters and gathers, had been tamed,"(198). 20mihaleks https://padlet.com/20mihaleks/Spineless/wish/313225046 The Garden of Eden is the biblical garden where Adam and Eve went. Referencing this part of the ocean as the Garden of Eden shows the bounty and splendor of this area. Saying there were hunters and gathers again references the age of this area, and how it has been bountiful for a long time. However, due to the aquaculture of the area, it is no longer hunters and gathers. Saying these people have been tamed, shows human involvement. Humans diminished the natural catching of sea life, and instead, switched to aquaculture, a reference to agriculture on land. Berwald's use of allusions and references to history show its repetitive nature, alothough now, it's switching to sea from land. ]]> 2018-12-11 01:22:03 UTC https://padlet.com/20mihaleks/Spineless/wish/313225046 " 'Jellyfish and Ctenophore Blooms coincide with human proliferation and environmental perturbations'" (205) 20mihaleks https://padlet.com/20mihaleks/Spineless/wish/313226990 Definition of perturbations- anxiety; mental uneasiness
Part of speech- noun
original sentence- The homework and stress students have is more than simple perturbations, and can cause other mental illnesses. ]]> 2018-12-11 01:34:32 UTC https://padlet.com/20mihaleks/Spineless/wish/313226990 "Buyers wearing baseball caps with plastic ID cards bearing their registration numbers quickly surrounded him. A cacophony of words erupted from the auctioneer. The bidders nodded and raised their hands. The auctioneer paused, made a note, and the winner dropped a piece of preprinted paper bearing his number on the lot, claiming it as his. As a unit, everyone took one step together to the next cooler. The bidding and the selling went so fast at times that the whole crowd was slowly strolling down the row together," (226) 20mihaleks https://padlet.com/20mihaleks/Spineless/wish/313683589 This quote is discussing a fish market in Japan. The descriptive nature of the passage creates a clear picture in readers' minds of the market. The descriptive, simple sentences create the mood of a busy, fast-paced environment. However, the use of the various clauses in the 4th sentence allow for the stated pause to be felt in readers as they paused due to the commas. Describing the crowd's pace using an analogy as if they were strolling shows the spee that the crowd moved. To be buying and selling so fast there was not a stop clearly shows the environment that the fish market is.]]> 2018-12-12 01:52:18 UTC https://padlet.com/20mihaleks/Spineless/wish/313683589 "the wooded mountaintops, the alpine rivers, the sweeping prairies, the arid deserts, the rich estuaries, the rocky chaparral" (223). 20mihaleks https://padlet.com/20mihaleks/Spineless/wish/313688291 Definition of estuaries- a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. the tidal mouth of a large river, where the tide meets the stream.
Part of speech- noun
Original sentence- The esturary where the kids play became filled with fish swimming into the ocean. ]]> 2018-12-12 02:20:34 UTC https://padlet.com/20mihaleks/Spineless/wish/313688291 "The mantra that kept her going during the epic swim was 'Find a way. Find a way.' With those thoughts she accomplished what no other human being has ever done, an idea transformed into an inspiring act of skill and will. But also, the sea nymph had the protection of one unflappable guardian angel with a deep understanding of the fearsome box jellyfish," (255) 20mihaleks https://padlet.com/20mihaleks/Spineless/wish/315398882 This is talking about Diana Nyed, who swam from Cuba to Florida without stopping. By repeating Nyed's personal mantra, Berwald creates a sense of hope in readers. It also creates hope by repeating that nobody else had ever completed the journey. Also, by calling Nyed a "sea nymph" it shows her inhuman and godlike capabilities. Her "guardian angel" was the scientist who designed her jellyfish-proof suit. Again, being an angel, shows her inhuman abilities, similar to Nyed's. This ability was furthered by the fact that she had "deep understanding" of the jellyfish, which was very fearsome and dangerous. The use of the adjectives reiterates the knowledge Angel, the scientist, possessed about jellyfish, which are mystical in Berwald's eyes.]]> 2018-12-18 02:26:47 UTC https://padlet.com/20mihaleks/Spineless/wish/315398882 "The reef was tantalizingly close, but after half an hour, our whole family was back sitting on the beach." (268) 20mihaleks https://padlet.com/20mihaleks/Spineless/wish/315399623 Definition of tantalizing-
torment or tease (someone) with the sight or promise of something that is unobtainable.

Part of speech- adjective
Original sentence- The tantalizing canvas email that a test had been graded created anxiety in the students.

]]> 2018-12-18 02:33:19 UTC https://padlet.com/20mihaleks/Spineless/wish/315399623 "The concomitant loss of the billions of fish and invertebrates that make their homes on the coral is a heartbreaking side effect." (272) 20mihaleks https://padlet.com/20mihaleks/Spineless/wish/315400341 Definition of concomitant- naturally accompanying or associated.
Part of speech- adjective
Original sentence- Because of the concomitant cycles of water streams, fish and other marine animals migrate with them.]]> 2018-12-18 02:41:26 UTC https://padlet.com/20mihaleks/Spineless/wish/315400341 "In Spain, Italy, and France, a jellyfish is named for the misunderstood mythological Medusa. Similarly, Israel calls jellies meduzot. In Latin American, besides medusas, jellies are called malaguas or agua mala, meaning 'bad water'. Sometimes they are even called lagrimas de mar, which pulls at the heart with its meaning: 'tears of the sea'. More encouragingly, in Portuguese jellyfish are known as agua-viva, or 'living water'. I give the award for the most creative of the Romance-language names to aguacuajada, which means 'curdled water' in Spanish. I'm stuck with the image of a flipped-over cottage cheese container pulsing away." (299) 20mihaleks https://padlet.com/20mihaleks/Spineless/wish/315400984 Berwald is describing how jellyfish are named in various languages. These sentences are slightly longer than usual. This rhetorical shift reveals the importance of the message. The way jellyfish are names holds cultural importance, as well as importance for Berwald. Her in-depth knowledge of the names and meaning shows her deep care for jellyfish. Additionally, Berwald could have easily picked different languages, or failed to point out that they were romance languages. The impact of the names being from romance languages relates back to Berwald's love for jellyfish. The imagery at the end, as well, shows her deep thought into the names, and their significance with her. Despite it being a short interjection, saying she is "stuck" with the image shows the time she spent thinking about it, and jellyfish in general.]]> 2018-12-18 02:47:11 UTC https://padlet.com/20mihaleks/Spineless/wish/315400984 Pictures 20mihaleks https://padlet.com/20mihaleks/Spineless/wish/315728640 Jellyfish look cool, so here are some pictures of some interesting looking kinds. This is a day-glo jellyfish.]]> 2018-12-18 22:53:51 UTC https://padlet.com/20mihaleks/Spineless/wish/315728640 20mihaleks https://padlet.com/20mihaleks/Spineless/wish/315729327 I can only put one picture a post. Here's a picture of an ephyra jellyfish]]> 2018-12-18 22:59:35 UTC https://padlet.com/20mihaleks/Spineless/wish/315729327 20mihaleks https://padlet.com/20mihaleks/Spineless/wish/315729475 Here's a picture of a cyanea jellyfish.]]> 2018-12-18 23:00:45 UTC https://padlet.com/20mihaleks/Spineless/wish/315729475