Did bees (a type of insect) exist on Earth as early as 200 million years ago? Such a theory is supported by the discovery of very old fossil structures that resemble bee nests. The structures have been found inside 200- million-year-old fossilized trees in the state of Arizona in the southwestern United States. However, many skeptics doubt that the structures were created by bees. The skeptics support their view with several arguments.
No Fossils of Actual Bees
First, no fossil remains of actual bees have ever been found that date to 200 million years ago. The earliest preserved body of a bee is 100 million years old—only half as old as the fossilized structures discovered in Arizona.
Absence of Flowering Plants
A second reason to doubt that bees existed 200 million years ago is the absence of flowering plants in that period. Today's bees feed almost exclusively on the flowers of flowering plants; in fact, bees and flowering plants have evolved a close, mutually dependent biological relationship. Flowering plants, however, first appeared on Earth 125 million years ago. Given the bees’ close association with flowering plants, it is unlikely bees could have existed before that time.
Structures Lack Some Details
Third, while the fossilized structures found in Arizona are somewhat similar to nest chambers made by modern bees, they lack some of the finer details of bees’ nests. For example, chambers of modern bee nests are closed by caps that have a spiral pattern, but the fossilized chambers lack such caps. That suggests the fossilized structures were made by other insects, such as wood-boring beetles.
Recently, there has been a ton of debate on the existence of bees 200 million years ago. More specifically, in regard to the passage, the writer puts forth different evidences that argue this possibility. In the listening on the other hand, the lecturer is quick to point out that there are some serious flaws in the writer's claims and addresses, in detail, the trouble with each point made in the reading text.
First, the author of the article states since the earliest preserved body of a bee is found 100 million years ago, it is not possible that bees existed 200 million years ago. Some experts, however, stand in the firm opposition to this claim. In the listening, for instance, the professor states maybe bees existed but their fossils could not be preserved well. She goes on to say that the lack of a special tree resin that could preserve the fossils is the reason for absence of bee's remaining.
Furthermore, one group of scholars, represented by the writer, thinks that relationship between existence of bees and flowering plants is not negligble and that's why it is not possible for bees to exist much earlier than the flowers. Of course though, not all experts in the same field believe this is accurate. Again, the speaker specifically addresses this point when she points out that maybe the reliance between bees and flowers in an evolutionary dependency and earlier bees may have lived around other plants such as pine trees.
Finally, the author brings his argument to a close by suggesting that due to the shape difference of finded nests with modern bee nests, it is probable that the fossilized structure found in Arizona were made by other insects. Not surprisingly, the lecturer, takes issue with this claim by contending that new chemical facts show material similarities between modern nests with those that found in Arizona.
To sum up, both the essayist and the professor hold conflicting views about the evidences which argue the possibility of existence of bees 200 million years ago.
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| 2023-09-07 | YasamanEsml | 88 | view |
| 2023-08-04 | sahel | 76 | view |
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Grammar and spelling errors:
Line 5, column 157, Rule ID: EN_CONTRACTION_SPELLING
Message: Possible spelling mistake found
Suggestion: that's
...d flowering plants is not negligble and thats why it is not possible for bees to exis...
^^^^^
Transition Words or Phrases used:
but, finally, first, furthermore, however, if, may, so, well, for instance, of course, such as, in regard to, to sum up, on the other hand
Attributes: Values AverageValues Percentages(Values/AverageValues)% => Comments
Performance on Part of Speech:
To be verbs : 12.0 10.4613686534 115% => OK
Auxiliary verbs: 3.0 5.04856512141 59% => OK
Conjunction : 7.0 7.30242825607 96% => OK
Relative clauses : 13.0 12.0772626932 108% => OK
Pronoun: 24.0 22.412803532 107% => OK
Preposition: 50.0 30.3222958057 165% => OK
Nominalization: 9.0 5.01324503311 180% => OK
Performance on vocabulary words:
No of characters: 1687.0 1373.03311258 123% => OK
No of words: 341.0 270.72406181 126% => OK
Chars per words: 4.94721407625 5.08290768461 97% => OK
Fourth root words length: 4.29722995808 4.04702891845 106% => OK
Word Length SD: 2.56219410344 2.5805825403 99% => OK
Unique words: 188.0 145.348785872 129% => OK
Unique words percentage: 0.551319648094 0.540411800872 102% => OK
syllable_count: 503.1 419.366225166 120% => OK
avg_syllables_per_word: 1.5 1.55342163355 97% => OK
A sentence (or a clause, phrase) starts by:
Pronoun: 3.0 3.25607064018 92% => OK
Article: 8.0 8.23620309051 97% => OK
Subordination: 0.0 1.25165562914 0% => More adverbial clause wanted.
Conjunction: 0.0 1.51434878587 0% => OK
Preposition: 6.0 2.5761589404 233% => Less preposition wanted as sentence beginnings.
Performance on sentences:
How many sentences: 13.0 13.0662251656 99% => OK
Sentence length: 26.0 21.2450331126 122% => The Avg. Sentence Length is relatively long.
Sentence length SD: 56.3302813034 49.2860985944 114% => OK
Chars per sentence: 129.769230769 110.228320801 118% => OK
Words per sentence: 26.2307692308 21.698381199 121% => OK
Discourse Markers: 10.6153846154 7.06452816374 150% => OK
Paragraphs: 5.0 4.09492273731 122% => OK
Language errors: 1.0 4.19205298013 24% => OK
Sentences with positive sentiment : 3.0 4.33554083885 69% => OK
Sentences with negative sentiment : 4.0 4.45695364238 90% => OK
Sentences with neutral sentiment: 6.0 4.27373068433 140% => OK
What are sentences with positive/Negative/neutral sentiment?
Coherence and Cohesion:
Essay topic to essay body coherence: 0.312137064795 0.272083759551 115% => OK
Sentence topic coherence: 0.111786046056 0.0996497079465 112% => OK
Sentence topic coherence SD: 0.11631788655 0.0662205650399 176% => OK
Paragraph topic coherence: 0.167147930838 0.162205337803 103% => OK
Paragraph topic coherence SD: 0.0670110471379 0.0443174109184 151% => OK
Essay readability:
automated_readability_index: 15.0 13.3589403974 112% => OK
flesch_reading_ease: 53.55 53.8541721854 99% => OK
smog_index: 8.8 5.55761589404 158% => OK
flesch_kincaid_grade: 12.3 11.0289183223 112% => OK
coleman_liau_index: 11.73 12.2367328918 96% => OK
dale_chall_readability_score: 8.4 8.42419426049 100% => OK
difficult_words: 75.0 63.6247240618 118% => OK
linsear_write_formula: 13.5 10.7273730684 126% => OK
gunning_fog: 12.4 10.498013245 118% => OK
text_standard: 12.0 11.2008830022 107% => OK
What are above readability scores?
---------------------
Write the essay in 20 minutes.
Rates: 80.0 out of 100
Scores by essay e-grader: 24.0 Out of 30
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Note: the e-grader does NOT examine the meaning of words and ideas. VIP users will receive further evaluations by advanced module of e-grader and human graders.