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.
According to the reading passage, several skeptics about bees' absence on Earth 200 million years ago are raised, which are all refuted by the professor in the listening with evidence.
First, while the passage argues that there are no actual bees' fossils discovered dated back then, the lecturer rebuts that it might be due to the lack of saving methods for fossils at that time. He mentions that in order to preserve fossils, trees that produce a stick liquid is needed. Thus, fossils might exist 200 million years ago but were lack of such trees to have them well preserved.
Secondly, the article contends that the lack of flowering plants might contribute to the absence of bees 200 million years ago as it has been determined that flowering plants did not exist on Earth until 125 million years ago. As opposed to this motion, the professor rebuts that bees back then might feed on non-flowering plants like ferns and pine trees, which later turned to rely on flowering plants and remained the habit until today.
Thirdly, the author of the passage claims that the fossilized chambers lack the caps with a spiral pattern as most of them do today. However, the professor states that despite the absence of such caps, the same chemical elements are found in the fossilized chambers as the modern ones. By examing the chemical composition of the old chamber, the same water-proof material used in modern bees also existed in those chambers.
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Comments
Essay evaluations by e-grader
Transition Words or Phrases used:
also, but, first, however, second, secondly, so, then, third, thirdly, thus, well, while
Attributes: Values AverageValues Percentages(Values/AverageValues)% => Comments
Performance on Part of Speech:
To be verbs : 8.0 10.4613686534 76% => OK
Auxiliary verbs: 4.0 5.04856512141 79% => OK
Conjunction : 3.0 7.30242825607 41% => More conjunction wanted.
Relative clauses : 12.0 12.0772626932 99% => OK
Pronoun: 17.0 22.412803532 76% => OK
Preposition: 34.0 30.3222958057 112% => OK
Nominalization: 5.0 5.01324503311 100% => OK
Performance on vocabulary words:
No of characters: 1200.0 1373.03311258 87% => OK
No of words: 246.0 270.72406181 91% => More content wanted.
Chars per words: 4.87804878049 5.08290768461 96% => OK
Fourth root words length: 3.96035189615 4.04702891845 98% => OK
Word Length SD: 2.3240801199 2.5805825403 90% => OK
Unique words: 137.0 145.348785872 94% => More unique words wanted.
Unique words percentage: 0.556910569106 0.540411800872 103% => OK
syllable_count: 359.1 419.366225166 86% => OK
avg_syllables_per_word: 1.5 1.55342163355 97% => OK
A sentence (or a clause, phrase) starts by:
Pronoun: 1.0 3.25607064018 31% => OK
Article: 7.0 8.23620309051 85% => OK
Subordination: 2.0 1.25165562914 160% => OK
Conjunction: 0.0 1.51434878587 0% => OK
Preposition: 2.0 2.5761589404 78% => OK
Performance on sentences:
How many sentences: 9.0 13.0662251656 69% => Need more sentences. Double check the format of sentences, make sure there is a space between two sentences, or have enough periods. And also check the lengths of sentences, maybe they are too long.
Sentence length: 27.0 21.2450331126 127% => The Avg. Sentence Length is relatively long.
Sentence length SD: 44.733780425 49.2860985944 91% => OK
Chars per sentence: 133.333333333 110.228320801 121% => OK
Words per sentence: 27.3333333333 21.698381199 126% => OK
Discourse Markers: 9.77777777778 7.06452816374 138% => OK
Paragraphs: 4.0 4.09492273731 98% => OK
Language errors: 0.0 4.19205298013 0% => OK
Sentences with positive sentiment : 2.0 4.33554083885 46% => More positive sentences wanted.
Sentences with negative sentiment : 4.0 4.45695364238 90% => OK
Sentences with neutral sentiment: 3.0 4.27373068433 70% => OK
What are sentences with positive/Negative/neutral sentiment?
Coherence and Cohesion:
Essay topic to essay body coherence: 0.32819537863 0.272083759551 121% => OK
Sentence topic coherence: 0.130374547934 0.0996497079465 131% => OK
Sentence topic coherence SD: 0.105138261838 0.0662205650399 159% => OK
Paragraph topic coherence: 0.184956231215 0.162205337803 114% => OK
Paragraph topic coherence SD: 0.0430826494941 0.0443174109184 97% => OK
Essay readability:
automated_readability_index: 15.2 13.3589403974 114% => OK
flesch_reading_ease: 52.53 53.8541721854 98% => OK
smog_index: 3.1 5.55761589404 56% => Smog_index is low.
flesch_kincaid_grade: 12.6 11.0289183223 114% => OK
coleman_liau_index: 11.32 12.2367328918 93% => OK
dale_chall_readability_score: 8.89 8.42419426049 106% => OK
difficult_words: 61.0 63.6247240618 96% => OK
linsear_write_formula: 13.0 10.7273730684 121% => OK
gunning_fog: 12.8 10.498013245 122% => OK
text_standard: 13.0 11.2008830022 116% => OK
What are above readability scores?
---------------------
Rates: 81.6666666667 out of 100
Scores by essay e-grader: 24.5 Out of 30
---------------------
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.
Transition Words or Phrases used:
also, but, first, however, second, secondly, so, then, third, thirdly, thus, well, while
Attributes: Values AverageValues Percentages(Values/AverageValues)% => Comments
Performance on Part of Speech:
To be verbs : 8.0 10.4613686534 76% => OK
Auxiliary verbs: 4.0 5.04856512141 79% => OK
Conjunction : 3.0 7.30242825607 41% => More conjunction wanted.
Relative clauses : 12.0 12.0772626932 99% => OK
Pronoun: 17.0 22.412803532 76% => OK
Preposition: 34.0 30.3222958057 112% => OK
Nominalization: 5.0 5.01324503311 100% => OK
Performance on vocabulary words:
No of characters: 1200.0 1373.03311258 87% => OK
No of words: 246.0 270.72406181 91% => More content wanted.
Chars per words: 4.87804878049 5.08290768461 96% => OK
Fourth root words length: 3.96035189615 4.04702891845 98% => OK
Word Length SD: 2.3240801199 2.5805825403 90% => OK
Unique words: 137.0 145.348785872 94% => More unique words wanted.
Unique words percentage: 0.556910569106 0.540411800872 103% => OK
syllable_count: 359.1 419.366225166 86% => OK
avg_syllables_per_word: 1.5 1.55342163355 97% => OK
A sentence (or a clause, phrase) starts by:
Pronoun: 1.0 3.25607064018 31% => OK
Article: 7.0 8.23620309051 85% => OK
Subordination: 2.0 1.25165562914 160% => OK
Conjunction: 0.0 1.51434878587 0% => OK
Preposition: 2.0 2.5761589404 78% => OK
Performance on sentences:
How many sentences: 9.0 13.0662251656 69% => Need more sentences. Double check the format of sentences, make sure there is a space between two sentences, or have enough periods. And also check the lengths of sentences, maybe they are too long.
Sentence length: 27.0 21.2450331126 127% => The Avg. Sentence Length is relatively long.
Sentence length SD: 44.733780425 49.2860985944 91% => OK
Chars per sentence: 133.333333333 110.228320801 121% => OK
Words per sentence: 27.3333333333 21.698381199 126% => OK
Discourse Markers: 9.77777777778 7.06452816374 138% => OK
Paragraphs: 4.0 4.09492273731 98% => OK
Language errors: 0.0 4.19205298013 0% => OK
Sentences with positive sentiment : 2.0 4.33554083885 46% => More positive sentences wanted.
Sentences with negative sentiment : 4.0 4.45695364238 90% => OK
Sentences with neutral sentiment: 3.0 4.27373068433 70% => OK
What are sentences with positive/Negative/neutral sentiment?
Coherence and Cohesion:
Essay topic to essay body coherence: 0.32819537863 0.272083759551 121% => OK
Sentence topic coherence: 0.130374547934 0.0996497079465 131% => OK
Sentence topic coherence SD: 0.105138261838 0.0662205650399 159% => OK
Paragraph topic coherence: 0.184956231215 0.162205337803 114% => OK
Paragraph topic coherence SD: 0.0430826494941 0.0443174109184 97% => OK
Essay readability:
automated_readability_index: 15.2 13.3589403974 114% => OK
flesch_reading_ease: 52.53 53.8541721854 98% => OK
smog_index: 3.1 5.55761589404 56% => Smog_index is low.
flesch_kincaid_grade: 12.6 11.0289183223 114% => OK
coleman_liau_index: 11.32 12.2367328918 93% => OK
dale_chall_readability_score: 8.89 8.42419426049 106% => OK
difficult_words: 61.0 63.6247240618 96% => OK
linsear_write_formula: 13.0 10.7273730684 121% => OK
gunning_fog: 12.8 10.498013245 122% => OK
text_standard: 13.0 11.2008830022 116% => OK
What are above readability scores?
---------------------
Rates: 81.6666666667 out of 100
Scores by essay e-grader: 24.5 Out of 30
---------------------
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.