TPO13 integrated writing task

The reading passage presents the reasons why the business of fossils has negative consequences for both the science community and the general public. The lecturer, however, characterizes these arguments "exaggerated" and offers alternative explanations.

First, it is believed by the author that the public's interest in fossils will decrease as they are sold private collectors. On the contrary, the speaker holds the opposite opinion, that the public can gain more exposure to fossilized remains. This is because there are a myriad of fossils being sold in the market, which enables low-level institutions, such as schools and libraries, to buy and display them for the public.

Second, while the article states the sale of fossils will prevent scientists from having access to important evidence, the professor claims this point of view is unrealistic. He correctly notes that in order to be valued in the market, fossilized remains have to go through examinations conducted by scientists and experts. Therefore, the scientist community won't miss out on any discoveries about extinct life forms.

Third, according to the reading passage, untrained commercial fossil collectors may cause damage to the fossil field. The lecturer rebuts this argument when he points out the fact that there are not many fossil collecting operations conducted by universities and scientific institutions either. Moreover, it would be better to discover as many fossils as possible, irrespective of organizations, rather than have them buried under the ground forever.