Text c. Tibetan genetics

Exercise 8. What do you know about the following:

a) the plateau of Tibet,

b) Neanderthals,

с) Denisovans.

hermit – отшельник sticky – вязкий, клейкий to clot – свертываться

Exercise 9. Listen to the text (Script 23) to check your answers in Exercise 8. What genetic feature accounts for Tibetan acclimatization to high altitude?

Exercise 10. Listen to the text again. Using information form the text answer the questions:

1. What facts suggest that ancient interbreeding of Homo sapiens with Neanderthals and Denisovans may have beneficial effect?

2. What modern ethnic groups contain Denisovan DNA?

3. How does EPAS-1 help to acclimatise to high altitude?

4. What is the downside of such acclimatization?

5. What genetic feature protects Tibetans from it?

6. Where did it come from? How quickly did it spread in Tibet?

7. What other ethnic groups contain the same version of EPAS-1? Why not?

Text d. Gene Therapy

Exercise 11. What do you know about gene therapy? Discuss the questions:

1. What is gene therapy? What is the difference between two main types of gene therapy - somatic gene therapy and germline gene therapy?

2. What currently used methods of gene therapy do you know?

3. What technological hurdles hinder the development of this field?

4. What ethical and legal issues are connected with gene therapy?

to contribute – вносить вклад to descend from – происходить от, вести свою родословную fragile-x syndrome – синдром Мартина-Белл, синдром ломкой х-хромосомы congenital – врожденный quirk – причуда, странность discrepancy – несоответствие, противоречие, расхождение tweak – поправка, небольшое изменение

Exercise 12. Listen to the text (Script 24) and describe a new method of gene therapy developed to deal with genetic disorders.

Exercise 13. Listen to the text again and explain what the following figures refer to in the text:

23 2 billion 37 20,000

¾ over half an eighth

Exercise 14. Put the stages of the experiment on mitochondrial transplantation in the correct order. Describe each stage in detail:

a) The zygotes can be transplanted into a woman's womb.

b) The zygotes developed.

c) The team collected eggs from the ovaries of women.

d) The eggs were fertilized.

e) The team either removed or transplanted nuclei.

Exercise 15. Using information form the text answer the questions:

1. What makes birth of a child from three genetic parents possible?

2. Why do genetic mitochondrial diseases generally affect brain and muscles?

3. What is the incidence rate for genetic disorders?

4. How did the team explain the unexpectedly high abnormality rate for the zygotes of mitochondrial transplants?

5. What ethical and legal issues may such technology raise if developed?