Text b. Exercise and longevity.

Exercise 3. Before listening to the text remember what you know about autophagy and autophagosomes.

Exercise 4. Listen to the text (Script 43) and describe the corellation between life expectancy, starvation, exercise and autophagy.

Exercise 5. Listen to the text again and say if the following statements are true or false, correct the false ones:

1. Exercise causes severe negative consequences for health.

2. The term autophagy is derived from Greek “self-regeneration”.

3. The first experiment demonstrated that exercise increases the rate of autophagosomes in muscles.

4. Both groups of experimental mice demonstrated similar short- and long-term responses to exercise.

5. Autophagy emerged as a defense mechanism against infection in mammals.

6. Autophagy provides protection against a variety of severe disorders.

7. Autophagy is involved in the process of aging – by destroying cells it speeds up aging.

8. Near-starvation diets are associated with life extension.

9. Disposal of worn-out mitochondria through autophagy slows aging down.

10. Exercise is believed to increase longevity through boosted autophagy.

Text c. Rejuvenating bodily organs

Exercise 6. Discuss the questions:

1. What is regenerative medicine? What conditions can be treated using its methods?

2. What do you know about pluripotent stem cells? How are they obtained and used in regenerative medicine?

3. What advantages does regenerative medicine have compared with traditional methods like transplantation?

4. What functions do T-cells have in the human body?

5.What changes occur to the thymus and, consequently, to the immune system with age?

dilapidated – ветхий, обветшалый to nudge – подтолкнуть, навести на мысль to induce – побуждать, стимулировать thymus – зобная или вилочковая железа cosseted – избалованный, изнеженный

Exercise 7. Listen to the text (Script 44) to check your answers in exercise 6. How does the new method described in the text allow to regenerate a damaged organ?

Exercise 8. Listen to the text again. Put the stages of the experiment in the correct order, describe each stage in detail:

a. The animals’ thymuses increased in size.

b. The scientists studied the enlarged thymuses microscopically.

c. The scientists stimulated the animals’ thymuses.

d. The scientists bred a special strain of mice.

Text d. Forever young?

Exercise 9. Before listening to the text remember what you know about progeria and functioning of senescent cells.

to ameliorate – улучшить senescent – стареющий, дряхлеющий

Exercise 10. Listen to the text (Script 45) which describes a new way to counteract age-related decline. Does the experiment confirm or reject already established interpretations of how to slow the process of ageing?

Exercise 11. Listen to the text again and say if the following statements are true or false, correct the false ones:

1. Biologists have made a lot of progress in understanding ageing having detected particular versions of certain genes that can extend life span.

2. Ageing body cells – though quite healthy themselves - produce adverse effects on otherwise normal cells around them.

3. If ageing cells are selectively destroyed, these adverse effects are eliminated as well.

4. The Hayflick limit is a species-specific number of cell divisions which prevents a runaway cell line from reproducing indefinitely and ultimately determines the lifespan of the animal.

5. The P161NK4A molecule is part of the control mechanism that brings cell division to a halt when this limit is reached.

6. Hayflick-limited, or senescent, cells are disposed of as an animal ages.

7. Genetically-engineered progeric mice were given a gene encoding a protein which suppressed Pl61NK4A production in the presence of a particular drug.

8. Mice which were given the drug demonstrated far less age-related decline particularly in their hearts and blood vessels.

9. Consequently, since heart failure is the main cause of death in such mice, their life spans were also extended.

10. The drug produces the same beneficial effect independent of the time in life when it is administered.

11. The drug can reverse age-related decline and disorders if taken later in life.

12. Tissue analysis confirmed that cells producing P161NK4A were killed and eliminated in the genetically-modified mice.

13. Removing the Hayflick limit or suppressing production of the oxidative chemicals can have extremely beneficial anti-aging effect.

14. Eliminating senescent cells could be a way of providing a healthier and more robust old age.