Tuesday, February 16, 2016

IS ANOTHER HUMAN LIVING INSIDE YOU?


By: David Robson
Level of Difficulty: **
 READ AND MAKE NOTES
·         This man failed a paternity test due to his vanished twin’s DNA http://bigboxofaction.com/science/this-man-failed-a-paternity-test-due-to-his-vanished-twins-dna/  
·         If you don’t know how to make notes, check the following presentations:
LISTEN TO THE PODCAST AND READ
·         Is another human living inside you? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbjDTP4cVSs  
NOW ANSWER THE QUESTIONS
1.       The story of the origin of a human described in the beginning of the text is naïve / simplistic / uninformed / unscientific / misleading / superficial / incomplete. Circle the wrong answer.
2.       Humans are “a mosaic of viruses, bacteria and potentially other humans so we can conclude that humans are…………………
3.       What does “That” in the sentence “That may sound alarming” refer to?
4.       Why is Kramer concerned? Use your own words and be brief.
5.       The passing of cells from one individual to another makes the latter a/an …………………
6.       Who is responsible for the second blood group in the case of some twins?
7.       Should Lydia be considered the mother of all her children or not? Open ended
8.       Why would a chimera brain face more problems than a non-chimera brain?
9.       Why do people who have no twins sometimes also become chimeras?
10.   How, for example, can a grown woman become a chimera later in life? By absorbing…………………………………………..
11.   Why should researchers conducting twin studies be careful?
12.   Which of the following sentences would you place in the conclusion to the text?
·         No one is really an individual anymore
·         We are mostly impure to say the least
·         The term individual should be redefined
·         Chimeras make our existence colorful
      WRITING TASK
     Write a response or reaction essay. If you don't remember how to write such essays check out the examples on the blog
IS ANOTHER HUMAN LIVING INSIDE YOU? KEY AND TEACHERS’ NOTES
This fascinating text describes the real story of where we come from and as such comes up with surprises about our biological make up. The note making exercise at the beginning is very important as it introduces students to an alternative way of exploiting a reading text if there are no questions. The podcast is rather mechanical but after much deliberation I chose to include it; however, you can do as you wish.
1.       Incomplete
2.       Superorganisms
3.       The fact that a very large number of human and non-human individuals which are incessantly struggling inside us for control may influence our behavior
4.       Possible answer: microbes in your gut can have serious disadvantages and even cause death
5.       Chimera
6.       The twin who has been absorbed
7.       Yes, she gave birth to them; No, two of them carry the DNA of the twin she absorbed; she should be considered the surrogate mother of those two.
8.       Because the foreign tissue being directed by different genes carrying a different blueprint, may throw the intricate design of the brain into disarray.
9.       Because the individual started out as two fetuses but the twins merged during early development.
10.   By absorbing stem cells from her own son
11.   Because even non-identical twins may have sapped brain tissue.
12.   The term individual should be redefined




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