By: David Robson
Published: The BBC
website; 18 September 2015, http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20150917-is-another-human-living-inside-you
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
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
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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