B2 – Upper Intermediate
A recent study found a simple blood test that can help identify a person’s risk of committing suicide. It is through examining levels of a particular chemical that gets expressed in a single human gene in elevated levels, in response to stress.
Read the article below to know more about a study on the mutation of gene SKA2.
Vocabulary Questions:
- Explain “epigenetic mutation“. “They also found that in certain subjects, this common mutation had undergone an epigenetic modification that altered the way the SKA2 gene functioned without changing the gene’s underlying DNA sequence.” Use it in a sentence.
- What does “precog” mean? “Not with the help of a “precog,” but by a simple blood test that examines levels of a particular chemical that gets expressed in a single human gene in elevated levels, in response to stress.” Use it in a sentence.
- What does “stymie” mean? “Suicide is a major preventable public health problem, but we have been stymied in our prevention efforts because we have no consistent way to predict those who are at increased risk of killing themselves.” Use it in a sentence.
Discussion Questions:
- Do you think this kind of test could be useful in your country? How so?
- How else can the results of this study be useful?
- What psychological disorders do you know of? Please briefly discuss them.
- Do you think more studies should focus on psychological disorders? Why or why not?