B2 – Upper Intermediate
Aging is inevitable and everyone goes through it. Not everybody enjoys the aging process and some even hope they don’t age a day. Recently, in molecular biologist David Sinclair’s lab at Harvard Medical School, old mice are growing young again. Scientists have the goal of doing the same for humans.
Read this article to know more about the ‘Benjamin Button’ effect.
https://edition.cnn.com/2022/06/02/health/reverse-aging-life-itself-scn-wellness/index.html
Vocabulary Questions:
- What does “caveat” mean, “With that caveat, Sinclair is willing to share his tips: He keeps his starches and sugars to a minimum and gave up desserts at age 40 (although he does admit to stealing a taste on occasion).“? Use this word in a sentence.
- What does “ravage” mean, “It’s a permanent reset, as far as we can tell, and we think it may be a universal process that could be applied across the body to reset our age,” said Sinclair, who has spent the last 20 years studying ways to reverse the ravages of time.“? Use it in a sentence.
- What does “expunge” mean, “A study published in 2016 by researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, California, showed signs of aging could be expunged in genetically aged mice, exposed for a short time to four main Yamanaka factors, without erasing the cells’ identity.“? Use it in a sentence.
Discussion Questions:
- What is your reaction to this research? Do you support this kind of research? Why or why not?
- Do you think it’s possible to reverse the aging of humans without any complications? Share your thoughts.
- In your opinion, what do you think are the pros and cons of reverse aging?
- Would you like to be young again? Why or why not?