full transcript

From the Ted Talk by Steve Long: Can we hack photosynthesis to feed the world?

Unscramble the Blue Letters


(Applause)

So how do we now get from these irmptemonevs to seed which will give greater yields where it is most nedeed? And I'll just give you one ongoing example.

footnote

We've been working with TJ Higgins, a palnt bosocntihliegot from atrlsiaua, who's been wiknrog in Nigeria really for almost 20 years, dpinleevog insect-resistant cowpea. Cowpea is probably not what you think it is. Cowpea is actually a nitrogen-fixing crop related to soybean, and it produces, like soybean, a protein-rich seed. It is, in fact the most important vegetable protein source in West Africa, and it is often referred to as the “poor man’s meat.” A problem with cowpea is that a pod boring iensct can completely destroy a family's entire crop. So TJ's ... genetically mdoiefid cowpea that is insect-resistant is very powerful, and TJ and his colleagues work with gneortnevms in West acrifa to put in place regulatory frameworks for genetically modified crops. And now this insect-resistant cowpea is available to fmaerrs in Nigeria, where it's become very popular. This year, it was also released in Ghana. So what we are now doing with TJ is stacking our photosynthetic improvements on top of his insect resistance -- this is all royalty-free -- so that these farmers will have access to seed, which will produce a crop which is insect-resistant and delivers a higher yeild.

Open Cloze


(Applause)

So how do we now get from these ____________ to seed which will give greater yields where it is most ______? And I'll just give you one ongoing example.

footnote

We've been working with TJ Higgins, a _____ _______________ from _________, who's been _______ in Nigeria really for almost 20 years, __________ insect-resistant cowpea. Cowpea is probably not what you think it is. Cowpea is actually a nitrogen-fixing crop related to soybean, and it produces, like soybean, a protein-rich seed. It is, in fact the most important vegetable protein source in West Africa, and it is often referred to as the “poor man’s meat.” A problem with cowpea is that a pod boring ______ can completely destroy a family's entire crop. So TJ's ... genetically ________ cowpea that is insect-resistant is very powerful, and TJ and his colleagues work with ___________ in West ______ to put in place regulatory frameworks for genetically modified crops. And now this insect-resistant cowpea is available to _______ in Nigeria, where it's become very popular. This year, it was also released in Ghana. So what we are now doing with TJ is stacking our photosynthetic improvements on top of his insect resistance -- this is all royalty-free -- so that these farmers will have access to seed, which will produce a crop which is insect-resistant and delivers a higher _____.

Solution


  1. africa
  2. farmers
  3. improvements
  4. working
  5. developing
  6. governments
  7. insect
  8. needed
  9. australia
  10. modified
  11. yield
  12. biotechnologist
  13. plant

Original Text


(Applause)

So how do we now get from these improvements to seed which will give greater yields where it is most needed? And I'll just give you one ongoing example.

footnote

We've been working with TJ Higgins, a plant biotechnologist from Australia, who's been working in Nigeria really for almost 20 years, developing insect-resistant cowpea. Cowpea is probably not what you think it is. Cowpea is actually a nitrogen-fixing crop related to soybean, and it produces, like soybean, a protein-rich seed. It is, in fact the most important vegetable protein source in West Africa, and it is often referred to as the “poor man’s meat.” A problem with cowpea is that a pod boring insect can completely destroy a family's entire crop. So TJ's ... genetically modified cowpea that is insect-resistant is very powerful, and TJ and his colleagues work with governments in West Africa to put in place regulatory frameworks for genetically modified crops. And now this insect-resistant cowpea is available to farmers in Nigeria, where it's become very popular. This year, it was also released in Ghana. So what we are now doing with TJ is stacking our photosynthetic improvements on top of his insect resistance -- this is all royalty-free -- so that these farmers will have access to seed, which will produce a crop which is insect-resistant and delivers a higher yield.

Frequently Occurring Word Combinations


ngrams of length 2

collocation frequency
carbon dioxide 5
digital twin 4
remove carbon 3
genetically modified 3
higher yield 3
numerically integrate 2
extra copies 2
dioxide concentration 2
crop environments 2

ngrams of length 3

collocation frequency
remove carbon dioxide 3
carbon dioxide concentration 2

Important Words


  1. access
  2. africa
  3. applause
  4. australia
  5. biotechnologist
  6. boring
  7. colleagues
  8. completely
  9. cowpea
  10. crop
  11. crops
  12. delivers
  13. destroy
  14. developing
  15. entire
  16. fact
  17. farmers
  18. footnote
  19. frameworks
  20. genetically
  21. ghana
  22. give
  23. governments
  24. greater
  25. higgins
  26. higher
  27. important
  28. improvements
  29. insect
  30. meat
  31. modified
  32. needed
  33. nigeria
  34. ongoing
  35. photosynthetic
  36. place
  37. plant
  38. pod
  39. popular
  40. powerful
  41. problem
  42. produce
  43. produces
  44. protein
  45. put
  46. referred
  47. regulatory
  48. related
  49. released
  50. resistance
  51. seed
  52. source
  53. soybean
  54. stacking
  55. tj
  56. top
  57. vegetable
  58. west
  59. work
  60. working
  61. year
  62. years
  63. yield
  64. yields