full transcript

From the Ted Talk by Pamela Ronald: The case for engineering our food

Unscramble the Blue Letters


Now, I've given you a couple examples of how genetic engineering can be used to fight pests and disease and to reduce the amount of insecticides. My final example is an example where gtnieec engineering can be used to reduce malnutrition. In less developed cruietons, 500,000 children go blind every year because of lack of vtimain A. More than half will die. For this reason, stniitcses supported by the Rockefeller Foundation glteclneiay engineered a golden rice to produce beta-carotene, which is the precursor of Vitamin A. This is the same pigment that we find in carrots. Researchers estimate that just one cup of golden rice per day will save the lives of thdsuanos of children. But golden rice is virulently osepopd by activists who are against genetic mdioofcaiitn. Just last year, activists invaded and destroyed a field trial in the Philippines. When I heard about the ducsorettin, I wondered if they knew that they were drstnoieyg much more than a sicfineitc research project, that they were destroying medicines that children desperately needed to save their sgiht and their lives.

Open Cloze


Now, I've given you a couple examples of how genetic engineering can be used to fight pests and disease and to reduce the amount of insecticides. My final example is an example where _______ engineering can be used to reduce malnutrition. In less developed _________, 500,000 children go blind every year because of lack of _______ A. More than half will die. For this reason, __________ supported by the Rockefeller Foundation ___________ engineered a golden rice to produce beta-carotene, which is the precursor of Vitamin A. This is the same pigment that we find in carrots. Researchers estimate that just one cup of golden rice per day will save the lives of _________ of children. But golden rice is virulently _______ by activists who are against genetic ____________. Just last year, activists invaded and destroyed a field trial in the Philippines. When I heard about the ___________, I wondered if they knew that they were __________ much more than a __________ research project, that they were destroying medicines that children desperately needed to save their _____ and their lives.

Solution


  1. genetic
  2. thousands
  3. scientists
  4. countries
  5. opposed
  6. vitamin
  7. destruction
  8. scientific
  9. destroying
  10. modification
  11. genetically
  12. sight

Original Text


Now, I've given you a couple examples of how genetic engineering can be used to fight pests and disease and to reduce the amount of insecticides. My final example is an example where genetic engineering can be used to reduce malnutrition. In less developed countries, 500,000 children go blind every year because of lack of Vitamin A. More than half will die. For this reason, scientists supported by the Rockefeller Foundation genetically engineered a golden rice to produce beta-carotene, which is the precursor of Vitamin A. This is the same pigment that we find in carrots. Researchers estimate that just one cup of golden rice per day will save the lives of thousands of children. But golden rice is virulently opposed by activists who are against genetic modification. Just last year, activists invaded and destroyed a field trial in the Philippines. When I heard about the destruction, I wondered if they knew that they were destroying much more than a scientific research project, that they were destroying medicines that children desperately needed to save their sight and their lives.

Frequently Occurring Word Combinations


ngrams of length 2

collocation frequency
genetic modification 5
genetically engineered 5
genetic engineering 4
golden rice 4
rice variety 3
conventional variety 3
organic farmer 2
ancient ancestor 2
couple examples 2
rice varieties 2
rice farmers 2
genetic technique 2
plant genetics 2
rice genes 2
hawaiian papaya 2
field trial 2
engineered papaya 2
conventional papaya 2
insecticide sprays 2
rockefeller foundation 2
powerfully argued 2
unintended consequence 2
unintended consequences 2
commercial interest 2
distributed freely 2

ngrams of length 3

collocation frequency
genetically engineered papaya 2

Important Words


  1. activists
  2. amount
  3. blind
  4. carrots
  5. children
  6. countries
  7. couple
  8. cup
  9. day
  10. desperately
  11. destroyed
  12. destroying
  13. destruction
  14. developed
  15. die
  16. disease
  17. engineered
  18. engineering
  19. estimate
  20. examples
  21. field
  22. fight
  23. final
  24. find
  25. foundation
  26. genetic
  27. genetically
  28. golden
  29. heard
  30. insecticides
  31. invaded
  32. knew
  33. lack
  34. lives
  35. malnutrition
  36. medicines
  37. modification
  38. needed
  39. opposed
  40. pests
  41. philippines
  42. pigment
  43. precursor
  44. produce
  45. project
  46. reason
  47. reduce
  48. research
  49. researchers
  50. rice
  51. rockefeller
  52. save
  53. scientific
  54. scientists
  55. sight
  56. supported
  57. thousands
  58. trial
  59. virulently
  60. vitamin
  61. wondered
  62. year