full transcript

From the Ted Talk by Shannon Odell: Why are scientists shooting mushrooms into space?

Unscramble the Blue Letters


Once outside the Earth's prictevtoe magnetic field, most living things need serious protection to survive the DNA-damaging cosmic radiation in space. But that's not the case for some fungi. Many siepecs produce a unique form of maelnin, a pigment that safely absorbs high levels of radiation and, in some cases, uses this energy to fuel gotwrh. Even if daouenrgs levels of radiation make it past this homegrown armor to damage DNA, many fungi have robust raeipr systems that spring into action, cutting out and restoring dceeivfte sequences. And radiation isn't the only cosmic element fungi can withstand. Their hrady spores sport thick cell walls that allow them to survive extreme tueptmreeras.

Open Cloze


Once outside the Earth's __________ magnetic field, most living things need serious protection to survive the DNA-damaging cosmic radiation in space. But that's not the case for some fungi. Many _______ produce a unique form of _______, a pigment that safely absorbs high levels of radiation and, in some cases, uses this energy to fuel ______. Even if _________ levels of radiation make it past this homegrown armor to damage DNA, many fungi have robust ______ systems that spring into action, cutting out and restoring _________ sequences. And radiation isn't the only cosmic element fungi can withstand. Their _____ spores sport thick cell walls that allow them to survive extreme ____________.

Solution


  1. repair
  2. species
  3. melanin
  4. temperatures
  5. growth
  6. protective
  7. dangerous
  8. hardy
  9. defective

Original Text


Once outside the Earth's protective magnetic field, most living things need serious protection to survive the DNA-damaging cosmic radiation in space. But that's not the case for some fungi. Many species produce a unique form of melanin, a pigment that safely absorbs high levels of radiation and, in some cases, uses this energy to fuel growth. Even if dangerous levels of radiation make it past this homegrown armor to damage DNA, many fungi have robust repair systems that spring into action, cutting out and restoring defective sequences. And radiation isn't the only cosmic element fungi can withstand. Their hardy spores sport thick cell walls that allow them to survive extreme temperatures.

Frequently Occurring Word Combinations




Important Words


  1. absorbs
  2. action
  3. armor
  4. case
  5. cases
  6. cell
  7. cosmic
  8. cutting
  9. damage
  10. dangerous
  11. defective
  12. dna
  13. element
  14. energy
  15. extreme
  16. field
  17. form
  18. fuel
  19. fungi
  20. growth
  21. hardy
  22. high
  23. homegrown
  24. levels
  25. living
  26. magnetic
  27. melanin
  28. pigment
  29. produce
  30. protection
  31. protective
  32. radiation
  33. repair
  34. restoring
  35. robust
  36. safely
  37. sequences
  38. space
  39. species
  40. spores
  41. sport
  42. spring
  43. survive
  44. systems
  45. temperatures
  46. thick
  47. unique
  48. walls
  49. withstand