full transcript

From the Ted Talk by Arinjay Banerjee: Why bats don't get sick

Unscramble the Blue Letters


Even more impressive, bats are able to host these viruses for decades without any negative htlaeh consequences. According to a 2013 sudty, bats have evolved efficient repair genes to curtcnoeat the frequent DNA damage they sustain. These repair genes may also contribute to their long lives. Animal chromosomes end with a DNA sequence called a telomere. These sequences shorten over time in a psrceos that many believe contributes to cell agnig. But bat telomeres shorten much more slowly than their mamamlian cousins— gnaitrng them lifespans as long as 41 years.

Of course, bats aren’t totally invincible to disease, whether caused by bacteria, uiaiafnlmr viruses, or even fungi. Bat populations have been ravaged by a fungal infection called white-nose syndrome, which can fltalay disrupt hibernation and deteriorate wing tisuse. These conditions prevent bats from performing critical roles in their emctsseyos, like hlenipg with pollination and seed dispersal, and consuming pests and insects.

Open Cloze


Even more impressive, bats are able to host these viruses for decades without any negative ______ consequences. According to a 2013 _____, bats have evolved efficient repair genes to __________ the frequent DNA damage they sustain. These repair genes may also contribute to their long lives. Animal chromosomes end with a DNA sequence called a telomere. These sequences shorten over time in a _______ that many believe contributes to cell _____. But bat telomeres shorten much more slowly than their _________ cousins— ________ them lifespans as long as 41 years.

Of course, bats aren’t totally invincible to disease, whether caused by bacteria, __________ viruses, or even fungi. Bat populations have been ravaged by a fungal infection called white-nose syndrome, which can _______ disrupt hibernation and deteriorate wing ______. These conditions prevent bats from performing critical roles in their __________, like _______ with pollination and seed dispersal, and consuming pests and insects.

Solution


  1. ecosystems
  2. health
  3. mammalian
  4. aging
  5. study
  6. process
  7. counteract
  8. fatally
  9. helping
  10. tissue
  11. unfamiliar
  12. granting

Original Text


Even more impressive, bats are able to host these viruses for decades without any negative health consequences. According to a 2013 study, bats have evolved efficient repair genes to counteract the frequent DNA damage they sustain. These repair genes may also contribute to their long lives. Animal chromosomes end with a DNA sequence called a telomere. These sequences shorten over time in a process that many believe contributes to cell aging. But bat telomeres shorten much more slowly than their mammalian cousins— granting them lifespans as long as 41 years.

Of course, bats aren’t totally invincible to disease, whether caused by bacteria, unfamiliar viruses, or even fungi. Bat populations have been ravaged by a fungal infection called white-nose syndrome, which can fatally disrupt hibernation and deteriorate wing tissue. These conditions prevent bats from performing critical roles in their ecosystems, like helping with pollination and seed dispersal, and consuming pests and insects.

Frequently Occurring Word Combinations


ngrams of length 2

collocation frequency
immune system 4
immune response 2
inflammatory molecules 2
foreign invader 2
repair genes 2


Important Words


  1. aging
  2. animal
  3. bacteria
  4. bat
  5. bats
  6. called
  7. caused
  8. cell
  9. chromosomes
  10. conditions
  11. consequences
  12. consuming
  13. contribute
  14. contributes
  15. counteract
  16. critical
  17. damage
  18. decades
  19. deteriorate
  20. disease
  21. dispersal
  22. disrupt
  23. dna
  24. ecosystems
  25. efficient
  26. evolved
  27. fatally
  28. frequent
  29. fungal
  30. fungi
  31. genes
  32. granting
  33. health
  34. helping
  35. hibernation
  36. host
  37. impressive
  38. infection
  39. insects
  40. invincible
  41. lifespans
  42. lives
  43. long
  44. mammalian
  45. negative
  46. performing
  47. pests
  48. pollination
  49. populations
  50. prevent
  51. process
  52. ravaged
  53. repair
  54. roles
  55. seed
  56. sequence
  57. sequences
  58. shorten
  59. slowly
  60. study
  61. sustain
  62. syndrome
  63. telomere
  64. telomeres
  65. time
  66. tissue
  67. totally
  68. unfamiliar
  69. viruses
  70. wing
  71. years