TedTest

From the Ted Talk by Sarthak Sinha: Why do some people go bald?

Unscramble the Blue Letters

What do cahrles Darwin, mhiceal Jordan, and Yoda have in common? They, like many other hcratsioil and fictive individuals, are bald, in some cases by their own choice. For centuries, a shining dome has been a symbol of intelnligcee, but despite this, many balding people still wish their hair would return. Scientists have long pondered, "Why do some people lose their hair, and how can we bring it back?" The full-headed among us have about 100,000 to 150,000 hairs on our scplas, and scientists have discovered two things about this dense thicket. Firstly, the sprouting hair we see is mostly made up of keratin, the protein leftover from dead clels that are forced upwards as new cells grow bneaeth them. Secondly, the suruecrtts that drive hair growth are called hair follicles, a nwrteok of complex organs that fmros before we're born, and grows hair in an everlasting cclye. This cycle has three main phases. The first is anagen, the growth phase, which up to 90% of your hair follicles are experiencing right now, causing them to push up hair at a rate of one centimeter per month. Anagen can last for two to seven years, depending on your genes. After this productive period, signals within the skin iscuntrt some follicles to enter a new phase known as catagen, or the regressing stage, causing hair follicles to shrink to a fraction of their original length. Catagen lasts for about two to three weeks and cuts blood supply to the follicle, creating a club hair, mnaieng it's ready to be shed. Finally, hairs enter telogen, the resting phase, which lasts for ten to tlwvee weeks, and aectffs about 5-15% of your slcap follicles. During telogen, up to 200 club hiars can be shed in a day, which is quite normal. Then, the growth cycle begins anew. But not all hdeas are hairy, and, in fact, some of them grow increasingly patchy over time in response to bodily changes. 95% of baldness in men can be attributed to male pattern baldness. Baldness is inherited, and in people with this condition, follicles become incredibly sensitive to the effects of dihydrotestosterone, a hormonal pducrot made from testosterone. DHT causes shrinkage in these overly sensitive feollclis, making hair shorter and wispier. But loss isn't sudden. It happens gadulrlay, along a metric known as the Norwood Scale, which describes the severity of hair loss. First, hair recedes along the temples, then hair on the crown begnis to thin in a circular ptrtaen. At the highest rtinag on the sacle, these balding areas meet and expand dtcalmairlay, eventually leaving only a ring of sparse hair around the temples and the back of the head. giceents isn't all that drives hair loss. Long periods of stress can release signals that shock follicles and force them into the resting phase putreramley. Some women experience this after cdhbrliith. Follicles might also lose the atbliiy to go into aegnan, the growth phase. pelpoe going through chemotherapy ttemenart tiraormeply experience this. But while bladnig may look permanent, scientific iivatositnegn has revealed the opposite. Below the skin's surface, the roots that give rise to our hair actually remain alive. Using this knowledge, scientists have doelpveed drugs that srheton the resting phase, and force follicles into anagen. Other drugs combat male pattern benaslds by blocking the conversion of testosterone to DHT so that it doesn't affect those sensitive follicles. Stem cells also play a role in regulating the growth cycle, and so scientists are investigating whether they can manipulate the activity of these cells to encourage follicles to start punrciodg hair again. And in the meantime, while scientists hone their hair-reviving methods, anyone going bald, or considering baldness, can remember that they're in great conpamy.

Open Cloze

What do _______ Darwin, _______ Jordan, and Yoda have in common? They, like many other __________ and fictive individuals, are bald, in some cases by their own choice. For centuries, a shining dome has been a symbol of ____________, but despite this, many balding people still wish their hair would return. Scientists have long pondered, "Why do some people lose their hair, and how can we bring it back?" The full-headed among us have about 100,000 to 150,000 hairs on our ______, and scientists have discovered two things about this dense thicket. Firstly, the sprouting hair we see is mostly made up of keratin, the protein leftover from dead _____ that are forced upwards as new cells grow _______ them. Secondly, the __________ that drive hair growth are called hair follicles, a _______ of complex organs that _____ before we're born, and grows hair in an everlasting _____. This cycle has three main phases. The first is anagen, the growth phase, which up to 90% of your hair follicles are experiencing right now, causing them to push up hair at a rate of one centimeter per month. Anagen can last for two to seven years, depending on your genes. After this productive period, signals within the skin ________ some follicles to enter a new phase known as catagen, or the regressing stage, causing hair follicles to shrink to a fraction of their original length. Catagen lasts for about two to three weeks and cuts blood supply to the follicle, creating a club hair, _______ it's ready to be shed. Finally, hairs enter telogen, the resting phase, which lasts for ten to ______ weeks, and _______ about 5-15% of your _____ follicles. During telogen, up to 200 club _____ can be shed in a day, which is quite normal. Then, the growth cycle begins anew. But not all _____ are hairy, and, in fact, some of them grow increasingly patchy over time in response to bodily changes. 95% of baldness in men can be attributed to male pattern baldness. Baldness is inherited, and in people with this condition, follicles become incredibly sensitive to the effects of dihydrotestosterone, a hormonal _______ made from testosterone. DHT causes shrinkage in these overly sensitive _________, making hair shorter and wispier. But loss isn't sudden. It happens _________, along a metric known as the Norwood Scale, which describes the severity of hair loss. First, hair recedes along the temples, then hair on the crown ______ to thin in a circular _______. At the highest ______ on the _____, these balding areas meet and expand ____________, eventually leaving only a ring of sparse hair around the temples and the back of the head. ________ isn't all that drives hair loss. Long periods of stress can release signals that shock follicles and force them into the resting phase ___________. Some women experience this after __________. Follicles might also lose the _______ to go into ______, the growth phase. ______ going through chemotherapy _________ ___________ experience this. But while _______ may look permanent, scientific _____________ has revealed the opposite. Below the skin's surface, the roots that give rise to our hair actually remain alive. Using this knowledge, scientists have _________ drugs that _______ the resting phase, and force follicles into anagen. Other drugs combat male pattern ________ by blocking the conversion of testosterone to DHT so that it doesn't affect those sensitive follicles. Stem cells also play a role in regulating the growth cycle, and so scientists are investigating whether they can manipulate the activity of these cells to encourage follicles to start _________ hair again. And in the meantime, while scientists hone their hair-reviving methods, anyone going bald, or considering baldness, can remember that they're in great _______.

Solution

developed
temporarily
people
charles
prematurely
rating
investigation
ability
hairs
dramatically
michael
genetics
structures
cycle
network
scalp
treatment
shorten
cells
company
beneath
heads
follicles
historical
balding
intelligence
pattern
product
producing
meaning
scale
anagen
gradually
childbirth
affects
baldness
forms
scalps
twelve
begins
instruct

Original Text

What do Charles Darwin, Michael Jordan, and Yoda have in common? They, like many other historical and fictive individuals, are bald, in some cases by their own choice. For centuries, a shining dome has been a symbol of intelligence, but despite this, many balding people still wish their hair would return. Scientists have long pondered, "Why do some people lose their hair, and how can we bring it back?" The full-headed among us have about 100,000 to 150,000 hairs on our scalps, and scientists have discovered two things about this dense thicket. Firstly, the sprouting hair we see is mostly made up of keratin, the protein leftover from dead cells that are forced upwards as new cells grow beneath them. Secondly, the structures that drive hair growth are called hair follicles, a network of complex organs that forms before we're born, and grows hair in an everlasting cycle. This cycle has three main phases. The first is anagen, the growth phase, which up to 90% of your hair follicles are experiencing right now, causing them to push up hair at a rate of one centimeter per month. Anagen can last for two to seven years, depending on your genes. After this productive period, signals within the skin instruct some follicles to enter a new phase known as catagen, or the regressing stage, causing hair follicles to shrink to a fraction of their original length. Catagen lasts for about two to three weeks and cuts blood supply to the follicle, creating a club hair, meaning it's ready to be shed. Finally, hairs enter telogen, the resting phase, which lasts for ten to twelve weeks, and affects about 5-15% of your scalp follicles. During telogen, up to 200 club hairs can be shed in a day, which is quite normal. Then, the growth cycle begins anew. But not all heads are hairy, and, in fact, some of them grow increasingly patchy over time in response to bodily changes. 95% of baldness in men can be attributed to male pattern baldness. Baldness is inherited, and in people with this condition, follicles become incredibly sensitive to the effects of dihydrotestosterone, a hormonal product made from testosterone. DHT causes shrinkage in these overly sensitive follicles, making hair shorter and wispier. But loss isn't sudden. It happens gradually, along a metric known as the Norwood Scale, which describes the severity of hair loss. First, hair recedes along the temples, then hair on the crown begins to thin in a circular pattern. At the highest rating on the scale, these balding areas meet and expand dramatically, eventually leaving only a ring of sparse hair around the temples and the back of the head. Genetics isn't all that drives hair loss. Long periods of stress can release signals that shock follicles and force them into the resting phase prematurely. Some women experience this after childbirth. Follicles might also lose the ability to go into anagen, the growth phase. People going through chemotherapy treatment temporarily experience this. But while balding may look permanent, scientific investigation has revealed the opposite. Below the skin's surface, the roots that give rise to our hair actually remain alive. Using this knowledge, scientists have developed drugs that shorten the resting phase, and force follicles into anagen. Other drugs combat male pattern baldness by blocking the conversion of testosterone to DHT so that it doesn't affect those sensitive follicles. Stem cells also play a role in regulating the growth cycle, and so scientists are investigating whether they can manipulate the activity of these cells to encourage follicles to start producing hair again. And in the meantime, while scientists hone their hair-reviving methods, anyone going bald, or considering baldness, can remember that they're in great company.

Frequently Occurring Word Combinations

ngrams of length 2

collocation	frequency
hair follicles	2
male pattern	2
pattern baldness	2
hair loss	2

ngrams of length 3

collocation	frequency
male pattern baldness	2

Important Words

ability
activity
affect
affects
alive
anagen
anew
areas
attributed
bald
balding
baldness
begins
beneath
blocking
blood
bodily
born
bring
called
cases
catagen
causing
cells
centimeter
centuries
charles
chemotherapy
childbirth
choice
circular
club
combat
common
company
complex
condition
conversion
creating
crown
cuts
cycle
darwin
day
dead
dense
depending
describes
developed
dht
dihydrotestosterone
discovered
dome
dramatically
drive
drives
drugs
effects
encourage
enter
eventually
everlasting
expand
experience
experiencing
fact
fictive
finally
firstly
follicle
follicles
force
forced
forms
fraction
genes
genetics
give
gradually
great
grow
grows
growth
hair
hairs
hairy
head
heads
highest
historical
hone
hormonal
increasingly
incredibly
individuals
inherited
instruct
intelligence
investigating
investigation
jordan
keratin
knowledge
lasts
leaving
leftover
length
long
lose
loss
main
making
male
manipulate
meaning
meet
men
methods
metric
michael
month
network
normal
norwood
organs
original
overly
patchy
pattern
people
period
periods
permanent
phase
phases
play
pondered
prematurely
producing
product
productive
protein
push
rate
rating
ready
recedes
regressing
regulating
release
remain
remember
response
resting
return
revealed
ring
rise
role
roots
scale
scalp
scalps
scientific
scientists
sensitive
severity
shed
shining
shock
shorten
shorter
shrink
shrinkage
signals
skin
sparse
sprouting
stage
start
stem
stress
structures
sudden
supply
surface
symbol
telogen
temples
temporarily
ten
testosterone
thicket
thin
time
treatment
twelve
weeks
wispier
women
years
yoda