full transcript
From the Ted Talk by Lara Durgavich: An evolutionary perspective on human health and disease
Unscramble the Blue Letters
In the case of neiadtnsgesehrs, some research suggests that one reason it's becoming more cmomon in some pnoipoaluts is that many people today, including most of us in this room, spend far more time reading, writing and eagginng with various types of screen than we do outside, interacting with the wrlod on a bigger scale. In evolutionary terms, this is a recent change. For most of human evolutionary history, people used their viison across a baedorr landscape, snendipg more time in activities like hunting and gathering. The increase in recent years in what's termed "near work," focusing intensely on objects directly in front of us for long periods of time, strains our eyes dffterlieny and affects the physical shpae of the eye. When we put all these pieces together, this ultimate explanation for nearsightedness — that environmental and behavioral change impact the way we use our eyes — helps us better understand the proximate cause. And an inescapable conclusion emerges — my mother was right, I probably should have spnet a little less time with my nose in a book.
Open Cloze
In the case of _______________, some research suggests that one reason it's becoming more ______ in some ___________ is that many people today, including most of us in this room, spend far more time reading, writing and ________ with various types of screen than we do outside, interacting with the _____ on a bigger scale. In evolutionary terms, this is a recent change. For most of human evolutionary history, people used their ______ across a _______ landscape, ________ more time in activities like hunting and gathering. The increase in recent years in what's termed "near work," focusing intensely on objects directly in front of us for long periods of time, strains our eyes ___________ and affects the physical _____ of the eye. When we put all these pieces together, this ultimate explanation for nearsightedness — that environmental and behavioral change impact the way we use our eyes — helps us better understand the proximate cause. And an inescapable conclusion emerges — my mother was right, I probably should have _____ a little less time with my nose in a book.
Solution
- populations
- differently
- broader
- common
- nearsightedness
- vision
- spent
- shape
- spending
- world
- engaging
Original Text
In the case of nearsightedness, some research suggests that one reason it's becoming more common in some populations is that many people today, including most of us in this room, spend far more time reading, writing and engaging with various types of screen than we do outside, interacting with the world on a bigger scale. In evolutionary terms, this is a recent change. For most of human evolutionary history, people used their vision across a broader landscape, spending more time in activities like hunting and gathering. The increase in recent years in what's termed "near work," focusing intensely on objects directly in front of us for long periods of time, strains our eyes differently and affects the physical shape of the eye. When we put all these pieces together, this ultimate explanation for nearsightedness — that environmental and behavioral change impact the way we use our eyes — helps us better understand the proximate cause. And an inescapable conclusion emerges — my mother was right, I probably should have spent a little less time with my nose in a book.
Frequently Occurring Word Combinations
ngrams of length 2
collocation |
frequency |
natural selection |
6 |
evolutionary medicine |
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sickle cell |
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eastern european |
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ashkenazi population |
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problems today |
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ashkenazi jews |
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blood cells |
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human health |
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proximate explanations |
2 |
ultimate perspective |
2 |
ngrams of length 3
collocation |
frequency |
sickle cell anemia |
4 |
unusually high rate |
2 |
red blood cells |
2 |
Important Words
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