full transcript

From the Ted Talk by Dimitar Sasselov: How we found hundreds of potential Earth-like planets

Unscramble the Blue Letters

So in space, the Earth is very samll. Can you imagine how small it is? Let me try it. Okay, let's say this is the size of the observable universe, with all the galaxies, with all the stars, okay, from here to here. Do you know what the size of life in this necktie will be? It will be the size of a single, small atom. It is umninaligbay small. We can't imagine it. I mean look, you can see the nkitece, but you can't even imagine seeing the size of a little, small atom. But that's not the whole story, you see. The universe and life are both in sapce and time. If that was the age of the universe, then this is the age of life on Earth. Think about those oldest lnivig things on Earth, but in a ciomsc proportion. This is not insignificant. This is very significant. So life might be insignificant in size, but it is not insignificant in time. Life and the urnsivee corpmae to each other like a child and a parent, parent and offspring.

Open Cloze

So in space, the Earth is very _____. Can you imagine how small it is? Let me try it. Okay, let's say this is the size of the observable universe, with all the galaxies, with all the stars, okay, from here to here. Do you know what the size of life in this necktie will be? It will be the size of a single, small atom. It is ____________ small. We can't imagine it. I mean look, you can see the _______, but you can't even imagine seeing the size of a little, small atom. But that's not the whole story, you see. The universe and life are both in _____ and time. If that was the age of the universe, then this is the age of life on Earth. Think about those oldest ______ things on Earth, but in a ______ proportion. This is not insignificant. This is very significant. So life might be insignificant in size, but it is not insignificant in time. Life and the ________ _______ to each other like a child and a parent, parent and offspring.

Solution

  1. universe
  2. space
  3. small
  4. unimaginably
  5. compare
  6. necktie
  7. living
  8. cosmic

Original Text

So in space, the Earth is very small. Can you imagine how small it is? Let me try it. Okay, let's say this is the size of the observable universe, with all the galaxies, with all the stars, okay, from here to here. Do you know what the size of life in this necktie will be? It will be the size of a single, small atom. It is unimaginably small. We can't imagine it. I mean look, you can see the necktie, but you can't even imagine seeing the size of a little, small atom. But that's not the whole story, you see. The universe and life are both in space and time. If that was the age of the universe, then this is the age of life on Earth. Think about those oldest living things on Earth, but in a cosmic proportion. This is not insignificant. This is very significant. So life might be insignificant in size, but it is not insignificant in time. Life and the universe compare to each other like a child and a parent, parent and offspring.

Frequently Occurring Word Combinations

ngrams of length 2

collocation frequency
solar system 4
good news 3
small planets 3
copernican revolution 2
basic questions 2
complex chemistry 2
statistical result 2
chemical phenomenon 2
small atom 2

Important Words

  1. age
  2. atom
  3. child
  4. compare
  5. cosmic
  6. earth
  7. galaxies
  8. imagine
  9. insignificant
  10. life
  11. living
  12. necktie
  13. observable
  14. offspring
  15. oldest
  16. parent
  17. proportion
  18. significant
  19. single
  20. size
  21. small
  22. space
  23. stars
  24. story
  25. time
  26. unimaginably
  27. universe