TedTest

From the Ted Talk by Monica Menesini: Why do our bodies age?

Unscramble the Blue Letters

In 1997, a fncreh woman named Jeanne cmaenlt passed away after 122 years and 164 days on this Earth, making her the oldest known person in history. Her age was so astounding that a millionaire pdeelgd $1 million to anyone who could break her rcerod. But in reality, lviing to this age or beyond is a feat that very few, maybe even no humans, are likely to accomplish. Human bodies just aren't biult for extreme aging. Our ctcpaaiy is set at about 90 years. But what does aging really mean and how does it counteract the body's efforts to stay alive? We know intuitively what it means to age. For some, it menas growing up, while for others, it's growing old. Yet finding a stirct scientific definition of angig is a clhengale. What we can say is that aging occurs when intrinsic processes and interactions with the environment, like sunlight, and toxins in the air, water, and our diets, cause changes in the structure and fuointcn of the body's molecules and cells. Those changes in turn drive their decline, and subsequently, the failure of the whole organism. The ecaxt mashmcneis of aging are poorly understood. But recently, sntsiecits have identified nine physiological traits, ranging from genetic changes to alterations in a cell's regenerative ability that play a central role. Firstly, as the years pass, our bodies accumulate genetic damage in the form of DNA lesions. These occur naturally when the body's DNA replicates, but also in non-dividing cells. Organelles called mitochondria are especially prone to this damage. Mitochondria produce aiendnose triphosphate, or ATP, the main energy source for all cellular processes, plus mitochondria raeuglte many different cell activities and play an important role in programmed cell death. If mitochondrial function declines, then cells and, later on, whole organs, deteriorate, too. Other changes are known to ocucr in the expression patterns of genes, also known as epigenetic ataiotnerls, that affect the body's tissues and cells. Genes silenced or expressed only at low lveels in newborns become prominent in odelr people, leading to the development of degenerative diseases, like Alzheimer's, which accelerate aging. Even if we could avoid all these harmful gnteeic alterations, not even our own cells could save us. The fact remains that cellular regeneration, the very sftuf of life, declines as we age. The DNA in our cells is pkgeaacd within chromosomes, each of which has two ptecotvrie regions at the extremities called toelrmees. Those shorten every time cells replicate. When telomeres become too srhot, cells stop replicating and die, solnwig the body's ability to renew itself. With age, cells increasingly grow senescent, too, a process that halts the cell cycle in times of risk, like when cancer cells are proliferating. But the response also kicks in more as we age, halting cell growth and ctintug short their ability to rcpliteae. Aging also involves stem clels that reside in many tsuises and have the ptrrpeoy of dividing without limits to replenish other cells. As we get older, stem cells decrease in number and tend to lose their regenerative patineotl, affecting tissue renewal and maintenance of our organs original ficnutons. Other changes revolve around cells' ability to function properly. As they age, they stop being able to do quality control on pneotirs, causing the accumulation of damaged and potentially toxic nutrients, leading to excessive metabolic activity that could be fatal for them. ilrelculatner cmnmiuotoacin also slows, ultimately uireimnndng the body's functional abiltiy. There's a lot we don't yet understand about aging. Ultimately, does longer life as we know it come down to diet, exercise, medicine, or something else? Will future technologies, like cell-repairing nanobots, or gene therapy, artificially extend our years? And do we want to live lnoger than we already do? Starting with 122 years as inspiration, there's no tneillg where our curiosity might take us.

Open Cloze

In 1997, a ______ woman named Jeanne _______ passed away after 122 years and 164 days on this Earth, making her the oldest known person in history. Her age was so astounding that a millionaire _______ $1 million to anyone who could break her ______. But in reality, ______ to this age or beyond is a feat that very few, maybe even no humans, are likely to accomplish. Human bodies just aren't _____ for extreme aging. Our ________ is set at about 90 years. But what does aging really mean and how does it counteract the body's efforts to stay alive? We know intuitively what it means to age. For some, it _____ growing up, while for others, it's growing old. Yet finding a ______ scientific definition of _____ is a _________. What we can say is that aging occurs when intrinsic processes and interactions with the environment, like sunlight, and toxins in the air, water, and our diets, cause changes in the structure and ________ of the body's molecules and cells. Those changes in turn drive their decline, and subsequently, the failure of the whole organism. The _____ __________ of aging are poorly understood. But recently, __________ have identified nine physiological traits, ranging from genetic changes to alterations in a cell's regenerative ability that play a central role. Firstly, as the years pass, our bodies accumulate genetic damage in the form of DNA lesions. These occur naturally when the body's DNA replicates, but also in non-dividing cells. Organelles called mitochondria are especially prone to this damage. Mitochondria produce _________ triphosphate, or ATP, the main energy source for all cellular processes, plus mitochondria ________ many different cell activities and play an important role in programmed cell death. If mitochondrial function declines, then cells and, later on, whole organs, deteriorate, too. Other changes are known to _____ in the expression patterns of genes, also known as epigenetic ___________, that affect the body's tissues and cells. Genes silenced or expressed only at low ______ in newborns become prominent in _____ people, leading to the development of degenerative diseases, like Alzheimer's, which accelerate aging. Even if we could avoid all these harmful _______ alterations, not even our own cells could save us. The fact remains that cellular regeneration, the very _____ of life, declines as we age. The DNA in our cells is ________ within chromosomes, each of which has two __________ regions at the extremities called _________. Those shorten every time cells replicate. When telomeres become too _____, cells stop replicating and die, _______ the body's ability to renew itself. With age, cells increasingly grow senescent, too, a process that halts the cell cycle in times of risk, like when cancer cells are proliferating. But the response also kicks in more as we age, halting cell growth and _______ short their ability to _________. Aging also involves stem _____ that reside in many _______ and have the ________ of dividing without limits to replenish other cells. As we get older, stem cells decrease in number and tend to lose their regenerative _________, affecting tissue renewal and maintenance of our organs original _________. Other changes revolve around cells' ability to function properly. As they age, they stop being able to do quality control on ________, causing the accumulation of damaged and potentially toxic nutrients, leading to excessive metabolic activity that could be fatal for them. _____________ _____________ also slows, ultimately ___________ the body's functional _______. There's a lot we don't yet understand about aging. Ultimately, does longer life as we know it come down to diet, exercise, medicine, or something else? Will future technologies, like cell-repairing nanobots, or gene therapy, artificially extend our years? And do we want to live ______ than we already do? Starting with 122 years as inspiration, there's no _______ where our curiosity might take us.

Solution

older
adenosine
strict
cells
ability
intercellular
packaged
short
proteins
mechanisms
alterations
slowing
exact
functions
undermining
protective
longer
calment
living
regulate
potential
french
occur
stuff
scientists
challenge
built
capacity
means
genetic
communication
function
cutting
tissues
telomeres
aging
replicate
levels
pledged
record
telling
property

Original Text

In 1997, a French woman named Jeanne Calment passed away after 122 years and 164 days on this Earth, making her the oldest known person in history. Her age was so astounding that a millionaire pledged $1 million to anyone who could break her record. But in reality, living to this age or beyond is a feat that very few, maybe even no humans, are likely to accomplish. Human bodies just aren't built for extreme aging. Our capacity is set at about 90 years. But what does aging really mean and how does it counteract the body's efforts to stay alive? We know intuitively what it means to age. For some, it means growing up, while for others, it's growing old. Yet finding a strict scientific definition of aging is a challenge. What we can say is that aging occurs when intrinsic processes and interactions with the environment, like sunlight, and toxins in the air, water, and our diets, cause changes in the structure and function of the body's molecules and cells. Those changes in turn drive their decline, and subsequently, the failure of the whole organism. The exact mechanisms of aging are poorly understood. But recently, scientists have identified nine physiological traits, ranging from genetic changes to alterations in a cell's regenerative ability that play a central role. Firstly, as the years pass, our bodies accumulate genetic damage in the form of DNA lesions. These occur naturally when the body's DNA replicates, but also in non-dividing cells. Organelles called mitochondria are especially prone to this damage. Mitochondria produce adenosine triphosphate, or ATP, the main energy source for all cellular processes, plus mitochondria regulate many different cell activities and play an important role in programmed cell death. If mitochondrial function declines, then cells and, later on, whole organs, deteriorate, too. Other changes are known to occur in the expression patterns of genes, also known as epigenetic alterations, that affect the body's tissues and cells. Genes silenced or expressed only at low levels in newborns become prominent in older people, leading to the development of degenerative diseases, like Alzheimer's, which accelerate aging. Even if we could avoid all these harmful genetic alterations, not even our own cells could save us. The fact remains that cellular regeneration, the very stuff of life, declines as we age. The DNA in our cells is packaged within chromosomes, each of which has two protective regions at the extremities called telomeres. Those shorten every time cells replicate. When telomeres become too short, cells stop replicating and die, slowing the body's ability to renew itself. With age, cells increasingly grow senescent, too, a process that halts the cell cycle in times of risk, like when cancer cells are proliferating. But the response also kicks in more as we age, halting cell growth and cutting short their ability to replicate. Aging also involves stem cells that reside in many tissues and have the property of dividing without limits to replenish other cells. As we get older, stem cells decrease in number and tend to lose their regenerative potential, affecting tissue renewal and maintenance of our organs original functions. Other changes revolve around cells' ability to function properly. As they age, they stop being able to do quality control on proteins, causing the accumulation of damaged and potentially toxic nutrients, leading to excessive metabolic activity that could be fatal for them. Intercellular communication also slows, ultimately undermining the body's functional ability. There's a lot we don't yet understand about aging. Ultimately, does longer life as we know it come down to diet, exercise, medicine, or something else? Will future technologies, like cell-repairing nanobots, or gene therapy, artificially extend our years? And do we want to live longer than we already do? Starting with 122 years as inspiration, there's no telling where our curiosity might take us.

Frequently Occurring Word Combinations

ngrams of length 2

collocation	frequency
stem cells	2

Important Words

ability
accelerate
accomplish
accumulate
accumulation
activities
activity
adenosine
affect
affecting
age
aging
air
alive
alterations
artificially
astounding
atp
avoid
bodies
break
built
called
calment
cancer
capacity
causing
cell
cells
cellular
central
challenge
chromosomes
communication
control
counteract
curiosity
cutting
cycle
damage
damaged
days
death
decline
declines
decrease
definition
degenerative
deteriorate
development
die
diet
diets
diseases
dividing
dna
drive
earth
efforts
energy
environment
epigenetic
exact
excessive
exercise
expressed
expression
extend
extreme
extremities
fact
failure
fatal
feat
finding
firstly
form
french
function
functional
functions
future
gene
genes
genetic
grow
growing
growth
halting
halts
harmful
history
human
humans
identified
important
increasingly
inspiration
interactions
intercellular
intrinsic
intuitively
involves
jeanne
kicks
leading
lesions
levels
life
limits
live
living
longer
lose
lot
main
maintenance
making
means
mechanisms
medicine
metabolic
million
millionaire
mitochondria
mitochondrial
molecules
named
nanobots
naturally
newborns
number
nutrients
occur
occurs
older
oldest
organelles
organism
organs
original
packaged
pass
passed
patterns
people
person
physiological
play
pledged
poorly
potential
potentially
process
processes
produce
programmed
proliferating
prominent
prone
properly
property
protective
proteins
quality
ranging
reality
record
regeneration
regenerative
regions
regulate
remains
renew
renewal
replenish
replicate
replicates
replicating
reside
response
revolve
risk
role
save
scientific
scientists
senescent
set
short
shorten
silenced
slowing
slows
source
starting
stay
stem
stop
strict
structure
stuff
subsequently
sunlight
technologies
telling
telomeres
tend
therapy
time
times
tissue
tissues
toxic
toxins
traits
triphosphate
turn
ultimately
undermining
understand
understood
water
woman
years