Mummies Contain Clues to Colon Cancer

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Materials Daily News

Intermediate

Exercise 1

Vocabulary

mummy

Noun

ˈməmiː

a dead body that has been preserved, usually with chemicals and wrapped in cloth

Mummies walk really slowly.

A mummy of a 13-year-old girl was found in Argentina.

genetic mutation

Noun

dʒəˈnetɪk mjuːˈteɪʃn

a change in the DNA

Many diseases are caused by genetic mutations.

People don't have tails anymore because of genetic mutation.

evolution

Noun

ˌɛvəˈluːʃən

the process by which living things change to suit their environment over many generations

Charles Darwin developed the theory of evolution.

Natural selection is a process of evolution.

embalmer

Noun

ɪmˈbɑːmə

I read an interview with an embalmer.

tissue

Noun

ˈtɪʃuː

any of the different types of materials that make up the bodies of living things

Muscle tissue is about 15% more dense than fat.

Each tissue of our body has its own function.

Bodybuilders have a lot of muscle tissue.

isolate

Verb

ˈaɪsəleɪt

to separate a single substance, cell, etc. from others so that you can study it

The researchers can’t isolate the gene yet.

evidence

Noun

ˈɛvɪdəns

a fact, object, etc. that shows that something is true

The lawyer presented an important piece of evidence in court.

The ring he gave me is evidence that he loves me.

The police found the murder weapon and other concrete evidence.

They won the case although much of the evidence was against them.

hypothesis

Noun

haɪˈpɑθəsəs

a proposed explanation for something, made with limited evidence and as the starting point for investigation

The scientist's hypothesis was proven after 200 years.

Exercise 2

Article

AI Generated Audio––:–– / ––:––

Mummies Contain Clues to Colon Cancer

Colon cancer is linked with obesity, lack of exercise, and a poor diet high in processed foods.

However, scientists also have identified genetic mutations connected to the disease.

Researchers at Tel Aviv University are studying the history of colon cancer. Microbiologist Rina Arbesfeld is with the university. She wanted to answer this question: is the increase in the number of cancer cases today the result of natural evolution alone?

To answer this question, Arbesfeld turned to Hungarian mummies that were discovered in 1994 in a church.

These preserved bodies rested for more than two and half centuries.

Hungarian embalmers left the fluids and organs. This means the mummies have tissue that could be better analyzed for evidence of disease.

Arbesfeld and her team isolated DNA samples from 22 mummies.

This information lead Arbesfeld to this hypothesis: If our ancestors with the genetic mutation for colon cancer lived long enough, they would have developed the disease, just like us.