How tall you are is strongly related to the genes you
inherit, and previous studies suggested that as much as
80% of the variance in height among people is due to their
DNA. And in the largest genetic study of height-related
[5] genes to date, scientists have identified 423 genetic
regions connected to height – which could explain as
much as 60% of that genetic component.

Dr. Joel Hirschhorn, leader of the GIANT consortium
at Harvard Medical School says that for a trait like height,
[10] which isn’t determined by a single gene but likely the
combined effects of multiple genes involved in multiple
different processes from bone growth to cell growth, the
new findings are like finding biggest nuggets of gold in
a riverbed. The latest analysis, published in the journal
[15] Nature Genetics, describes the gene variants most
commonly shared among people that likely contribute to
height.
They emerged from a sweep of the genomes of
more than 250,000 people of various heights, and from
[20] correlating their stature with their genetics. Many of the
known and familiar factors related to height, including
those dealing with skeletal growth and collagen that
are mutated in people with medically short stature, for
example, appeared in the study, confirming their role in
[25] determining how tall people get.
But there were also some surprises ‒ genetic regions
that previously had never been thought to be related
to height, including a gene known to be involved in cell
growth but not in skeletal functions. “It’s a mix ranging
[30] from completely known things, to those that make sense
to things that are completely surprising and things we don’t
even know what to think about them,” says Hirschhorn.
What the group has identified are gene regions of
interest, and a new round of studies will have to delve
[35] deeper into those areas to isolate specific genes that
are actually responsible for determining height. But it’s a
critical first step, and could lead to potential new ways of
treating medical conditions of short stature or gigantism
that can have negative health effects on the heart and
[40] joints.

“the new findings are like finding biggest nuggets of gold in a riverbed.” (L.12-14)

This sentence means that Dr. Hirschhorn considers the discoveries to be of _________________ importance

Rising Temperatures Lead To A Higher

Proportion Of Girls Being Born Than Boys

Rising temperatures in Japan lead to a higher proportion of girls being born than boys, according to a study in Fertility and Sterility. The observation has led the researchers to suggest that climate change could alter the mix of men and women.

Certain species, particularly reptiles, engage in temperature dependent sex selection, in which the sex of offspring is determined by the warmth of the environment in which eggs are incubated. Humans rely on genes, but even for us there are slightly more women conceived in tropical regions than at the poles.

Dr. Misao Fukuda found evidence to support the possibility that human sex ratios may also be influenced by temperature, although in a more subtle way and through a different mechanism.

In 1968, 1.07 boys were born in Japan for every girl. By 2012, that was down to 1.05. A similar shift has been observed in other places, but there is debate about how widespread the trend is, as well as the causes.

Fukuda also looked at data on the ratio of male to female “spontaneous fetal deaths” -- miscarriages after the first twelve weeks of pregnancy over the same period. Here the trend was much steeper, beginning at 1.3 and reaching 2 by the end of the study period.

The fact that female fetuses are more likely to survive is well-known, and there is longstanding evidence that periods of stress affect male fetuses more severely.

Changes to sex ratios for humans are so small that, unlike for reptiles, there is no threat to our survival. Nevertheless, an increase in miscarriages for all fetuses may be one more effect of rapidly changing climates.

Read the text and answer question.

Laura had parked her car________________ a local shopping
mall, and she was taking a shortcut through the side door
________________ a restaurant. Halfway across the restaurant,
she spotted her father eating a hamburger and French fries;
[5] he often eats there. She sneaked up behind him, put her
hand over his shoulder, took a French fry off the plate,
dipped it in the ketchup, and ate it. Then she realized that
the man was not her father! She was so embarrassed! She
couldn't say a word!

Aspirin a day could dramatically cut cancer risk, says biggest study yet

An aspirin a day could dramatically cut people’s chances of getting and dying from common
cancers, according to the most detailed review yet of the cheap drug’s ability to stem disease.
More than 130,000 deaths would be avoided over a 20-year period if Britain’s 50- to 65-year-olds
took a daily aspirin for ten years, because the beneficial effects continue even when the aspirin is
[5] stopped, the authors say.
A research team led by Professor Jack Cuzick, head of the centre for cancer prevention at Queen
Mary University of London, concluded that people between 50 and 65 should consider regularly
taking the 75 mg low-dosage tablets. Cuzick said that taking aspirin “looks to be the most important
thing we can do to reduce cancer, after stopping smoking and reducing obesity, and will probably
[10] be much easier to implement”.
In a briefing to journalists, the scientist added that he had been dosing himself for the last four
years, keeping the tablets beside his bed. “I take aspirin as part of a bedtime ritual every day”, he
said. However, to obtain the newfound benefits of the drug, people would have to take aspirin for
at least five years and probably ten, the review said.
[15] Aspirin was originally developed as a painkiller and treatment for fever and inflammation, but more
than a century after it was first synthesised from willow bark, researchers have found more medical
uses for it. It has been demonstrated to reduce the risks of heart attacks and strokes as well as the
chances of some cancers. But the big question has been whether the benefits outweigh the harms,
because aspirin can cause stomach bleeds, which could be potentially fatal in some people.
[20] “Aspirin is showing promise in preventing certain types of cancer, but it’s vital that we balance this
with the complications it can cause – such as bleeding, stomach ulcers, or even strokes in some
people”, said Dr. Julie Sharp, head of health information at Cancer Research UK. “Before aspirin can
be recommended for cancer prevention; some important questions need to be answered, including
what is the best dose and how long people should take it for. And tests need to be developed to
[25] predict who is likely to have side-effects”, she said.
As a generic drug – Bayer’s patent ran out in the 1930s – there are no profits to be made by
big pharmaceutical companies from the estimated 100 billion tablets taken around the world
every year.
theguardian.com

Controlling the global obesity epidemic
The challenge

At the other end of the malnutrition scale, obesity is one of today’s most blatantly visible – yet most neglected – public health problems. Paradoxically coexisting with undernutrition, an escalating global epidemic of overweight and obesity – “globesity” – is taking over many parts of the world. If immediate action is not taken, millions will suffer from an array of serious health disorders.

Obesity is a complex condition, one with serious social and psychological dimensions, that affects virtually all age and socioeconomic groups and threatens to overwhelm both developed and developing countries. In 1995, there were an estimated 200 million obese adults worldwide and another 18 million under-five children classified as overweight. As of 2000, the number of obese adults has increased to over 300 million. Contrary to conventional wisdom, the obesity epidemic is not restricted to industrialized societies; in developing countries, it is estimated that over 115 million people suffer from obesity-related problems.

Generally, although men may have higher rates of overweight, women have higher rates of obesity. For both, obesity poses a major risk for serious diet-related noncommunicable diseases, including diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, hypertension and stroke, and certain forms of cancer. Its health consequences range from increased risk of premature death to serious chronic conditions that reduce the overall quality of life.

The response: making healthy choices easy choices

World Health Organization began sounding the alarm in the 1990s, spearheading a series of expert and technical consultations. Public awareness campaigns were also initiated to sensitize policymakers, private sector partners, medical professionals and the public at large. Aware that obesity is predominantly a “social and environmental disease”, WHO is helping to develop strategies that will make healthy choices easier to make.

In collaboration with the University of Sydney (Australia), WHO is calculating the worldwide economic impact of overweight and obesity. It is also working with the University of Auckland (New Zealand) to analyse the impact that globalization and rapid socioeconomic transition have on nutrition and to identify the main political, socioeconomic, cultural and physical factors which promote obesogenic environments.

“Isolation”, “consolidation” and “self-reliance” are different

terms used among Moscow´s political and business elite to

mean the same thing. In the face of international sanctions

occasioned by its support of the rebels in eastern Ukraine and its

[5] earlier annexation of Crimea, Russia is preparing to pull inward

and face a long period of diplomatic antagonism and economic

hardship. That process appears to be accelerating. On August

6th the Kremlin responded to Western pressure by announcing

that it will ban agricultural import from countries imposing

[10] sanctions on Russia.

By increasing his support of the rebels last month, Mr. Putin

has shown that he values his own understanding of Russia´s

historic destiny more than the economic well-being of his

country and its global reputation. He is making a risky bet that

[15] challenging the architecture of the post-cold-war order will reap

its own rewards and compensate for a drop in living standards.

Despite the crisis, such problems have not yet hurt Mr. Putin.

Indeed he is more popular than ever and his propaganda

apparatus is proving to be highly effective.

[20] Mr. Putin may be sending in Russian troops on the pretence

of a “humanitarian” operation. According to NATO, 20,000

Russian soldiers have amassed at the Ukrainian border. Even if

troops do not cross the border, the confrontation between

Russia and the West looks set to continue through the rule of

[25] President Vladimir Putin and, perhaps, beyond.

Rising Temperatures Lead To A Higher

Proportion Of Girls Being Born Than Boys

Rising temperatures in Japan lead to a higher proportion of girls being born than boys, according to a study in Fertility and Sterility. The observation has led the researchers to suggest that climate change could alter the mix of men and women.

Certain species, particularly reptiles, engage in temperature dependent sex selection, in which the sex of offspring is determined by the warmth of the environment in which eggs are incubated. Humans rely on genes, but even for us there are slightly more women conceived in tropical regions than at the poles.

Dr. Misao Fukuda found evidence to support the possibility that human sex ratios may also be influenced by temperature, although in a more subtle way and through a different mechanism.

In 1968, 1.07 boys were born in Japan for every girl. By 2012, that was down to 1.05. A similar shift has been observed in other places, but there is debate about how widespread the trend is, as well as the causes.

Fukuda also looked at data on the ratio of male to female “spontaneous fetal deaths” -- miscarriages after the first twelve weeks of pregnancy over the same period. Here the trend was much steeper, beginning at 1.3 and reaching 2 by the end of the study period.

The fact that female fetuses are more likely to survive is well-known, and there is longstanding evidence that periods of stress affect male fetuses more severely.

Changes to sex ratios for humans are so small that, unlike for reptiles, there is no threat to our survival. Nevertheless, an increase in miscarriages for all fetuses may be one more effect of rapidly changing climates.

Texto para a questão.

Obs.: Charlie is the boy.

From earliest childhood, Ned Lawrence knew that his family

was different, in some unspoken way, from other families, and

that he was not at all like his four brothers. Such tough

beginnings can either inhibit a personality or stimulate its

[5] growth. As is well explained in “The Young T.E. Lawrence”, a

quirky but rigorous biographical study by Anthony Sattin, a

British travel-writer, the man best known as Lawrence of Arabia

fell firmly in the second category.

Other books about Lawrence, and a famous film, present

[10] him as a hero of the first world war who rallied the Arabs to rise

against the Ottoman empire, guided them to great victories and

lobbied for the Arab cause, with disappointing results, in post –

war negotiations. Mr. Sattin, whose book came out in Britain

last October and is only now being published in America, looks

[15] instead at Lawrence´s life before that: growing up and studying

in Oxford, then excelling as an archaeologist in Syria and

Palestine.

As a middle-class boy growing up in Oxford at the turn of

the 20th century, young Lawrence was secretive as well as

[20] inquisitive, skeptical of received truths, easily bored by mentors

but passionate about medieval history. Piecing together clues

was something he learned early. He knew there was something

odd about his parents´ relationship but could not divine what;

only later did he learn that, scandalously for those times, they

[25] had never married. His father was an Anglo-Irish baronet who

had left his legal wife for Lawrence´s mother, a governess.

His letters from teenage cycling trips round France

contained lots of information about castles, but only

intermittent signs of real feelings. The same might be said of

[30] the letters he wrote from the Levant. As a result, posterity

is still guessing about what was probably the most important

relationship in Lawrence´s life: an Arab youth, Dahoum, who

was just 13 or 14 when they met. If Lawrence ever gave a full

account of his friendship with Dahoum, it may have been in the

[35] memoirs he burned in august 1914.

Mr. Sattin avoids adding to the speculation about the exact

nature of this friendship, but he is defensive about it. “There

was more than paternal care; there was love,” he writes. Like

their subject matter, biographers have to be diggers and

[40] restorers, sifting a mass of evidence and gluing the bits

together. But these bits never quite constitute a whole,

comprehensible human being; much about Lawrence remains

an enigma because he wanted it that way.