Lesson Plan: DNA Fossil Unveils Another Species
II. While Reading Activities
Vocabulary
Word Inference
- evolution evəˈlo͞oSHən- noun-the process by which different kinds of living organisms are thought to have developed and diversified from earlier forms during the history of the earth.
- DNA ˌdi ˌɛn ˈeɪ| noun (Biochemistry) deoxyribonucleic acid, a self-replicating material present in nearly all living organisms as the main constituent of chromosomes. It is the carrier of genetic information.
- Neanderthals nēˈandərTHôl-noun(also Neanderthal man )-an extinct species of human that was widely distributed in ice-age Europe between c. 120,000–35,000 years ago, with a receding forehead and prominent brow ridges. The Neanderthals were associated with the Mousterian flint industry of the Middle Paleolithic.
- enigmatic enigˈmatik|-adjective-difficult to interpret or understand; mysterious: he took the money with an enigmatic smile.
- anatomical anəˈtämikəl-adjective-of or relating to bodily structure: anatomical abnormalities.-of or relating to anatomy: anatomical lectures.
- fossil fäsəl-noun-the remains or impression of a prehistoric organism preserved in petrified form or as a mold or cast in rock.
- ancestors anˌsestər-nouna person, typically one more remote than a grandparent, from whom one is descended: my ancestor Admiral Anson circumnavigated the globe 250 years ago.
- to nail it down- Idiom: to make something certain or final. Cambridge Dictionary of American Idioms
- reconcile ˈrekənˌsīl-ettle cause to coexist in harmony; make or show to be compatible: a landscape in which inner and outer vision were reconciled.
- lineage ˈlinē-ij noun-lineal descent from an ancestor; ancestry or pedigree. Anthropology a social group tracing its descent from a single ancestor.
Source: New Oxford American Dictionary
Reading Comprehension
True /False/NA-Statements
- F- Scientists have found the oldest DNA evidence in Spain.
- T- The human DNA is from a fossil dating back about 400,000 years.
- T- Instead of clarifying human evolution, the finding is adding new mysteries.
- F- The DNA closely resembles DNA from a lineage of humans known as Denisovans located in Siberia.
- F- Now, scientists think that there are many extinct human populations yet to discover.
- F- Matthias Meyer is a geneticist at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany.
- T- Since the 1970s, Spanish scientists have brought out a wealth of fossils from the cave dating back hundreds of thousands of years.
- NA-There have been many fossils of children.
- F-Scientists generally agreed that humans’ direct ancestors shared a common ancestor that lived about half a million years ago in Africa.
- T-This complicated story has come to light only because of advances over the past 20 years in retrieving ancient DNA.
Grammar Focus
Structure and Usage
I -1-Scientists have found the oldest DNA evidence.
II -1-It most closely resembles DNA from a lineage of humans.
III -2-This would not have been possible even a year ago.
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