Reading and speaking

Task 1. Look through the titles and first lines of the scientific articles and try to find out the biological professions of the authors.

Example: Christina Luiggi is a geneticist.

1. Genetic escape pods

Microbes share and preserve their genetic material by releasing bodies that resemble viruses into the environment.

By Cristina Luiggi

2. Spite's roots

Can bacteria shine a light on vengeful behavior?

By Richard Grant

3. Are monkeys self aware?

New results suggest that rhesus macaques recognize themselves in the mirror, but the debate is far from over.

By Vanessa Schipani

4. Metal therapy

Inorganic chemist and F1000 member Jon Zubieta discusses the efforts of a fellow Syracuse University chemist in synthesizing new metal-based compounds with anti-cancer activity.

By Cristina Luiggi

5. Opinion: Bugs can solve food crisis

A tropical entomologist argues that edible insects offer a sustainable alternative for conventional meat.

By Arnold van Huis

6. Top 7 in immunology

Read about the top 7 papers in immunology and related areas, as ranked by F1000.

By Edyta Zielinska

7. Ancient air-breathing, triple-jawed fish

If it ain't bust, don't fix it – the butterfly fish has taken the saying to extremes, living the same peculiar lifestyle for 57 million years.

Michael Marshall

8. Fungi generate their own mini wind to go the distance

Through carefully coordinated spore ejections, some species are able to create local air currents to carry their seed.

Nic Fleming

9. Half the world's plant names weeded out

Botanists tidying up the global list of flower species have cut out almost half because they turned out to be the same species by different monikers.

Andy Coghlan

10. Birds use optical illusions to get mates

Male bowerbirds play tricks with perspective in attempts to woo females.

Wendy Zukerman

Task 2. Read the text «Classification of biological professions» and classify biological scientists according to:

1. the type of organism they study;

2. the specific activity they perform.

Classification of Biological Professions

Most biological scientists are further classified by the type of organism they study or by the specific activity they perform, although recent advances in the understanding of basic life processes at the molecular and cellular levels have blurred some traditional classifications.

Aquatic biologists study micro-organisms, plants, and animals living in water. Marine biologists study salt water organisms, and limnologists study fresh water organisms. Much of the work of marine biology centers on molecular biology, the study of the biochemical processes that take place inside living cells. Marine biologists sometimes are mistakenly called oceanographers, but oceanography is the study of the physical characteristics of oceans and the ocean floor.

Biochemists study the chemical composition of living things. They analyze the complex chemical combinations and reactions involved in metabolism, reproduction, growth, and heredity. Biochemists and molecular biologists do most of their work in the field of biotechnology, which involves understanding the complex chemistry of life.

Botanists study plants and their environment. Some study all aspects of plant life, including algae, fungi, lichens, mosses, ferns, conifers, and flowering plants; others specialize in areas such as identification and classification of plants, the structure and function of plant parts, the biochemistry of plant processes, the causes and cures of plant diseases, the interaction of plants with other organisms and the environment, and the geological record of plants.

Microbiologists investigate the growth and characteristics of microscopic organisms such as bacteria, algae, or fungi. Most microbiologists specialize in environmental, food, agricultural, or industrial microbiology; virology (the study of viruses); or immunology (the study of mechanisms that fight infections). Many microbiologists use biotechnology to advance knowledge of cell reproduction and human disease.

Physiologists study life functions of plants and animals, both in the whole organism and at the cellular or molecular level, under normal and abnormal conditions. Physiologists often specialize in functions such as growth, reproduction, photosynthesis, respiration, or movement, or in the physiology of a certain area or system of the organism.

Biophysicists study the application of principles of physics, such as electrical and mechanical energy and related phenomena, to living cells and organisms.

Zoologists and wildlife biologists study animals and wildlife – their origin, behavior, diseases, and life processes. Some experiment with live animals in controlled or natural surroundings, while others dissect dead animals in order to study their structure. They also may collect and analyze biological data to determine the environmental effects of current and potential use of land and water areas. Zoologists usually are identified by the animal group studied – ornithologists (birds), mammalogists (mammals), herpetologists (reptiles), and ichthyologists (fish).

Ecologists study the relationships among organisms and between organisms and their environments, and the effects of influences such as population size, pollutants, rainfall, temperature, and altitude. Utilizing knowledge of various scientific disciplines, they may collect, study, and report data on the quality of air, food, soil, and water.

Task 3. Find the equivalents of the following words in the text above.

Воспроизведение; рост; наследственность; грибы; лишайники; мхи; папоротники; хвойные деревья; дыхание; поведение; анатомировать; определять.

Task 4. Study the text «Classification of biological professions» and find the verbs which can be used instead of the verb to study. Make your own sentences with them.

Task 5. Translate the following sentences into English.

1. Главная работа биологов-маринистов основывается на молекулярной биологии.

2. Биохимики анализируют сложные химические комбинации и реакции, участвующие в метаболизме, воспроизведении, росте и наследственности.

3. Ботаники изучают грибы, лишайники, мхи, папоротники, хвойные деревья и т.д.

4. Основная специализация микробиологов – вирусология и иммунология.

5. Биофизики изучают применение электрической и механической энергии к живым клеткам и организмам.

6. Зоологи экспериментируют с живыми животными и анатомируют мертвых.

Task 6. Tell your partner about your future profession, i.e. what you are going to study, analyze, investigate, or to specialize in.

Task 7. Before you read the text «Pollen nature’s tiny clues» discuss the following:

What is a palynologist? Is this profession interesting to you? Why? Why not?

Task 8. Read the text «Pollen nature’s tiny clues» and match the highlighted words with their definitions.

a) when something wastes or wears away or changes from healthy to unhealthy such as when food becomes rotten.

b) using scientific knowledge for legal needs.

c) it’s too small to be seen with an unaided eye.

d) parts of living things made for easy dispersal and reproduction.

e) abbreviation for Crime Scene Investigation.

f) microscopic objects such as pollen and spores studied by scientists.

g) things solving a problem or mystery.

h) individual pollen.

i) abbreviation for scanning electron microscope.

j) male spores.

k) person who studies spores and pollen.

l) used to determine if something is the truth.