【Part 7】
This is NEWS Plus SpecialEnglish.
These days, it's faster and cheaper than ever to decipher a person's entireDNA. But a study in the United States suggests that looking for disease risksthat way may not be ready for the masses.
For one thing, scientistsfound that gene variants most likely linked with significant diseases were theleast likely to be accurately identified.
And analyzing the mass of data from the DNA scan is a daunting task.
Some experts think more targeted gene-mapping is a better approach.
But while whole genome sequencing is mostly done for research, it hasfar-reaching potential for diagnosing and treating genetic diseases.
The new results show both its promise and challenges.
Researchers from Stanford University performed whole genome sequencing in 12healthy people. Most of the millions of genetic variants they found were ofuncertain significance.
DNA is recovered by asimple blood test and deciphered by machines.
The difficulty lies in interpreting the findings and figuring out whichvariants are important and which ones can be ignored.
That takes days of sophisticated follow-up lab tests and interpretation toreveal potentially meaningful genetic information.
【Part 8】
This is NEWS Plus SpecialEnglish.
The biggest shopping center in the Middle East -- Dubai Mall has opened itspermanent exposition of a 160 million-year-old dinosaur skeleton, dating fromthe late Jurassic Period.The adult dinosaur measures 24 meters long and 8meters high and is found 90 percent intact.
Dubai Mall has brought ithere to attract tourists and shoppers.
The dinosaur was discovered in 2008 in Wyoming the United States, and it's thefirst time ever that bones from one animal was found in a sleeping position.
It was previously displayed at the Houston Museum of Natural Science before itwas bought to Dubai by a local properties developer for permanent display inDubai Mall.
This is NEWS Plus Special English.
And finally, a piece of history revisit.
March 30th, 1853 was the birthday of Vincent van Gogh.
Van Gogh was a Dutch post-Impressionist artist. His works were notable fortheir rough beauty, emotional honesty and bold color.
Van Gogh is the pioneer of Expressionism. His artworks had a far-reachinginfluence on 20th-century art.
His paintings such as "Starry Night" and "The Sunflowers"are among the most recognized, top ranking and the most expensive artworks.
After years of painful anxiety and frequent bouts of mental disorders, Van Goghtook his own life. He died on July 29th, 1890, in France, at the age of37.
During his lifetime, his paintings were known to only a handful of people, andappreciated by fewer still.
That is the end of this edition of NEWS Plus Special English. To fresh up yourmemory, I'm going to read one of the news at normal speed. Please listencarefully.
That is the end of today'sprogram. I'm Mark Griffiths in Beijing. Hope you can join us every day at CRINEWS Plus Radio, to learn English and learn about the world.