The highlighted verbs in the article are used to describe changes and developments. Which describe: 1 changes in diet? 2 obesity and heart disease? What are the noun forms of the highlighted verbs? Example: evolve evolution Try using nouns instead of the verbs in the article. What other changes would be necessary? How would this affect the meaning? You are going to have a discussion about the way technology has changed food habits. Student A, look on p. 209. Student B, look on p. 214. Discussing issues What do you think are the most pressing global health issues? Do you know how they are addressed? Discuss your ideas in class. Read the text and answer these questions. 1 Why do so many people still die of infections in the 21st century? 2 Which metal is effective in fighting the spread of bacteria and viruses and why? 3 What is meant by ‘hotspots’? 4 What is biomimicry? 5 Which plant materials are mentioned that help us fight the spread of diseases? Language focus Changes and trends 16 a b c Speaking 17 Reading 18 a b Surfaces that kill bacteria and viruses By copying the texture of insect wings or using new types of materials to create surfaces that kill or inhibit microbes, we could stop infections before they even get into the body. Currently 700,000 people die each year of drug-resistant diseases. The number of medicines we can use against harmful bacteria has been declining. Disease-causing organisms include fungi, viruses and parasites. They are developing resistance to the drugs we use to tackle them almost as quickly as we can make new ones. It means those illnesses are getting harder to treat. Frequently, the transmission of diseases involves surfaces we touch in our daily routine. Viruses like Covid-19 – Sars-CoV-2 – can persist on cardboard for up to 24 hours, while infectious yeasts can last for weeks. This underlines the importance of continually disinfecting and cleaning surfaces that are frequently touched. Scientists have been working on changing the texture of the surfaces we use, or coating them with substances that kill bacteria and viruses more quickly. Copper alloys, for example, consist of ions that are able to kill over 99.9% of bacteria within two hours. Even if copper is expensive, its various applications comprise medical instruments, hotspots like lift buttons or door handles, and even medical implants. Another approach is biomimicry, which means taking inspiration from nature and translating the principles to human engineering to solve problems and create more efficient and sustainable products. For example, some insect wings are famous for their selfcleaning effect. Water droplets bounce off them, just as they do off lotus leaves, allowing contaminants to roll off with the water. More importantly, they contain tiny spikes on the surface that prevent bacterial cells from being able to settle and grow on the surface. Following this model, researchers have been attempting to change the texture of easily contaminated surfaces such as water and air conditioner filters. Nature also offers other ways we can make the surfaces around us more resistant to the spread of disease. Tea tree oil possesses strong antiviral action according to experimental studies. Cork is highly antibacterial against Staphylococcus aureus, a bacterium causing pneumonia. An extract from hops has been used to create plasticLanguage skills Extras Explore 2 Global issues 25 Nur zu Prüfzwecken – Eigen um des Verlags öbv
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