Pronunciation ChallengeThe Economist: Gene Editing Technology in Cosmetics Industry

[Transcript]

Today’s story is brought to you by The Economist. Hey folks, today we’ll be discussing an interesting topic — how gene-editing could reduce the cost of cosmetics. Some may be thrilled, thinking “yes, cheaper cosmetics!”, while others worry about the potential harms of artificial chemicals. Is the cosmetics industry finally about to get a makeover? Well, let’s not kid ourselves, it’s been going on forever now. For centuries, the industry has exploited natural resources by extracting ingredients from animals and plants.

Take the chemical substance “squalane” for example. Humans have hunted sharks for the plentiful supply of an oil they produce in rich quantities called "squalene". Squalene, which is commonly turned into a chemical called "squalane", is a key ingredient in skincare products that has been used for decades. If you've ever used sunscreen or moisturizer, chances are pretty good that the product contains squalane. Yup, feel free to go check it now. Luckily, scientists have come up with alternatives to save these poor sharks.

We can actually replace the production of all the squalene in the world, replace three million sharks that are killed by simply using sugar cane that's grown on one square kilometer of land. Yup, that's it. Sugar is used as the main energy source to fuel this new chemical reaction and the process has a less environmental impact on the natural world than hunting sharks.

Another example would be rose oil, which is used in perfumes. It takes around 200,000 petals to make five milliliters of rose oil. Forget about the roses for a second, think about the land usage and the water usage that comes along with it, which has become increasingly problematic with the changing climate. And yes, there is a new solution to this issue, thanks to our scientists once again, you’ll find out how they did it in today’s video. But we really have to ask ourselves, why are we spending so much time and resources coming up with solutions, while we keep on causing all kinds of trouble? Like an endless cycle.

[Sentence of the day]

Gene editing technology has the potential to replace all of these animal-derived ingredients.

[Vocabulary words]

1. potential
someone's or something's ability to develop, achieve, or succeed

i.e. I don’t know... I don't feel I'm achieving my full potential in my present job.

2. derive
to take or receive something from something else

i.e. Many English words are actually derived from the French language.

3. ingredient
one of the parts to make up something

i.e. The list of ingredients included 200 grams of almonds.

i.e. Trust is a vital ingredient in a successful marriage.




Alright, that’s all we have time for today.
Leave me a comment down below to share your thoughts and ideas.
Today’s episode is brought to you by The Economist.
This is Ken Miao. I’ll see you again next week. Bye.

Day 291

Day 138.