Perfect match! Husbands and wives have similar DNA, research shows

It seems birds of a feather really do flock together. Husbands and wives are more similar to each other than would be expected by chance, research has revealed.

The finding comes from behavioral scientists who compared the DNA of more than 800 married couples with that of people paired together at random for the study.

Despite the old adage that opposites attract, the husbands and wives had more DNA in common than the strangers.

This means, in the words of another saying, that birds of a feather flock together.

The researchers, from the University of California, said that the finding can be partly explained by people tending to marry someone who lived nearby or of the same ethnicity.

However, despite this, we still seem to be drawn to spouses whose genes are similar to our own. 

Researcher Ben Domingue said he does not know how we sniff out the right person – but it may be as simple as the genes involved affecting something as obvious as height.

If someone who is short or tall then sets their sights on someone of similar height, they would unwittingly be picking a partner with similar DNA.

It is also possible that people with similar genes are thrown together by their hobbies or educational interests.

His study, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, clashes with previous research which has found evidence for the theory that opposites attract. 

These focus on the genes that control the body’s ability to fight disease and show we seem to be programmed to seek out partners whose immune systems are very different to our own.

The researchers said the finding can be partly explained by people tending to marry someone who lived nearby or of the same ethnicity.

It is thought that seeking out a mate with a different immune system ensures any children a couple has will have the broadest possible immunity against disease.

But a study in 2010 found people do tend to settle down with partners whose tastes mirror their own. Researchers from Michigan State University tried to find out if couples grew more alike with each wedding anniversary, or if it was their similarities that brought them together in the first place.

The findings from around 1,300 couples showed that newlyweds were just as likely to have similar traits – such as optimism, extroversion, bossiness and conventionality – as those who had been together for many years.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2633324/Perfect-match-Husbands-wives-similar-DNA-research-shows.html#ixzz32DVs5dVv 

KEY VOCABULARY

1.birds of a feather really do flock together--people with similar likes,appearance, or behavior hang together. 

2.adage-- a wise saying or general truth 

3.sniff out-- to find something through smell/to discover someone or something, usually only after a special effort

4.unwittingly-- without knowing or planning

5.thrown together--to bring people together in a manner that is not planned 

6.clashes-- to fight or argue / disagree 
7.bossiness--describes someone who is always telling what to do
8.conventionality--rules of behavior

CONVERSATION QUESTIONS

1.What springs to mind when you hear the word "marriage"?

2.Is marriage different today than it was a hundred years ago?

3.Are there any rules to marriage?

4.What would the world be like if there was no marriage?

5.What is important in a marriage?

6.Do you think it is okay to marry someone of a different race?

7. Do you think it is okay to marry someone with a different religion?

8. How long do you think couples should know each other before they get married?

9. What are some dating and marriage customs in your country?

10. Would you marry someone from another country?

11.Would you marry someone ten years older than you? How about ten years younger than you?

12.Would you marry someone that your parents didn't like?

See What Happens Inside Your Body When You Eat Ramen Noodles

Ramen noodles contain Tertiary-butyl hydroquinone (TBHQ), which is a byproduct of the petroleum industry and food additive frequently to preserve cheap processed foods. It is one of those chemicals that is neither digestible or beneficial in any way for your body. A gastrointestinal specialist conducted an experiment with a time lapse video inside the stomach, comparing both fresh and preserved ramen noodles. After two hours of digestion, the results were staggering.

The first-of-its-kind experiment by Dr. Braden Kuo of Massachusetts General Hospital wanted to find out exactly what happens to food in the stomach and digestive tract after consuming ramen noodles.

Thanks to the “smart pill,” a camera the size of a multi-vitamin, Dr. Kuo could do his experiment, showingwhat happens in the gut of someone who ate a package of instant ramen noodles compared to fresh.

Dr. Kuo recorded 32 hours from the pill camera.

“What we’re seeing here is a stomach contracting back and forth as it’s trying to grind up the ramen noodles,” Dr. Kuo says of the beginning of the video.For comparison, the study volunteers also ate fresh, homemade ramen noodles on a different day.

The video at 20 minutes, and 2 hours, shows a striking difference.“The most striking thing about our experiment when you looked at a time interval, say in one or two hours, we noticed a processed ramen noodles were less broken down that homemade ramen noodles,” noted Dr. Kuo.

This affects nutrient absorption and could theoretically allow preservatives to linger longer periods in the stomach cavity before being transported to the intestines and subsequently .

 FOOD DISCUSSION 

1) What comes to mind when you hear the word ‘food’?
2) How often do you think about food? 
3) Can you eat anything? 
4) Can you go without food for a whole day?
 5) Do you have to watch what you eat? 
6) What is your favorite breakfast, lunch and dinner? 
7) Do you think your country’s food is the best?
 8) Do you think “you are what you eat”?
 9) What do you think about canned, frozen and processed food? 
10) What kinds of international cuisine do you like? 
11) Are you fussy or particular about the food you eat?
12) Have your favorite kinds of food changed over the years? 

MYTHS ABOUT WOMEN

Myths are not fair. They are misperceptions that generalize characteristics or behavior, usually negatively, about a particular group, in this case men. And when a man meets a woman who consciously or unconsciously believes one of these myths, he finds himself in a constant struggle to defend himself against a stereotype that may have nothing to do with him. Well guys, as much as you don't like to be unfairly stereotyped, neither do women. To really understand women means to see us as we really are, not as we've been portrayed to be. And no matter how hard you may try not to be influenced by generalizations about the opposite sex, some of what you've heard or been exposed to is bound to have an effect on how you interpret or misinterpret a woman's behavior -- even the woman you love dearly. The Seven Myths Men Believe about Women 1.Women are never satisfied 2.Women are high maintenance 3.Women want to control men 4.Women are jealous and possessive 5.Women are too emotional 6.Women who appear to be strong and competent don't need to be taken care of 7.Women want to rob men of their freedom A.COMPREHENSION CHECK 1. What are the seven myths that man Believe about women? 2. Why myths are not fair? 3. What does stereotyped means? 4. How do man find himself when he meet a woman conciously or unconciously believes one of these myths.  B.VOCABULARY AND EXAMPLE Myths: a set of often idealized or glamorized ideas and stories surrounding a particular phenomenon, concept, or famous person or somebody who or something that is fictitious or nonexistent, but whose existence is widely believed in Conciously:adj. In a conscious manner; with knowledge of one's own mental operations or actions. Unconciously:adj. Lacking awareness and the capacity for sensory perception; not conscious. Struggle: to make a great effort to deal with a challenge, problem, or difficulty. Stereotyped: to categorize individuals or groups according to an oversimplified standardized image or idea Examples: 1. The loving wife turned out to be a myth. 2. The patient remained fully conscious after the local anesthetic was administered. 3. Ann has an unconcious manerism. 4. struggled with his math homework. 5. Amy has stereotyped behavior. C.CONVERSATION QUESTIONS 1. Do you believe in myth? 2. Do you believe in the seven myth men believe in woman? 3. Why men think that way to woman? 4. Do you agree that woman wants to control men?