LESSON 13. FUTURE OF FOOD
In 2028 food will be tailored to your genome
Today, we know that healthy eating is important to keep our bodies in tip-top condition. This link
between diet and health was first ‘proved’ in the mid-1800s by Scottish naval surgeon Dr Joseph Lind,
who is credited with running one of the earliest ever clinical controlled trials. His study demonstrated
that citrus fruits could protect sailors from scurvy. The watershed finding set the stage for lemons and
limes to be issued as standard in sailors’ rations, and showed how healthy eating can save untold
numbers of lives.
These days, science may have dissected almost every element of our diet, but many of us still feel at sea.
Even when sticking to official advice, healthy foods that seem to energise one person can cause another
to feel fatigued and bloated. In 2015, a team of scientists from Israel tracked blood sugar levels in the
blood of 800 people over several days, making the surprising discovery that individuals’ biological
response to identical foods varied wildly. Some people had a blood glucose ‘spike’ after eating sugary ice
cream, while others’ glucose levels only increased with starchy rice – a finding at odds with conventional
wisdom acoustic (adjective): without inbuilt electrical equipment to amplify the sound - I can play
acoustic guitar, but I can't play electric guitar.
album (noun): a collection of songs released as a digital download or a 12-inch LP record - Do you have
Michael Jackson's album Thriller?
alternative hip hop (noun): any style that isn't mainstream commercial hip hop - Have you heard much
alternative hip hop?
alternative rock (noun): non-mainstream rock music inspired by punk and post-punk - My sister likes
pop music, but I like alternative rock.
ambient music (noun): calming, atmospheric background music - Have you heard Brian Eno's ambient
music?
amplify (verb): to make sounds louder, esp. by using electrical equipment - If we don't amplify the
drums, they'll be hard to hear.
artist (noun): a professional singer, musician or songwriter - Taylor Swift has become one of music's
best-selling artists.
art music (noun): music written and performed by professional musicians mostly for the upper classes,
like classical Indian music and European opera - Wealthy Chinese lords paid musicians to play relaxing
art music, while poor people played lively folk music for fun.
audio editing software (noun): software used to produce music, movie soundtracks, etc. - Before we had
audio editing software, we used tape loops.
authentic (adjective): real or genuine - You can still see an authentic Chinese opera in Beijing.
autoharp (noun): a small harp with buttons to press for playing chords - Is the autoharp used much in
bluegrass music?
avant-garde (adjective): new, unusual and experimental - Harry makes avant-garde electronic music in
his spare time.
backbeat (noun): a beat counted as "two" or "four" in 4/4 rhythm - Can you hear the snare drum playing
on the backbeats?
backing singer (also "backing vocalist") (noun): a singer who gives vocal support to a lead singer - Tessa
was one of Joe Cocker's backing singers.
ballad (noun): a slow song usually about love - Janis sings up-tempo rock songs as well as slow ballads.
banjo (noun): an African American stringed instrument based on the African kora - Do you play four-
string or five-string banjo?