Lola's Blog

Image by BruceBlaus. CC-BY Is it possible to have a three-person baby? In which country is this possible? Well, we are not talking about science-fiction but about breakthrough in medicine. And yes, it is possible to create babies from the DNA of two women and one man. The question is, why? If you don't know the answer, keep reading. This post is about mitochondrial disease and how scientists from the University of Newcastle have developed a technique to treat this devastating disease. What is mitochondrial disease? Click here to find out. You can learn more about a pioneering technique developed at the University of Newcastle. More recently, MPs have voted in parliament in favour of creating babies free from this disease. Listening Listen to Public Health Minister, Jane Ellison, and Sharon Bernardi, who lost seven babies to this genetic disease. However, this has generated a debate. Some critics say that this procedure raises ethical and safety issues. What...

Boby Dimitrov. Wikimedia Commons Do you know why Spain has made headlines this week? When someone is involved in an argument that affects a lot of people that person is said to be in the eye of the storm . Reading Task 1. Read the article Brussels takes action against Spain for refusing EU cards   and answer the following questions: Why is the European Commission launching legal action against Spain? What have Spanish doctors been doing wrong? What can Brussels force Spain to do? Video Task 1. Check this vocabulary before you watch : to break the law     to fix the system     infringement procedure     EHIC card Task 2. Watch the video and answer these questions. Watch this BBC video about Spanish hospitals' rejection of EU health card . What happened to Ray Burton in Spain? What other two cases are mentioned? What other country is breaking the law? Why? For more tasks (fill-in the gaps, c...