Voa Science Report - Remembering a Chimp Known for Her Use of American Sign Language

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ONE: This is SCIENCE IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English. I'm Bob Doughty. VOICE TWO: And I'm Barbara . On our program this week, we will tell about an animal known for her ability to communicate with people. will tell about a call for autism testing in all babies. And, we report on plants specially designed to chemical wastes. (MUSIC) VOICE ONE: An animal that influenced scientific thought has died. A chimpanzee named Washoe died of causes late last month at a research center in the American state of Washington. Washoe lived forty-two years. She said to be the first non-human to learn a human language. Washoe had become known in the scientific community around the world for her ability to use American Sign Language. Her skills also led to debate about primates their ability to understand language. Primates are the animals most closely related to human beings. VOICE TWO: Washoe was in Africa. Research scientists Allen and Beatrix Gardner began teaching her sign language in nineteen sixty-six-. Sign language is way of communicating using hand movements instead of words. It is a method many deaf people use to communicate. Nineteen Sixty-Nine-, the Gardners described Washoes progress in a scientific report. Once the news about Washoe spread, many language began studies of their own into this new and exciting area of research. The whole direction of primate research . VOICE ONE: The people who took care of Washoe say she grew to understand about two hundred fifty words. example, Washoe made signs to communicate when it was time to eat. She could request foods like apples and . She also asked questions like, "Who is coming to play?" However, critics argue Washoe only learned to repeat sign movements from watching her teachers. They say she never developed true language skills. Some researchers have suggested that primates sign language only by memory, and perform the signs only for prizes VOICE TWO: Yet her keepers disagree. Roger is a former student of the Gardners. He took Washoe to a research center in Ellensburg, Washington. There, she sign language to three younger chimpanzees, which are still alive. Scientists like private researcher Jane Goodall believe Washoe provided information about the mental workings of chimpanzees. Today, there are not as many scientists studying language skills with chimps. of the reason is because this kind of research takes a very long time. Debate continues about chimps’ understanding human communication. Yet, one thing is sure ---- Washoe changed popular ideas about the possibilities of animal intelligence. (MUSIC) ONE: The American Academy of Pediatrics says all children should be tested for autism by the age of two. is a general term for a group of brain disorders that limit the development of social and communication skills. experts call them autism spectrum disorders. Experts say autism is permanent and cannot be cured. But there are ways treat it that they say can reduce the severity. The academy says the earlier treatment begins, the better the . Recently, the group released two reports to help doctors identify autism. One report came from Chris Johnson of the of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio. She says doctors should look for signs of autism when they babies at eighteen months and twenty-four months. VOICE TWO: Doctors normally consider the possibility of autism only if a shows delayed speech or unusually repetitive behaviors. These may be clear signs of it, but they usually do not until a child is two or three years old. Doctor Johnson says experts have learned a lot about earlier of autism. She says the identification process can begin in the waiting room at a doctors office. Parents could a list of written questions about their baby. Then the doctor could perform tests as simple as observing the ability to follow a moving object with its eyes. Experts say failing to watch a moving object may be sign of autism. VOICE ONE: Doctors and parents can also look for behaviors that are normal in babies under year of age. Young children usually have a favorite soft object like a blanket. But children with autism may hard objects instead, and want to hold them at all times. They may not turn when a parent says name or when the parent points at something and says "Look at that." Doctor Johnson says the goal of new advice is early intervention instead of the traditional "wait and see" method to identify autism. (MUSIC) VOICE TWO: American Academy of Pediatrics says young autistic children should enter some kind of learning program. The Academy says such should be actively involved in the program at least twenty-five hours a week all year long. The group also it is best if there is a small number of students for each teacher. It says autistic children do with more direct attention from and contact with their teachers. The group also is calling for contacts between autistic and non-autistic children of the same age when possible. However, it notes that children with severe cases of autism disorder may have serious behavior problems. These could make interactions with other children difficult or even harmful. VOICE ONE: advise parents to receive training for dealing with autism. But the Academy warns parents and doctors against several kinds treatment programs. These include those that claim a high level of success or a cure for the disorder. The suggests using treatments that are based on results of controlled studies supported by established scientific organizations. The Academy says children should have the same general health care as other children. It says some autistic children have behavior, social medical problems that may require treatment with drugs. (MUSIC) VOICE TWO: Finally, scientists have developed plants to remove harmful wastes from soil near military or industrial centers. The process is called phyto-remediation-. Proceedings of the National Academy of published two reports about the process on its web site. Scientists describe how they used a special kind of to take up a chemical that results from military and manufacturing operations. The plants were products of genetic engineering. genetic information has been changed. VOICE ONE: One report describes a study of a chemical called RDX. The lead of the report was Liz Rylott of the University of York in Britain. She says RDX is often found places where there was an explosion or where weapons have been stored. Professor Rylott says RDX is important for . She says it does not break down naturally. The chemical instead leaks into the soil and threatens water supplies. Rylott and her team collected soil from military training areas. They found bacteria that were able to break down themselves and use it as their food supply. Her team identified the gene in the bacteria that breaks down . They changed the genetic information so that enough of the gene can be produced to attack the harmful wastes. TWO: Professor Rylott says the next step is to use this technology to create grasses that can grow in training areas. A likely test area for the bacteria is the Massachusetts Military Reservation in the northeastern United States. use of RDX has been restricted there because of its threat to drinking water supplies. But some scientists say could be serious problems. Terry Hazen is the head of the Center for Environmental Technology at the Energy Department's Livermore Laboratory in Berkley, California. He says something has to be done with the plants after they take up wastes from the soil. He warns that the plants could be carried away or spread by insects and animals. ( ) VOICE ONE: This SCIENCE IN THE NEWS program was written by Brianna Blake, Soo Jee Han and Caty Weaver. Blake was our producer. I'm Bob Doughty. VOICE TWO: And I'm Barbara Klein. Read and listen to our programs voaspecialenglishcom.. Join us again at this time next week for more news about science in Special English on the of America.

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