0:00 6 Minute English.
0:02 From BBC Learning English.
0:05 Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English. I'm Neil.
0:08 And I'm Rob.
0:09 Rob, when you were a child, did you have a pet?
0:12 Er, yes, we had a few pets and my favourite was a little fluffy hamster.
0:18 And what happened to your hamster?
0:20 Well, one day I got home from school and he wasn't in his cage.
0:25 I was worried for a bit in case he'd escaped or got hurt, but it was all right.
0:29 My mum told me that he'd gone to live on a farm, so that he could run around with other animals.
0:34 Really?
0:36 Yes, really.
0:37 A hamster. Went to live on a farm. To be with other animals. Really?
0:43 Oh, well, when you put it like that!
0:46 I think that was probably one of those lies that parents tell their children so as not to make them sad.
0:53 Oh, well, I'm sad now!
0:55 Well, maybe having a go at this quiz will cheer you up.
0:58 According to a study by a US psychologist, what percentage of people will lie in a typical ten minute conversation?
1:06 Is it a) 40%? b) 50%? Or c) 60%?
1:12 Mm, I think most people don't lie that much, so I'll say 40%.
1:17 OK, well, we'll reveal the answer a little later in the programme.
1:21 So today, we're talking about lies and particularly the lies that parents tell children.
1:27 The topic was discussed on the BBC Radio 4 programme, Woman's Hour.
1:30 A guest on that programme was Doctor Chris Boyle, a psychologist at Exeter University.
1:35 He talks about a particular kind of lie.
1:38 We tell these lies not because we want to hurt people.
1:41 What colour are these lies called?
1:44 A white lie is just a distortion of truth without malicious intent.
1:48 So as long as there's not malicious intent, I think it's something that we do.
1:53 It's almost a societal norm that it has become where it is acceptable that we do tell certain lies at certain times.
2:02 Dr Chris Boyle there. What colour is the kind of lie he was talking about?
2:07 It's a white lie. He says a 'white lie' is just 'a distortion of the truth'.
2:13 'Distortion' here means 'a changing or bending' of the truth.
2:16 These kind of lies are OK as long as we don't tell them because we want to hurt someone.
2:22 He used the phrase malicious intent to talk about a bad reason for doing something, didn't he?
2:27 Yes, 'intent' is 'the reason or purpose for doing something' and 'malicious' is an adjective which means 'cruel or nasty'.
2:36 So without 'malicious intent' means without 'wanting to hurt or be cruel' to someone.
2:41 He said that this kind of white lie was almost a societal norm.
2:45 Can you explain what he means by that?
2:48 Yes, something that is the 'norm' is something that is 'expected, it's regular and usual'.
2:53 The adjective 'societal' comes from the noun society.
2:56 So a 'societal norm' is 'something that is regular and common in your culture or society'.
3:02 So do you think your mum's story about the hamster and the farm was a little white lie?
3:07 Ah, yes, I'm sure it was.
3:09 She didn't do it with malicious intent — she didn't want to hurt me.
3:13 In fact, just the opposite, she wanted to protect me.
3:16 Yes, that's one kind of white lie that parents tell, to protect children.
3:21 There are also a couple of other reasons, one being the parents' convenience.
3:25 Ah, yes, I remember my mum telling me that on certain days, the park wasn't open.
3:30 I know now that it never closed.
3:32 I guess, at the time, she was just too busy to take me.
3:35 And then there are the cultural lies that parents tell children.
3:39 Oh, right, what do you mean by that?
3:40 Well, first, if you have any children listening to this right now, you might want to cover their ears for a few seconds.
3:47 Rob, I'm talking about, for example, Father Christmas and the Tooth Fairy.
3:53 Ah, right, yes, there's no malicious intent in telling children those stories.
3:58 It 's a cultural and societal norm.
4:01 Let's listen to Dr Chris Boyle again talking about white lies.
4:05 A white lie is just a distortion of truth without malicious intent.
4:09 So as long as there's not malicious intent, I think it's something that we do.
4:13 It's almost a societal norm that it has become where it is acceptable that we do tell certain lies at certain times.
4:23 So now back to our question at the top of the programme.
4:26 I asked what percentage of people will lie in a typical ten-minute conversation.
4:30 Was it a) 40%? b) 50%? Or c) 60%?
4:35 What did you say, Rob?
4:36 I said a) just 40%.
4:38 Well, I'm afraid the answer was 60%.
4:41 Really? Goodness, 60%! That's more than I expected.
4:44 Right, well, before we go, let's recap the vocabulary we talked about today.
4:49 The first expression was 'white lie' — 'a lie we tell without meaning to hurt someone', for example, when I say to you, "You look nice today!"
4:58 Wait, what did you say?
5:00 But that is actually a 'distortion' of the truth.
5:03 A 'changing or bending' of the truth.
5:05 Hm. This makes me think of the next expression — 'malicious intent'.
5:09 'Intent' is 'the reason or purpose for doing something', and doing something with a 'malicious' intent is doing it deliberately to be 'cruel or to hurt' someone.
5:18 I think you have a malicious intent, Neil, telling me that when you say I look nice, it's just a lie!
5:23 I'm just kidding!
5:25 Well, that's the norm for you, isn't it? Just kidding.
5:27 A 'norm' is the standard or 'normal' way that something is.
5:31 In the clip we heard 'societal norm', which is the accepted or 'normal' way something is done in society.
5:37 For example, telling children about Father Christmas.
5:42 Shh!
5:43 Well, sadly this isn't a lie, but that's all for this programme.
5:47 For more, find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and our YouTube pages, and, of course, our website — BBC Learning English dot com — where you can find all kinds of other audio programmes, videos, and quizzes to help you improve your English.
6:01 — Thanks for joining us and goodbye! — Bye-bye!
6:04 6 Minute English.
6:06 From BBC Learning English.
6:09 Hello. This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I'm Phil.
6:14 And I'm Georgie.
6:15 In the words of a famous 1960s pop song, "breaking up is hard to do".
6:21 Divorce, when a married couple who no longer want to be together separate, can be one of life's toughest experiences.
6:29 During the 1990s, divorce rates in Europe and America were the highest in the world, with almost half of all marriages ending in divorce.
6:37 But since then, the trend has reversed and divorce rates in the west have slowed.
6:43 Meanwhile, however, the number of couples divorcing in other parts of the world is on the rise.
6:48 In this programme, we'll be hearing how divorce is talked about in different countries and, as usual, we'll be learning some useful new vocabulary.
6:57 But first, I have a question for you, Georgie.
7:01 In Britain, one day of the year in particular is known by divorce lawyers and relationship counsellors as Divorce Day, but which day is it?
7:11 a) Christmas Day?
7:13 b) The first Monday of the New Year?
7:17 Or c) Midsummer's Day, the 24th of June?
7:20 Hmm, I think Divorce Day is the first Monday of the year.
7:24 OK, Georgie. We'll find out if that's the correct answer later in the programme.
7:30 Getting married very young, and differences between partners' backgrounds or interests are two common causes for couples to grow apart.
7:39 Today, Marina Adshade is a professor at the University of British Columbia who studies the economics of sex and relationships, but her life has a very different beginning, as she told BBC World Service programme The Global Story.
7:56 I married really young, I had no education, I married somebody who is older than me, who had a lot of education and our relationship worked well for a while.
8:05 And then, in my late twenties, I decided to go back to school.
8:09 I no longer wanted to be a stay-at-home mother, which was what I was doing in my twenties, and that change in our situation for us just became completely unresolvable.
8:19 And I think this is true for a lot of marriages, because people's situation changes over their lives.
8:24 Maybe they want children, then maybe they change their minds.
8:27 Marina started her married life as a 'stay-at-home mum' — 'a woman who stays home to take care of the children and manage the household'.
8:36 Marina married an older man, and although their relationship started well, over time, they developed different ideas about what they wanted from life.
8:46 Marina and her husband 'changed their minds' — they 'changed an earlier decision they had made'.
8:51 Growing apart is one of the most frequently given reasons for divorce, and eventually Marina and her husband's problems became 'unresolvable' — 'not able to be fixed or satisfactorily ended'.
9:03 Marina's experience is typical of someone who finds themself trapped in a marriage that no longer works.
9:09 Yet unfortunately, due to economic or emotional reasons, many people stay trapped.
9:15 So, what can be done?
9:17 Now, some countries are looking to the authorities, rather than the couple themselves, for a solution.
9:24 Here, Lucy Hockings, presenter of BBC World Service's The Global Story and divorce counsellor, Joanna Gosling, discuss a new strategy being used in China.
9:36 There was an interesting thing they did in China where they introduced this cooling-off period.
9:40 So, the government enforced this.
9:43 Does that work when the government intervenes in a situation like this and makes people behave or do things in a certain way?
9:51 If nothing changes in the dynamic between two people, being told that they've got to cool off and wait a bit longer, I don't think is going to make them suddenly realise that they want to be together.
10:01 It might be an idea for states to invest in communication programmes for these couples, cos that's invariably why relationships fall apart.
10:09 In response to rising divorce rates, in 2021, the Chinese government introduced a 30-day cooling-off period for couples wanting to separate.
10:19 A 'cooling-off period' is 'a period of time in which two groups who are arguing 'can try to improve the situation before taking further action'.
10:27 However, it's unusual for governments to 'intervene' — 'to become involved' — in people's private lives this way.
10:34 Joanna doubts a cooling-off period will work, especially as the main reason for relationships failing is non-communication.
10:43 She says a lack of communication is 'invariably' — or 'always' — the reason for divorce.
10:49 On the plus side, by communicating openly, maybe with the professional help of a relationship counsellor, saving a marriage is possible.
10:58 I think it's time you reveal the answer to your question, Phil.
11:02 You asked about Divorce Day in Britain, and I guessed it was the first Monday of the New Year.
11:07 Good guess, Georgie, because that's the correct answer!
11:10 Divorce Day is the first Monday of the year.
11:14 OK, let's recap the vocabulary we've learned in this programme, starting with 'stay-at-home mum' — a phrase for 'a woman who stays home to care for her children and manage the household'.
11:26 If you 'change your mind', you 'change an earlier decision you made or opinion you had'.
11:31 If a problem is 'unresolvable', it 'cannot be satisfactorily solved or fixed'.
11:37 A 'cooling-off period' is 'a period of time for two people to try to resolve their differences'.
11:43 It can also mean 'an agreed length of time 'in which someone can change their mind about something they've agreed to buy'.
11:49 To 'intervene' means 'to become involved 'in a difficult situation in order to improve it'.
11:55 And finally, the adverb 'invariably' means 'always'.
11:59 Once again, our six minutes are up, but remember to join us again next time for more trending topics and useful vocabulary. Goodbye for now!
12:07 Bye!
12:09 6 Minute English.
12:10 From BBC Learning English.
12:14 Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English. I'm Catherine.
12:17 And I'm Neil. Do you realise, Catherine, that we are related to each other?
12:21 Don't be silly, Neil. I think I'd know if you were in my family.
12:24 Well, we'll talk more about that later in the show, but I should say at this point that today we're discussing 'genealogy' — or 'the study of family history' and I think it's pretty fascinating stuff.
12:35 Do you ever watch the TV programme Who Do You Think You Are, Catherine?
12:39 You know, where celebrities find out about their family history?
12:42 Yeah, I've seen a couple of them.
12:43 For example, one celebrity, who was very proud of his working class London 'roots' — or 'origins' — discovered that he's actually a direct descendant of an English king!
12:54 Well, that's quite a discovery!
12:56 The thing is though, Catherine, what if there isn't anything exciting in your family history?
13:01 No mysteries, no skeletons in the closet.
13:04 Well, I reckon if you go back far enough, Neil, there's always something exciting or unexpected in anybody's family history.
13:12 And 'skeletons in the closet', by the way, means 'secrets'!
13:16 Now, I think it's time for today's quiz question.
13:19 Researching family history often involves reading old documents such as birth, marriage, and death certificates, and these can be difficult to 'decipher' — or 'understand'.
13:31 So what's the name for the study of ancient handwriting?
13:35 Is it a) Scriptography? b) Palaeography? Or c) Scribology?
13:42 Well, it must be a) Scriptography.
13:45 And we'll see if you're right or not later on in the show.
13:49 Now, why do you think most people look into their genealogy, Neil?
13:53 Is it just curiosity?
13:55 Well, Catherine, we all love a good mystery story — especially if it's connected with our own family.
14:00 And these days, it's easy to do research online because many old paper documents have been digitised and are available online.
14:08 BBC presenter Mike Williams investigated his own family history and here, he's talking about his great-grandfather's story.
14:16 And if you listen very carefully, you can hear him rustling the real paper documents!
14:22 The Williamses are my father's side and on my mother's, the Heinos — it's a name that we think comes from Finland.
14:32 If I look at this document here — it's a copy of the census of England and Wales 1911 — you can see my grandfather, the son, and his father — the head of the household — Michael Heino, or Michel Heino, who, the family lore has it, jumped ship and ended up in Liverpool.
14:55 What's a census, Catherine?
14:57 It's an official count of people in a population.
15:00 So Mike Williams's great grandfather appeared on the 1911 census for England and Wales, but because of his surname, the family think he might originally have come from Finland.
15:13 The exciting event in Mike Williams's history, passed down through 'family lore' — which means 'knowledge passed on from one generation to the next' — is that his great-grandfather jumped ship.
15:24 Which means he left the ship he was working on without permission to do so.
15:28 Mm, and he started a new life in England.
15:31 I suppose quite a few people have immigration stories in their family histories, sometimes without knowing it.
15:37 Actually, that's something that many people are fascinated by and has also become easier to investigate these days now companies offer to test the DNA in your saliva for as little as $100.
15:49 And then they come up with results saying you're related to Alexander the Great or Brad Pitt.
15:54 Remember, I said that we were related?
15:57 Well, let's now listen to Else Churchill, from the Society of Genealogists, here in London, who explains what I meant.
16:04 There's what you might call the gateway ancestor — and the idea of history and genealogy is that's normally somebody that's so well documented that their descendants are well-known — in England it's something like Edward III.
16:18 And we're all probably descended from Edward III.
16:20 Is it nice to have royal ancestors?
16:21 Well, millions of people are descended from Edward III, and so, in that sense, that's where the connection might be.
16:27 So the chances are an awful lot of people are distantly connected to each other.
16:32 Else Churchill says it's likely that millions of us are distantly related to a gateway ancestor like King Edward III of England.
16:40 And that means that all those people related to Edward III are also distantly related to each other.
16:47 So it seems that paying a company $100 to reveal that you're related to Edward III is a waste of money.
16:54 Yes, in the sense that it's you and millions of other people.
16:57 And, in fact, we're all related to each other somehow, via Edward III or someone else.
17:02 And another popular finding for British people is to say that you're descended from the Vikings, and again this is true for lots of people, so it isn't particularly meaningful.
17:12 If you're 'descended from' a person or a group, it means they are 'among your ancestors'.
17:17 Now, remember I asked what's the name for the study of ancient handwriting?
17:22 Is it a) Scriptography? b) Palaeography? Or c) Scribology?
17:29 I said a) Scriptography and I'm pretty confident that's the right answer.
17:34 Well, Neil, you're pretty confident, but unfortunately it was wrong!
17:38 — Ah! — The correct answer is b) Palaeography.
17:41 Palaeography is the study of ancient and historical handwriting, including the practice of deciphering, reading, and dating historical manuscripts.
17:51 Oh, well, here are the words we learned.
17:53 Genealogy, roots, skeletons in the closet, decipher, census, family lore, descended from.
18:07 And that's the end of today's 6 Minute English.
18:09 Don't forget to join us again soon!
18:12 — Bye! — Goodbye!
18:13 6 Minute English.
18:15 From BBC Learning English.
18:19 Hello. This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I'm Neil.
18:23 And I'm Beth. Women today are having fewer babies.
18:27 More women are delaying having children until their 'forties' — 'the period of ten years in life between 40 and 49'.
18:37 And some women are giving birth in their fifties, their sixties, even their seventies!
18:43 There are many reasons behind the trend for older mums, including better access to education and careers.
18:50 But there are also health risks to having children later in life, so in this programme we'll be asking when are you too old to have a baby?
18:59 And, as usual, we'll be learning some useful new vocabulary as well.
19:03 But first I have a question for you, Neil.
19:05 In 2019, Mangayamma Yaramati gave birth to twins in the state of Andhra Pradesh, South India.
19:14 But these were no ordinary twins because Mangayamma was the oldest recorded woman ever to give birth.
19:22 So how old was the oldest ever mum when she gave birth?
19:27 Was she a) 53 years-old?
19:31 b) 63 years old?
19:34 Or c) 73 years old?
19:37 Hmm, I'm going to guess 63.
19:40 OK, Neil, we'll find out the correct answer at the end of the programme.
19:45 Professor of Reproductive Science at University College London, Joyce Harper, has been studying the trend of women choosing to have babies later in life.
19:56 Here she shares her discoveries with BBC World Service programme Global Story.
20:02 Ten, 20, 30 years ago, women were having children at a much younger age.
20:06 Now, it's become quite normal for women in their thirties, as we see with the world data.
20:12 There's many countries where women have their first birth over the age of 30.
20:17 But this is quite a new phenomena.
20:19 That's why this term 'geriatric mother' unfortunately still lingers.
20:23 Professor Harper uses the word 'phenomena' to describe the trend for older mothers.
20:29 'Phenomena' are 'unusual or significant facts and events 'that exist and are talked about'.
20:35 People often get this wrong, but the plural form is 'phenomena' and the singular is 'phenomenon'.
20:41 The concept of older mothers is still quite a new phenomenon, and attitudes towards them are changing.
20:48 Mothers over the age of 35 used to be called 'geriatric', a word many found offensive.
20:54 Fortunately, this term is no longer used, but social disapproval of older mothers still lingers.
21:00 If something 'lingers', it 'continues to exist longer than usual or expected'.
21:05 Yes, in some cultures older mothers are still disapproved of.
21:09 But wait a minute, Neil, it takes two to make a baby!
21:13 What's the man's role in all of this?
21:16 Well, unlike women, whose ability to naturally get pregnant declines sharply in their forties, men's fertility lasts longer.
21:24 Rolling Stone, Mick Jagger, famously had his eighth child with his 29-year-old partner at the age of 73.
21:32 So, are older fathers more socially acceptable than older mothers?
21:37 Yes, thinks Professor Harper, as she explained to BBC World Service's Global Story.
21:43 We do have a bit of a gender problem here because if this was a man in his sixties, seventies and even eighties, and he's fathered a child, most people would pat him on the back.
21:53 But they'd probably pat him on the back because he's absolutely got a much younger partner.
21:59 But if we've got a woman in her sixties, seventies or, God forbid, eighties having a child, then it does have a sort of shock reaction, and makes people feel uncomfortable.
22:10 Professor Harper thinks that society is more accepting of older fathers than older mothers.
22:16 A 70-year-old man can still 'father a child' — he can 'make a woman pregnant who then gives birth', and most people would 'pat him on the back', an idiom meaning 'give someone praise or congratulations'.
22:30 On the other hand, says Professor Harper, God forbid a woman having a baby in her eighties!
22:36 Here, the phrase 'God forbid' is used as a way of saying 'you hope something will not happen'.
22:42 There's another side to this story, though.
22:45 In the west, young women from Gen Z, the generation born since the year 2000, are saying they won't have children at all.
22:54 In more traditional countries, meanwhile, a woman's role is as a mother, and many pray to God to be blessed with a child.
23:02 Which is exactly what happened to Mangayamma Yaramati, the South Indian woman I asked you about in my question, Neil.
23:10 In 2019, she became the oldest recorded woman ever to give birth.
23:16 Right, and I guessed she was 63 years old at the time.
23:21 Which was the wrong answer I'm afraid.
23:24 In fact, she was even older — 73.
23:28 OK, let's recap the vocabulary we've learned in this programme, starting with the phrase 'in your forties', which describes 'the period of ten years in someone's life 'when they're aged between 40 and 49.
23:42 'Phenomena' describes 'any significant facts or events that we know exist, 'and can be observed and discussed'.
23:49 If something 'lingers', it 'continues to exist longer than usual or expected'.
23:54 The verb 'to father' means 'to make a woman pregnant who then gives birth to a child'.
24:00 The idiom 'pat someone on the back' is used to describe 'giving someone praise, congratulations or encouragement'.
24:07 And finally, the expression 'God forbid' is a way of saying that 'you hope something will not happen'.
24:13 Once again our six minutes are up, but don't forget to join us again soon for more trending topics and useful vocabulary, here at 6 Minute English.
24:22 — Goodbye for now! — Bye!
24:24 6 Minute English.
24:26 From BBC Learning English.
24:29 Hello. Welcome to 6 Minute English.
24:32 I'm Neil and with me in the studio today is Harry.
24:35 Hello!
24:36 We all have two biological parents, but in the future if someone from the UK tells you they have three parents, it might be true.
24:47 That's right.
24:48 This is because the UK has become the first country to approve laws allowing the creation of babies with DNA from three people!
24:56 'DNA' is 'the chemical structure present in the centre of a cell 'which defines somebody's characteristics'.
25:02 This is to fight a particular disease.
25:05 Yes. Sometimes parts of the DNA called 'genes' are 'faulty'.
25:10 It means 'they don't work properly' and this might cause problems later on.
25:14 A new technique will allow some of these genes to be replaced by healthy ones from a third person.
25:21 This practice is 'controversial' — 'people argue about it'.
25:24 They fear we're going to mess with nature and end up with a Frankenstein's monster!
25:29 Wow, that would be frightening, let's hope it doesn't happen!
25:33 Well, in this programme we're talking about the three-parent baby and you're going to learn some vocabulary related to reproduction.
25:42 'Genetics' — 'the science of how living creatures 'pass their characteristics to their offspring' — is fascinating, Neil!
25:48 It is fascinating, and you know what I find most surprising, Harry, is how much DNA we have in common with other living creatures.
25:56 I've heard that a very high percentage of our DNA is similar to the DNA of monkeys.
26:02 The comparison with monkeys is easy. Over 95% of our DNA is identical to theirs.
26:08 But what you might not know is how much of our DNA is similar to the DNA in a banana?
26:16 — A banana?! — Yes.
26:17 And that's my quiz question today.
26:19 What percentage of our DNA is similar to that of a banana?
26:25 Is it a) About 1%?
26:28 b) 20%?
26:31 Or c) About 50%?
26:34 I think we have very little in common with bananas, so I'm gonna go for 1%.
26:39 Well, I'll give you the correct answer at the end of the programme.
26:42 Now, let's talk about the three-parent baby.
26:45 A 'pioneering' technique, in other words, 'a technique never used before', has been developed by scientists at Newcastle University here in the UK.
26:55 The technique helps people with faulty 'mitochondria', which are 'structures that work like energy factories in our cells'.
27:03 The mitochondria are like batteries.
27:06 And what kind of problems do people who inherit faulty mitochondria have?
27:11 They have serious health problems, such as brain damage and heart failure.
27:15 That's terrible! Maybe it would be good to have this technique approved.
27:19 Well, not everyone agrees with it.
27:21 Fiona Bruce, who is a Member of Parliament here in Britain, expressed concern when the proposal was discussed.
27:28 Listen out for the expression she uses right at the beginning of her speech.
27:32 It means that when you start something, you can't take it back.
27:37 Once the genie is out of the bottle, once these procedures that we are being asked to authorise today go ahead, there will be no going back for society.
27:49 She says that 'the genie is out of the bottle'.
27:52 It's an expression to do with fairy tales, in particular, the story of Aladdin, when he rubs a lamp and a genie appears.
27:59 When the genie is released, anything is possible — even bad things.
28:03 And there's nothing anyone can do to stop it.
28:06 So in the case of DNA engineering, people are afraid that similar techniques might be used to create 'designer babies' — 'babies whose characteristics, 'like height, sex, hair and eye colour, are created to order'.
28:21 Or we might be looking at babies with several parents and who knows where it might end.
28:27 But the approval of this proposal has also made many people happy.
28:31 Yes, people like Victoria, a mother who has a sick child because of faulty mitochondria.
28:37 She uses an expression which means 'amazing or astonishing'.
28:41 Which expression is it?
28:43 It's just mind-boggling what this could mean for our family and for other families who are affected. It's just... It's just the best news!
28:51 She uses the expression 'mind-boggling', in other words, something 'astonishing, overwhelming'.
28:58 That's great news for this lady. I'm happy for her.
29:00 Yes, it is. According to statistics, faulty mitochondria affects one in every 6,500 babies — a considerable number of people.
29:09 Well, this is an interesting subject, but we are running out of time and...
29:13 And you're going to tell me what percentage of DNA we have in common with a banana, aren't you?
29:19 I am. And the options I gave you were about 1%, 20% or 50%.
29:26 And you said?
29:27 I said I thought it was just 1%.
29:29 Well, can you believe it's 50%?
29:32 We are half, half and half like bananas.
29:35 That's incredible! They're not...
29:37 They're not even mammals, we're so different to them. It's mind-boggling!
29:41 Let's listen to today's words once again, Harry.
29:45 Yes. They were DNA, genes, faulty, genetics, pioneering, mitochondria, the genie is out of the bottle, designer babies, mind-boggling.
30:17 Well, that's it for today.
30:19 Do go to BBC Learning English dot com to find more 6 Minute English programmes.
30:23 — Until next time, goodbye! — Bye!
30:27 6 Minute English.
30:29 From BBC Learning English.
