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Changes to gene activity that occur with age can be turned back, a new study shows. New research suggests it is possible to slow or even reverse aging, at least in mice, by undoing changes in gene activity—the same kinds of changes that are caused by decades of life in humans. By tweaking genes that turn adult cells back into embryoniclike ones, researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies reversed the aging of mouse and human cells in vitro, extended the life of a mouse with an accelerated-aging condition and successfully promoted recovery from an injury in a middle-aged mouse, according to a study published Thursday in Cell. The study adds weight to the scientific argument that aging is largely a process of so-called epigenetic changes, alterations that make genes more active or less so. Over the course of life cell-activity regulators get added to or removed from genes. In humans those changes can be caused by smoking, pollution or other environmental factors—which d...

Restaurant owners asking customers to make their own food at home would be " like turkeys voting for Christmas ". This is a Christmas Idiom mainly used in British English.  If people are "like turkeys voting for Christmas", they choose to accept a situation which will have very bad results for them in the future.  In the United States, though, the phrases " turkeys voting for Thanksgiving " and " chickens voting for Colonel Sanders " are often used instead.  In Canada, because  of the story of Mouseland, a famous story, people  commonly use " like mice voting for cats ". The turkey, the chicken and the mice expressions are very helpful and can be used for the same idea. Read the story of  Mouseland

If you say that something will not happen in a month of Sundays, you mean that it will never happen. He is never going to get it finished. He will never run the marathon, not in a month of Sundays. You actually mean that it is not likely to happen. " In a month of Sundays " is used to emphasize that something will never happen.  The phrase " when pigs fly " has similar meaning. it is a figure of speech (hyperbolic) that describes an impossibility or something that will never occur.  " When pigs fly " is a way of saying that something will never happen. The phrase is often used for humorous effect. Once in a blue moon  is a similar phrase. However, to do something “ once in a blue moon ” is to do it very rarely: “ That company puts on a good performance only once in a blue moon. ” The phrase refers to the appearance of a second full moon within a calendar month, which actually happens about every thirty-two months. The expression " on...

Cia de Teatro Bilingue will present a storytelling play this Saturday, December 17th, at 3h30 pm. This event will take place at Villa Lobos Shopping Mall, São Paulo, Brazil. There is no need to pay for tickets; bring the kids to have some fun! ;) A Cia de Teatro Bilingue fará nesse sábado, 17/12/2016, em São Paulo, contação de histórias em inglês (Storytelling às 15h30).  Shopping Villa Lobos - A entrada é GRATUITA!  Legal para levar as crianças. ;)

Social media is a double-edged sword that can give you benefits, though; it can  cause conflicts, hurt people, and  even keep them away. A double-edged sword is not only a situation that can go good or bad. In fact, the taken action has several effects at once in any given situation. It is something like; the result kills two birds with a stone because the two sides of the same blade are sharp, the sword cuts both ways. Let us say it is something that causes both advantages and problems. Observe the two aspects about living in big cities. Many people move from the countryside to large cities; others decide to move to the countryside instead. Living in big cities is a double-edged sword . They are beautiful cities and offer thousands of opportunities, but it is so expensive, thus, many people cannot afford it. Besides this example, we can find other examples on how to use the expression “ a double-edged sword ” in different situations. Let us see the followin...

Do you have any knowledge or experience? I have learned some things here and there, so I have some stuff "under my belt".  Clarification: the phrase " under my belt " refers to owning something or possessing knowledge. We all have got a lot under our belts , haven't we?

If something costs an arm and a leg , it is extremely expensive. When you spend a lot money for something, we can say that you pay through the nose for it.  This expression means to pay too much money for something.   If you drive into the city, you have to pay through the nose for parking.  (Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press). There other expressions that roughly mean “ expensive ”. If you want to say that something is a little bit expensive, say “ this is a bit steep ” or pricey. If it is too expensive just say, “It costs a fortune ”. If it is very expensive and you know that you do not have the money to pay for it, just say, “it is a little outside my budget ” or say, “ I cannot afford it ”. “I like to go to clubs in New York, but they charge “ an arm and a leg ” for food and drinks!” It cost a small fortune to have some fun. In other words, it cost you a pretty penny ! Some foreigners love to go to New York. They p...