1.

Fill in the missing words:

 What do Charles Darwin, Michael Jordan, and Yoda have in common?
They, like many other historical and fictive individuals, are bald, in some
cases by their own choice.
 For centuries, a shining dome has been a symbol of intelligence, but despite
this, many balding people still wish their hair would return. Scientists have
long _____ pondered _______,"Why do some people lose their hair, and
how can we bring it back?"
 The full-headed among us have about 100,000 to 150,000 hairs on our
scalps,and scientists have discovered two things about this dense
thicket.Firstly, the sprouting hair we see is mostly made up of keratin,the
protein leftover from dead cells that are forced _____ upwards ________as
new cells grow beneath them.
 Secondly, the structures that drive hair growth are called hair follicles, a
network of complex organs that forms before we're born, and grows hair in
an____ everlasting__________ cycle.
 This cycle has three main phases. The first is anagen, the growth phase
which up to 90% of your hair follicles are experiencing right now, causing
them to push up hair at a rate of one centimeter per month.
 Anagen can last for two to seven years, depending on your genes. After this
productive period, ______signals_______ within the skin instruct some
follicles to enter a new phase known as catagen, or the regressing
stage,causing hair follicles to shrink to a fraction of their original length.
 Catagen lasts for about two to three weeksand cuts blood supply to the
follicle, creating a club hair, meaning it's ready to be shed. Finally, hairs
enter telogen, the resting phase, which lasts for ten to twelve weeks, and
affects about 5-__15____% of your scalp follicles.
 During telogen, up to 200 club hairs can be shed in a day,which is quite
normal.Then, the growth cycle begins anew.But not all heads are hairy,and,
in fact, some of them grow increasingly patchy over timein response to
bodily changes.
 95% of baldness in men can be ____attributed_________ to male pattern
baldness. Baldness is inherited, and in people with this condition,follicles
become incredibly sensitive to the effects of dihydrotestosterone, a hormonal
product made from testosterone.
 DHT causes shrinkage in these ____overly_______ sensitive follicles,
making hair shorter and wispier.But loss isn't sudden.It happens gradually,
along a metric known as the Norwood Scale, which describes the
___severity_______ of hair loss.
 First, hair recedes along the temples, then hair on the crown begins to thin in
a circular pattern. At the _____highest________ rating on the scale, these
balding areas meet and expand dramatically, eventually leaving only a ring
of sparse hair around the templesand the back of the head.
 Genetics isn't all that drives hair loss.Long periods of stress can release
signals that shock folliclesand force them into the resting phase
prematurely.Some women experience this after ___childbirth___________.
 Follicles might also lose the ability to go into anagen, the growth phase.
People going through chemotherapy treatment temporarily experience
this.But while balding may look ______permanent________, scientific
investigation has revealed the opposite.
 Below the skin's ____surface_________, the roots that give rise to our hair
actually remain alive. Using this knowledge, scientists have developed drugs
that ___shorten_______ the resting phase, and force follicles into anagen.
 Other drugs combat male pattern baldnessby blocking the conversion of
testosterone to DHTso that it doesn't affect those sensitive follicles.Stem
cells also play a role in regulating the growth cycle, and so scientists are
investigating whether they can ______manipulate__________ the activity
of these cells to encourage follicles to start producing hair again.
 And in the meantime, while scientists hone their hair-reviving
___methods______, anyone going bald, or considering baldness, can
remember that they're in great company.
2. Write a short summary for the audio: