Notes:
inherit 受け継ぐ;
trait (人・ものの)特性、特色;
wondrous すばらしい;

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It is a well-known fact that we inherit physical traits from our parents. If a child is left-handed, it is very likely that one of her parents writes with his or her left hand. If a boy’s father is bald, he will have a greater chance of going bald when he gets older. While everyone knew that physical traits were inherited, it wasn’t until the twentieth century that scientists discovered the biological key to this process: DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid. Finding DNA took almost 100 years. Now scientists are working to decode the DNA molecule. To do this, they must “read” each of the over 3 billion DNA letters in the human body. This decoding of human DNA, also known as the human genome 2 project, will result in a map of the DNA in the human body. As former U.S. President Clinton said, “Without a doubt, this is the most important, most wondrous map ever produced by humankind.” (From the book of “Language & Life Sciences: Mapping the Human Genome”)
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After selling iPods for almost 22 years, Apple has decided to stop making them. The iPod changed the way people bought music and listened to music. It was a music player like the Sony Walkman, which played cassettes, but unlike the original Walkman, it played digital music. An iPod could hold 1,000 songs, and Apple starting selling digital music cheaply, only 99 cents (about 100 yen) for each song. People made regular talking programs called podcasts (iPod + broadcast) which, unlike radio, you could listen to at any time. These days, people don’t need an iPod. Instead of buying and keeping music on their devices, they use music streaming services. Besides, iPhones and other cell phones can do everything that an iPod can do. (by Prof. Douglas Jarrell)
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