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Scientists Use AI to Design Viruses

healthAugust 9, 2026·132 words·2 min read
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This is a A2 (elementary) English article about scientists use ai to design viruses. Read the article below, then check the key words and test your understanding with 5 exercises. You can also listen to the audio and tap any word to see its meaning.

Key VocabularyExercisesDictation PracticeMemorize Practice
How to practice
Key Vocabulary

Tap any underlined difficult word to see its definition in your language and hear it pronounced.

Exercises

Multiple-choice, fill-in-the-blank, and ordering tasks check that you understood what you read.

Dictation Practice

Listen to each sentence, then type what you hear word by word. Trains your ear and spelling.

Memorize Practice

Read a sentence, then reconstruct it from memory by filling in the blanks. Active recall locks vocabulary in.

Read & Listen

0:00 / 1:02
Scientists Use AI to Design Viruses
Scientists in the United States used AI to design new viruses. AI means artificial intelligence. The viruses are called phages, and they attack only bacteria. This makes them safe for people. The computer made thousands of designs, and the scientists built about 300 of them. Only 16 of them worked well. These 16 killed two kinds of bacteria called E. coli.
The AI tools are like chatbot programs, but they write genetic code instead of words. The team did not use viruses that make people sick. All of the work happened in a safe laboratory.
Doctors already use phages to treat some infections. This is useful because many bacteria now resist medicine. But other experts are worried that AI could one day design dangerous viruses. They say the world needs new rules.

Key Vocabulary

n.
a very small thing that can make people or animals sick
n.
very small living things that can make you ill
n.
make a plan for something new
n.
a room where scientists work
adj.
about the code inside living things
v.
to not be killed by
adj.
able to hurt or kill people
n.
a virus that attacks only bacteria
Vocabulary Translations· 8 words · 12 languages

Every definition is context-aware — translated based on how the word is used in this article, not a dictionary.

virusn.

a very small thing that can make people or animals sick

vi-rútvírusウイルスvirüsviruswirusفيروسvirusвирус病毒바이러스
bacterian.

very small living things that can make you ill

vi khuẩnbactérias細菌、バクテリアbakterilerbacteriasbakterieبكتيرياbacteriënбактерии细菌박테리아, 세균
designn.

make a plan for something new

thiết kế, tạo ra (theo kế hoạch)projetar, criar設計する、デザインするtasarlamakdiseñarprojektowaćيُصمِّمontwerpenразрабатывать, конструировать设计，构建（新事物）설계하다, 디자인하다
laboratoryn.

a room where scientists work

phòng thí nghiệmlaboratório実験室、研究所laboratuvarlaboratoriolaboratoriumمختبرlaboratoriumлаборатория实验室실험실
geneticadj.

about the code inside living things

thuộc về di truyền, gengenético遺伝子の、遺伝のgenetikgenéticogenetycznyجيني، وراثيgenetischгенетический遗传的，基因的유전의, 유전자의
resistv.

to not be killed by

kháng lạiresistir a抵抗する、効かなくなるdirenç göstermekresistirbyć odpornym naيقاومweerstaanсопротивляться, быть устойчивым к抵抗、产生耐药性저항하다, 내성을 갖다
dangerousadj.

able to hurt or kill people

nguy hiểmperigosos危険なtehlikelipeligrososniebezpieczneخطيرgevaarlijkопасный危险的위험한
phagen.

a virus that attacks only bacteria

thực khuẩn thể (vi-rút chỉ tấn công vi khuẩn)fago (vírus que ataca bactérias)ファージ（細菌だけを攻撃するウイルス）faj (sadece bakterilere saldıran virüs)fago (virus que ataca bacterias)fag (wirus atakujący bakterie)عاثية (فيروس يهاجم البكتيريا فقط)faag (virus dat bacteriën aanvalt)фаг (вирус, атакующий только бактерии)噬菌体（只攻击细菌的病毒）파지 (세균만 공격하는 바이러스)

Check Your Understanding

Question 1: True or False

1

The team used viruses that make people sick.

2

Phages attack only bacteria.

3

All of the work happened in a safe laboratory.

4

Doctors have never used phages to treat infections.

Question 2: Multiple Choice

How many of the built designs worked well?

Question 3: Multiple Choice

What do these AI tools write?

Question 4: Matching

Tap a word, then tap its meaning.

Question 5: Fill in the Blank

Phage treatment can help sick people when bacteria ______ normal medicine.

Dictation Practice

Sentence 1 / 140/11 words

Memorize Practice

Sentence 1 / 14

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