Learning English Podcast - Climate Meetings, Brain Biocomputer

Ashley Thompson and Dan Novak are the hosts of the VOA Learning podcast for Monday, December 18, 2023.

Last week, 200 nations promised to move away from fossil fuels at the climate meeting in Dubai. Greg Stachel and Gena Bennett have a report looking at what has happened to all these climate promises from past meetings in Kyoto, Copenhagen, Paris, Glasgow and Sharm el-Sheik.

For the Science and Technology report, Bryan Lynn says that American researchers have combined lab-grown human brain tissue with computer hardware to create a working biocomputer. The brain cells used in the experiment were able to recognize speech and complete simple math problems. Bryan further explains to Dan Novak, the co-host, that this is the first time scientists have connected the “brain organoid” with actual computer circuitry to improve performance. However, the system is still below the accuracy rate of traditional AI networks. And scientists are working to improve on that.

In the Lesson of the Day, Andrew Smith and Jill Robbins are back with an episode of Let’s Learn English. They look at the language exchange between Anna Matteo and a visitor to Washington, D.C., especially the use of the present perfect tense to talk about the experience. Jill explains that we often use the pattern to talk about an action in the past that is important in the present. Anna and her new friend then talk about all the museums, and the zoo, to visit.
A Short History of UN Climate Deal Promises https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a...
Scientists Create ‘Biocomputer’ with Lab-Grown Brain Tissue https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a...