Computer made with brain cells: BBC News Review

A computer made from living brain cells?

This is News Review from BBC

Learning English, where we help you understand news headlines in English.

I'm Neil. I'm Georgie.

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Now, the story.

Scientists have created a computer system which uses living brain cells

to complete tasks.

The computer, which they call 'Brainoware',

can recognise voices and do mathematical calculations. Experts think

this technology could make AI more human-like.

You've been looking at the headlines, Georgie.

What's the vocabulary

people need to understand this story in English?

We have 'biocomputer', 'lab-grown' and 'brain-like'.

This is News Review from BBC Learning English.

Let's have a look at our first headline.

This one's from KNEWS.

'Biocomputer' using human brain tissue achieves voice recognition

in latest AI enhancement.

So this story is about 'Brainoware',

which is a technology that uses real brain cells

to do things like recognise voices.

We are looking at the word 'biocomputer', which is made up

of two parts: 'bio' and 'computer'.

But when we put them together,

Georgie, what's the sense?

Yes, you're right.

The word is made up of the prefix 'bio' and the noun 'computer'.

'Bio' means life or living things - the study of living things is biology -

and the second part is 'computer'. Well, we all know what

that means, so 'biocomputer' means living computer.

The living part here is brain cells.

Sounds a bit futuristic, doesn't it?

It does. It sounds like some kind

of Hollywood sci-fi movie.

So a biocomputer is the combination of electronic hardware

and real living cells, brain tissue here.

The word, 'bio' features in lots of different words, doesn't it, Georgie?

Can you give us some examples?

Sure. So when you're talking about the environment,

you might hear words like 'biodegradable', which means that

when you throw something away,

it can be broken down by living things, or 'biofuel',

which is a type of fuel made from living things like plants.

OK, let's look at that again.

Let's have our next headline.

This one's from Nature. Biocomputer combines lab-grown brain tissue

with electronic hardware.

So this headline tells us a little bit more about the brain tissue

that scientists are using.

We're interested in the vocabulary 'lab-grown'. Again,

it's got two parts, and we need to understand both

to get the full meaning. Let's start with 'lab'.

What's a lab? So 'lab' is short for laboratory,

a science lab. It's that place

you might find scientists in white lab coats doing experiments,

looking through microscopes. What about 'grown'?

Yeah, so 'grown' is the past participle of grow, which means get bigger.

So if the brain tissue is lab-grown. It means that

it was created and got bigger in a science lab. Now, to be clear,

this brain is not a real human brain is it?

No, the scientists did not take brain tissue from a real person's brain.

They created it using a type of cell called a stem cell.

But it is not just brains

they grow in labs.

We also have lab-grown meat.

Yes, so, lab-grown meat is meat created by scientists in a lab.

There are no animals or farming involved. And you might also hear

about lab-grown diamonds, a scientific process to create diamonds.

OK, let's look at that again.

Let's look at our next headline.

This one's from the Financial Times.

Scientists use brain-like tissue in advance for 'biocomputing' research.

This time we are focusing on brain-like. Again,

there are two parts and they're both very familiar: 'brain' and

'like'. The 'like' here is not 'like' as in

'I like chocolate' is it Georgie?

No. When you hear a word with 'like' at the end,

it means that thing is similar to the noun it's connected to,

but not exactly the same.

So, here we have brain-like tissue

and we're saying that tissue is like a brain

but isn't a real brain.

Yes, and as you said earlier,

AI generally is becoming more human-like.

And that doesn't mean that it is a human.

It means that it's behaving more in a human way.

Another example, Georgie.

I saw you the other day wearing a smart business suit you looked businesslike.

Yes, well, actually,

I was on my way to interview a very important person.

So I had to look professional.

Yes, it's important to be businesslike

in that situation. Let's look at that again.

We've had 'biocomputer':

a computer made of living

tissue. 'lab-grown':

Made in a science laboratory. And 'brain-like':

Similar to, but not a real brain.

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