Cleaning up invasives with goats, Fruit fly brain map, Pregnancy and the brain

Ashley Thompson and Mario Ritter host the VOA Learning English podcast for Tuesday, October 15, 2024. (00:59) Ashley and John Russell have a report on American cities using sheep and goats to control plant growth. The cities and communities are choosing sheep to deal with problems such as invasive species, wildfire risks, native plant protection, and to keep historic places in good condition. At the University of Georgia, Kevin Kirsche said, “Bringing the goats to the site was an alternative means of removing invasive plants in a way that was nontoxic to the environment and friendly to people.” https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a... (7:41) Mario reports that a group of international scientists recently announced they had made a map of the whole “brain” of an adult fruit fly. The researchers wanted to find out exactly how the brain cells operate when they are healthy and normal. The researchers created what they called a “wiring diagram” of an adult fruit fly. It is also called a “connectome” map. The goal was to create a map that shows how neurons connect and operate. https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a... (12:55) For the Health & Lifestyle report, Anna Matteo has the story of neuroscientist Liz Chrastil at the University of California, Irvine. Chrastil wanted to see how her brain changed while she was pregnant. She and a group of researchers studied the effects of her pregnancy. But, their study has started a large international research project that aims to scan the brains of hundreds of women. They found more than 80 percent of the parts of the brain studied had reductions in the amount of gray matter, where thinking takes place. However, the researchers said the reduction is probably not a bad thing. It might mean that networks of interconnected nerve cells called “neural circuits” are preparing for a new time in a woman's life. https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a... (19:19) Anna then joins Mario to discuss the future of this research. (20:58) In Lesson of the Day, Jill Robbins and Andrew Smith have a lesson on probability, prediction, and chance based on episode 34 of Let’s Learn English. And Ashley and Mario sign off. --------- Learning English is Voice of America’s multimedia source of news and information for millions of English learners worldwide. We help you build vocabulary, strengthen your speaking skills and improve your ability to communicate for work, school and everyday life. We are not accepting comments here. You are welcome to comment on the stories at our website. EXPLORE OUR PLAYLISTS: » Learning English Podcast:    • Learning English Podcast   » Let's Learn English with Anna! (For children 8-12)    • Let's Learn English with Anna   » Let's Learn English Level 1    • Let's Learn English   » Let's Learn English Level 2    • Let's Learn English Level 2   » VISIT OUR WEBSITE: https://learningenglish.voanews.com » LIKE OUR FACEBOOK PAGE:   / voalearningenglish   » FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM:   / voalearningenglish   » FOLLOW US ON TWITTER:   / voalearnenglish   » SUBSCRIBE TO OUR PODCAST ON ITUNES: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/v... Voice of America (VOA) is the largest U.S. international broadcaster, providing news and information in more than 40 languages to an estimated weekly audience of 326 million people.