Hi there.

It's time for an all-new episode of News Bites.

I'm Jacob Ingram.

And I'm Nany Sun.

In today's news: Rumors about voice samples being collected during phone calls, and NASA has been asked to help search for the Loch Ness Monster.

And in today's Tasty Tidbit: Have you ever wondered what causes most colds?

Stay tuned for those stories, coming up next.

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不必擔心 有人用LINE收集你的聲音

Voice Sample Rumors on LINE Messaging APP

You know those random calls you sometimes get from out of the blue?

The calls from unknown numbers?

Rumor has it some of these numbers are collecting voice samples (語音樣本).

A voice sample is a bit of someone's voice that's recorded (錄音).

It's like when you take a small piece of a song to get a feel for how it goes.

Voice samples allow you to hear what someone else's voice sounds like, and get an idea for how that person talks and expresses themselves.

So why would someone want to collect voice samples?

Well, it's for training AI to simulate the voices of real people.

AI stands for Artificial Intelligence.

It's like a smart computer program which can do things that normally only humans can do.

人工智慧現在可以做很多以前真人才能做的事。

For example, telling jokes, writing stories, drawing pictures or even carrying out a conversation.

In this case, some people are using voice samples to train AI how to mimic their voices.

據說有些人使用語音樣本訓練AI模仿人的聲音。

So why would anyone want to train AI to mimic people's voices?

Well, some shady folks out there are looking to scam others.

They want to make AI sound like relatives, parents or friends, to trick you into giving them money.

So that's why some are advising not to speak over the phone when answering calls from unknown numbers.

But is there any need to be so cautious?

接到不知道誰打來的電話時，需要很小心嗎？

Well, according to the Taiwan Fact-Checking Center, the answer is no!

那是不需要的。

The Fact-Checking Center explained that AI struggles to produce high-quality voices with just a few greeting sentences.

Cybersecurity experts agree.

網路安全專家同意。

They said that while AI can simulate human voices, it needs longer speech samples to do so effectively.

Plus, AI being used for voice fraud is still relatively rare compared to other scams.

So, what's the bottom line?

There's no need to freak out and stay silent on the phone.

But if you suspect a call might be a scam, it's still a good idea to hang up as soon as possible.

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有人呼籲美國太空總署 協助尋找尼斯湖水怪

NASA Urged to Help in New Search for Loch Ness Monster

Nestled in the Scottish Highlands lies Loch Ness.

蘇格蘭高地中隱藏著尼斯湖。

It's a picturesque freshwater lake shrouded in mystery and folklore.

它是一個風景如畫的淡水湖，籠罩著神秘和民間傳說。

What is it most famous for?

… The legend of the Loch Ness Monster.

Locals affectionately call the monster Nessie.

It's described as a large aquatic creature resembling a plesiosaur (蛇頸龍).

That's a type of dinosaur that swims in the ocean.

Nessie has been the subject of many sightings and debates.

The modern legend of the Loch Ness Monster dates back to the early 1900s.

There have been reported sightings and photographs showing a dark, elongated shape (狹長的形狀) emerging from the waters.

People have been searching for the monster for many years.

In 1936, a chap called Sir Edward Mountain led the first organized expedition (探險遠征隊) to Loch Ness to search for the monster.

He took 20 men with him.

Together, they placed binoculars (望遠鏡) and cameras (照相機) around the loch, and took many photographs.

But still, they couldn't prove whether there really was a monster lurking in the waters.

Now, with the 90th anniversary of Sir Edward Mountain's exhibition approaching, there's going to be another search for the monster, and NASA is being asked to help out!

The Loch Ness Centre said it's organizing another search for the monster from May 30th to June 2nd.

It says it has asked experts to help, including scientists and universities.

It has also asked NASA to help out.

It hopes NASA can provide equipment and expertise.

Maybe with cutting-edge equipment (尖端設備) and expert help, we might finally be able to uncover the mystery of Loch Ness!

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So in today's News Bites,

Rumors claim unknown callers are gathering voice samples for training AI to mimic voices, possibly for scams.

Experts say AI struggles to learn from short samples, so there's no need to be silent when answering the calls.

But if you suspect a call is a scam, hang up as soon as possible.

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And,

Loch Ness is a large freshwater lake located in the Scottish Highlands.

It's famous for the legend of the Loch Ness Monster, which the locals call "Nessie".

Despite lots reported sightings and searches over the years, there's no proof there really is a monster there.

The Loch Ness Centre is organizing another expedition and has asked experts to help, including NASA.

It hopes to uncover the truth behind the legend.

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趣味小點

Tasty Tidbit

And in today's Tasty Tidbit,

Did you know that rhinoviruses are the most common cause of colds?

Rhinoviruses cause symptoms like sneezing, runny noses, and sore throats.

They're responsible for a large portion of the colds people get each year.

So, if you catch a cold, chances are it's because of rhinoviruses!

And that's it for today's episode of News Bites!

If you have a fun fact, a joke or interesting news story you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit, and you might hear it at the end of an episode.

We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!