Imagine infusing thousands of wireless devices into your brain, and using them to both monitor its activity and directly influence its actions. It sounds like the stuff of science fiction, and for the moment it still is – but possibly not for long. Brain research is on a roll at the moment. And as it converges with advances in science and technology more broadly, it's transforming what we are likely to be able to achieve in the near future. Spurring the field on is the promise of more effective treatments for debilitating neurological and psychological disorders such as epilepsy, Parkinson's disease and depression.

Nasa has announced that it has found evidence of flowing water on Mars. Scientists have long speculated that Recurring Slope Lineae -- or dark patches -- on Mars were made up of briny water but the new findings prove that those patches are caused by liquid water, which it has established by finding hydrated salts. Several hundred camped outside the London store in Covent Garden. The 6s will have new features like a vastly improved camera and a pressure-sensitive "3D Touch" display

Nasa has announced that it has found evidence of flowing water on Mars. Scientists have long speculated that Recurring Slope Lineae -- or dark patches -- on Mars were made up of briny water but the new findings prove that those patches are caused by liquid water, which it has established by finding hydrated salts. Several hundred camped outside the London store in Covent Garden. The 6s will have new features like a vastly improved camera and a pressure-sensitive "3D Touch" display

The reliance on drones--and the tendency to regard them as the default tool for taking out jihadi suspects on the battlefield--subsided in Obama's second term, in part because the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were winding down, in part because the drones weren't having the dramatic effect that they seemed to promise. It turned out that killing a key terrorist or destroying a terrorist hangout--while sometimes fruitful and always tempting--has little impact on the course of the war. Al-Qaida had a seemingly endless line of No. 3–ranking officials to replace the ones just killed. And to the extent terrorist groups have been decimated on the battlefield, it's been due to a combination of conventional airstrikes and forces on the ground. And sometimes, in drone strikes, innocent people get killed, not because the Hellfire missile veers off course but because the intelligence was poor, the images were fuzzy, someone has made a mistake about who was (or wasn't) in the crosshairs. And when innocent people get killed, new terrorists--their husbands, cousins, fathers, sons, or neighbors--are often created.

AI-enabled messaging programs that respond to text-based requests -- are the latest innovation that startups and corporations are using to serve existing customers and bring in new ones. Companies across a wide variety of industries are building these tools on popular messaging apps like Facebook Messenger, Slack, Kik, and Hipchat, as well as on their own websites and apps. Some are even available by text, to help users do things like fight parking tickets, respond to customer service inquiries, and order tacos. This is by no means an exhaustive list, so if you see we're missing a chatbot that's currently up and running, please share the link with us in the comments section. We'll add new, significant chatbots to the list over time.

Artificial Intelligence has always been a hot topic. The problem of creating a machine that can think, make its own decisions and at the same time lacks human limitations, has always aroused controversies. We all remember what the infamous Skynet has done to our planet in Terminator series, right? We can also recall this nasty feeling of a cold shiver running down our spines when Neo has woken up from the Matrix. After watching such films, we can wonder why our scientists want to build intelligent machines in a first place. One would ask: why putting humanity at risk?

Japan is about to launch a gigantic industry-government-academia project to develop artificial intelligence technology matching the nation's specific needs. The project will include one of the country's biggest research centers, set up in the government-backed Riken research institute, and has a budget of 100 billion yen (around 974 million) over the next 10 years. Some 100 top researchers from participating companies, such as Toyota Motor and NEC, and research institutes will begin studies soon at a laboratory to be opened by the Riken Center for Advanced Integrated Intelligence Research in a high-rise building near Tokyo Station. Positioned as a pillar of the Japanese government's growth strategy, AI simulates the human brain to create "wise" computers. Some experts forecast the technology will surpass human intelligence by 2045.

Gartner tracks emerging technologies in its annual Hype Cycle reports that enable organisations to increase this interconnection, allowing for the real-time exchange of vast quantities of data, and for increased intelligence, complex analysis and decision making in real time. To help IT leaders understand significant technology trends, Gartner analysts looked across all 109 Hype Cycles and noted four high-level megatrends trends that track the evolution of digital business technologies, services and business models. "New digital business models require ecosystems of people, businesses and technologies that must scale beyond the enterprise," said Betsy Burton, vice president and distinguished analyst. Since 2008, cloud, data, mobile and social (the Nexus of Forces) have dramatically affected people's lives, business interactions, social change and global economies. These massive collections of technologies and the resulting changes in business models and human behaviour have accelerated the interconnection of technology, business and humans, and given rise to digital business.

Uber's self-driving cars have been spotted around Pittsburgh for a few months now, but starting today you can actually take a ride in one. The company announced that as of today, Uber's most "loyal" Pittsburgh customers might receive a ride in a self-driving Ford Fusion when they request an Uber X. As predicted, being a test subject in the company's cars will net you a free ride. Uber made the announcement at its Advanced Technologies Center in Pittsburgh, a location founded about 18 months ago specifically to focus on autonomous vehicles. The combination of a local government friendly to some reasonable radical experimentation coupled with the nearby Carnegie Mellon University providing a pipeline of excellent engineerings made Pittsburgh a natural choice for the program, but it's still a little surprising it has cars on the road already.

Parked outside a warehouse by the Allegheny River was Uber's vision of the future: 14 Ford Fusions, each mounted with conspicuous cameras, antennae and sensors. A lumpy lidar unit, which uses light to map its surroundings, spun atop each car's roof like a high-tech propeller hat. But I was about to get into a car that drives itself. Style was the least of my worries. This fleet of geekmobiles, clearly marked with Uber's logo, will be deployed Wednesday as part of a test that will let Pittsburgh customers hail a self-driving car.