Their machine-learning platform predicted a trio of reagents that was able to generate a never-before-seen cancer-like phenotype in tadpoles. The research, reported in Scientific Reports on January 27, shows how artificial intelligence (AI) can help human researchers in fields such as oncology and regenerative medicine control complex biological systems to reach new and previously unachievable outcomes. The researchers had previously shown that pigment cells (melanocytes) in developing frogs could be converted to a cancer-like, metastatic form by disrupting their normal bioelectric and serotonergic signaling and had used AI to reverse-engineer a model that explained this complex process. However, during these extensive experiments, the biologists observed something remarkable: All the melanocytes in a single frog larva either converted to the cancer-like form or remained completely normal. Conversion of only some of the pigment cells in a single tadpole was never seen; how, the researchers asked, could such an all-or-none coordination of cells across the tadpole body be explained and controlled?

A short while ago a recent article in Wired described how physicists are about to rule Silicon Valley. The opening of the article resonated strongly with me when I also used to tackle difficult research questions at the world's most renown laboratories for particle physics: CERN in Geneva, Switzerland and the Fermi National Laboratory in Chicago, IL. For more than 10 years I've tried to uncover the origins of our Universe before transitioning to the private sector and joining Blue Yonder, a cloudbased company that delivers automated, machine learning solutions in the Retail space. Why did I make this move? The LHC has yet to discover anything new – even the Higgs boson discovered in 2012 was about the same mass it was previously expected to be.

For people who play the video game Counter Strike online, it's hard enough watching your back at the best of times. In the fast-paced first-person shooter, there are always players with quicker reflexes or a sharper eye. But at the height of its popularity a few years ago, people started to come up against other players with skills that were too good to be true. Games like Counter Strike and Half Life – another shooter that was very popular online – had a problem with players who used software cheats that steadied their aim or let them see through walls. So in 2006, when the stakes were raised by an online competition with cash prizes, an unusual pair of referees were called in.

The Fugees have taken over the world. Happy Gilmore's in cinemas and people are saying things like "Hey, that Adam Sandler dude's great!" and "I do not hate Adam Sandler at all!" And if you play video games, you walk past any darkened window worried that a skinless hound will clatter through it and try to rip all your organs out through your armpits. This is because you've just played Resident Evil. Scared you like no other game has before.

Samsung has all but confirmed that its next flagship smartphone will feature an artificial intelligence assistant. The company has posted a vacancy on LinkedIn, for a Principal Program Manager who would be responsible for driving "the execution and delivery of Samsung's upcoming AI (Artificial Intelligence) assistant on the Galaxy S8." Though tech companies aren't averse to teasing the industry with misleading information ahead of major launches, the professional network isn't where you'd typically expect to find such a red herring. The giant human-like robot bears a striking resemblance to the military robots starring in the movie'Avatar' and is claimed as a world first by its creators from a South Korean robotic company Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi and Kaptain Rock playing one string light saber guitar perform jam session A man looks at an exhibit entitled'Mimus' a giant industrial robot which has been reprogrammed to interact ...

There's been a lot of hand-wringing about artificial intelligence and robots taking away jobs--by one recent estimate, AI could replace up to six percent of jobs in the U.S. by 2021. While most of those will be in customer service and transportation, a recent study suggests that at least one job requiring highly skilled labor could also be getting some help from AI: dermatologist. Susan Scutti at CNN reports that researchers at Stanford used a deep learning algorithm developed by Google to diagnose skin cancer. The team taught the algorithm to sort images and recognize patterns by feeding it images of everyday objects over the course of a week. "We taught it with cats and dogs and tables and chairs and all sorts of normal everyday objects," Andre Esteva, lead author on the article published this week in the journal Nature, tells Scutti. "We used a massive data set of well over a million images."

Sage has integrated its Pegg chat bot with Sage One, adding artificial intelligence technology to the company's cloud-based accounting software. The U.K.-based company is launching the capability in the U.S. first before marketing it in other countries. Sage showed off the technology last year during its Sage Summit conference in Chicago (see Accounting bot launched at Sage Summit). The bot, developed in collaboration with Gupshup, a San Francisco-based developer, uses AI technology to provide a "virtual accounting assistant." Pegg allows users to submit expenses and track receipts, and see who is late on paying an invoice, via mobile messaging apps such as Facebook Messenger and Slack. According to Sage, 20,000 customers in 110 countries have already begun using Pegg as early adopters since it launched six months ago.

A constant presence on Google Play and the App Store's top apps charts, it's one of the first apps you'll download when you buy a new phone and almost certainly your biggest source of notification on a typical day. The app has developed dramatically since it emerged almost a decade ago, picking up the ability to transfer files and make voice and video calls – all now core features – along the way. More useful than SMS, slicker than Hangouts and easier to use than Skype, it's no wonder WhatsApp is the number one communications service of choice for hundreds of millions of smartphone users. Even if you use it on a daily basis, WhatsApp is packed with lots of handy, little-known features you might not be familiar with. We've rounded up the best.

Could 2017 be any more turbulent than 2016? Some would argue that because of this year's unprecedented surprises, fluctuating markets & politics and real-world events, next year couldn't possibly offer any more shocks. In the midst of all of this, the technology world continues unabated, with the FinTech sector holding some exciting new developments for the year ahead. For too long, consumers have had to bear the "Your call is very important to us, please continue to hold" banality, but 2017 could be the year where this unintelligent automation disappears. The advances in Artificial Intelligence have caused a small explosion of sorts in the FinTech sector, but this small bang could expand with the mainstream introduction of chatbots and smartbots, with human help only required for the really tricky questions.

Artificial intelligence-powered finance chatbot Cleo has picked up $700,000 from angel investors. The London-based company saw participation from a large group of well-known European tech figures including Skype founder Niklas Zennström, Zoople co-founder Alex Chesterman, Wonga co-founder Errol Damelin among others. The startup is an alumnus of the UK's Entrepreneur First and the accelerator's partners Wendy White and Joe White also participated in the round. The investment reportedly closed last year but has not been disclosed until now. Cleo develops an AI-powered financial assistant through which consumers can check their bank account, credit card data as well as track spending, budget and set spending targets.