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

Technology that can mimic and improve on the cognitive abilities of human brain has been the stuff of dystopian movie storylines for decades. But for large companies and research labs, such artificial intelligence has been a longstanding pursuit for both day-to-day and groundbreaking uses. Now, a specific breakthrough in AI -- deep learning -- is allowing business to use the vast amounts of newly available data to teach computers how to learn. Deep learning uses layers of algorithms known as neural networks, which are designed to loosely represent the layers of the human brain. These algorithms allow machines to learn patterns.

When you hear the words "cyborg," or "augmented human," you inescapably picture Arnold Schwarzenegger as The Terminator, the Borg from Star Trek: The Next Generation, or perhaps The Six Million Dollar Man, if you're a little older. In Hollywood, any futuristic pairing of man and machine had better be so superawesome, or so superscary, that you'd be willing to spend a good couple of hours (and dollars) being entertained by it. The crazy thing is, even though these images come from a time when technology was barely able to fake the on-screen action, we are now on the cusp of the real thing. We're entering an age that will enhance who we are as humans in ways that go well beyond these cultural clichés. Here's where the art and science of human augmentation is today, and a tantalizing peek at where it's going in the not-too-distant future. Our time as pure, natural humans has an expiration date. It had an expiration date, and it was about 2 million years ago. It was around that time that we first put technology to use to enhance what we could accomplish with just our bodies. It took the form of a crude cutting tool, and though it might not have been much to look at, it beat the hell out of having to use our teeth for everything. "It's going overboard but we don't know how to do it another way at the moment." This, according to Super You: How Technology is Revolutionizing What it Means to Be Human author Andy Walker, was the moment the human race became cyborgs. "Any technology that enhances your natural biology and gives you an advantage over somebody else to either survive or procreate is'cyborgism,'" Walker says. His definition likely flies in the face of your lovingly preserved image of Steve Austin leaping over walls in slow motion. Walker isn't the only one who takes such a liberal view of our cyborgian nature.

Computers that are already true wizards in terms of the first type of learning are now catching up at an extraordinary pace as regards the other two types.

There are some exceptions, usually in difficult, high-profile murder cases such as the O.J Simpson trial in 1995. Asking jurors to become fact finders in this way comes with a range problems, from possible biases to the logistical and security challenges. But rapidly progressing technology in imaging, robotics and artificial intelligence may be able to avoid some of these issues. Mehzeb Chowdhury, a PhD Researcher in Forensic Science & Criminal Investigations at Durham University says virtual reality might be the answer. In an article for The Conversation, he takes a look whether we could someday virtually teleport judges and jurors to crime scenes without even leaving the courtroom.

In this special guest feature, Cecilia Pizzurro, Senior Director, Strategic Data Projects at LOGICnow, discusses the convergence of data/machine learning and cybersecurity, and the idea that these two are playing off of each other in a more meaningful way than ever before. Cecilia leads a team of data scientists and software engineers in Cambridge (US) and Newcastle (UK). These teams use machine learning and big data analytics to find business value in the vast amount of customer data gathered from LOGICnow's products. She was also the co-founder and CTO of the The Dolomite Group, a South American mining consortium, pioneering machine learning and big data analyses to improve mining efficiency and reduce environmental impact in Peru. This company is currently finalizing its acquisition by a Chilean mining company.

It seems as if everyone is finally talking about driverless vehicles, or AVs (autonomous vehicles) as they are commonly called. Even Tyler Brule, who normally likes to recount some unsatisfactory business travel experience, devoted a recent FT column to the subject. We know it's coming; so what can we expect from the driverless revolution? The upside to commuters is massive. Global auto accident deaths, around 1.25 million annually, will be radically reduced. Our cities will not only be safer, they'll be cleaner too.

What if robots could be powered by light instead of bulky battery packs or movement-limiting power cables? That's the scenario that scientists at the University of Warsaw are envisioning. Researchers have developed a half-inch-long so-called soft robot that mimics the movements of a caterpillar. It's powered by light and controlled by a laser beam, according to the university. "Designing soft robots calls for a completely new paradigm in their mechanics, power supply and control," said Piotr Wasylczyk, head of the Photonic Nanostructure Facility at the University of Warsaw, in a statement.

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