The first is that human labor cost must exceed the cost of purchasing and using the alternative technology. In Roman Alexandria the cost of employing humans to do manual work was very low, a reflection of the fact that the supply of labor was much greater than the demand for producing goods and services. It was a lot cheaper to pay someone to do something, or indeed to buy a slave, than buying and using one of Hero's steam engines. In 18th century England labor costs were rising as more hands were needed to keep up with the global demand of goods, particularly as England, and soon to follow Europe, established trade posts and colonies around the world. Fast forward to the 21st century: for the past few decades the world economy has enjoyed low inflation and global growth thanks mostly to China, and the millions of Chinese workers who migrated from the rural areas to the urban cities and started working on factories.

Imagine a world in which you could not walk past someone on the street without them being able to identify you. This is already a reality for some people, thanks to a new website designed in Russia. 'FindFace' uses a new algorithm to identify anyone from their profile picture using only a photograph, with 70 per cent accuracy. 'FindFace' uses a new algorithm to identify anyone from their profile picture using only a photograph, with 70 per cent accuracy. The website works by comparing photographs to profile pictures on Vkontakte - a social network popular in Russia and the former Soviet Union with more than 200 million accounts.

This month we are very proud to have Bank of Ireland as host, in their nice event space in Grand Canal Square. IMPORTANT NOTES: • This event is strictly for Machine Learning professionals and students only • If you finally can't make it, please RSVP to "NO" as soon as possible so that other people can take your place.

Britain's first astronaut has said the UK risks becoming a "backward nation" if the government does not pay to send more people into space. Helen Sharman believes the country would lose many of the benefits of Tim Peake's mission if a commitment to more flights is not made very soon. Ms Sharman said that this was the UK's "last chance" to be involved "in the future of the human race". She spoke to BBC News on the eve of the 25th anniversary of her spaceflight. The government has effectively paid for one spaceflight, Tim Peake's, according to Ms Sharman.

Four years ago tomorrow, James Young's life changed for ever in a freak accident when he fell under a train. As well as sustaining multiple injuries - including collapsed lungs, a fractured skull and face, rib fractures and cracks in his spine - he damaged his left arm while his left leg was severed below the knee at the scene. James, then 22 and working as a biological scientist, had been about to board a Docklands Light Railway train in East London for a night out with friends. James Young, 26, from London, became'part cyborg' in experiment that fitted him with prototype bionic arm Walking too close to the platform edge as the train pulled in, he had put his hand out to push the button to open the doors. But the momentum of the still moving train caused him to spin and lose his balance.

The naval base at La Spezia in northern Italy is in an advanced state of decay. The grand Mussolini-era barracks are shuttered; the weeds won their battle with the concrete some time ago. But amid the crumbling masonry, there is an incongruously neat little building, shaded behind a line of flags, with smartly outfitted security men behind its glass doors. This is Nato's Centre for Maritime Research and Experimentation (CMRE). As one battleship after another has been removed from what remains of the Italian navy, and the base is wound down, the centre is preparing for a new kind of marine warfare amid the wreckage of the old. In a line of workshops along the quay, technicians tinker at the innards of the next generation of naval weapons. They may look like large bright yellow torpedoes, but they are in fact underwater drones, capable of being remote controlled on the surface and taking autonomous actions in the deep.

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

Thousands of genes are involved in intelligence, according to a new study which effectively shatters any hopes of eugenicists that babies can be genetically designed to be clever. In one of the largest studies of the human genome to date, a group of 253 scientists from around the world identified 74 genetic variants that are associated with the number of years spent in formal education. Humans' genetic make-up is believed to be responsible for at least 20 per cent of the difference in educational attainment between individuals, with the rest down to social factors and the environment in which they are raised. But the researchers found that the largest effect of any one genetic variant was tiny – just 0.035 per cent. This suggests that there must be at least several thousand of genes that are involved.

France will deploy anti-drone technology to interfere with and take control of any flying machines that violate no-fly zones over stadiums at the European Championship, part of unprecedented measures to secure Europe's biggest sports event since the Paris attacks in November. In an exclusive interview with The Associated Press, Euro 2016 security chief Ziad Khoury said Tuesday that no-fly zones will be declared over all 10 stadiums as well as training grounds for the 24 teams at the June 10-July 10 tournament. "We've noted the general proliferation of drone-usage in society," Khoury said in his Paris office. "So no-fly zones will be defined over every training ground and every stadium, and in most stadiums and for most matches anti-drone measures -- which are quite innovative -- will be deployed, working with the state, which will interfere with drones and take control of them if they are spotted." French authorities have trained for the possibility of drones being used to disperse chemical weapons over crowds.

A group of former employees from Google, Apple and Tesla has formed a start-up aimed at turning commercial lorries into self-drive vehicles. Rather than building vehicles from scratch, Otto will make kits to retro-fit existing lorries. The start-up, which will be self-funded, is betting on autonomous lorries becoming a reality before cars. Drivers will still be required to take the wheel on non-motorway roads. Implementing self-driving technology on US motorways is seen as being easier than on other roads or city streets.