In the last few years, artificial intelligence has quickly broken beyond the realm of science fiction. In fact, IBM -- the creator of the AI powerhouse Watson -- predicts that the AI market will catapult to $2 trillion in the next decade. Nearly every industry on the planet stands to benefit from AI's increased use. But make no mistake, few will see a larger boost than the business of corporate accounting. Senior analyst Jonathan Rodriguez explains why below.

In an attempt to get robotics-minded kids more interested in life sciences--and vice versa--Stanford researchers have designed DIY robot kits for automating chemistry experiments. Using a Lego Mindstorms EV3 set and some plastic syringes, students can build robots that measure and transfer liquids, automating their their classroom laboratory assignments. Instructions for building the robot were published Tuesday in the journal PloS Biology. "What's key for me is that we merge robotics education--which is loved by kids and teachers--and life sciences education," says Ingmar Riedel-Kruse, a bioengineer at Stanford who led the project. And maybe it's more fun to engage in chemistry or biology experiments if you do it with a playful robot."

In the last few months alone, astronomers have alerted the world to several'close shaves' as asteroids of varying sizes whizzed past Earth. While the objects have all flown by at a safe distance, there are still hundreds of thousands that have yet to be identified, causing many people to wonder, 'what if?' Using data from NASA observations of near-Earth objects, a new study has revealed the terrifying scenarios that would take place if a massive space-rock were to slam into a major US city – causing millions of deaths, and injuries for hundreds of miles around. In February, a 328-foot wide object dubbed 2013FK safely passed by Earth, and is set to come around again in 2021. If an asteroid the size of 2013FK were to slam into New York City, there would be more than 2.5 million casualties, according to the study Researchers analyzed more than 36,000 close approaches from NASA's near-Earth object (NEO) database to find out the largest – and closest – to pass by in recent times. The InsuranceQuotes team used an impact calculator to determine the energy of the NEOs, and then converted this into megatons of TNT.

Thuy Truong thought her aching back was just a pulled muscle from working out. But then came a high fever that wouldn't go away during a visit to Vietnam. When a friend insisted Truong, 30, go to an emergency room, doctors told her the last thing she expected to hear: She had lung cancer. Back in Los Angeles, Truong learned the cancer was at stage 4 and she had about eight months to live. "My whole world was flipped upside down," says Truong, who had been splitting her time between the San Francisco Bay Area and Asia for a new project after selling her startup.

Arthur Renowitzky can't help but command attention as he walks down the street on a sunny autumn morning. A driver lowers her window to flash a smile and a thumbs-up. "You got this," she says. Renowitzky has been paralyzed since 2007 after being shot in the chest for $20 and a fake gold chain. But he can stand and walk, using crutches for balance, when wearing an exoskeleton suit with motorized hips and knees powering his movements.

Among all of the self-driving startups working toward Level 4 autonomy (a self-driving system that doesn't require human intervention in most scenarios), Mountain View, Calif.-based Drive.ai's Drive sees deep learning as the only viable way to make a truly useful autonomous car in the near term, says Sameep Tandon, cofounder and CEO. "If you look at the long-term possibilities of these algorithms and how people are going to build [self-driving cars] in the future, having a learning system just makes the most sense. There's so much complication in driving, there are so many things that are nuanced and hard, that if you have to do this in ways that aren't learned, then you're never going to get these cars out there." It's only been about a year since Drive went public, but already, the company has a fleet of four vehicles navigating (mostly) autonomously around the San Francisco Bay Area--even in situations (such as darkness, rain, or hail) that are notoriously difficult for self-driving cars. Last month, we went out to California to take a ride in one of Drive's cars, and to find out how it's using deep learning to master autonomous driving.

Overexploitation of the world's fish stocks is growing at an alarming rate, says the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). Nearly 90% are either at or exceeding sustainable capacity, and in less than 10 years, production is set to grow by 17%. One of the keys to sustainable fisheries has been the employ of human monitors to watch what is being scooped up from the sea. In the United States, fishing boats are routinely accompanied by independent observers who track compliance with fishing regulations. In other countries' waters, it's a whole different story, so those government and independent agencies hoping to halt overfishing are turning to some of the same digital tools that let social media sites recognize faces in photos.

It's Saint Patrick's Day for some of you, and you know what they say in Ireland: "Kiss me, I write about video game news." Think I heard that somewhere. This week we've got Mass Effect's animation woes, an ultra-detailed sailing simulator, confirmation that Quake Champions will be free-to-play, a Civ VI demo, more free Planet Coaster content, and a collection of Capcom's licensed Disney platformers for the NES. Recently released RTS Halo Wars 2 now has a try-it-out option on the Windows 10 Store, featuring the opening campaign mission (it's pretty short) and the Blitz Firefight mode that also showed up in the beta earlier this year. I wouldn't be surprised if the game's sales are a bit sluggish, so it makes sense for Microsoft to try and snag players.

Every day, more than 40 container ships pass through the Panama Canal. They chug over the narrow isthmus separating the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, navigating three sets of multi-chambered locks that carry them uphill to an enormous lake 90 feet above sea level. After crossing that, another network of locks lowers them to the opposite coast. The trip, which can take a full day depending on traffic, requires the careful choreography of skilled freighter pilots, tugboats, and the immense doors that separate each lock. As with most things these days, software keeps everything moving smoothly, but this most impressive feat of civil engineering relies upon a hodgepodge of systems added piecemeal over the decades.

In order to counter the growing nuclear threat from North Korea in the Korean Peninsula, the U.S. is expected to deploy an unmanned aircraft system to South Korea, Yonhap News Agency reported Monday, citing a Seoul military official. The attack drone will be deployed to strengthen strike capabilities against ground targets in the North, the official told the South Korean news agency. The Gray Eagle aircraft will be deployed to a U.S. military base in the southwestern town of Gunsan -- about 111 miles south of Seoul, the report said. However, it is still unclear when the system will be installed. The Gray Eagle is capable of striking military facilities in the north of the Military Demarcation Line separating the two Koreas, the official told Yonhap.