The US Army is developing sympathetic avatars to communicate meaningfully and sympathetically with humans. Research is well underway that aims to help humans and robots speak the same language and boost communication in the unpredictable and upsetting situations that war brings. Scientists are honing interactive virtual humans that serve as mentors and role players to soldiers, to teach them leadership skills and act as counsellors. The US Army is developing virtual humans to train and help its soldiers. This image shows virtual Staff Sgt.

Our ability to answer questions currently separates us from machines in the world of artificial intelligence. But researchers are working on algorithms to give computers this skill too. Now, scientists at Facebook have come up with questions that they say artificially intelligent machines must answer, if they can ever match human brainpower – but some of them are a bit tricky, meaning some people may fail them too. The team from the social media firm's AI lab in New York have come up with a list of 20 questions to separate humans from robots, because they say'many existing learning systems can currently not solve them.' They test different types of reasoning and the ability to process language.

Like a fine wine, some parts of the human brain can take decades to mature and reach their peak, researchers have found. They say rather than peaking in our twenties, in fact some areas do not reach their full potential until we grow old. In fact, the ability to evaluate other people's emotional states, the peak occurred much later, in the 40s or 50s. The ability to evaluate other people's emotional states does not peak until we are in our 40s or 50s, researchers said. 'At any given age, you're getting better at some things, you're getting worse at some other things, and you're at a plateau at some other things,' said Joshua Hartshorne of MIT's Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences and one of the paper's authors.

Mice injected with human brain cells grow to have'half human brains' that make them smarter than other rodents, scientists have found. Researchers claim that giving mouse pups a type of immature human brain cell, known as glial cells, caused their brains to grow differently so they became more human-like. These human glial cells, which are the support cells of the brain providing it with structure and nutrients, multiplied and grew to replace a similar type of cell in the brains of the mice. Mice injected with human brain cells grow to have'half human brains' that make them smarter than other rodents, scientists have found. While the mice still had their own neurons - the cells that transmit and store information in the brain - the support cells were almost entirely human, according to the researchers.

By 2020, our day-to-day lives, relationships and even what to have for dinner could be controlled and run by digital versions of ourselves. According to futurist John Smart, within the next six years many of us could have so-called'digital twins' that schedule our appointments and even have conversations with others on our behalf. And they could one day console loved ones after we die by mimicking our voice, emotions, mannerisms and thoughts. According to futurist John Smart, within the next five years many of us could have so-called'digital twins' (illustrated) that schedule appointments, make decisions and have conversations with others on our behalf. Mr Smart, founder of the Acceleration Studies Foundation, made the comments during an interview with Business Insider.

Will children of the future be taught solely by a computer? That could be a possibility, according to Google's vice-president of research Alfred Spector. He said he thinks apps and technologies that are widely derided as being distracting could actually improve how we learn. And he says this may lead to a future where students do not need to go to school in order to get a formal education. Google's Alfred Spector (shown) says technology could replace teachers in future.

Many motorists dream of the day they can sit back and relax while their car drives itself. And while Google and other companies are working hard to make autonomous vehicles a reality, it could take years to create a car that can negotiate complex situations on the road – including wet weather conditions. Google's self-driving cars can't currently cope in heavy rain or snow – or find their way around 99 per cent of the US, an insider has admitted. A Google Insider has admitted that the firm's cars (pictured) are incredibly reliant on maps, can't cope with wet weather conditions and are unable to'see' potholes. According to MIT Technology Review, the current prototype cars are very reliant on maps to navigate and can't react like a human driver, dodging potholes and other hazards.

Behind the numerous benefits of self-driving cars, being touted by Google and other manufacturers, an imminent danger is lurking. The technology could see criminals using the cars in high-speed chases, for example, or to shoot out of the window while the car drives itself. In fact, the FBI is so concerned about the threats they pose, the agency has dubbed them'potential leathal weapons' in a recent report. Files detail the FBI's concerns about self-driving vehicles, (Google's autonomous car pictured). The report said: 'Autonomy...will open up ways for a car to be more of a potential lethal weapon than it is today.'

For some birds, recognising their own eggs can be a matter of life or death. Scientists have used imafe recognition technology to show that birds defending their nests against the Common Cuckoo - which lays its lethal offspring in other birds' nests - have evolved distinctive patterns on their eggs in order to distinguish them from those laid by a cuckoo cheat. These patterns provide a defence against the cuckoo's trickery by helping birds reject the cuckoo eggs before they hatch and destroy the host's own brood. Scientists have shown that birds defending their nests against the Common Cuckoo - which lays its lethal offspring in other birds' nests - have evolved distinctive patterns on their eggs in order to distinguish them from those laid by a cuckoo cheat. Scientists from the University of Cambridge and Harvard University, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, have developed a new computer vision tool to unravel how a host bird may perceive and recognise such complex pattern information.

For years scientists have worked to find a way to make it easier for deaf and hearing impaired people to communicate. And now it is hoped that a new intelligent system could be about to transform their lives. Researchers have used image recognition to translate sign language into'readable language' and while it is early days, the tool could one day be used on smartphones. Researchers have used image recognition to translate sign language (pictured) into'readable language' and while it is early days, the tool could one day be used on smartphones Scientists from Malaysia and New Zealand came up with the Automatic Sign Language Translator (ASLT), which can capture, interpret and translate sign language. It has been tested on gestures and signs representing both isolated words and continuous sentences in Malaysian sign language, with what they claim is a high degree of recognition accuracy and speed.