NEW SCIENTIST is all about the big questions. Often, these are rooted in the here and now – how to solve a problem like climate change, for example, or how best to keep our minds and bodies in shape. Sometimes, though, it is good to step back and ask even tougher questions to which there may be no obvious answer. After all, it is only by attempting to answer the seemingly unanswerable that science makes progress. Paul Davies kicks off the series this week with "What is life?" ("Life's secret ingredient: A radical theory of what makes things alive").

Google has introduced a future feature called "Duplex." It can make outgoing calls to schedule appointments and it has all the characteristics of real human speech. NPR's Mary Louise Kelly speaks with Shane Mac, CEO of Assist about the technology and the ethical questions it raises.

We're now halfway to 2019, and this year was supposed to be the one where all kinds of companies made revolutionary strides in the area of artificial intelligence (AI). But so far, it seems… not much has changed. Why? Turns out AI is much easier talked about than executed (maybe not a surprise). There are still a fair number of open questions that need to be answered or resolved before most companies can get to a stage where they've truly incorporated AI into their business in a real, monumental way. Namely, businesses need to address the underlying fear that clouds AI; people are fundamentally afraid of it because they believe it is a black box and that it lacks transparency - but it doesn't have to be.

A judge launched a trial Monday in New York City over challenges to the federal government's decision to put a citizenship question on the 2020 census by urging lawyers to put as much as possible on the public record because of high interest in the issues.

Morris said the state should require all board members, administrators and senior executives to regularly disclose to the public any contacts with firms seeking contracts with the Tollway. He also recommended that the state end the $30,000 annual salaries for Tollway board members and replace them with a limited $150 per diem for attendance at each meeting.