Technically Incorrect offers a slightly twisted take on the tech that's taken over our lives. We fear the rise of robots so much that we forget a small detail. It's we who are creating them. Which is to say that it's we who are teaching them to think in certain ways. This is a lesson that Microsoft's new chatbot, Tay.ai, has already learned.

Microsoft introduced a chatbot yesterday called Tay. The company was running an experiment in conversational understanding, meaning that the more people interacted with the artificial intelligence-powered chatbot the smarter it would become. I don't know about smarter, but it didn't take more than 24 hours for Tay to become a full blown racist on Twitter. That's what the internet will do to you. When it first arrived on the scene, Tay was an innocent Twitter chatbot that you and I could interact with to see just how far along artificial intelligence has come.

Superbugs capable of everything from curing diseases to mopping up pollution have come a step closer after scientists created an artificial lifeform in a lab. The new bacterial cell, nicknamed Synthia 3.0, has fewer genes than any other bacterium, making it the most basic form of life on Earth. Its creation paves the way for microbes that can be customised with genes so they churn out clean biofuels, soak up carbon dioxide from the atmosphere or pump out vaccines in industrial quantities. Researchers have designed and synthesized a minimal bacterial genome, containing only the 473 genes necessary for life. Dr Craig Venter who led the research team, said: 'I think it's the start of a new era.'

It was a key moment that allowed our species to spread around the world from humble beginnings in Africa. But the migration of our ancestors from the African continent around 50,000 years ago was not helped by the evolution of our noses. In fact, our protruding noses formed as a result of other changes in our face and did not help us adapt to new climates as was previously thought, new research suggests. The researchers used a computer model to simulate the flow of air through human noses, pictured, compared to chimpanzees and macaques. We are flat-faced hominins with external noses that protrude from our faces.

The UK Parliament is set to examine how jobs, the workplace and wider society will be affected by the rise of robotics and artificial intelligence, along with the social, ethical and legal issues which could arise alongside the technology. The launch of the inquiry, which will be carried out by the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee comes shortly after Google's DeepMind AlphaGo AI comprensively won a series of Go matches against South Korean champion Lee Se-dol Nicola Blackwood MP, Chair of the Science and Technology Committee, says this historic achievement is just scratching the surface of artificial intelligence, and its therefore important that UK society is ready for the radical changes AI might bring. "Robots are now beating humans at even the most complex games, like Go. Artificial intelligence will play an increasing role in our lives over the coming years. From navigation systems to medical treatments and from new manufacturing techniques to unmanned vehicles, new applications are rapidly being developed that involve robotic decision making," she said. "It is important that the UK is ready with the research, innovation and skills to be able to fully take advantage of the opportunities and manage any risks," Blackwood added.

I've done some reading on neuro-plasticity over the last few years and been dabbling in cognitive testing for assessment and selection. What appears to be happening is the neuro pathways responsible for language are separate enough that completely different areas of brain must be called to do both things. Most people are typically better at one or the other, but not both. Because the areas of the brain that do math/sequence and verbal expression are different, there is lag time between the cognitive processes as one process must be completed before the other can be used. Also to add support to Amy's comment, I had a German teacher in high school who claimed to have difficulty sticking to one language in conversation with locals when she would visit home (Germany).

From Hammurabi to Mendel, from Thomas Jefferson to Charles Darwin, we are compulsively drawn to classifying, categorizing and coding the world around us. Coding of all kinds, whether it's a cryptographic language, a body of laws or a bunch of computer instructions, imposes a basic logic and order. To code is to create processes that impose a semblance of order on the frenzied, seemingly random world we live in. And those who create code wield power. Personalized medicine, genetically modified babies, self-driving cars and the Internet of Things, the seat of power belongs to those who code.

Geri Richmond and Hashemite University molecular biologist Rana Dajani spoke after Richmond's AAAS presidential address to open the 2016 AAAS Annual Meeting. Some of the most intriguing news at the 2016 AAAS Annual Meeting focused on the tiny: a miniscule cosmic ripple born 1.5 billion years ago, and a millimeters-long mosquito responsible for an emerging health crisis. But the science behind these discoveries is huge in scope and in importance, reflecting the ongoing achievement of international research teams addressing complex challenges in science and society. Efforts to track the spread of Zika virus in the Americas, and the landmark discovery of gravitational waves, both demonstrate the power and potential--and the need--for global collaborations between scientists, speakers emphasized at the 11 to 15 February event, held in Washington, DC. In particular, scientists in developing countries must work as equal partners with their counterparts in developed countries to solve border-crossing challenges like climate change and virus outbreaks, said outgoing AAAS President Geri Richmond in her address at the start of the meeting.

My real-life cat, it appears, has been frustrated with me lately. Oh, she's still spoiled, but there have been a couple of occasions in which my attention has been diverted from her to a wholly digital feline. "Super Phantom Cat," to be specific, has won my heart. "Super Phantom Cat" even seems self-aware. "Love," the game tells players, "lights up the sad and cold chamber of your heart."

There are a lot of mobile games out there -- last year more than 100,000 iOS games were released in North America. They're worse when your girlfriend is scattered around the galaxy. In this iOS game a young boy tries to put back together his first love, a female robot, and learns to live on his own along the way. Words come to life in "Story Warriors: Fairy Tales." Words come to life in "Story Warriors: Fairy Tales."