Sperm whale calls are far more complex than we thought – and could be an animal communication system that is the closest thing to human language yet discovered. The claim is based on an analysis of thousands of exchanges made by east Caribbean sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus), which were recorded over several years. "It's really extraordinary to see the possibility of another species on this planet having the capacity for communication," says Daniela Rus at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. "We used to believe that we are the only ones." Sperm whales are long-lived animals with complex social lives, with females and their young living in small groups.

Hyundai is set to take the covers off what might be the craziest concept of 2019 when it unveils the Elevate on Monday. Being shown for the first time at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas on Monday, it's the first UMV - or Ultimate Mobility Vehicle - fitted with legs so it can walk over difficult terrains. And it's not the only wacky offroader that will be shown to the public for the first time in the next week - Suzuki set to preview two modified versions of its latest Jimny SUV. Strolling into 2019: Hyundai is due to unveil one of the craziest concept vehicles we're likely to see all year when it takes the wraps off the Elevate in Las Vegas on January 7 Hyundai has teased what's in store for January 7 with the early release of a preview image of the incredible vehicle in question. Elevate looks set to become one of the most bonkers concepts of the year.

Researchers at the Allen Institute for Cell Science, a Seattle research group founded by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, have created the first predictive 3D model of a live human cell. Using the model, scientists can digitally visualize and even manipulate cell behavior on a computer screen. Called the Allen Integrated Cell, the model is the result of deep learning training with tens of thousands of high-quality cell images. It's able to identify subcellular structures and project a 3D, multilayered image of a cell that shows how all its components interact simultaneously -- something that has never been visualized in this way before. "To me, it's the closest thing I've ever seen in science to magic," said Rick Horwitz, Executive Director of the Allen Institute for Cell Science.

Two years into his gig as chief scientist for Chinese internet giant Baidu Inc., Andrew Ng, the former Google executive who founded the company's artificial-intelligence unit, is pushing Baidu to become a leader in artificial intelligence. "Baidu is clearly playing on the highest levels on the global stage and that takes real innovation," Mr. Ng said. "Frankly there aren't other Chinese companies I bother to benchmark us with." Leading a team of about 800 employees, Mr. Ng says Baidu has become a leader in high-performance computing that has allowed the company to be among the upper echelon of tech firms to apply deep learning -- where computers learn by themselves -- to internet search, improve speech recognition, and develop autonomous-driving cars. Mr. Ng spoke with The Wall Street Journal from Baidu's offices in Sunnyvale, Calif., about data as one of the company's strongest assets, where Chinese tech firms are ahead of U.S. firms, and what it's like to work for a fast-moving Chinese internet company.

Neural networks have a long history. In 1943 two pioneers of cybernetics, the neurophysiologist Warren S. McCulloch and the logician Walter Pitts, demonstrated that neurons could be equivalent to running programs on Turing machines. In other words, they showed that the human brain could be simulated by a computer. Since then one of the most promising approaches to Artificial Intelligence has been the design and development of "artificial neural networks" that try to mimic how the brain functions. We know from brain science that the biological neurons in our brain are organised in hierarchies as well as in groups of various specialisations.