Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. Ancient Egyptians may have used opium a . Based on recent examinations, archaeologists now say the drug may even have been a near-daily recreational habit. Opium might have even been widely used across socio-economic classes as long as 3,000 years ago. The evidence is detailed in a study recently published in the, and offers a glimpse into the daily lives of regular Egyptians and royalty alike.

Voice assistants made popular by Amazon and Google are seemingly everywhere in the home - from internet-connected refrigerators, to toilets and lightbulbs. They bring with them the benefit of convenience as a growing number of users can now complete everyday tasks, like locking their door or turning on the light, with just their voice. But the always-on nature of internet-connected devices has raised some concerns over just how much data these applications are collecting and what they're doing with it, according to Bloomberg. A woman is seen controlling her Philips Hue smart lightbulb with her voice assistant. Concerns have grown around how much data these applications are collecting and how it's being used In the past, if users asked Alexa to turn on their smart bulb, Alexa would transmit code to the device to check if it was on or off, receive confirmation that it was off and then tell it to turn on, Bloomberg noted.

The industry ministry is supporting the development of an artificial intelligence program designed to help diabetics improve their dietary and other daily habits to prevent their condition from worsening, sources have said. The ministry hopes to collect data about some 2,000 diabetics whose condition is very bad by year-end through a clinical trial in cooperation with the Japan Diabetes Society. The data, including weights and the numbers of steps taken, will serve as high-quality training data for AI development. Training data are an initial set of information with which computers learn how to reach appropriate answers. A clinical research-linked project to collect such data from so many diabetics is unprecedented around the world, according to sources, including a ministry executive.