"SOUTH OF THE Huai river few geese can be seen through the rain and snow." In classical Chinese this verse is a breakthrough--not in literature but in computing power. The line, composed by an artificial intelligence (AI) language model called Wu Dao 2.0, is indistinguishable in metre and tone from ancient poetry. The lab that built the software, the Beijing Academy of Artificial Intelligence (BAAI), challenges visitors to its website to distinguish between Wu Dao and flesh-and-blood 8th-century masters. Anecdotal evidence suggests that it fools most testers.

Crop losses at the hands of swarms of hungry insects could double by 2050 as bug populations thrive in the warmer temperatures brought about by climate change. The crops set to be hit hardest include wheat, maize and rice - particularly in northern climates - say scientists behind the shocking new study. The research predicts that pest-induced crop losses will rise by between 10 and 25 per cent for every 1 F (0.55 C) the planet's surface warms. Farmers should begin grow heat- and insect-resistant produce now in order to prepare for the crop-hungry bugs, scientists warned. The research, from an international team of scientists, used computer models to predict increases in insect populations in a warmer world.

Genetically modified babies may sound like something out of a science fiction movie, but recent innovations in both gene editing and artificial fertilization technology mean that this idea could become a reality. Scientists focus on gene editing to eliminate certain debilitating hereditary diseases, but the technology could accomplish a lot more. Recently, the team at Superdrug surveyed the public on what they would modify in their future children if they could, and the results are surprising. According to the survey, carried out by Superdrug Online Doctor, prospective parents who viewed baby modification as ethical explained that they would most likely alter their child to make them healthier and more intelligent, followed by increased creativity and attractiveness. When it came to specific physical characteristics, Europeans answered that they would genetically modify their child to be a blonde-haired blued-eyed girl of average height. Americans, on the other hand, identified their ideal child as a black-haired blued-eyed male of above average height.