Nature has its own way of balancing itself out，but when we humans get involved，we tend to throw things out of control. Forests and oceans are natural carbon sinks that absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, but since we’ve been pumping too much into the air, those sinks can’t keep up. Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for the Advancement of Science in Germany, led by biologist Tobias Erb，have figured out a way to supercharge plants to make them better at absorbing carbon dioxide, which could be a key defense against climate change.

Erb and his team figured out a way to make plants more efficient（效率高的）at absorbing carbon, so that they consumed more carbon in a shorter amount of time. “If you think about plants, they are efficient carbon dioxide -fixing filters, but they are not fast,” Erb said. “I think there is a chance to improve existing biology with synthetic（人造的）biology.”

Erb’s team identified 17 enzymes（酶）from nine different organisms, re-engineering three of them, which had enlarged carbon consumption. When those enzymes worked together as a team, they worked better at not only plants’ natural enzymes, but also themselves individually.

Existing enzymes in plants consume about 5 to 10 molecules（分子）of carbon dioxide per second. The team of enzymes that Erb used consumed 80 molecules per second.

So far, these enzymes have only been tested in test tubes in the lab, but the next step is real world testing where the enzymes would be introduced into plants to see if the same result occurs. If those tests show that plants really can be supercharged, we will have a new tool in the fight against climate change where not only do we protect the amazing carbon-absorbing forests we have, but we also apply these super plants or an artificial leaf technology using the enzymes into other fields.

Artificial intelligence (AI) software features can vary widely according to the application and the specific technology they use. Here are some general features and variations that you can expect.

Google Assistant

Google Assistant is a great tool for people who are looking for a convenient way to interact with their smart devices without necessarily having to use their hands. It can be particularly helpful for people with disabilities or limited mobility, as well as those who are busy and need to operate on tasks. It is free to use now.

Cortana

Cortana is a virtual assistant software for people who use Windows and Microsoft productivity tools, such as Outlook, OneNote, and Office 365. It was developed by Microsoft, primarily for the Windows operating system, and can be used on PCs, smart phones, and Xbox One. It offers a wide range of features, including voice-activated commands, reminders, and search capabilities. Cortana is free to use now.

Azure

Azure AI, which was developed by Microsoft, provides a whole series of services that help developers build intelligent applications quickly and easily. You can get a free account that provides over 25 services. If you want an upgrade then you will have to pay for their advanced features or go with their pay-as-you-go model.

IBM Watson

The software is primarily designed for professionals who want to process and analyze large volumes of unstructured data, using natural language processing and machine learning algorithms (算法). Some applications IBM Watson has been used in include healthcare, finance, and marketing among others. It has a pricing plan you can choose from. Plus plan starts at $140/month.

The days of having to remember your ID could soon be a thing of the past. The famous tourist town of Wuzhen, China, is now using facial recognition technology to act as its entry pass through the gates of the attraction. The system uses cameras to notice people as they approach the entry, and checks these against a database of registered visitors within a few seconds. The technology is thought to be up to 99.77 percent accurate and able to distinguish people better than a human.

Wuzhen is a popular tourist town with visitors going there in large numbers to see its stunning river system and museums.A web firm created the system. When people now check in to their accommodation, they will have their photo taken and uploaded to a central database. Upon leaving and re-entering the town, the system will re-check that they are still a guest at a hotel, before allowing them back in.

The technology is being used to track the 5,000 visitors that stay in the town’s hotels every day. Yuan Qinglin, director of the Institute of Deep Learning of the web firm said, “With our technology, you don’t need to give your ID.When you are approaching a gate, it will take a photo of you and compare that photo to the database.” Wuzhen used to monitor its visitors using a ticket-entry system, but this could easily be abused. It was discovered that some people were sharing their tickets to avoid paying.

This system is based on neural networks, which can process huge amounts of data—more than one billion faces. As well as recognizing faces, the system can discover facial movements, so it can’t be fooled by holding a mask.This web firm is also using the software for employee entry at its Beijing headquarters.