Tiny magnets could power future computers

When it comes to innovation, we're often told to think big, but the future of computer design could be really, really, small. Just a few atoms across, in fact. Conventionally, microchips consist of transistors, which are made of silicon, and powered by running current through wires, which means they use up a lot of energy.…

IBM’s TrueNorth chip wants to replicate our brains

Computers can’t replace our brains quite yet, but they are now starting to replicate them. IBM has made a computer chip called TrueNorth that manages to fit a million neurons, 256 million synapses and 4096 parallel cores into an area the size of a postage stamp. It’s capable of 46 billion synaptic operations per second,…

10 chat apps to use when texting just isn’t enough: Meow Chat, LINE, Snapchat

With so many chat apps out there, it’s hard to differentiate between them and decide which is the best one for you. There’s obviously the messaging giants like Facebook Messenger and Whatsapp (which has also been acquired by Facebook, and, thus, Facebook is taking over the world) but there are so many others that may…

10 chat apps to use when texting just isn’t enough: BBM, Viber, Telegram

6) Blackberry Messenger (BBM) What makes BBM different? Another instant messaging app with all the features you’d expect, including group messaging, voice notes, photo sharing and knowing whether your friends have read your message, but Blackberry Messenger has that extra bit of privacy, as opposed to WhatsApp, as your contacts need your BBM pin to…

Tortoises can use touchscreens, too

Not only can monkeys and elephants take selfies, but tortoises can use touchscreens – which officially makes the animal kingdom more tech-savvy than many of my relatives. Researchers from the University of Lincoln ran an experiment with red-footed tortoises to find out how their brains organise and retain information. They placed a tablet on the…