WIRED Awake: 10 must-read articles for 31 March

Your WIRED.co.uk daily briefing. Today, Microsoft is betting that bots will be the next big thing, a new study indicates that warming ocean currents could lead to the collapse of the Antarctic ice shelf if the global average temperature increase exceeds two degrees, the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence has expanded its scope to include red dwarf systems and more.

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1. Microsoft thinks bots are the future

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has announced that the tech giant will be putting a new focus on bots, saying that "we want to build intelligence that augments human abilities and experiences" (BBC). Nadella's plan is to have digital assistants such as Cortana interact with bots for their users, for example by listening in on conversations and suggesting that users connect with bots representing relevant businesses, such as a hotel if they're planning a trip. Nadella described bots as the new apps and announced that Cortana will now be available across multiple platforms, including Android, iOS and inside Microsoft's Skype messaging service

2. Study: Antarctic ice shelf will collapse if emissions continue to rise

A new study by US scientists has found that the Antarctic ice sheet is less stable than previously thought and that, if greenhouse gas emissions and global temperatures continue to rise, it is likely to collapse (Nature). Geoscientist Rob DeConto and palaeoclimatologist David Pollard have created a model that takes into account sub-surface ice loss resulting from warming ocean currents, which finds that the kind of extreme average global temperature rises that would result from uncontrolled increases in greenhouse gas emissions would prompt Antarctic melting and a sea level rise of more than a metre by 2100 and more than 15 metres by 2500. However, if the average global temperature rise is limited to about 2 degrees Celsius, in line with current international climate change goals, they project little to no sea-level rise as a result of Antarctic melting.

3. SETI looks for life in 20,000 new star systems

The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) project has announced that it's expanding its search to include 20,000 new star systems surrounding dimly glowing red dwarfs (PopSci). The project will be listening out for radio signals from the region of the small, cool suns. SETI engineer Jon Richards said that "red dwarfs -- the dim bulbs of the cosmos -- have received scant attention by SETI scientists in the past. That’s because researchers made the seemingly reasonable assumption that other intelligent species would be on planets orbiting stars similar to the Sun." However, recent estimates suggest that between one-sixth and half of all red dwarfs may have a planet in their small habitable zones.

4. Indonesian 'hobbit' was a separate species of human

Scientists working with the remains of Homo floresiensis, a metre-tall hominin discovered on the remote Indonesian island of Flores and popularly known as the 'hobbit', have found that the fossilised remains are far older than originally thought, which also confirms that H. floresiensis is indeed a separate species (Science). Detailed new analysis of the geological makeup of the cave in which the remains were found, as well as dating of the fossils themselves, indicates that the hobbit lived between 60,000 and 100,000 years ago -- 10,000 years before Homo sapiens first appeared in the region. Remains of H. sapiens dating from 11,000 years ago have also been found in the vicinity of the cave, but it's not clear whether H. floresiensis lived long enough to meet modern humans.

5. US law enforcement has used a 1789 law for force 62 phone unlocks

The American Civil Liberties Union has reported that the USA's archaic All Writs Law, dating from 1789, has been used to force Google and Apple to unlock smartphones on 63 different occasions (Ars Technica). The law allowed judges to issue orders to people and companies, even though the USA's Congress has not passed any law covering that particular situation. It was used against Apple in the case of the San Bernardino shooter and is the subject of an appeal in an ongoing New York iPhone encryption case. However, not all uses of the law are as extreme as the encryption-breaking requested in the San Bernardino case. Google said in a statement that "we carefully scrutinize subpoenas and court orders to make sure they meet both the letter and spirit of the law. However, we've never received an All Writs Act order like the one Apple recently fought that demands we build new tools that actively compromise our products' security."

6. Insects are the cyborgs of the future

Researchers from Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University have published a paper in which they describe the construction of an "insect-computer hybrid legged robot using a living beetle" (TechCrunch). Their method provides far greater control over the insect's movement than previous experiments of the kind, "with a user-adjustable walking gait, step length and walking speed." The system works by hooking up the front legs of a giant flower beetle, Mecynorhina torquata, to a pulse-width modulated signal generator to stimulate movement in its muscles. The authors describe insects as "nature’s ready-made robot platforms."

7. Japan's lost satellite is still alive

Japan's Hitomi X-ray astronomy satellite, which dropped out of communication over the weekend, has since sent a couple of brief signals back to JAXA, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (Motherboard). In a press release, the agency said that "JAXA has not been able to figure out the state of its health, as the time frames for receiving the signals were very short." The US Joint Space Operations Center says that five pieces of debris broke away from the satellite, but the fact that it's been able to communicate at all is being taken by some as cause for optimism.

8. Any Xbox One can now be used as a development kit

Microsoft has announced that Xbox One users will now be able to use and register their consoles as development kits, allowing them to create, test and publish software on the platform (TechCrunch). The system was demoed at Microsoft's Build conference, where Xbox Software Engineering Manager Ashley Speicher showed attendees the process of installing the current "dev mode" preview version. Jason Ronald, the Group Program Manager for Xbox, told TechCrunch that "we are all about making it easier for game developers to bring their games to the platforms where their audiences are. As a kid, the number one thing I wanted to do was to have my app or game appear on my television screen. Few things are more magical than seeing something you created in the real world, and I am very excited bringing that experience to a greater number of amateur or hobbyist developers."

9. Final Fantasy XV worldwide release date confirmed

The long-awaited Final Fantasy XV will finally be released worldwide on 30 September, publisher Square Enix has revealed -- and a demo is available now. Game director Hajime Tabata made the announcement at the Uncovered: Final Fantasy XV live event in Los Angeles this morning (WIRED.co.uk). Although the release date had leaked ahead of schedule, fans will be pleased by the official confirmation, especially given the (technically) ten-year wait for its release. The full game follows Noctis, crown prince of the kingdom of Lucis, as he travels the world with his comrades Ignis, Gladiolus, and Prompto. With Lucis under attack by rival nation Niflheim, Noctis and co have taken to the road to find a way to restore their kingdom.

10. Reebok is releasing Ripley's trainers from Aliens

Reebok has announced that it'll be releasing a commercial version of the extremely hightop Reebok Alien Stompers trainers worn by Sigourney Weaver in her role as Ripley in James Cameron's 1986 film, Aliens (Mashable). The trainers are due for release on April 26, which Fox has declared to be "Alien day" in honour of planet LV-426, where the Alien was found in Ridley Scott's original movie. The ultra-hightop version will be released in limited quantities, as will a mid-top version, worn by Lance Henriksen is his role as Bishop.

Popular on WIRED.co.uk

Scared of identity theft? Tell lies on Facebook

There are three kinds of lies," Mark Twain famously said. "Lies, damned lies, and statistics." Twain popularised the phrase in 1906, attributing it to Benjamin Disraeli. Interestingly, it appears nowhere in Disraeli's collected writings. Had Facebook existed then, no doubt thousands of users would have emerged to claim authorship. And although a horde of frauds can make life hard for historians, it can make the identity thief's job a real nightmare. This is why you should lie as much as possible on your Facebook profile.

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