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A team of scientists at an Italian University created a robotic arm to support surgical procedures in compact areas of the body. The arm has been specifically designed to bend and contract like octopus tentacle.

According to the makers of the robotic arm the remote-controlled machine can extend and can become soft or rigid depending on the surgical environment to enable a minimally-invasive operation.

The prototype arm can squeeze between soft tissue and organs, by holding them apart gently if necessary.

A miniature surgical tool-kit is also installed at the top of the arm which helps during in performing surgery.

Famous British theoretical physicist, cosmologist, author Stephen William Hawking warned that artificially intelligent machines could pose a genuine threat to the human race within next 100 years.

Speaking at the Zeitgeist event in London the physicist warned that machines would predictably overtake human intelligence.

He said when computers will overtake humans it would be necessary to make sure that the computers have goals aligned with ours.

He said human future is a race between the growing power of technology and the wisdom with which we use it.

Prof. Hawking has previously warned about the dangers that could be caused due to artificial intelligence.

Alibaba Group Holding Ltd new CEO, Daniel Zhang, said that the Chinese e-commerce leader is planning to invest heavily in existing and new ventures abroad, making its push beyond the China market a top priority.

Zhang's has made the comments at such a time when Alibaba is aiming to maintain its rapid growth even as the prospect of e-commerce saturation at home is looming over the company.

A report on Thursday on Alibaba's news and commentary website, Alizila, said that since taking up new post this week Zhang said in his first speech that they must absolutely globalize.

The vast bulk of Alibaba's revenue has been coming from its dominant domestic online marketplaces, but the company invests in a range of sectors abroad also.

Earlier, a state agency announced that water in 32 wells near the Buck Steam Station is not safe. This week, the electricity company Duke Energy started transporting bottled water to people in the area.

Since Wednesday afternoon, the company headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, was delivering water to about 19 of the families who had been using well water which was earlier declared unsafe by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.

Last month, ice cream lovers’ had a meltdown when a listeria outbreak prompted Blue Bell Creameries to recall its products. Ice cream, frozen yogurt and sherbet were removed from grocery store freezers and federal health experts advised the consumers to toss out their stashes at home.

Despite the warnings, some have been trying to capitalize on America’s ice cream shortage. They have built a black market for Blue Bell treats online where one pint of Blue Bell Krazy Kookie Dough is carrying a $10,000 price tag on Craigslist.

According to observations by NASA scientists, the ‘hole’ in the ozone layer of our atmosphere has finally started closing up. At present, the hole is 12 million miles wide, but within three decades the hole will be left eight million miles wide. If the environmental conditions remain good, it could disappear by the end of the century.

NASA's Aura satellite and Suomi NPP partnership satellite have measured the ozone in the southern hemisphere for each year from 1979-2013, except 1995.

A report published in the journal Geophysical Research has come as a proof of the effectiveness of the Montreal Protocol that was started in 1987 to limit the use of gas propellants like chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) worldwide and protect the ozone layer.