IBM has acquired for its Watson group, the business unit that develops the eponymous artificial intelligence system, the startup Cognea, which works in just that field. The figure paid for the acquisition hasn’t been disclosed. Cognea develops software for artificial intellegenza to create virtual employees that can work as a personal assistant, coach or as an employee of other types. For IBM, this is another step towards the use of Watson in companies.

A group of bioengineers at Stanford University has created Neurogrid, a circuit card containing microchips that work like the human brain. They’re 9,000 times faster and use a much smaller amount of electricity compared to a standard PC. This research can lead to advances in electronics but also in the understanding of brain function combining such different fields.

In June 2013, the President of the U.S.A. Barack Obama announced measures to limit the phenomenon of “patent trolling”, which is the use of patents for the sole purpose of restricting competition and to obtain money through legal action or through agreements following threats of such actions. Yesterday came the announcement of the opening of a section of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) website, which is the organism that handles patents, containing information useful for anyone who has been accused of violating someone else’s patents.