The information: A brand new AI agent from Google DeepMind can play totally different video games, together with ones it has by no means seen earlier than reminiscent of Goat Simulator 3, a enjoyable motion sport with exaggerated physics. In contrast to earlier game-playing AI programs, which mastered just one sport or might solely observe single objectives or instructions, this new agent is ready to play quite a lot of totally different video games, together with Valheim and No Man’s Sky. 

How they did it: Researchers had been in a position to get it to observe textual content instructions to play seven totally different video games and transfer round in three totally different 3D analysis environments. They skilled it on plenty of examples of people taking part in video video games, alongside keyboard and mouse enter and annotations of what the gamers did. Then they used an AI approach known as imitation studying to show the agent to play video games as people would.

Why it’s an enormous deal: It’s a step towards extra generalized AI that may switch abilities throughout a number of environments—and this form of data switch between video games represents a big milestone for AI analysis. Learn the complete story.

—Melissa Heikkilä

Methane leaks within the US are worse than we thought

What’s occurring: Methane emissions within the US are worse than scientists beforehand estimated, a brand new research has discovered. The analysis represents one of the vital complete surveys but of methane emissions from US oil- and gas-producing areas, and located that  emissions had been considerably greater than beforehand estimated.

The large image: The research highlights the pressing want for brand spanking new and higher methods of monitoring the highly effective greenhouse gasoline. The issue is, it’s principally not possible to make use of only one instrument to measure all of the totally different methane sources. Learn the complete story.

—Casey Crownhart

To study extra about why methane emissions are nonetheless such a thriller, try the newest version of The Spark, our weekly local weather e-newsletter. Join to obtain it in your inbox each Wednesday.