The reason they have not been noticed by chipmakers, virologists and others who pay attention to things on the micron scale, he contends, is that, like dark matter, they are sensitive only to gravity, and relatively oblivious to the other three of nature's fundamental interactions: electromagnetism and the weak and strong nuclear forces.

ECONOMIST: Cosmology

As its name implies, and notwithstanding the unusual suffrutex (dwarf shrub) forest that covers large areas at higher elevations, Liuwa is wide-open country, which allows for bush-loving nature lovers to witness animal interactions without affecting outcomes.

BBC: Birding in Zambia��s wild

Given the near real-time nature of many of these interactions, companies need to embrace predictive analytics so they know not only whom to target but also where and when so that they can will drive sales and loyalty.

FORBES: How To Reach Today's 'Channel-Surfing' Customers

Barry's method tells the robot about an object's nature, focusing its attention on the most effective interactions -- sliding a plate until it's more easily picked up, for example.

ENGADGET: MIT algorithms teach robot arms to think outside of the box (video)