In this week's Science Saturday, we look at science news ranging from artificial intelligence to liquid metal.

AI buzz

Tech giants are jumping on the AI chatbot bandwagon. ChatGPT was developed by U.S. firm, OpenAI. It gained around 100 million active monthly users just two months after its launch. Google has now developed its Bard. Microsoft is fusing ChatGPT-like technology into its search engine Bing. Chinese internet giant Baidu plans to launch Ernie. Another Chinese giant, Alibaba, says its tool is also in internal testing. It's hoped that generative AI can simplify and innovate processes in certain industries like healthcare and fintech.

Spacewalk at China's space station

China's Shenzhou-15 astronauts have completed their first spacewalk. Fei Junlong and Zhang Lu started their seven-hour mission on February 9 which began with installing the expension pumps outside the Mengtian lab module, and a foot-stop. Deng Qingming assisted the process from inside the space station. It's the first spacewalk undertaken by Chinese astronauts since the completion of China's space station. 

Robotics breakthrough

Chinese and U.S. scientists have made a breakthrough in robotics. Inspired by sea cucumbers, they have developed robots made of liquid metal. These robots can escape a cage, for instance, by melting into liquid and then restoring their figures immediately. In its solid state, the 3-millimeter-long robots can achieve a jump height of 60 millimeters when controlled by magnets. Researchers say they have the potential to provide greater utility in areas such as electronics assembly and even medical applications.

Stone age discovery

Archaeologists in Kenya have found ancient stone tools used by early humans. They date back to around 2.9 million years ago and were used to butcher hippos and pound plant materials. Scientists assumed that our direct ancestors were the only toolmakers. But two big fossil teeth, belonging to an extinct human cousin Paranthropus, were also found with the tools. The findings suggest that the tools were not only used by the ancestors of Homo Sapiens, but also by other branches of early humans.