A new Department of Homeland Security report calls out the double-edged potential of artificial intelligence to bolster and jeopardize U.S. biosecurity.
Why it matters: AI hype has penetrated almost every industry, including energy, health care, pharmaceuticals and defense, but major questions remain about its day-to-day utility and the risk calculus surrounding its use.
Much of the Midwest was under flash flooding and tornado warnings into Wednesday morning, with large hail the latest threat to the region that's been inundated with heavy rains in the searing heat this week.
The big picture: Days of historic flooding rains that have hit Nebraska, South Dakota, Iowa and Minnesota have prompted evacuations and water rescues and breached levees, and nearly three million people were under flood warnings and watches on Wednesday morning.
A Chinese probe carrying the first lunar samples collected from the far side of the Moon returned to Earth on Tuesday, state broadcaster CCTV reports.
Why it matters: It's a historical first in space exploration for China's lunar program, which has notched several landmark feats since launching in 2007.
An AI-meets-biotech company launching Tuesday is releasing a tool to help scientists craft entirely new molecules in a process they say mirrors half a billion years of evolution.
The big picture: Researchers are pushing hard to try to use AI to create new molecules in order to engineer better medicines, biofuels and materials.
Midwest residents hit by historic flooding face the threats of further inundation into Tuesday, with officials in Minnesota particularly concerned that the Rapidan Dam in Mankato is in "imminent failure condition."
The big picture: At least one death has been reported in South Dakota and another in Iowa from days of flooding rains that have forced a town to evacuate and collapsed a bridge connecting Sioux City, Iowa, with North Sioux City, South Dakota.
