Pop Sci | Habit Control Your pre-frontal cortex, where thought and planning occurs, also switches your habits on and off. Wikimedia Commons. Neuroscientists at MIT have identified the region of the brain that switches between old and new habits. In the study, researchers trained rats to run in a T-shaped maze. They would receive chocolate milk for turning left or sugar water for turning right. When the researchers took away the rewards, the rats who had learned to turn left continued to do so, even though they weren't benefitting in any way.

FastCompany.com | DARPA is unveiling a portable laser weapons system, HELLADS, which seems like something out of a sci-fi movie. The new laser application, created by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems with a custom power system from Saft Batteries, will help change the way the American military fights future wars. Current military laser systems are bulky contraptions which are mainly the size of a passenger jet, while the proposed DARPA weapon can fit on the back of a flatbed truck. The 150-kilowatt, solid state laser weapon is strong enough to take down drones or other aerial targets; a prototype is expected to be available by the end of 2012.

Daily Mail | Britons are notoriously obsessed with the weather, especially rainclouds. Now, according to scientists, it seems they will soon be able to create their own washout conditions. Using a powerful laser, researchers have created water droplets in the air.The technique, called laser-assisted water condensation, could one day unlock the secrets of weather cycles and enable humans to decide where and when it rains.

Forbes | The U.S. Navy has contracted with BAE Systems and, as a subcontractor, Boeing, to develop an integrated weapons system that combines both lasers and machine guns. A solid state laser will be combined with the Mk 38 Mod 2 Machine Gun to provide several levels of integration. Ideally, the system can be used as a laser weapon directly against targets that require high precision, or the laser can be used to aim the machine gun where more power is needed.