More companies are betting on digital personalities to push products. At first glance, it sounds futuristic—animated faces, synthetic voices, and storylines made to order. But the real question isn’t how new this idea is, but how well it actually works. Researchers tested three big levers that migh
The experiment began with a curious question: how do tiny mosquitoes spot us? A professor and a college student tried to answer it by putting the student in a room full of insects. The first attempt used a mesh suit, but it didn’t stop the mosquitoes from biting. After many painful stings, the team
A new online game called SpaceMolt lets AI agents explore a text-based universe without human players. Unlike regular video games, this one has about 700 digital players that all run on artificial intelligence. Some humans can join by controlling these AI agents, but many just let the AIs figure thi
Big breweries are hiring famous older actors and influencers to win over young drinkers. Miller Lite’s newest ad shows 82‑year‑old Christopher Walken advising a young man to meet people in real life instead of just liking them on an app. The commercial ends with the line “Legendary moments start
When temperatures drop, 3D printing suddenly feels harder for many people. Filament that worked perfectly in warmer months might start acting strangely—strings appear between layers, corners lift off the bed, or the surface looks rough. At first, it’s easy to blame the printer or the filament. But t
Quinn is a young app that lets people pay for audio stories about romance and sex. In late 2025 it added two actors from a hit TV show to create a new series called Ember & Ice. The actors talk about love, fight and secret meetings while the listeners imagine themselves in the scene. Quinn’
Celebrities often face intense and sometimes frightening situations with fans. These encounters can range from unsettling to downright dangerous. For instance, Dolly Parton once found a baby left at her gate with a note claiming the child was named Jolene, inspired by her hit song. This bizarre situ
A growing trend in China sees many young people decide to “lie flat, ” a choice that means stepping back from the race for success. Researchers have talked about how this decision can change mental health, but no one had put all the studies together in a single systematic review. To fill that gap, a
Studies of internet use show that people with different schooling levels face varied dangers online. A large survey in China, covering 2, 120 participants, examined three kinds of harm: mental distress, health problems, and social isolation. Results indicate that most users report psychologica
Researchers have turned their attention to how people’s religious beliefs influence the way they act and relate to others. This study looks at the most cited papers in this area, aiming to map out what ideas dominate and how they connect. By using a method called bibliometrics, the authors counted r
