Casio Has A Fluffy AI Pet Robot

Casio Computer is famous for its watches. Now, it’s branching out with an artificial-intelligence-powered pet as rising loneliness makes more people turn to chatbots for companionship.

The Japanese company behind G-Shock timepieces has named the AI robot "Moflin," a play on the Japanese onomatopoeic word "mofu mofu" used to describe a fluffy texture like animal fur.

The furry electronic pet is selling faster than expected in Japan, and Casio wants to bring it to the U.S. and the U.K. next.

With AI models increasingly being used as life coaches, therapists, or even romantic partners, Casio sees an opportunity to tap that demand for connection with something more tangible.

Moflin, which can develop its own "personality" depending on how it is raised and interactions with its owner, could be the start of a new source of revenue for Casio.

"Watches and calculators are a mature market," said Ryoichi Furukawa, deputy senior general manager at Casio’s sound and new business division.

"We are working on building our next main revenue stream," he said. "Mental wellness is a clear growth area."

As of the end of May, Casio had sold 10,000 of the cuddly robots in Japan, where they retail for about US$ 400.

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Authorities Issued Warning Against Supplements In L.A.

Key health officials in California issued a public warning about an energy product sold at convenience stores and smoke shops after three people died of overdoses in the Los Angeles area.

The products, sold online and at convenience stores and smoke shops in the form of tablets, gummies and drink mixes, contain the compound kratom, which medical experts say can be addictive and often carries toxic consequences.

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, in a release issued 12 September, warned consumers and health care providers about the synthetic kratom compound 7-Hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) after the County of Los Angeles Medical Examiner identified three fatal overdoses in residents who'd used products containing it.

Officials did not identify the victims or say where they lived in the county; but, autopsies revealed the victims, all between ages 18 and 40, had consumed alcohol in each case, according to the health department.

"The decedents were otherwise healthy, with no other substances identified as substantively contributing to their deaths," the agency wrote in the Sept. 12 notice. "At low doses, 7-OH can have stimulant-like effects, and at higher doses, it has opioid-like effects."

High doses of 7-OH alone, or those mixed with alcohol or other sedatives, can cause "severe respiratory depression and death," Los Angeles County health officials wrote. "Again, they are unregulated and may contain unknown concentrations of 7-OH, increasing the risk of unintentional overdose."

Late this summer, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced it would be taking steps to ban 7-OH.

During a 29 July press conference, FDA commissioner Martin Makary spoke alongside Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., to announce plans to send warning letters to companies for illegally marketing products containing 7-OH, part of an effort to combat the country's opioid addiction problem.

The compound will be scheduled as an illicit drug if the Drug Enforcement Administration − a branch of the Justice Department responsible for classifying drugs as controlled substances − approves the change after a review.

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The Risk Of "Glow Up" Culture On Teens

Skincare, fashion, and beauty videos on platforms like TikTok and Instagram are all over the place and constantly dominates the discussions of young girls. Just search the hashtag #glowuproutine on TikTok and you’ll be flooded with videos touting various products and routines that are aimed specifically at the tween and teen girls.

A quick search for #glowuproutine on TikTok will bringa video, which has a whopping 17K likes, and shows a girl putting together her back-to-school "glow-up" routine. First, she shops at Ulta and fills a basket with numerous "essential" products. Then, she begins her "routine": applying press-on nails, taking an "everything" shower, laminating her eye brows, doing her "holy grail" lymphatic drainage gua sha routine, treating her under eyes with two moon-shaped skincare patches, and whitening her teeth.

However, the most extensive part is her skin care routine, which she describes this way: "Literally, every product I could put on my face, I slathered on my face."

Videos like this are super popular, and many teens and tween girls take them seriously. They believe that these routines are "musts," that they have to stock up and use whatever products are being suggested, and that they'll fall behind other girls if they don't partake. Ultimately, many girls today buy into the idea that having a curated and expensive routine solely to improve their physical appearance is something to aspire to.

Teens and tween are easy targets for beauty enhancing content because they tend to feel insecure about their appearance and hyper-focus on comparing themselves to others, says Whitney Casares, MD, MPH, pediatrician and author of My-One-of-a-Kind Body.

Back-to-school glow-up routines specifically prey on kids' fears around being attractive or popular enough, and do this by encouraging teens to spend exorbitant amounts of money on the products they say will offer a quick fix. "I absolutely notice this as a central focus among my patients in this age cohort," says Dr. Casares. "And it’s only getting worse as time goes on."

Grace Lautman, LMHC, CN, nutritionist and teen eating disorder therapist, says that these glow-up routines can also spotlight unrealistic bodies which can encourage unhealthy habits, and even eating disorders. "It's another area of the internet where perfectionist and unrealistic beauty standards are upheld," she says.

Glow-up is teen slang for a dramatic improvement in one's appearance. Kids typically use it to describe the process of becoming the best version of oneself (aesthetically). Think of the makeover scene from any '90's or early 2000's rom-com—that's a glow-up.

The risk is not about the fact that the videos take advantage of young girls’ self-image issues and encourage them to spend money they don’t have. The products recommended in the videos may not be healthy for young girls’ skin, and may even be dangerous in some cases, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).

Many of the products recommended by influencers in "glow-up" videos aren't regulated for safety and aren’t even made for kids, Dr. Casares points out. "Short-term reactions like rashes and irritation are common for my patients who use these 'glow up' routines, but I worry even more about the long-term effects of using advanced skin care products on young skin," she says.

For example, sun damage, skin thinning, and premature aging are all potential risks of using the products recommended in these videos, according to Dr. Casares. Moreover, "over-exposure to beauty content is also linked to body image struggles which are, in turn, related to other negative physical outcomes for people of all ages, including dieting and overexercising," she describes.

Lautman agrees, and sees the impact of these videos among the teens she works with. "In my work I'm mostly looking at the impacts in terms of increasing the desire to diet and control food and exercise," she says. "Any increase in attention and control to the body, skin or muscle, increases already existing experiences like body dysmorphia and distorted body image."

"Any increase in attention and control to the body, skin or muscle, increases already existing experiences like body dysmorphia and distorted body image."

An abundance of research points to the fact that tweens and teens who become immersed in videos that emphasize beauty and appearance are more likely to develop body image issues. "Specifically, they’re more likely to be dissatisfied with their bodies, to compare themselves to others, and to develop serious mental health issues, including anxiety, depression, and disordered eating," says Dr. Casares.

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Victorias City Dropped As Futsal World Cup Venue

Victorias City in Negros island will no longer host the FIFA Women’s Futsal World Cup, leaving Pasig City as the sole site for the first-ever edition of the tournament.

This was announced by the Philippine Football Federation (PFF), citing logistical issues as one of the reasons for dropping Victorias City Coliseum as one of two venues for the matches.

The Philsports Arena will now be the lone venue for the November 21 to December 7 tournament where 16 teams, including host Philippines, will be competing.

"After a comprehensive review of logistical and operational considerations, and in light of the ongoing situations, it has been decided that Victorias City, Negros Occidental will no longer serve as a host city ," said the PFF in a statement.

"The adjustment also reflects FIFA and the LOC’s (local organizing committee) joint objective to streamline and reduce the tournament’s footprint, ensuring the most efficient delivery of the event," the PFF added.

"The PFF is fully committed to delivering a historic and memorable inaugural FIFA Futsal Women’s World Cup. We are eager to showcase the passion of the Filipino people for the sport and invite everyone to celebrate women’s futsal on the global stage in Pasig City."

FIFA will hold a draw ceremony in Taguig City on 15 September to determine the four teams that will make up each of the four groups.

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Texas A&M Uni Fired A Prof For Promoting Her DEI Agenda In Class

A professor at Texas A&M University was fired and others were removed from their positions after a video surfaced in which a student confronted the instructor over her teaching of issues related to gender identity when it is not part of the curriculum.

The firing of Melissa McCoul, a senior lecturer in the English department with over a decade of teaching experience, came after Republican lawmakers, including Gov. Greg Abbott, called for her termination for selfishly promoting her personal agenda.

The incident prompted Glenn Hegar, the chancellor of the Texas A&M University System, to order an audit of courses at all 12 schools in the system.

"It is unacceptable for A&M System faculty to push a personal political agenda," Hegar said in a statement last 8 September. "We have been tasked with training the next generation of teachers and childcare professionals. That responsibility should prioritize protecting children not engaging in indoctrination."

In an email, McCoul referred all questions to her attorney, Amanda Reichek. Reichek said in a statement that McCoul has appealed her termination and "is exploring further legal action."

Texas A&M University President Mark A. Welsh III said in a statement last 9 September that he directed the campus provost to fire McCoul after learning the instructor had continued teaching content in a children’s literature course "that did not align with any reasonable expectation of standard curriculum for the course."

Welsh said the issue had been raised earlier this summer and he had "made it clear to our academic leadership that course content must match catalog descriptions for each and every one of our course sections." Welsh said he learned that this was not taking place.

"This isn’t about academic freedom; it’s about academic responsibility," Welsh said.

Welsh also ordered the removal of the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and the head of the English Department from their administrative positions.

The controversy began after Republican state Rep. Brian Harrison posted a video, audio recordings and other materials on a thread on the social media site X. Harrison called for the professor and Welsh to be fired for "DEI and LGBTQ indoctrination."

In one video, a female student and the professor can be heard arguing over gender identity being taught in a children’s literature class. The student and professor are not shown and it’s unclear when the video was taken.

"This also very much goes against not only myself but a lot of people’s religious beliefs. And so I am not going to participate in this because it's not legal and I don’t want to promote something that is against our president’s laws as well as against my religious beliefs," the student could be heard saying in the video.

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Turbo-Charged Robotic Sperm Is In The Works

Turbo-charged robotic sperm is something that was not expected in the medical world, but it became a significant development in treating the increasing trend of infertility, according to scientists.

By coating the fast-moving sperm cells with magnetic particles, the researchers said they can be tracked and steered for the first time – and one day allow them to deliver life-saving medicine to areas of the female reproductive system that are hard to access.

It’s unclear what drugs may be used this way or when it could happen, but medicine can be loaded directly into the sperm cells that would serve as vehicles to reach organs, such as the uterus or fallopian tubes.

The researchers say using them like this could help treat infertility-causing conditions affecting millions of American women, including uterine cancer, endometriosis, and uterine fibroids. Uterine cancer can be fatal when left untreated and there were more than 13,000 deaths from the disease in 2023.

Right now, doctors aren't able to fight these conditions using treatments that focus on certain parts of the body.

The breakthrough could also offer a closer look into the body during fertilization, the researchers said.

For example, tracking sperm movement inside the female reproductive system could help understand sperm transport mechanisms and unexplained infertility. It may even improve lab-based fertilization techniques such as IVF, they said. IVF leads to the births of tens of thousands of babies in the U.S.

It’s unclear how that process might be improved but tests showed that they could be promising candidates for future research, the scientists said.

More work is needed before any clinical trials can begin, but the sperm bots were not toxic to cells in the uterus even after three days of exposure.

The key to all of this lies in the magnetic coating.

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Let's Try To Learn More TikTok Slangs

No more "skibidi," "rizz" and "sigma"? It's back-to-school season, and students are not just bringing assignments, but they are also saying new words and phrases that may make no sense to anyone out of grade school or not chronically online.

What kids are saying these days seems to move faster than the speed of light thanks to social media. And to some, today's slang may not even appear to correlate with the words or phrases kids are looking to shorten.

In a TikTok video posted last 3 September, user Mr. Lindsay, a teacher and comedian known for breaking down Gen Alpha slang, said students are repeatedly saying, "You stole my brain rot," the ever-popular "6-7" and "SDIYBT".

First, what is "brain rot"? This noun can describe a state of being impacted by increased social media usage or content that has little to no substantive value, which may lead to the metaphorical degradation of the brain. These days, "brain rot" is largely used to describe the latter and can serve as an umbrella term for the words and phrases below.

The phrase "You stole my brain rot" is specifically in reference to a Roblox game called Steal Brainrot. In the fast-paced, heist-style game, users are tasked with stealing other players' "brain rot," which appears as different silly characters.

Next, what is "6-7"? This is less of meaningful phrase than a meaningless response.

The term 6-7 was derived from the song "Doot Doot," released by rapper Skrilla in December 2024. In the song, Skrilla sings, "The way that switch, I know he dyin'. 6-7. I just bipped right on the highway."

According to Know Your Meme, a database for memes and internet slang, some people say the "6-7" in the song is in reference to 67th Street, perhaps in Philadelphia, where the rapper is from. But Skrilla had not confirmed the numbers' meaning.

The same day of the song's release, TikTok user Matvii Grinblat posted a video of Charlotte Hornets point guard LaMelo Ball. In the video, Grinblat discusses Ball's height, which is 6-foot-7. At this point in the video, the lyric from "Doot Doot" in which Skrilla sings "6-7" is dubbed.

Finally, "SDIYBT". This is an acronym for "start digging in yo butt, twin." The phrase may sound crude, but it really doesn't have any meaning. It's just a phrase that has become repeatable and it may be more common to hear kids just say or use, "SDIYBT."

SDIYBT was derived from another, shorter slang phrase, "Diggin in yo butt, twin," which went viral in July. The catchphrase took off when a content creator posted a clip from the "SpongeBob SquarePants" episode "Welcome to the Chum Bucket." In the episode, the character Plankton asks a robot with SpongeBob's brain in it to make him a Krabby Patty. But in the viral clip, the robot's response is dubbed over with "Start digging in yo butt, twin," according to Know Your Meme.

As a bonus, let's add "Clock it". This term is used as validation, given to someone who is sharing new information or gossip. The phrase is used in conjunction with a finger thumb tap, in which a person taps the tips of their thumb and forefinger together to represent a miniature clap, according to Know Your Meme.

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Human Testing Has Started On Teeth Regrowing Drugs

The average adult human body contains 206 bones—the hardened mixtures of calcium, minerals, and collagen that provide the biological scaffolding that walks us through our day. While we may not think of them much, bones are incredibly resilient. But if they do break, they have this nifty trick of regrowing themselves.

Teeth, however, are not bones. Although they’re made of some of the same stuff and are the hardest material in the human body (thanks to its protective layer of enamel), they lack the crucial ability to heal and regrow themselves. But that may not always be the case.

Japanese researchers are moving forward with an experimental drug that promises to regrow human teeth. Human trials began in September 2024.

"We want to do something to help those who are suffering from tooth loss or absence," Katsu Takahashi, the head of dentistry at the medical research institute at Kitano Hospital in Osaka, told The Mainichi. "While there has been no treatment to date providing a permanent cure, we feel that people’s expectations for tooth growth are high."

This development follows years of study around a particularly antibody named Uterine sensitization–associated gene-1 (USAG-1), which has been shown to inhibit the growth of teeth in ferrets and mice. Back in 2021, scientists from the Kyoto University—who will also be involved in future human trials—discovered a monoclonal antibody (a technique usually used in fighting cancer) that disrupted the interaction between USAG-1 and molecules known as bone morphogenetic protein, or BMP.

"We knew that suppressing USAG-1 benefits tooth growth. What we did not know was whether it would be enough," Kyoto University’s Katsu Takahashi, a co-author of the study, said in a press statement at the time. "Ferrets are diphyodont animals with similar dental patterns to humans."

Now, scientists will see just how similar, because humans are undergoing a similar trial. Lasting 11 months, this study focuses on 30 males between the ages of 30 and 64—each missing at least one tooth. The drug will be administered intravenously to prove its effectiveness and safety, and luckily, no side effects have been reported in previous animal studies.

If all goes well, Kitano Hospital will administer the treatment to patients between the ages of 2 to 7 who are missing at least four teeth, with the end goal of having a tooth-regrowing medicine available by the year 2030. While these treatments are currently focused on patients with congenital tooth deficiency, Takahashi hopes the treatment will be available for anyone who’s lost a tooth.

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CDC Investigating Possible Salmonella Outbreak

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued a food safety alert for a salmonella outbreak the agency said is linked to ready-to-eat, home delivery meals made by the company Metabolic Meals, the agency said last 5 September.

"CDC and public health officials in several states are investigating a multistate outbreak of Salmonella infections linked to certain home delivery meals made by Metabolic Meals," the CDC stated. "Do not eat affected Metabolic Meals products while the investigation is ongoing. Check your refrigerator and freezer for these products and throw them away or contact the company."

As of time of publication, at least 16 people in 10 states have gotten sick from Metabolic Meals, according to the CDC. Of the 15 people with information available, seven have been hospitalized, the agency said.

Illnesses have so far been reported in Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, Texas, Washington and Wisconsin, according to the CDC.

FDA expands warning of radioactive shrimp as 2 more brands are recalled. No deaths have been reported so far.

The CDC said that Metabolic Meals was "collaborating with investigators and has reached out to customers directly who purchased the meal types listed above to inform them of the outbreak."

According to the CDC, customers who ordered and received the following Metabolic Meals - delivered during the week of 28 July 2025 - have been urged not to eat them:

• Four Cheese Tortellini with Pesto Sauce and Grilled Chicken: lot code 25199 and a "best by" date of 7 August 2025.
• Low Carb Chicken Teriyaki and Vegetables: lot code 25202 and a "best by" date of 5 August 2025.
• Black Garlic & Ranch Chicken Tenders with Roasted Vegetables: lot code 25205 and a "best by" date of 8 August 2025.
• Sliced Top Sirloin with Roasted Peanut Sauce and Summer Vegetables: lot code 25203 and a "best by" date of 6 August 2025.

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