Good morning. Feel like you’re doomscrolling too much? Well, Gen Z has found a new cure called “brain stacking,” which swaps endless scrolling for books, puzzles, journaling, and other old-school activities. So we essentially recreated hobbies… got it.

In today’s edition, we’ll cover why employee surveillance is backfiring, how kids are being brainwashed to eat junk food, scientists’ secret to having better conversations, and much more.

— Chase Goepfert, Founder of NextGen News

Earlier this month, US intelligence agencies stated they believed the leader of one of the world’s largest companies was the target of a Chinese spy.

This weekend, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang admitted to having an affair with the spy in question, prompting the company to launch an investigation into the matter.

Alice Huang (who is not related to the Nvidia CEO) wasn't just someone the Nvidia CEO happened to know.

She was a top executive at Singapore-based Megaspeed, a data center company that just happened to be one of Nvidia’s biggest customers:

Look inside the underground network that sneaks AI chips into China.

According to The New York Times, US intelligence agencies concluded that China’s Ministry of State Security had recruited her to target Jensen Huang and relay information directly to Beijing.

But that wasn’t new information… President Donald Trump was briefed on US intelligence concerns involving Alice Huang around one year ago, but no action was taken.

The company sits at the center of the global AI boom, as it supplies the powerful chips used to run advanced AI systems which are, well, everywhere. Last October, it even became the first publicly traded company ever to reach a valuation of $5 trillion.

While Nvidia's board and lawmakers are demanding answers, the direction of the company is uncertain:

That has spooked investors: Nvidia's shares plunged nearly 7.5% when markets opened yesterday, wiping out roughly $335 billion off the company's market value.

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Turns out, employees aren't too thrilled about being watched all day. As workplace surveillance becomes more common, companies are discovering that keeping a closer eye on workers might be doing more harm than good.

A recent survey from ExpressVPN found almost 80% of US employers have implemented digital tools to monitor employees. That means everything from AI-powered software to biometric sensors is on the table:

Why monitor your workers? Employers say the tracking tools can help improve productivity, identify safety hazards, improve training, and make sure important tasks are getting done.

Researchers found that workplace surveillance is associated with higher stress, lower trust, and a better chance your workers will pounce on their next job opportunity.

According to a new report from the American Psychological Association (APA):

But does all this monitoring actually boost productivity? A 2023 meta-analysis found no evidence that it improves employee performance, with studies instead showing workers find ways to appear busy, like using mouse jigglers or generating meaningless AI prompts, while others resort to cheating, ignoring instructions, or deliberately slowing down.

🇰🇪 Kenyan cult leader sentenced to 200 years in prison. A Kenyan pastor who convinced his followers to starve themselves to death has been sentenced to 200 years in prison. Paul Mackenzie, leader of the Good News International Church, was convicted of murdering 190 children after moving his followers to a remote ranch and ordering them to starve. When authorities uncovered the compound in 2023, they discovered more than 400 bodies buried in shallow graves, many of which remain unidentified. Mackenzie and 28 followers were convicted in the case, with some helping enforce the deadly fasts or conceal the bodies. The pastor still faces additional terrorism, manslaughter, and child abuse charges, while his lawyers have already appealed the sentence.

🗣 Scientists found the secret to having better conversations. Researchers at Dartmouth College analyzed more than 1,000 conversations and discovered that the most enjoyable chats strike a balance between sticking to a topic and introducing fresh ideas, or what they call “pink noise.” Too much jumping around makes conversations feel chaotic, while constantly agreeing or repeating the same points gets boring. The sweet spot is somewhere in between, where people explore a subject together before naturally moving on to something new. Interestingly, the pattern even predicted which speed-dating couples went on a second date, suggesting that good conversational chemistry might be more measurable than we thought.

🐙 Researchers mapped octopuses’ strange movements. Octopuses are nature's ultimate escape artists, and scientists have finally figured out how they squeeze through impossibly tiny spaces. A new study found that the eight-legged creatures use a surprisingly organized three or four-step strategy, depending on the size of the opening. They start by poking an arm through to explore, then thread several more through and use their suckers to pull the rest of their squishy bodies across. When the opening is especially tight, they even compress their heads and bodies to squeeze through. Researchers hope to use their techniques to build flexible robots capable of navigating collapsed buildings during search-and-rescue missions.

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Researchers successfully used an autonomous robot to assemble part of a structure in orbit, without any human intervention, for the first time in history.

The robot, named ASTRA, was designed to piece together a large structural framework to support various tech (like telescopes and solar arrays) using lightweight tubes, metal joints, and reflective material.

Think of it as an incredibly sophisticated set of space Legos:

It could help future space buildouts: Right now, the size of satellites, telescopes, and other space equipment is largely limited by how much can fit inside a rocket. However, researchers hope the project lends some credibility to autonomous construction, which could eventually allow scientists to build megastructures in space by shipping smaller components into orbit and letting robots do all the hard work.

Kids might not be the ones doing the grocery shopping, but that hasn't stopped food companies from trying to win them over. New research found that children are bombarded with thousands of unhealthy food advertisements online each year.

It comes as many food companies have pledged to limit ads that promote junk food.

According to a new study from the University of Illinois Chicago, children across the US see roughly 4,000 food marketing messages each year.

Today, much of the marketing (over 82%) is happening on TikTok, YouTube, and other platforms where children already spend countless hours entertaining themselves.

The actual number is likely much higher… since food marketing often blends into everyday content like influencer videos, viral challenges, and gaming. In fact, researchers found that nearly half of kids’ exposure came from nontraditional advertising, including people voluntarily sharing, liking, or creating content featuring food brands.

The worst part about it? Over half of the ads came from companies that had voluntarily pledged to limit unhealthy food marketing to children. Despite those promises, kids were still exposed to thousands of promotions for foods high in sugar, sodium, and saturated fat, which researchers warn could shape children's eating habits and increase their risk of obesity and Type 2 diabetes.

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→ An Italian chef in Australia was fired this week after he repeatedly refused to put pineapple on pizza, calling the controversial topping an insult to his culture.

→ Researchers examining an ancient burial near the Black Sea found a grape-sized kidney stone that had survived more than five millennia.

→ Scientists have developed a self-powered toothbrush that turns the movement of its bristles into electricity, helping kill bacteria responsible for cavities and gum disease in early laboratory tests.

→ Bingo, Care Bears, Pokémon trading cards, and playground slides have officially joined the National Toy Hall of Fame, beating out eight other finalists for the class of 2026.

→ Archaeologists revealed people may have been using cannabis to get high 2,800 years ago after discovering more than 1,000 seeds and traces of the drug in human hair at an ancient Siberian tomb.

→ Should your future children be born in a pod?

→ What happens if you put diesel in a car that takes gasoline?

→ How much would it cost to build a human body?

→ What’s the key to happiness? Simply not thinking about it.

→ Can’t wait for Christmas? Check out the newest holiday movies.

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