A boy in Florida took his own life with a pistol after talking with an AI chatbot. He became emotionally attached to the bot and made numerous exchanges. He gradually withdrew from the real world, isolating himself in his room.

Japan issued new banknotes for the first time in 20 years. The redesigned bills feature 3D holograms to prevent counterfeiting.

A Japanese company has announced plans to open a high-tech restaurant that not only collects data from sushi and replicates it with 3D printers, but also tailors meals to customers’ nutritional needs. If the technology catches on, it could “teleport” food to far-flung places, promote health, and reduce food waste and environmental impact. However, it is still quite costly, and the flavors are far from the real thing. 

The US Food and Drug Administration approved a new drug for Alzheimer’s disease on Monday. However, some experts warned that there is not enough evidence to support it had a measured benefit.

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga received his first dose of COVID-19 vaccine on Tuesday in preparation for his visit to the United States. He will become the first world leader to meet President Joe Biden.

The Japanese space agency said on Sunday that the capsule from its Hayabusa-2 space probe successfully landed in Australia. The capsule contains samples from the Ryugu asteroid that could provide clues to the origin of the solar system.

Drugmaker Pfizer announced last week that its coronavirus vaccine was more than 90% effective in clinical trials. But the main issue is that it requires minus 70-degree Celsius storage.

Tohoku University and precision equipment maker Shimadzu have developed a system that can detect coronavirus infections from exhaled breath.The researchers say the device can reveal a result in about an hour.

A Japanese supercomputer called Fugaku took the crown in the speed ranking released last week. The system has been used to analyze how viral droplets spread in office spaces or packed trains.

Japan plans to launch a contact-tracing app in mid-June to help curb the spread of the new coronavirus. When a user is found to be infected, an alert message will be sent to those who have been in close contact with the person.

Scientists who have studied the origin of the coronavirus maintained that it evolved naturally while the U.S. government suggested that it came from a laboratory in the Chinese city of Wuhan.