The lure of virtual relationships has not gone unnoticed by the industry. When OpenAI launched its latest version of ChatGPT in May it revealed it had been programmed to sound chatty and respond flirtatiously to certain prompts. The company's CEO, Sam Altman posted a single word – "her" on X, formerly known as Twitter. This was seemingly in reference to the 2013 movie in which a man falls in love with his AI virtual assistant. OpenAI added that it was "exploring whether we can responsibly provide the ability to generate NSFW [not safe for work] content".

Astronaut Wang Yaping has become the first Chinese woman to walk in space, authorities said Monday, as part of a six-month mission to the country's space station. Wang and fellow astronaut Zhai Zhigang left the main module of the Tiangong station for more than six hours to install equipment and carry out tests alongside the station's robotic arm as part of its ongoing construction, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMS). The third member of the crew, Ye Guangfu, provided assistance from inside the station, CMS said on its website. Tiangong, meaning "heavenly palace", is a crucial part of China's military-led drive to become a leading space power, after landing a rover on Mars and sending probes to the Moon. Its core module entered orbit earlier this year, with the station expected to be operational by 2022.

Despite being born without this essential part, the woman learned to walk and talk, although her mother reported she learned these actions around age 6 and 7. (iStock) In 2014, a Chinese woman in her 20's sought treatment for recurring problems with balance and dizziness, reports a case study published in the journal Brain. But when doctors looked at brain imaging via a CT scan and MRI, they discovered their patient was living without her cerebellum. This young woman falls within a small group of nine people diagnosed with cerebellar agenesis, the study reports. Despite being born without this essential part, the woman learned to walk and talk, although her mother reported she learned these actions around age 6 and 7. However, the young woman had always struggled with walking steadily and had some trouble pronouncing words, according to the study. Scientists have long known about the cerebellum's function in finetuning motor skills and balance.