Talking with frontline workers at Yum! Brands restaurants helped David Novak, the co-founder and former CEO and chairman of the company, identify better processes and recipes, but first, he had to recognize his prejudgment that the workers wouldn't have anything of value to add to the company. "The more you make the effort to learn about diverse ideas and worldviews from more diverse people, the deeper and more robust your learning will be, and the more effective action you'll be able to take with it," Novak writes.

Put it into practice: Uncover prejudicial blind spots by thinking about times you rejected an idea and considering whether your decision was affected by whom it came from or if you accepted another person's judgment without reflection, Novak suggests. Learning about other people and increasing interaction with a more diverse group of people can also reduce bias, Novak notes.

Prepare your company for the possibility of a deepfake -- whether it's an image or an audio or video clip -- by gathering heads of pertinent departments such as IT, human resources, communications, legal and the C-suite to plan when, or if, a response is necessary. Just as in any crisis, the reaction should be equal to the amount of damage such a deepfake could do to the business, and not all deepfakes need a response, says Mike Nachshen, the president and owner of Fortis Strategic Communications.

Put it into practice: If you suspect a deepfake is circulating, ask the person targeted if they said or did what is purported, Nachshen advises, and respond accordingly. Even if it's not a deepfake, it may be an embarrassing moment that still needs to be publicly addressed.

Coworkers who are familiar with one another and share a level of trust can effectively collaborate whether they are in person or working remotely, according to research from INSEAD professor Manuel Sosa and IESE Business School professor Massimo Maoret. Companies with a remote workforce can boost collaboration by creating virtual water coolers where people can gather and mentoring programs to support those who are new to the organization, Sosa and Maoret write.

Put it into practice: Whether teams work remotely or in person, it's incumbent upon leaders to find ways to help them build relationships with one another by providing common areas for interaction or informal opportunities to meet, such as coffee hours, Sosa and Maoret suggest. "By encouraging both physical and social connections, we can create thriving work environments where location never becomes a barrier to teamwork and shared success."

Zoom is leveraging AI to make remote meetings more collaborative and email more manageable in addition to creating a "digital twin" that can attend meetings so you don't have to, says CEO Eric Yuan. "Let's say the team is waiting for the CEO to make a decision or maybe some meaningful conversation; my digital twin really can represent me and also can be part of the decision-making process," says Yuan, who adds that the technology is at least a few years away.

Rogue planets, or planets without a parent star, may originate from binary star systems with misaligned orbits, according to a study in the Astrophysical Journal Letters. These "twisted Tatooine" systems can eject planets of various sizes, potentially explaining the high number of rogue planets in the Milky Way. The study highlights the complex gravitational interactions in these systems and suggests that other mechanisms, such as close encounters with other stars, could also produce rogue planets.

David Z. sent in this photo of his Australian Shepherd, Tequila. David says the name is fitting because, "He is a hot mess."

Do you have a non-human companion that keeps you company in your home office or greets you when you come home? Send me a photo to share!

Honestly, I can't wait for a digital twin to attend meetings for me. Zoom CEO Eric Yuan's technology can't arrive soon enough!

Yuan makes the point, though, that even if digital twins can hold effective meetings, we still need in-person contact.

"If I stop by your office, let's say I give you a hug, you shake my hand, right? I think AI cannot replace that," Yuan says.

Let's hope it never does!

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