When the men’s and women’s boats took to the water for the 2025 Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race, a few students who would have hoped to be part of the crews were missing. Matt Heywood, Molly Foxell and Kate Crowley, all of Cambridge, did not take part after a complaint from Oxford University Boat Club over their eligibility was […] … learn more→

In the 21st century, information circulates at unimaginable speeds, and with it, the power to influence public opinion has become concentrated in the hands of a few. Big tech companies and their billionaire owners have assumed the role of puppeteers on the digital stage, orchestrating the global narrative and often deciding who has a voice […] … learn more→

Although some have spoken of the “end” of the teaching profession with the emergence of generative artificial intelligence, what this technology has actually meant is the definitive endorsement of a transformation in the role of the teacher, especially at the university level. And one of its most important functions is to facilitate critical thinking . Today’s university professor must […] … learn more→

Gaining research funds is always tough, but some people are having it tougher than usual at the moment. In late 2024, the New Zealand government cut all Humanities and Social Science funding from the Marsden Fund, their main research funding program. Since coming to office in the United States, Donald Trump has cut funding in a […] … learn more→

As teachers, but also when we need to explain anything to anyone, we are interested in approaching topics in a simple and direct manner. Dialogue is a valuable tool not only for teaching, but also for inquiry, discovery, and dialogue. We call Socratic maieutics the method by which the teacher, through questions, helps the student […] … learn more→

Earlier this year, scientists discovered a peculiar term appearing in published papers: “vegetative electron microscopy”. This phrase, which sounds technical but is actually nonsense, has become a “digital fossil” – an error preserved and reinforced in artificial intelligence (AI) systems that is nearly impossible to remove from our knowledge repositories. Like biological fossils trapped in rock, these […] … learn more→

We are constantly fed a version of AI that looks, sounds and acts suspiciously like us. It speaks in polished sentences, mimics emotions, expresses curiosity, claims to feel compassion, even dabbles in what it calls creativity. But here’s the truth: it possesses none of those qualities. It is not human. And presenting it as if […] … learn more→

Professional frustration has become palpable and widespread across all organizations, sectors, geographic regions, and demographic groups. People are dissatisfied with their careers, and only 20 to 30% of employees feel engaged in their work . Studies on burnout and job turnover, along with surveys such as Deloitte’s Millennial Survey , reveal that many workers seek meaningful roles but struggle […] … learn more→

A wave of restrictions on protesting has been rippling through Australia’s top universities. Over the past year, all of Australia’s eight top research universities (the Group of Eight) have individually increased restrictions on campus protests. The changes include bans on indoor protests and restrictions on banners, posters and student announcements. At some campuses, groups need to give notice or obtain university […] … learn more→

Few realities of scientific advancement have excited our novelistic minds as much as the possibility of de-extinctating species . The option of bringing back to our present-day world the grandeur and spectacle of animals whose impressive fossils in museums give us goosebumps has been a dream many of us have had since childhood. So much so that writers have […] … learn more→