A fake photo of an explosion near the Pentagon once rattled the stock market. A tearful video of a frightened young “Ukrainian conscript” went viral: until exposed as staged. We may be approaching a “synthetic media tipping point”, where AI-generated images and videos are becoming so realistic that traditional markers of authenticity, such as visual flaws, are rapidly disappearing. In […] … learn more→

In the past decade, AI’s success has led to uncurbed enthusiasm and bold claims – even though users frequently experience errors that AI makes. An AI-powered digital assistant can misunderstand someone’s speech in embarrassing ways, a chatbot could hallucinate facts, or, as I experienced, an AI-based navigation tool might even guide drivers through a corn field – all without […] … learn more→

Truck driving has long been romanticized in American culture, from the iconic imagery of 18-wheelers crossing endless highways to the legend of independent spirits behind the wheel. But beyond the mythology lies a genuine opportunity for career independence that continues to attract thousands of workers each year. For those seeking autonomy, flexibility, and the chance […] … learn more→

At the end of October 2025, a new adaptation of a literary work was released in theaters: “The Stranger,” by Albert Camus, revisited by François Ozon. This cinematic event reminded us, once again, that fictional characters can have a life that escapes their creator, to the point that we sometimes want to believe they are […] … learn more→

Earlier this year, I realised that there was no Wikipedia page for ‘research culture’. I was surprised by the omission, but I probably shouldn’t have been. English Wikipedia’s coverage is huge, but it isn’t perfect. So, I set out to write a page that would provide some bare bones for people to build on. On […] … learn more→

The Trump administration’s aggressive deportation policies have heightened stress among the country’s approximately 14 million immigrants who are living in the U.S. without legal authorization. The sharp rise in dramatic arrests and deportations of immigrants over the past year has received widespread media attention. A less publicized issue is that many young, undocumented immigrants are also finding it harder to apply to and stay in college. As someone who researches […] … learn more→

The digital revolution has become a vast, unplanned experiment – and children are its most exposed participants. As ADHD diagnoses rise around the world, a key question has emerged: could the growing use of digital devices be playing a role? To explore this, we studied more than 8,000 children, from when they were around ten until they […] … learn more→

● Research findings on the effects of brain rot are still inconsistent and their significance is questionable. ● Brain rot could be a reflection of changes in human thinking. ● The impact of social media on cognition and mental health tends to be small and unstable. Brain rot is a metaphor to describe the negative impact of consuming too much […] … learn more→

So you know what researcher positioning is and why it matters. Now comes the practical question: how do you actually write about it in your thesis? This is where many doctoral researchers get a bit stuck. You know you need to address your positionality, but it can feel pretty darn awkward writing about yourself in what’s […] … learn more→

What does it look like to have an “athletic body?” What does artificial intelligence think it looks like to have one? A recent study we conducted at the University of Toronto analyzed appearance-related traits of AI-generated images of male and female athletes and non-athletes. We found that we’re being fed exaggerated — and likely impossible — body standards. Even […] … learn more→