For an experienced reader, recognising the words on this page feels effortless. Yet, evolutionarily speaking, your brain shouldn’t be able to read. Reading has existed for too short a time to have shaped a dedicated centre in the brain. Therefore, the brain has to learn to read using systems that evolved for other purposes. But it has long […] … learn more→
Author Archives: Kevin
The brain isn’t hardwired to read – here’s how we pull it off and why some are better at it than others
A seemingly technical change to international student visas could disrupt teaching and research at US universities
The Trump administration is revising a visa rule for international students that in part determines how long, and under what conditions, they can stay in the country. The change sounds technical. Its effects are not. Beginning Sept. 15, 2026, most students entering the U.S. on F-1 and J-1 visas – meaning visas for international students and exchange visitors, including […] … learn more→
Developing your research journal jottings
Most researchers are told early on to keep a research journal. The journal is a place to record stuff – ideas, possible lines of inquiry, potential analytic processes, quotes you don’t want to forget, reflections and responses to readings. Journals can be digital or material. A lot of what ends up in an old-fashioned analog […] … learn more→
Why so many Patients stay quiet after a Medical mistake, and why that silence hurts everyone
Most people picture a medical error as a single dramatic moment. A wrong medication. A missed diagnosis. A surgery that goes sideways. But researchers who study patient safety say the real story often starts after that moment, when the patient goes home and tries to make sense of what happened. Many stay silent. They do […] … learn more→
What cannabis use really tells us about university students’ eating habits
Cannabis has a reputation for making people hungry. Popular culture has long joked about the “munchies,” and many people assume that students who use cannabis naturally have poorer diets than those who don’t. Our latest research suggests the story is more complicated. As researchers who study the health behaviours of university students, we surveyed more than […] … learn more→
Why social media algorithms send you posts you don’t like
Do your social media accounts feed you content that reflects your core beliefs and guiding principles? Our new research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows that the algorithms supplying your feeds may be prioritizing content that clashes with your values. That’s because the algorithms heavily weigh online posts that you reply […] … learn more→
Cursive is making a comeback. But does it deserve one?
Learning to read and write cursive was once a rite of passage for practically every American schoolchild. Until the early 20th century, children in the U.S. were generally taught to write in cursive or script, rather than the print writing typically taught to young children today. Some people at the time thought a person’s character could be evaluated based on […] … learn more→
What are ‘thanabots’: dueling turned into a subscription service
Our phone rings, and when we answer, the voice on the other end is that of a deceased friend. We receive a birthday message from a deceased child. This is possible today, and it’s happening. Thanabots , or grief robots, are artificial intelligence programs trained on information about a deceased person, obtained from their social media profiles […] … learn more→
Does ‘AI‑watermarking’ mean the party is over for cheating students?
about students cheating with AI are rife within schools and universities. Some lecturers have even expressed fears students have been “lobotomised by AI” amid reports AI-detection tools are patchy and far from fool-proof. Last week, New South Wales moved to ban take-home assignments for Year 12 to try to stop AI use in assessments. At the same time, a major generative AI […] … learn more→
Oral exams are making a comeback to stop AI cheating. But they have their own problems
Universities are increasingly turning to oral exams to stop students using artificial intelligence (AI) to cheat. Some unis say it allows teachers to more accurately test students’ knowledge. Meanwhile, some NSW schools are also using oral exams to prevent cheating. Oral exams – or “viva voces” – are one of the oldest assessment methods. But they are not a foolproof solution […] … learn more→
