Booms and busts are a recurring feature of the modern economy , but when the value of an asset becomes excessively inflated, a boom quickly turns into a bubble. The two most recent episodes of this kind were the dot-com bubble in the United States (1996-2000) and the housing bubbles that emerged around 2006 in various countries. Both ended […] … learn more→
Author Archives: Kevin
There’s an AI bubble, and this is what could happen if it bursts.
The quest for the “artificial womb”: between fiction and research advances
What if gestation, or at least part of the process, could be externalized using extrauterine devices, whether to continue the development of premature newborns or for more political purposes, such as combating declining birth rates? Such technology is still a long way from being feasible, but research is indeed being conducted in this area. Last […] … learn more→
What is time? Rather than something that ‘flows,’ a philosopher suggests time is a psychological projection
“Time flies,” “time waits for no one,” “as time goes on”: The way we speak about time tends to strongly imply that the passage of time is some sort of real process that happens out there in the world. We inhabit the present moment and move through time, even as events come and go, fading […] … learn more→
How to empower teachers and help students prepare for a sustainable future
Education about climate change and sustainability is a vital part of responding to a rapidly changing world, including the negative effects of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution. Teachers, including in Brazil and England, help young people live with futures shaped by local and global environmental challenges. However, despite expressing overwhelming concern about issues related […] … learn more→
How did Australian universities go from free education to $50,000 arts degrees in 50 years?
Australians think students are being asked to pay far too much for their degrees. Just under half (47%) of Australians surveyed by YouGov in June 2025 believe a worker on an average income should be able to pay off the debt for a standard three-year degree within five years. When it comes to the cost of a […] … learn more→
How number systems shape our thinking, and what this means for learning, language and culture
Most of us have little trouble working out how many millilitres are in 2.4 litres of water (it’s 2,400). But the same can’t be said when we’re asked how many minutes are in 2.4 hours (it’s 144). That’s because the Indo-Arabic numerals we often use to represent numbers are base-10, while the system we often […] … learn more→
Is your child’s school using generative AI? Here are 8 questions to ask
There have been at least three watershed moments in how humans access information. One came with the invention of the printing press in 1440, which revolutionised the spread of knowledge. Another came in 1998, when the launch of Google changed how we search for and retrieve information. The third happened in late 2022, with the introduction of generative artificial intelligence (AI). […] … learn more→
We asked teachers about their experiences with AI in the classroom — here’s what they said
Since ChatGPT and other large language models burst into public consciousness, school boards are drafting policies, universities are hosting symposiums and tech companies are relentlessly promoting their latest AI-powered learning tools. In the race to modernize education, artificial intelligence (AI) has become the new darling of policy innovation. While AI promises efficiency and personalization, it also introduces […] … learn more→
Can brain training really shave ten years off brain ageing, as a recent study suggests?
A ten-week online brain training programme helped older adults’ brains act as though they were a decade younger, a recent study has found. Much like exercise for the body, regular mental workouts can help keep the brain in shape. As we age, brain processes that support memory, attention and decision-making can become less efficient. Keeping the mind […] … learn more→
Turning motion into medicine: How AI, motion capture and wearables can improve your health
People often take walking for granted. We just move, one step after another, without ever thinking about what it takes to make that happen. Yet every single step is an extraordinary act of coordination, driven by precise timing between spinal cord, brain, nerves, muscles and joints. Historically, people have used stopwatches, cameras or trained eyes […] … learn more→
