The festive season can throw our exercise routines out the window. You might be staying somewhere different, with no access to a gym. Maybe your yoga studio is closed or social sport is on a break. Or you might just be too flat out with social events to find the time. For some people, a […] … learn more→

Dr. R. E. Search, PhD Professor and Specialist in Academic Wellbeing & Sustainable Scholarship The Institute for Sensible Research Practices Date: December 2024 To Whom It May Concern: This is to certify that I have examined the patient group known collectively as “Researchers and Doctoral Candidates” and have diagnosed the following acute conditions requiring immediate intervention: […] … 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→

● 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→

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→

In the 1966 film Fantastic Voyage, a spacecraft and its crew are shrunk to microscopic size and injected into the body of an injured astronaut to remove a life-threatening blood clot from his brain. The Academy Award-winning movie – later developed into a novel by Isaac Asimov – seemed like pure fantasy at the time. […] … learn more→

Many high school seniors across the country are in the throes of college applications – often a high-stakes, anxiety-ridden process. But the stress doesn’t necessarily stop once students are admitted. Emotional stress, mental health and tuition cost are the top three reasons that college students drop out, according to a 2023 Gallup poll of 14,032 students. By […] … learn more→

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→

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→

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→