In the United States, libraries are caught between threats to their funding and a growing offensive against books deemed “inappropriate” by various fundamentalist groups. Behind the book removals, pressure is intensifying against librarians themselves, who are sometimes victims of harassment and intimidation. The “book war” has become a national political battle: the demands of religious […] … learn more→
Author Archives: Kevin
The Library Under Siege: How the Trump Administration Is Turning Bookshelves into a Cultural Battleground
Girls or boys: the prestige of their studies does not influence their career choices in the same way.
Why do people choose one university course over another? Is it primarily a question of career prospects and salary expectations? The research we are publishing in the journal Formation et emploi shows that another factor plays a central role: the social prestige associated with professions. But this prestige does not affect girls and boys in […] … learn more→
Why AI resembles a charismatic religious leader
People are turning to artificial intelligence for a seemingly unending variety of reasons. Many ask AI what to cook for dinner or how to develop a workout plan. Some even rely on AI to create school handouts or revise a work email. Increasingly, however, they are asking it different kinds of questions. How do I […] … learn more→
How to know if you can trust an AI’s answer to your question
I recently typed a simple question into Google search: How much screen time is too much for teenagers? Instead of presenting links, as Google had been doing for many years, it gave me an AI-generated answer. The artificial intelligence agent cited a number, then complicated that reply, noting that quality and balance of time could […] … learn more→
Learning another language may be one of the best ways to keep your brain healthy as you age
Learning another language is a highly complex mental activity. It requires people to remember words, distinguish unfamiliar sounds, recognize patterns, work out grammatical rules and retrieve the right expression at the right moment. All of this happens while listening, interpreting and preparing a response. Could all this mental activity also help keep an aging brain […] … learn more→
Like a fish in water: friendship in the digital habitat
We live immersed in technology, without a doubt. Our spaces are filled with devices and gadgets that encompass a wide range of functions and sophistication. Interpersonal relationships don’t just draw from the waters of the digital age; they are immersed in them. Digital technologies shorten geographical and temporal distances, shape consumption, work, study, and entertainment […] … learn more→
Decades of male‑focused medical research could bias healthcare A
Many people will learn CPR using a flat-chested manikin. A 2024 study of 20 models of CPR manikins sold worldwide found that three quarters were described as male or had no sex specified. Of the 20, only one offered a breast overlay. The manikins reflect a wider tendency in medical teaching and research to treat […] … learn more→
Towards “AI bilingualism”: learning to work with it and learning to work without it
Artificial intelligence (AI), and especially generative artificial intelligence, its most visible branch, is already widely used by students – from middle school to higher education in increasing proportions – and by teachers. Will AI help schools overcome their crises, or will it prevent young people from thinking for themselves and acquiring real skills, turning teachers […] … learn more→
AI can be more comforting than a person – our research shows why
Some of us now use generative artificial intelligence (gen AI) to talk through difficult feelings. We may ask a chatbot to write an email or plan a holiday, but we also tell it that we have had a rotten day or feel anxious about a presentation. A 2025 US survey of 1,058 people aged 12 […] … learn more→
What higher education keeps getting wrong about non-degree pathways
Ask most academics what a non-degree credential is and you will get a fairly consistent answer: something shorter, something narrower, something a student does when the degree is out of reach. The word that surfaces is usually “alternative,” and it is rarely meant as a compliment. That framing survives mostly because the sector has never […] … learn more→
