An Oxford University researcher who studies AI's effect on decision-making argues that generative AI tools should be treated as intellectual sparring partners rather than sources of ready-made answers. The piece cites data showing 94% of UK undergraduates use AI for assessed coursework and that over half of 2025 scientific papers show signs of LLM-generated text, up from roughly one in ten in 2023. The author contends fears about AI eroding critical thinking are misplaced, and that the real risk lies in passive use rather than active engagement with the technology.
nature.com
· 2026-09-09
Researchers at the University of Minnesota, led by surgeon Daniel Saltzman, have developed a therapy using genetically modified Salmonella Typhimurium bacteria to carry interleukin-2, an immune-stimulating molecule, straight into tumours. Pancreatic cancer patient John Heller received the experimental treatment after starting chemotherapy for advanced disease, illustrating an early real-world test of the approach.
nature.com
· 2026-09-09
Stefano Cataldi, a neuroscientist at Columbia University studying serotonin's role in cognition, is weighing whether to leave bench research entirely to focus on science policy work. He is a delegate for the United Auto Workers union representing postdocs and research scientists, and last year he founded SCOPE, a Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory-backed program that teaches scientists about policy, communication and career resources.
nature.com
· 2026-09-08
Two children died in separate Chinese gene-editing trials — a boy in a 2025 trial by HuidaGene Therapeutics and a six-year-old girl in March 2024 after treatment developed by researchers at Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Xinhua Hospital. Shanghai Jiao Tong University has launched an investigation into the girl's case and a related study published in Nature, while HuidaGene disclosed the boy's death publicly in August.
nature.com
· 2026-09-08
Instructors at the University of Baltimore's writing program are moving away from surveillance-style tracking of student edits in Google Docs toward assignments that deliberately incorporate generative AI. Using the university's BoodleBox platform, faculty built chatbots with personas like the 'Confrontational Parent' for students to debate in simulated scenarios, such as a mock school board meeting on book bans. New assignments now require transcripts of chatbot conversations, handwritten outlines, and video reflections alongside traditional writing.
news.slashdot.org
· 2026-09-07
A contributor writing for Entrepreneur argues that universities are structurally too slow to keep pace with AI-driven shifts in workforce skills, citing 18-month approval cycles for new degree programs and 9-to-12-month faculty hiring timelines. The piece introduces the concept of a 'university intrapreneur' — faculty, staff, administrators or students who solve problems and build solutions from within an institution before official policy or funding catches up, launching this as the first in a series on the topic.
entrepreneur.com
· 2026-09-07
Researchers led by Nikolai Slavov, Magdalena Zernicka-Goetz and Tsui-Fen Chou used single-cell proteomics to analyze the two earliest daughter cells formed after a fertilized mammalian egg divides. They found that these 'alpha' and 'beta' cells already carry distinct protein profiles linked to different developmental fates, with beta cells more often producing viable embryos while alpha cells tend to form supporting extra-embryonic tissue. The team traced these differing identities back to the moment of fertilization.
nature.com
· 2026-09-07
New workplace research draws on the roles of dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, and endorphins to explain how recognition, gratitude, connection, and fun can boost team culture. The findings build on a 2019 Oxford University study that found employees were 13% more productive when happier, prompting companies to expand benefits and flexible work options.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-09-06
Scientists from the University of Queensland and University of New South Wales fitted giant burrowing cockroaches with electrodes, cameras and automatic injection devices to create cyborg insects called Paraborgs. The bugs can crawl through rubble to locate disaster victims and even administer medication, according to a study published in Advanced Science.
wired.com
· 2026-09-06
Researchers Stefanie Tellex and Atsunobu Kotani at Brown University built a robot system that, after training solely on Japanese characters, was able to reproduce handwriting in Hindi, Greek, English print and cursive, and even sketch the Mona Lisa without direct training on those examples. The system works using two coordinated models: one governing individual pen strokes and another managing the overall structure of characters.
wired.com
· 2026-09-06
A new UN Environment Programme report concedes that global warming will surpass the 1.5-degree Celsius threshold set by the Paris climate accord within the next few years, driven by continued burning of coal, oil and gas. Current temperatures already sit around 1.4°C above pre-industrial levels based on 20-year averages, and scientists say there is no longer a realistic path to staying under the limit.
pbs.org
· 2026-09-05
Researchers extracted and sequenced viral DNA preserved in the animal-skin parchment of medieval manuscripts, tracing sheeppox virus's evolutionary history back roughly 3,500 years. The study, published in Science Advances and led by University College Dublin's Louis L'Hôte, demonstrates that parchment can act as a repository for ancient pathogen genomes, not just host DNA.
arstechnica.com
· 2026-09-04
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