“Higher education has repeatedly adapted to technological change […]. Each transformation reshaped how universities operated, yet none fundamentally altered their intellectual purpose. “But artificial intelligence poses a challenge unlike any university leaders have faced before.” [1/2] 🔗⮛

No, SpudCells aren’t alive. But they’re a step toward the first synthetic life The lab-made cells can grow and divide — with scientists’ help [1/2]

www.theguardian.com/education/20... #academicsky “The subjects with the biggest staff cuts were social work (-9%), English and classics (both -8%), anthropology (-7%) and linguistics (-6%).”

“All but 110 [axed academic posts] were in non-Russell Group universities, reducing student choice and potentially exacerbating inequalities.”

Humanities among degrees being ‘extinguished’ by hard-up universities Experts fear rise in education ‘cold spots’ and social immobility as 4,000 academic posts lost in one year 🔗⮛

The Biggest Tell That Something Was Written by AI

#AcademicSky · #AI Chat, are we cooked? “You may have heard about AI data centres guzzling insane amounts of energy, and that using ChatGPT to write an email is equivalent to emptying out a bottle of water. “But is that true? And how worried should we be about GenAI’s environmental impact?”

Beyond Grade Inflation—What We’ve Got Is Shrinkflation 🖋️ Zorina Khan ‣ @insidehighered.com

techxplore.com/news/2026-07... #ai #academicsky “With AI advancing at ‘runaway speed,’ UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres cautioned that ‘an experiment is being run on our own societies, without a plan and without consent.’”

World must not let AI 'vibe-code' humanity's future: UN chief The United Nations chief called Monday for a global governance system to shape artificial intelligence for the good of humanity, warning against allowing the technology itself to "vibe-code" our future. 🔗

“Four Russell Group institutions are among the 10 universities with the highest proportion of EU students: the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), Imperial College London (ICL), the University of Oxford and Queen’s University Belfast.”

Lincoln puts 140 staff at risk in latest job cuts “Redundancies will be concentrated in the schools of humanities and heritage; engineering and physical sciences; social and political sciences; chemistry; geography; and design and architecture, as well as the Lincoln International Business School.”

Higher education institutions as employers: ensuring decent working conditions 🔁 @mcegillion.bsky.social ⮛

cacm.acm.org/opinion/whit... #computing #ai #academicsky “In a meeting I recently had with 20 Ph.D. students in a department I visited, it became clear they were asking themselves if they had made a good decision to pursue a doctorate in computer science (CS),” says Professor Vardi. [2/2]

“AI is going in the opposite direction to decarbonization efforts,” […] “We should be thinking about where we are going towards. If you’re recycling and a vegan but then you’re using ChatGPT to do your multiplication for you, well that’s kind of against the trend.” #ai #carbonfootprint

www.bcs.org/articles-opi... #academicsky #turing #ai Pride and programming: remembering Turing in the AI era

Human Evolution May Be Undergoing a Major Shift Right in Front of Our Eyes Don't blink. www.sciencealert.com/human-evolut... #academicsky #evolution

Some Wikipedia citations to retracted papers persist for years, study finds ‣ retractionwatch.com/2026/06/18/s... #academicsky #retractions

www.techradar.com/ai-platforms... #ai #aisychophancy ‘I find it sycophantic, but it gives me dopamine hits’ — the thing I dislike most about AI is exactly what some users love Do some people actually like AI’ s overly validating personality?

www.nytimes.com/2026/06/08/w... #medsky #weightlossdrugs What We Know About Weight-Loss Drugs Is Rapidly Changing

“The European Research Council (ERC) has opened applications for its prestigious ERC Plus Grants, which will offer up to €7 million over seven years to support ambitious research projects at European institutions. Researchers around the world can apply.”

· #AcademicSky · #EduSky · #HigherEd · Reading beyond the headlines of the British Social Attitudes Survey “Headlines have focused on declining public confidence in universities. But if we move beyond the immediate story, the data point to a deeper conundrum for the sector.”

www.sciencealert.com/major-study-... #medsky #heartattack #stroke Major Study Links 99% of Heart Attacks And Strokes With 4 Risk Factors

“Nationally, 8 per cent of UK-based undergraduates starting a full-time degree had no formal qualifications in 2024-25, the most recent year for which information is available, which is a rise from 1.6 per cent a decade ago, according to the Higher Education Statistics Agency data.”

#AcademicSky #EduSky Digital dismay “The supposed progress in education through the use of AI is, in important respects, a step backward, aiming for uncritical practicality, economic efficiency, and pedagogical convenience. Nothing less than thinking itself, and thus education, is lost here.” [1/3]

Higher ed’s warning light is flashing: What the 2026 EDUCAUSE Horizon Report reveals “Higher education leaders often overlook major reports because the sector is already overwhelmed by reports, dashboards, compliance notices, strategic plans, and technology forecasts. Yet… [1/2]

www.gov.uk/government/n... #academicsky #edusky Universities face ban on international students over visa abuse

“The world is undergoing a generational shift in the way in which news is being reported and disseminated. […] The boundaries between news, opinion and entertainment content are becoming blurred — as is the dividing line between fact and fiction.” #academicsky #scicomm [1/2]

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... #academicsky #edusky #highered Third of people say uni degree not worth it, as student loan inquiry begins