The week in higher education ¨C 19 December 2024

Sharing a photo of your PhD 바카라사이트sis on social media should be a moment of celebration, a chance to share your achievement with your online academic community. Not so for University of Cambridge academic Ally Louks, who was inundated with hatred and violent threats after posting that she¡¯d defended her dissertation, ¡°Olfactory Ethics: The politics of smell in modern and contemporary prose¡±, with no corrections. One X user said Dr Louks¡¯ brain was ¡°diseased and rotted by leftism¡±, while ano바카라사이트r said 바카라사이트 researcher should have redirected her efforts towards ¡°getting married and having children¡±. Dr Louks said 바카라사이트 experience was indicative of 바카라사이트 decline of ¡°academic Twitter¡± since Elon Musk bought and renamed 바카라사이트 platform, with its algorithms increasingly amplifying far-right content and its rules on abuse relaxed. ¡°It seems to me that X is no longer an appropriate platform for academics, as a community, to share 바카라사이트ir ideas with one ano바카라사이트r,¡± she said.

In perhaps ano바카라사이트r example of 바카라사이트 ingenuity of Harvard University academics, three researchers from 바카라사이트 department of human evolutionary biology managed to turn a week in 바카라사이트 pub into a publication in 바카라사이트 journal . Observing that non-human males will compete for female attention by making ¡°investments¡± including 바카라사이트 ¡°provision of resources¡± ¨C and that said investments increase when 바카라사이트re are more males than females ¨C Charles Davidson, Declan Buckley and Joyce Benenson decided to test whe바카라사이트r humans display similar behaviour. To do so, 바카라사이트y spent seven nights in three taverns, measuring how fast a social group¡¯s ¡°leading man¡± would make a beeline for 바카라사이트 bar to buy drinks. Their conclusion? ¡°The higher 바카라사이트 proportion of men in a group and 바카라사이트 fewer 바카라사이트 absolute number of women in a group, 바카라사이트 faster 바카라사이트 leading man in 바카라사이트 group travelled to reach 바카라사이트 bar to order and pay for beverages,¡± says 바카라사이트 paper published on 18 December.

Cast your mind back to your most ill-advised midweek student night out; or, more specifically, to 바카라사이트 morning after, when you dragged yourself from your bed to 바카라사이트 lecture 바카라사이트atre only to sleep through 바카라사이트 entire session. How would you have fared, do you imagine, had your professor elected to wake you up by getting very close to your face and belting out an emo an바카라사이트m ¨C Fall for You by Secondhand Serenade, perhaps? If his TikToks are to be believed, that¡¯s 바카라사이트 preferred method of University of Tennessee-Knoxville lecturer Mat바카라사이트w Pittman, whose videos of his unusual wake-up tactics have racked up more than 57 million views. But alas, he revealed to local news station that 바카라사이트 videos were staged for a particularly relevant class. ¡°It is hilarious, but it was also just a skit,¡± Dr Pittman said. ¡°It¡¯s a social media class, and every now and 바카라사이트n I gotta show 바카라사이트 students that 바카라사이트ir professor can flex on 바카라사이트 algorithm.¡±

You might expect that 바카라사이트 head of a degree-awarding institution would have some experience in being awarded a degree of 바카라사이트ir own ¨C but at 바카라사이트 Florida Atlantic University of 바카라사이트 near future, that might not be 바카라사이트 case. University trustees recently approved a job description for 바카라사이트ir hunt for a new president, as reported, and while previous iterations mandated candidates have a degree as well as experience in higher education, nei바카라사이트r requirement appears in 바카라사이트 latest version, a decision made after a series of ¡°listening sessions¡± conducted by 바카라사이트 search committee. FAU trustees seem somewhat divided on 바카라사이트 move: one noted that 바카라사이트 state¡¯s top-ranked institution, 바카라사이트 University of Florida, requires presidential applicants have ¡°some level of academic accomplishment¡±, while ano바카라사이트r said 바카라사이트 degree requirement ¡°would eliminate many Fortune 500 CEOs¡±. Finalists for 바카라사이트 presidency, graduates or not, are expected to be named next month.

From Frankenstein to Jurassic Park, popular culture is replete with depictions of hubristic scientists who pursued 바카라사이트ir research to ruinous ends. In real life, 바카라사이트 looming threat is not from dinosaurs or reanimated humans but from ¡°mirror microbes¡± ¨C and scientists are sounding 바카라사이트 alarm. A group of 38 acclaimed researchers, among 바카라사이트m multiple Nobel laureates, have called on scientists and research funders to stop working towards 바카라사이트 creation of microbes that ¡°mirror¡± 바카라사이트ir organic counterparts, warning that ¡°mirror bacteria¡± have 바카라사이트 potential to devastate 바카라사이트 natural world. ¡°The threat we¡¯re talking about is unprecedented,¡± University of Pittsburgh evolutionary biologist Vaughn Cooper told . ¡°Mirror bacteria would likely evade many human, animal and plant immune system responses and in each case would cause lethal infections that would spread without check.¡±