Carol

OpenAI will not disclose GPT-5’s energy use. It could be higher than past models Experts working to benchmark resource use of AI models say new version’s enhanced capabilities come at a steep cost

OpenAI will not disclose GPT-5’s energy use. It could be higher than past models www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

Fishing boats moored on the blue sea, with old stone wall, pineapple may and rough grass in the foreground.

Same view but fishing boats have vanished into the sea fret

Sea fret. Holy Island, July 2025

Madeline Horwath on life under our new AI overlords – cartoon Outsource all your decision-making to the machines – what could possibly go wrong?

Madeline Horwath on life under our new AI overlords – cartoon www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

An infographic titled "The Lethal Doses of 55 Substances" compares the toxicity of various chemicals, measured in median lethal dose (LD₅₀) values, which indicate the dose required to be lethal for 50% of a test population. The substances range from relatively harmless (e.g., water, sucrose, and vitamin C) to highly toxic (e.g., nicotine, sarin, and botulinum toxin). The scale moves from milligrams per kilogram (mg/kg) for less toxic substances to micrograms per kilogram (µg/kg) for highly toxic ones. Illustrations accompany each substance, showing its source or use, from household items to industrial and natural toxins.

The lethal doses of 55 substances...

I spoke to the AI avatar of a Leeds MP. How did it cope with my Yorkshire accent? Leeds MP Mark Sewards has launched a digital assistant, but the results of my chat show MPs’ aides have nowt to worry about

I spoke to the AI avatar of a Leeds MP. How did it cope with my Yorkshire accent? www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

amongst current misunderstanding and simplistic understanding of AI, the popular narrative of "bias in, bias out" continues to frustrate me the most. this thread covers some of the reason

One quick thing to do to help keep us all #SAFER from impacts of climate breakdown? Please sign & share @climatemajority.bsky.social petition urging government to invest more in #climate adaptation. 100,000 signatures triggers likely debate in parliament 🤞 petition.parliament.uk/petitions/73...

Thanks for sharing this gem, Lawrie - have followed @newsthump.com for more!

‘Goring to death pricks with rifles helps to keep their numbers under control’ insists Cape Buffalo community A Cape buffalo in South Africa has defended the goring to death of a 52-year-old American millionaire big game hunter this week, insisting that “sometimes you have to cull the idiots to keep their …

I enjoyed this “Nature is healing.”
newsthump.com/2025/08/06/g...

An Evaluation Framework for LLMs That Considers Social Justice In this article, I propose an evaluation framework for LLMs in the tertiary sector, that also brings awareness to the ethical, social, and environmental impact of training such model

Interesting and thorough framework from Maria Cruz Garcia Vallejo open.substack.com/pub/maricruz...

YouTube video by South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust NHS Misinformation UnMASKED - Searching

Misinformation often appears in disguise when we're looking for health information. Take a close look at Misinformation UnMASKED an animation from @england.nhs.uk
Make sure you are only using trustworthy information. @cilip.bsky.social @librariesconnected.bsky.social www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dTL...

Microsoft 365 prices have risen by up to £30 a year – here's how to beat them - Which? Microsoft 365 prices are going up, but there’s a simple way to avoid paying more

www.which.co.uk/news/article...

Sarah Akinterinwa on how to detect texting overload – cartoon This kind of burnout can affect any of us at any time: watch out for the symptoms

Sarah Akinterinwa on how to detect texting overload – cartoon www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Textile artist featuring three small black and white birds with long forked tails in flight, flying right against a swirling blue green sky

'A swoop of swallows' by UK textile artist Rachel Wright, machine embroidered on calico with various fabrics #UnravellingWomensArt

It's doing much better than mine! You must be watering it 🚿

Happy 15th anniversary, Retraction Watch Once upon a time, a long time ago, two science journalists had an idea for a blog about retractions. And on Aug. 3, 2010, Retraction Watch launched, detailing in the first post why retractions matt…

Once upon a time, two science journalists had an idea for a blog about retractions. And on Aug. 3, 2010, Retraction Watch launched.

And now, 15 years and 6,700 posts later, that work seems more important than ever.

Happy 15th anniversary, Retraction Watch.

A colourful illustration showing a worried student sitting at a desk with an exam paper, glancing at a large wall clock. The clock shows the time as around 8:00. Above them is the question: "DOES EXAM TIMING AFFECT PERFORMANCE?" The background uses bold blocks of red, green, orange and blue to represent different times of day.

Does the time of day in which students take exams and assessments affect how well they perform? I suspect that most educators would say already yes, but a new study, covered in New Scientist (link in first reply), may be of interest.

A Manifesto for Teaching in 2025 A Human-Centered World That Could Be

August has arrived. For faculty that means…thinking about classes. And in 2025, that means thinking about AI.

Here’s a new post about this in my Substack.
susandblum.substack.com/p/a-manifest...

Three million on NHS England waiting lists have had no care since GP referral Exclusive: Data reveals ‘invisible crisis’ with millions yet to have first specialist appointment or diagnostic test

Yes! Statistics about waiting lists need to acknowledge the people waiting to get onto a waiting list. Last year I waited 10 months between GP referral and first consultation. More recently I've waited 5 - that's 'quick' according to my GP practice www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

Took a little break from Bluesky recently, but I'm back to share that our new journal has now published its first issue!

Journal of Global Higher Education: journal.libraries.wm.edu/global_highe...

Open for submissions in September!

ChatGPT launches study mode to encourage ‘responsible’ academic use Tool gives guidance rather than serving up complete essays or answers, amid rising AI misuse at universities

ChatGPT launches study mode to encourage ‘responsible’ academic use www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

Make Great British Railways Truly Great - take action | We Own It Passengers need public ownership of rail to truly deliver for them. Here's how your MP can make sure of it.

weownit.org.uk/act-now/grea...

Photo of a paper cut artwork resembling an octopus created with intricate cutting in white paper, the work is being held against a dark background by two ourstretched hands

Masayo Fukuda, contemporary master of kirie, or Japanese paper-cutting, crafting hyper detailed creatures from single sheets of paper, an art that has been around since 700 AD #WomensArt

"We are under-resourced. Institutions have been slow to roll out policy, form working groups, provide training, or fund staff time to research, prepare, plan, and design responses ... Unfortunately, the burden is largely borne by individuals." Yes.

NEW on Wonkhe: The AI conversation is breaking down into silos, with many staff and students switching off or pushing back. Josh Thorpe calls for everyone to take a breath – and then come together and respond buff.ly/x2yiMnd

Finally detailed mixed-media illustration of some mature plane trees in front of the stately London building. In the foreground is a close-up of the leaf.

The Plane Tree
‘The lungs of London’

Trees (1963)
Artist: SR Badmin

Reviewer accused of stealing manuscript and publishing it as his own denies he refereed it An early-career researcher who discovered a nearly identical version of her manuscript published by the researcher who reviewed — and recommended rejecting — the work for another journal is still a…

Reviewer accused of stealing manuscript and publishing it as his own denies he refereed it

From policy to practice: the regulation and implementation of generative AI in Swedish higher education institutes - International Journal for Educational Integrity Background The rapid development of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is reshaping higher education by offering innovative solutions in course design, assessment, and learning experiences. De...

The latest IJEI article is out: “From policy to practice: the regulation and implementation of generative AI in Swedish higher education institutes”

Congratulations to the authors Erhardt et al.

edintegrity.biomedcentral.com/articles/10....

#AcademicIntegrity #GenAI

Difficult. I'd love to know more about voles or bees but am terribly tempted by the mint-humbug stripy tights

A mother in a tent in Gaza clasping her starving child, who appears close to death.

“Just outside Gaza, tons of food, clean water, medical supplies, shelter items & fuel sit untouched with humanitarian organisations blocked from accessing or delivering them," write 109 aid agencies today.

Israel is committing Palestinian genocide and it is monstrous.

Credit: Anatolu/Getty Images