From composing an email to plagiarizing an assignment, ChatGPT can do it all—and with impressive quality, surpassing the average AI bot. The caveat is that it’s very difficult to detect its use. ChatGPT’s impressive generative skills pose a novel problem for the world of academia and are bound to change[Read More…]
Author: Ibrahim Younas
Blindsided by Rational Irrationality
I’ve always found a sense of comfort in routines. Even if they are sometimes dull, the structures that construct my daily life add an extra layer of padding to my occasionally rocky university experience. This extends from my regular breakfast of two years—fried egg on top of avocado toast, slathered[Read More…]
McGill Senate debates hybrid learning amid reports of overworked staff
At the McGill Senate’s fifth meeting on Jan. 18, senators discussed low student enrollment and presented reports regarding the creation of a new teaching program and budget planning for the upcoming academic year. A large portion of the meeting was dedicated to hearing recommendations for potential blended learning programs, with[Read More…]
The nature of Earth seems as alien as Mars
In 1957, the boundaries between Earth and space were first breached: The USSR launched the satellite Sputnik into space, marking the first contact between humans and our galaxy, setting off the aptly named space race between the Soviet Union and the U.S. Even after icy international relations began to thaw[Read More…]
Legislative Council passes motions on Uyghur rights, support for trans students
The Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) Legislative Council convened on Jan. 19 for its first meeting of the winter semester to vote on two motions: One regarding the state repression of Uyghur people in China and another one which serves to bolster SSMU’s support for trans students in the[Read More…]
Varsity Round Up: Jan. 19-22
Martlets out-grind Laval Rouge et Or Final: 55-54 W Nate Northfield On Jan. 19, an energetic and competitive atmosphere filled Love Competition Hall as the McGill women’s basketball team (2–8) took on Université Laval (7–3). The energy was contagious, providing the spark that the Martlets needed to overcome the Rouge[Read More…]
Could invasive species biologists bring their expertise to NASA?
In February of 2021, NASA’s Perseverance rover landed on Mars. Perseverance was the fifth rover that the space agency sent to the planet, but it had a unique purpose. The rover conducted the first mission to Mars designed to collect samples to be brought back to Earth, where they would[Read More…]
The super family behind Super Sandwich
If you are a McGill student, odds are you have heard of Super Sandwich. Or, if you are my roommate, you have eaten it every single day you have been on campus for the past year without fail. Wherever you fall on this spectrum, you can agree that Super Sandwich[Read More…]
Diving into the ‘Love Island’ fishbowl
This past summer, I binge-watched season eight of Love Island UK in its entirety—an embarrassing total of more than 50 hours. Each day for eight weeks, I would occupy my well-worn seat on my family’s couch at the given hour and embrace the experience of watching the hot new bombshells[Read More…]
Get excited about endophytes
In the world of industrial production, there is often one resource that goes forgotten—microbes. Microbes are everywhere and have adapted to almost every environment, from the inside of nuclear reactors to the outside of the International Space Station. When thinking of natural interactions with microbes, we often think of disease,[Read More…]
