What We Are Reading Today: ‘Thinking AI’ by John Maccormik

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Updated 30 November 2025
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What We Are Reading Today: ‘Thinking AI’ by John Maccormik

“Can machines think?” Ever since Alan Turing posed this question in an influential 1950 paper, it has been central to research in artificial intelligence. 

More than 75 years after Turing’s paper, we grapple with it every time we wonder if Watson was actually smarter than Jeopardy! champions, or if ChatGPT really knows what it’s talking about. 

In Thinking AI, computer scientist John MacCormick explores Turing’s question from a perspective informed by a detailed understanding of the way modern AI systems work.


What We Are Reading Today: ‘Grasshoppers, Locusts, and Crickets of the World’

Updated 24 February 2026
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What We Are Reading Today: ‘Grasshoppers, Locusts, and Crickets of the World’

Authors: Martin Husemann and Oliver Hawlitchek

Grasshoppers, locusts, crickets, bush crickets, and katydids make up the order of insects known as Orthoptera. Although there are about 30,000 species of Orthoptera around the world, many people pay little attention to them and even scientists know relatively little about them.

Yet the world of grasshoppers is a fascinating and diverse one. In this richly illustrated book, leading researchers from around the world detail the many facets of these insects, including their evolution, life cycles, and mating behavior.