This week’s research update comes from Yuval Noah Harari, best known as the author of the blockbuster Sapiens. His newest book, Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI (Random House Publishing, 2024), provides perspective about how artificial intelligence is hardly new but is merely a reflection of the tendency of humans to create and sustain stories. AI, like Bitcoin, is only as useful as the willingness of people to believe it. It is easy for modern man to sneer at the Loch Ness Monster, Big Foot, and other myths, but we greedily soak up the truth myths from the internet. The book is a clarion call for critical thinking in our age. I know how incredibly busy you all are, and the book is available at Audible.com, a resource I always recommend to busy professionals.
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Research Wednesday | March 4, 2026
Do Audiobooks Count as Reading?
Contributing author: Dr. Douglas ReevesWhile surveys indicate that more than 40% of U.S. adults think that listening to a book should not be regarded as genuine reading, Brian Bannon, Chief Librarian of the New York Public Library, disagrees in a November 23, 2025, article. He notes that while print circulation in the library has remained flat over the past five years, audiobook demand is up 65%.
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Research Wednesday | February 25, 2026
Hope for Cynics
Contributing author: Dr. Douglas ReevesIn this inspiring book (Hope for Cynics: The Surprising Science of Human Goodness, 2025) by Stanford’s Jamil Zaki, there is a treasure trove of research that will help all of us who support educators and school leaders who are dealing with despair in the dark winter months and pervasive threats to our schools, students, and professional careers. Professor Zaki marshals research and keen observation to make these essential arguments.
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Research Wednesday | February 18, 2026
A Balanced and Skeptical View of AI in Schools
Contributing author: Dr. Douglas ReevesIn this thoughtful and evidence-rich article (February 12, 2026), the authors cite several randomized control trials (RCT) that provide mixed evidence on the use of AI in schools. My recent book, Education and the Ethics of AI, offers practical ways to avoid cheating – the principal concern of teachers – and use AI in an ethical and constructive way. This new article notes that when students become dependent on AI, their performance actually decreases, especially when they practice with AI but are later tested without AI assistance. Moreover, while AI can assist with simple tasks, such as learning multiplication tables, it does not enhance students’ reasoning or creative thinking.