It’s one of the biggest puzzles in cosmology. Why two different methods used to calculate the rate at which the universe is expanding don’t produce the same result. Known as the Hubble tension, the enigma suggests that there could be something wrong with the standard model of cosmology used to explain the forces in the universe. Now, recent observations using the new James Webb Space Telescope are shaking up the debate on how close the mystery is to being resolved. In this episode, Vicent J. Mar...
Jun 13, 2024•24 min
If you’ve ever experienced a state of creative flow, perhaps when writing, playing music, or even gardening, you’ll know that it feels like everything just clicks into place. But what is actually happening inside the brain? In this episode, we speak to a neuroscientist who scanned the brains of jazz musicians as they were improvising, and revealed the secret ingredients need to achieve a state of flow. Featuring John Kounios , professor of psychological and brain sciences at Drexel University in...
Jun 06, 2024•22 min
Snake bites kill tens of thousands of people around the world each year. But we still use techniques invented in the late 19th century to make antivenom, and each bite needs to be treated with antivenom for that specific type of snake. We hear from two scientists whose recent breakthroughs – and failures – could save many more lives and help achieve the holy grail: a universal antivenom. Featuring Stuart Ainsworth , senior lecturer at the University of Liverpool in the UK and Christoffer Vinther...
May 30, 2024•25 min
After six weeks of voting in the world’s largest democracy, on June 4, Indians will learn who is to be their next prime minister. Narendra Modi, standing for a third term, is the frontrunner. Critics of Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party argue that India’s democracy has been hollowed out during his premiership. Thousands of Indians have taken to the streets to protest against Modi’s policies. For Indrajit Roy, professor of global development at the University of York in the UK, these pushbacks ...
May 23, 2024•26 min
A growing number of countries now permit some form of assisted dying and politicians in a number of others, including Ireland, Scotland and France, are now seriously debating it. In Canada, where medical assistance in dying, known as MAID, became legal in 2016, the government intends to extend eligibility to people whose sole reason for ending their life is mental illness. But the planned expansion, now twice delayed, is controversial. In this episode, we speak to a leading psychiatrist, Karande...
May 16, 2024•25 min
As global temperatures continue to rise, the ramifications of climate change – from more frequent and severe extreme weather events to rising sea levels and ecosystem disruptions – are becoming increasingly evident around the world. But their effects are not evenly distributed, often hitting vulnerable communities the hardest. In this episode we speak to Katherine Browne , a research fellow at the Stockholm Environment Institute, and Margaret Angula , a senior lecturer at the University of Namib...
May 09, 2024•25 min
Content created with the help of generative artificial intelligence is popping up everywhere, and it’s worrying some artists. They’re concerned that their intellectual property may be at risk if generative AI tools have been built by scraping the internet for data and images, regardless of whether they had permissions to do so. In this episode we speak with a computer scientist about how some artists are trying novel ways to sabotage AI to prevent it from scraping their work, through what’s call...
May 02, 2024•26 min
Some young South Africans have begun to question Nelson Mandela's legacy, and the choices made in the transition to democracy after the end of apartheid in 1994. Some have even called him a "sellout". In the third and final part of our special series What happened to Nelson Mandela's South Africa?, marking 30 years of democracy in South Africa post-apartheid, we talk to two academics about the way Mandela is viewed by young South Africans today, and the challenges facing the African National Con...
Apr 25, 2024•34 min
In the second part of our special series What happened to Nelson Mandela's South Africa?, marking 30 years of democracy in South Africa post-apartheid, we talk to two experts about the economic policies introduced to transform the country under Mandela's successor, Thabo Mbeki, and the ensuing turmoil of the Jacob Zuma presidency that followed. Featuring Mashupye Maserumule , a professor of public affairs at Tshwane University of Technology and Michael Sachs , adjunct professor of economics at t...
Apr 18, 2024•37 min
It was a moment many South Africans never believed they'd live to see. On 10 May 1994, Nelson Mandela was inaugurated as president of a democratic South Africa, ending the deadly and brutal white minority apartheid regime. To mark 30 years since South Africa's post-apartheid transition began, we're running a special three-part podcast series, What happened to Nelson Mandela's South Africa? In this first episode, two scholars who experienced the transition at first hand reflect to Thabo Leshilo, ...
Apr 11, 2024•41 min
It's been 30 years since Nelson Mandela was elected president of South Africa and the country's brutal and deadly apartheid system came to a formal end. As part of The Conversation's coverage of the anniversary, we're running a special three-part podcast series this month on The Conversation Weekly. In What happened to Nelson Mandela's South Africa?, Thabo Leshilo, politics and society editor at The Conversation Africa, speaks to prominent political scholars who experienced South Africa's post-a...
Apr 10, 2024•2 min
For almost 15 years, scientists have debated whether the Anthropocene should be an official geological epoch marking the profound influence of humans on the planet. Then in March, an international panel of scientists formally rejected the proposal for a new Anthropocene epoch. In this episode, two scientists give us their different opinions on whether that was the right decision and what it means for the future use of the word Anthropocene. Featuring Jan Zalasiewicz , professor of palaeobiology ...
Apr 04, 2024•24 min
We’re bringing you an extra episode this week from Don’t Call Me Resilient , another podcast from The Conversation. Hosted by Vinita Srivastava at The Conversation in Canada, Don’t Call Me Resilient is your weekly dose of news and current events through a sharply-focused anti-racist lens. In this episode, Vinita talks to Hilal Elver about the use of hunger as a tool of war in Gaza. Hilal is a former UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food and a research professor of Global Studies at the Univ...
Apr 01, 2024•32 min
Our experiences of the world are diverse, often changing as we move across borders from one country to another. They can also vary based on language or subtle shifts in climate. Yet, we rarely consider what causes these differences and divisions. In this episode we speak to geographer Maxim Samson at De Paul University in the US about the unseen boundaries that can shape our collective and personal perceptions of the world – what he calls "invisible lines". This episode was written and produced ...
Mar 28, 2024•22 min
As the climate crisis gets ever more severe, the fossil fuel industry is struggling to recruit new talent. And now a number of existing employees are deciding to leave their jobs, some quietly, some very publicly, because of concerns over climate change. In this episode we speak to a researcher about this phenomenon of climate quitting. Featuring Grace Augustine , associate professor in business and society at the University of Bath in the UK, and Sam Phelps, commissioning editor for internation...
Mar 21, 2024•23 min
As Russians head to the polls for presidential elections, conspiracy theories are swirling everywhere. In this episode we speak to a disinformation expert about the central role these conspiracy theories play in Vladimir Putin’s Russia. Featuring Ilya Yablokov , lecturer in journalism and digital media at the University of Sheffield in the UK. Plus an introduction from Grégory Rayko, international editor at The Conversation in France. This episode of The Conversation Weekly was written and produ...
Mar 14, 2024•26 min
High heels, lace and handbags. In recent decades, there’s been a huge shift in the role of North Korean women and the choices they’re able to make – including what they wear. In this episode, we hear about new research on how North Korean women are driving a new form of grassroots capitalism, and changing the country in the process. Featuring Bronwen Dalton , head of the department of management at the University of Technology Sydney Business School in Australia, and Kyungja Jung , Associate Pro...
Mar 07, 2024•26 min
With unlimited information at our fingertips and dozens of platforms on which to share our opinions, it can sometimes feel like we’re supposed to be experts in everything. It can be exhausting. In this episode, we talk to a psychologist whose research and experiences of intellectual humility have taught him that acknowledging what we don’t know is as important as asserting what we do know. Featuring Daryl Van Tongeren , associate professor of psychology at Hope College in Michigan, and Maggie Vi...
Feb 29, 2024•22 min
When the war in Gaza eventually ends, pressure will mount for negotiations to begin for a deal. When that day comes, how can opposing sides in the Israel-Palestine conflict find enough common ground to reach an agreement? In this episode, we hear about a method called peace polling, tried out successfully in Northern Ireland, that could offer a blueprint for how to reach a settlement between Israelis and Palestinians. Featuring Colin Irwin , a research fellow at the Department of Politics at the...
Feb 22, 2024•22 min
Humans spend about one third of our lives asleep and while most of us dream regularly, some people remember their dreams more than others. But scientists still know surprisingly little about why or how we experience dreams. In this episode we find out about new research from a sleep lab in France that has unlocked a way to find out more by communicating with people as they dream. Featuring Başak Türker , a postdoctoral researcher at the Institute du Cerveau in Paris, and Lionel Cavicchioli, heal...
Feb 15, 2024•20 min
Indonesia, the world’s third-largest democracy, goes to the polls on February 14 to elect a new president. It’s one of the largest elections to take place since an explosion of generative AI tools became available that can manipulate video and audio – and a number of deepfake videos have gone viral during the campaign. In this episode, we look at what Indonesia’s experience is revealing about the disinformation battleground ahead in 2024, when an estimated four billion voters will be eligible to...
Feb 12, 2024•22 min
In some cultures, people are frugal while in others they tend to be generous. Some cultures favour meticulous planning while others favour living in the moment. Theories abound about how and why differences like these between cultures emerge and, increasingly, researchers are looking to the environments people live in for answers. In this episode, Mend Mariwany explores what role ecological factors, including the climate, play in shaping cultural norms and behaviour. Featuring Michael Varnum , a...
Feb 08, 2024•19 min
In our chaotic, rapidly changing modern world, many of us have come to rely on science for objectivity and to provide sense of order. So it may be disconcerting to learn that there is no single, definitive list of all life on Earth. And there never has been. In this episode, we take you inside the world of taxonomy, where competing lists, rogue taxonomists and recent accusations of anarchy have revealed the messy struggle to classify the world around us. Featuring Stephen Garnett , professor of ...
Feb 01, 2024•21 min
Nearly eight decades on from the liberation of Auschwitz on January 27 1945, the number of concentration camp prisoners forcibly tattooed, remains, for many, the symbol of the Holocaust. The Nazis murdered six million Jews, one million of whom died at Auschwitz. Today, there are ever fewer survivors still alive to bear witness to this genocide. In this episode, brought to us by Dale Berning Sawa, we find out what motivates some descendants of Holocaust survivors to replicate the Auschwitz tattoo...
Jan 25, 2024•19 min
When you think about the far right, you probably picture groups of young, white men carrying images of swastikas or torches. But the face of the far right is changing, at least on social media. In this episode, we hear about new research into a cohort of women influencers pushing far right ideology on mainstream platforms like Instagram and YouTube. The Conversation's Avery Anapol speak to Eviane Leidig , a postdoctoral research fellow at Tilburg University in the Netherlands who focuses on far ...
Jan 18, 2024•24 min
At every moment, your body’s internal organs are sending signals to your brain. You’ll be mostly unaware of them, but sometimes they cut through: for example when you’re hungry, or when you need to go to the bathroom. Our ability to tap into these hidden signals is called interoception – sometimes known as a sixth sense. In this episode, we speak to a cognitive neuroscientist and expert on interoception about how new research on this connection between our minds and bodies could lead to breakthr...
Jan 11, 2024•22 min
Wolves are making a comeback across Europe. As their populations grow, 65,000 livestock are killed each year by wolves. Now, moves are underway to change the protection status of the wolf in the European Union. In this episode we speak to a social scientist researching the best ways for humans and wolves to coexist. Featuring Hanna Pettersson , a postdoctoral research associate at the Leverhulme Centre for Anthropocene Biodiversity at the University of York in the UK and Jack Marley, environment...
Jan 04, 2024•23 min
Ever found yourself scrolling through social media late at night and accidentally buying something you regretted? In this episode of The Conversation Weekly podcast, we talk to an advertising expert about research into how social media can overload ours brains and make us buy products we don’t need or want. Featuring Matthew Pittman , a professor of advertising at the University of Tennessee in the US, and Kate Kilpatrick from The Conversation in the US. This episode was written and produced by ...
Dec 21, 2023•18 min
Across parts of academia, concerns are mounting that the Israel-Gaza war is having a chilling effect on academic freedom. In the second of two episodes exploring how the war is affecting life at universities, we speak to an Israeli legal scholar, now based in the UK, about the pressures that academics and students are facing to rein in their views about the war. Featuring Neve Gordon , professor of international law and human rights, Queen Mary University of London in the UK. This episode was wr...
Dec 18, 2023•22 min
Tensions have been running high at many universities around the world since the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7 and the subsequent Israeli assault on Gaza. In the first of two episodes exploring how the war is affecting life at universities, we explore what's been happening at one American public college campus. Featuring David Mednicoff , chair of the Department of Judaic and Near Eastern Studies and an associate professor of Middle Eastern studies and public policy at the University of Mas...
Dec 14, 2023•25 min
