Brain implants, agentic AI and answers on dark matter: what to expect from science in 2025 – podcast: ZinetroN/Shutterstock In a special episode of The Conversation Weekly podcast to start 2025, we’ve brought together three science editors from The Conversation’s editions around the world to discuss what to look out for in the world of …
Patients’ beliefs about illness matter: the case of elephantiasis in rural Ghana: Would you take medication for an illness you didn’t believe you had? Or if you disagreed with healthcare workers about the cause of your condition? This is the dilemma of many people who live in areas of Ghana where a mosquito-borne disease called …
Christmas TV ads underscore how generosity, compassion and empathy still matter to people: Christmas ad campaigns have become headline-worthy moments in the British national calendar, hailed by pundits and awaited by an eager public. The fact that they are now teased, like big-screen cinema releases, is proof enough that, in calendar terms, the major-retailer Christmas …
King’s speech: what is it and why does it matter?: Today, King Charles will give his first speech from the throne as monarch. He delivered the queen’s speech once as Prince of Wales, deputising in May 2022 for his mother, who could not attend. This is the first speech by a king since 1951, though …
Understanding all kinds of English accent can improve empathy and learning – and even be a matter of life and death: In a 2019 sketch from the US late-night comedy show Saturday Night Live (SNL), the actor James McAvoy plays a Scottish air traffic controller attempting to help a US brand integration manager (Mikey Day) …
What would you take with you? Why possessions matter in times of war and displacement: Refugees from Ukraine arrive in the Czech Republic. Tomas Vynikal/Shutterstock In 2022, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine resulted in Europe’s largest refugee crisis since the second world war. By March of that year, about a quarter of the country’s total population …
Chimpanzees are not pets, no matter what social media tells you: Miriam, a rescued chimpanzee brought to the Chimfunshi Wildlife Orphanage in 2018. Jake Brooker, CC BY-NC-ND Trading wild chimpanzees, including their meat and body parts, is illegal. And yet, social media influencers and companies still reap profits from sharing “cute” images and videos of …
Civilian support for military coups is rising in parts of Africa: why the reasons matter: The clamour for coups among citizens is rising Wikimedia Commons On the night of 13 January 1963, Togo’s President Sylvanus Olympio was shot dead by rebels in the first military coup staged in Africa. A long list, as shown below, …
Electric vehicles can’t compete with the emotional roar of an engine – but does that matter?: Could the appeal of car sounds be a factor influencing drivers to choose environmentally harmful cars? Vlasov Yevhenii/Shutterstock Electric vehicle (EV) sales have been growing at a rapid pace. Their share of the global car market has risen from …
What makes peace talks successful? The 4 factors that matter: Daniel Slim/AFP via Getty Images Peace talks that seek to end armed conflicts are underway in several African countries. Because very few conflicts are resolved on the battlefield, negotiations are fundamental. But they often fail. And even when an agreement is concluded, it doesn’t always …
Cleopatra’s skin colour didn’t matter in ancient Egypt – her strategic role in world history did: Cleopatra (centre) is played by a black actress, Adele James, in the new Netflix docudrama series. Image courtesy Netflix Cleopatra, queen of Egypt in the years 51-30 BC, is back in the news thanks to a controversial docudrama series …
5 reasons virtual machines still matter: 5 reasons virtual machines still matter alansmithee Thu, 04/13/2023 – 03:00 Virtualization used to be a big deal. For a while, it was the primary way to run services in a “sandbox” environment. IT departments used virtual machines by the hundreds. And then containers happened, doing much of what …
Arrakhis: the tiny satellite aiming to reveal what dark matter is made of: Milky Way over sand dunes in Cervantes, Australia. Nik Coli/Shutterstock The European Space Agency (Esa) recently announced a new mission of its science programme: a small telescope orbiting the Earth dubbed Arrakhis. But although its name is inspired by the sci-fi novel …
Why bullying in politics is a matter of democracy: Dominic Raab, the UK’s deputy prime minister, has become the latest figure in the government to be accused of bullying. Bullying, harassment, and sexual misconduct are always serious matters. They can harm a victim’s personal and professional development and wellbeing, and create cultures of fear and …
US midterms: five reasons why the election results matter: As the US midterm election results roll in, it’s evident that the Republican “red wave” that many experts anticipated hasn’t materialised. Early numbers indicate that Republicans are likely to take back the House of Representatives but by slimmer numbers than expected, even as the US Senate …
Blood groups: there are way more than you think – here’s why they matter: Kiryl Lis/Shutterstock You are probably aware of the two main blood group systems: the AB system and the rhesus system. Under the AB system, there are four main blood types A, B, AB and O. And each of these four types …
Your comments matter to us – here’s why they’ll appear under fewer articles: xactive/Shutterstock As many of you may have noticed, our comments threads were recently closed to new posts. Last week, our development team had to deal with a group of spammers and comments were closed while we made sure the website was secure. …
Curious Kids: what is exotic matter, and could we use it to make wormholes?: Rost9/Shutterstock What is exotic matter, and could we use it to make wormholes? – Julia, aged 14, London Matter is “stuff”. It is anything that is made up of particles that take up space. Everything we can feel and see on …