Does magic really exist? The Conversation’s Curious Kids podcast: Seven-year-old Julia in London thinks that rainbows and the Northern Lights are magical. But if a scientist tells her how they work, will she still believe they are? Join us to find out on The Conversation’s Curious Kids podcast! Featuring Partha Chowdhury, professor of physics at …
If an asteroid hit Earth and all the humans died, would the dinosaurs come back? The Conversation’s Curious Kids podcast: Warpaint/Shutterstock Many, many years ago dinosaurs roamed the Earth. Six-year-old Aga knows that a meteorite wiped them out… but could another meteorite bring them back? You can read a print version of this story here. …
Why is my dog so cute? The Conversation’s Curious Kids podcast: Nina Buday/Shutterstock Do you think your dog is the cutest thing you’ve ever seen? Ten-year-old Grace does! But why? She joins our host Eloise and psychologist Deborah Wells to find out! You can read a print version of this story here. The Conversation’s Curious …
What is energy made of? The Conversation’s Curious Kids podcast: sommart sombutwanitkul/ Shutterstock Have you seen that scene from Star Wars where Yoda uses the force to lift the spaceship out of a swamp? Its energy is so powerful, but what exactly is it made of? That’s what Ela, aged ten from Melbourne, wanted to …
How high can I jump on the Moon? The Conversation’s Curious Kids podcast: Imagine you’re lucky enough to travel all the way to the Moon, and you’re bouncing around in your space suit, exploring its surface. How high could you jump? That’s what Miles, aged nine, from London, wanted to know. And so we found …
South Africans tasted the fruits of freedom and then corruption snatched them away – podcast: Five years after his momentous election as South African president, Nelson Mandela stepped down after one term in office in 1999. Thabo Mbeki, his deputy, took over the mantle of the post-apartheid transition. Mbeki would lead the country for the …
What happened to Nelson Mandela’s South Africa? A new podcast series marks 30 years of post-apartheid democracy: When Nelson Mandela stood in front of the Union Buildings in Pretoria in May 1994 as South Africa’s first democratically elected president, my country was brimming with optimism for its post-apartheid future. I was there and relieved at …
Deepfakes and disinformation swirl ahead of Indonesian election – podcast: A screenshot from a deepfake video shared on X purporting to show former Indonesian President Suharto. Erwin Aksa via X 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 …
Wolves return to Europe: what to do about them is a people problem – podcast: 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 of The …
Israel-Gaza war is having a chilling effect on academic freedom – podcast: 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 of The Conversation Weekly exploring how the war is affecting life at universities, we speak to an Israeli …
American universities in the spotlight over reaction to Israel-Gaza war – podcast: 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 US, protests and solidarity events have been met with varied responses from university administrations. …
Kenya at 60: the patriotic choral music used to present one version of history – podcast: Kenya is marking 60 years since its independence from British colonial rule on December 12, 1963. Each year, the country celebrates the occasion with a national holiday, Jamhuri Day. And for much of the past 60 years, patriotic choral …
Brandalism: the environmental activists using spoof adverts to critique rampant consumerism – podcast: Amid the flurry of billboards promoting cut price deals in the run up to Black Friday, some activists have slipped in the odd spoof advert. By subverting public advertising space, they’re risking legal action to try and make serious points about the …
Antibiotic resistance: microbiologists turn to new technologies in the hunt for solutions – podcast: Testing for antimicrobial resistance in the lab. AnaLysiSStudiO via Shutterstock The rise of drug-resistant infections is one of the biggest global threats to health, food security and development. Antibiotic-resistant superbugs were estimated to kill 1.27 million people in 2019, and the …
Morocco’s earthquake aftermath: artisans in Marrakech’s old medina face uncertain future – podcast: Damage from September's earthquake in Marrakech's medina still visible in late October 2023. Marcos Campos/ Shutterstock The 6.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Morocco’s Atlas mountains on September 8 killed more than 2,000 people and left thousands more homeless. Parts of the old …
The wildfires that led to mass extinction: a warning from California’s Ice Age history – podcast: Ringo Chiu via Shutterstock In recent years, Californians have had to deal with some deadly and destructive wildfires. But in fact, this part of the western United States has been shaped by fire for millennia. In this episode of …
Domicide: a view from Homs in Syria on what the deliberate destruction of homes does to those displaced by conflict – podcast: Homs was once the centre of the Syrian revolution. Today, 12 years on, much of the city remains scarred and deserted after years of siege and heavy bombardment. In this episode of The …
Becoming a Nobel laureate: Louis Brus on his discovery of quantum dots – podcast: Imagine a particle so small that it’s the same relative size to a football as that ball is to the planet Earth. That’s the size of a quantum dot – a type of nanocrystal that changes colour depending on its size, …