The Conversation: In-depth analysis, research, news and ideas from leading academics and researchers.

Plant disease could spell apocalypse for citrus fruits

Raphael Morillon, Cirad; Barbara Hufnagel, Cirad; Patrick Ollitrault, Cirad, and Virginie Ravigné, Cirad

‘To be or to be?’ Why this fundamental concept is so difficult for learners of Spanish

Zeina Alhmoud, Universidad Nebrija

From jellyfish to basking shark, we’re developing 100 new signs to deepen deaf people’s connection with the ocean

Audrey Cameron, The University of Edinburgh

white and brown compass jellyfish swimming in blue sea

Gaza war: 75 years after signing of the Geneva Conventions, Israel’s deadly attack on a Palestinian school shows their limitations

Lawrence Hill-Cawthorne, University of Bristol

Palestinians carry a relative's body on a cart following an Israeli strike on the Al-Taba'een school in the Daraj Tuffah neighborhood of Gaza, 10 August 2024.

Mental health after the Olympics: why so many athletes struggle to adapt to normal life after big competitions

Juan González-Hernández, Universidad de Granada

Teenagers give their tips to fight doomscrolling

Anne Cordier, Université de Lorraine

A man in an angry exchange with the police.

Middle-aged radicalisation: why are so many of Britain’s rioters in their 40s and 50s?

Sara H Wilford, De Montfort University

A group of men rioting with three policemen in the foreground.

The hypermasculine far right: how white nationalists tell themselves they are ‘protecting’ women and children when they riot

Elizabeth Pearson, Royal Holloway University of London

Un homme peint en bleu au front ceint d'une couronne de fleurs allongé sur une table couverte de fleurs ; derrière la table, une dizaine de personnes habillées de façon extravagante

How the Olympics opening ceremony triggered a debate on ‘woke ideology’ in France

Alexandre Frambéry-Iacobone, Université de Bordeaux

Is the shallow pool in Paris really slowing Olympic swimmers down? Here’s what the science says

Shane Keating, UNSW Sydney

Underwater photo looking up at a swimmer.

Paris 2024 reaches gender parity among athletes, but sport has always policed women’s bodies

Olatz González Abrisketa, Universidad del País Vasco / Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea

Paris 2024 Olympics: is open-water swimming in the Seine safe?

Jamie Wilks, Loughborough University and Loïs Mougin, Loughborough University

A swimmer in trunks stands on the banks of the Seine.

Fewer cities can afford to host the Olympics, but Paris 2024 may be clever enough to turn a profit

Sid Panayi, Loughborough University and Borja García, Loughborough University

A man standing next to his BMX bike holding the Olympic torch aloft in front of the Eiffel Tower.

From California’s bronzed surfers to China’s facekinis: A history of tanning around the world

Vincent Coëffé, Université d'Angers

Inside AI’s ‘intersectional hallucinations’

Ericka Johnson, Linköping University

‘Intersectional hallucinations’: why AI struggles to understand that a six-year-old can’t be a doctor or claim a pension

Climate change: why is there still a gap between public opinion and scientific consensus, and how can we close it?

Manel Poch Espallargas, Universitat de Girona and Gonzalo Delacámara Andrés, IE University

A large mass of sea ice visibly melting into the sea

One-third of Ukrainians would give up land for peace – but it’s not as simple as that

Stefan Wolff, University of Birmingham

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky leads his troops through an underground tunnel.

Forests destroyed by wildfires emit carbon long after the flames die – new study

Natascha Kljun, Lund University and Julia Kelly, Lund University

Black stumps and green saplings with ash-covered soil.

A 16th century map of America, with present-day Mexico and South America clearly visible.

José de Acosta: the pioneering, overlooked precursor to Darwin and Humboldt

Beatriz Fernández Herrero, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela

Oral contraceptives: the risks and benefits of being on the pill

Joan Albert Arnaiz Gargallo, Universitat de Barcelona

Is your desk job killing your back? Ancient Egyptian scribes had the same aches and pains, say researchers

Petra Brukner Havelková, National Museum (Národní muzeum) Prague and Veronika Dulíková, Charles University

An overhead view of a statue of a person with a papyrus on their lap, engraving it with hieroglyphics

Leishmaniasis: this neglected tropical disease is spreading fast, and Europe is nowhere near prepared

Francisco Javier Moreno Nuncio, Instituto de Salud Carlos III and Christopher Fernandez-Prada, Université de Montréal

Topless sunbathing remains a daring act even for European women

Thelma Bacon, Université d'Angers

People on shore help pull a rubber dinghy full of people in life jackets from the ocean

We polled EU citizens on what they want asylum policy to look like – their answers may surprise you

Natalia Letki, University of Warsaw; Dawid Walentek, Ghent University; Peter Thisted Dinesen, University of Copenhagen, and Ulf Liebe, University of Warwick

‘Make Europe Great Again’: far right Hungary takes over presidency of the Council of the European Union

Eszter Wirth, Universidad Pontificia Comillas

The modern world’s relationship to time is broken – and it’s fuelling the rise of the far right

Jesus Casquete, Universidad del País Vasco / Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea

Starmer must seize the chance to rethink the UK-Europe relationship – here’s how he can do it

Nick Whittaker, University of Sussex

Keir Starmer looks at the EU flags outside the European Commission in Brussels

The EU’s outsourced migration control is violent, expensive and ineffective

Barah Mikaïl, IE University

Why a French MP played rock, paper, scissors in parliament – and what it teaches us about resisting the far right

Aurelien Mondon, University of Bath

A man holding his hand out to shake and François Piquemal holding his hand in the shape of scissors in response.

The people we like can influence the connections our memory makes

Ines Bramao, Lund University; Marius Boeltzig, University of Münster, and Mikael Johansson, Lund University

Outlines of faces in blue with one green face outline near the centre

Climate crisis sees rise in illegal water markets in the Middle East

Christian Klassert, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research-UFZ and Samer Talozi, Jordan University for Science and Technology

Tourism development doesn’t equal bad jobs – weak government protection does

Santiago Melián González, Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and Jacques Bulchand Gidumal, Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

Eating quickly saves time, but it takes a toll on your health – here’s how

Esther Martínez Miguel, Universidad Nebrija and Silvia Gómez Senent, Universidad Nebrija

A woman eating a sandwich works on a computer.

For our own good: the psychology of ‘nudging’

Ramón Ortega Lozano, Universidad Nebrija; Aníbal M. Astobiza, Universidad del País Vasco / Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea, and David Rodríguez-Arias, Universidad de Granada

For our own good: how the psychology of ‘nudging’ pushes us to make healthier choices – and raises ethical dilemmas

The chaos of choice: how do people pick their food products?

Elke Godden, University of Antwerp

Two reasons I’m sceptical about psychedelic science

Michiel van Elk, Leiden University

The problems with climate scenarios, and how to fix them

Riccardo Rebonato, EDHEC Business School

How the Dutch became the tallest nation on Earth

Kristina Thompson, Wageningen University and Björn Quanjer, Radboud University

The first chemist in history may have been a female perfumer – here’s how the science of scents has changed since

Roberta Angioi, Dublin City University

Still life with open book on table with healing herbs and candles.

How (apparently) identical animals can have different genomes – new research

Cristian Cañestro, Universitat de Barcelona

Four men lead a cow along a wooden jetty on the shore of a river surrounded by trees

Western movies: a 21st century renaissance

Ruth Gutiérrez Delgado, Universidad de Navarra; Alberto Fijo Cortés, Universidad Villanueva, and Gema Pérez Herrera, Universidad de Valladolid

Biodiversity loss impacts our societies and economies – How can Europe confront the spread of invasive species?

Núria Roura-Pascual, Universitat de Girona

A raccoon stands with its front paws in a shallow body of water.

5G doesn’t affect your health – here are 5 points to put your mind at ease

Alberto Nájera López, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha

Is social media fuelling political polarisation?

Antoine Marie, École normale supérieure (ENS) – PSL

Shepherd’s graffiti sheds new light on Acropolis lost temple mystery – new research

Janric van Rookhuijzen, Radboud University

The Acropolis of Athens with the Parthenon.

Digital multi-tasking is ruining our work, school grades and sleep – here are 7 ways we can reclaim our attention spans

Teresa Rossignoli Palomeque, Universidad Nebrija

Surging property prices: When will Europe’s cities become affordable again?

Geoffrey Ditta, Universidad Nebrija

We need to talk about Chinese and US influence in Europe’s energy industry

Carine Sebi, Grenoble École de Management (GEM) and Patrick Criqui, Université Grenoble Alpes (UGA)

Epstein-Barr virus: how does a common infection trick the immune system into attacking the brain in people with MS?

Olivia Thomas, Karolinska Institutet; Graham Taylor, University of Birmingham, and Jill Brooks, University of Birmingham

A digital depiction of Epstein-Barr virus as it would appear under a microscope.

How companies calculate their carbon footprints

Gianfranco Gianfrate, EDHEC Business School

How to buy a good pair of sunglasses

Jacobo García Queiruga, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela and Verónica Noya Padín, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela

Our research reveals the scale of the EU’s dependency on imports for critical minerals needed for the green transition - here’s how that can change

Michalis Christou, Joint Research Centre and Samuel Carrara, Joint Research Centre

Leadership and teamwork at high altitude: seven lessons from Everest

Edurne Pasabán Lizarribal, IE University and Borja Santos Porras, IE University

The horrifying human cost of big sporting events

Ofer Idels, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich

Plant disease could spell apocalypse for citrus fruits

‘To be or to be?’ Why this fundamental concept is so difficult for learners of Spanish

From jellyfish to basking shark, we’re developing 100 new signs to deepen deaf people’s connection with the ocean

Gaza war: 75 years after signing of the Geneva Conventions, Israel’s deadly attack on a Palestinian school shows their limitations

Mental health after the Olympics: why so many athletes struggle to adapt to normal life after big competitions

Teenagers give their tips to fight doomscrolling

Middle-aged radicalisation: why are so many of Britain’s rioters in their 40s and 50s?

The hypermasculine far right: how white nationalists tell themselves they are ‘protecting’ women and children when they riot

2024 Paris Olympics

How the Olympics opening ceremony triggered a debate on ‘woke ideology’ in France

Is the shallow pool in Paris really slowing Olympic swimmers down? Here’s what the science says

Paris 2024 reaches gender parity among athletes, but sport has always policed women’s bodies

Paris 2024 Olympics: is open-water swimming in the Seine safe?

Fewer cities can afford to host the Olympics, but Paris 2024 may be clever enough to turn a profit

From California’s bronzed surfers to China’s facekinis: A history of tanning around the world

Inside AI’s ‘intersectional hallucinations’

Climate change: why is there still a gap between public opinion and scientific consensus, and how can we close it?

One-third of Ukrainians would give up land for peace – but it’s not as simple as that

Forests destroyed by wildfires emit carbon long after the flames die – new study

José de Acosta: the pioneering, overlooked precursor to Darwin and Humboldt

Oral contraceptives: the risks and benefits of being on the pill

Is your desk job killing your back? Ancient Egyptian scribes had the same aches and pains, say researchers

Leishmaniasis: this neglected tropical disease is spreading fast, and Europe is nowhere near prepared

Topless sunbathing remains a daring act even for European women

European Union

We polled EU citizens on what they want asylum policy to look like – their answers may surprise you

‘Make Europe Great Again’: far right Hungary takes over presidency of the Council of the European Union

The modern world’s relationship to time is broken – and it’s fuelling the rise of the far right

Starmer must seize the chance to rethink the UK-Europe relationship – here’s how he can do it

The EU’s outsourced migration control is violent, expensive and ineffective

New research

Why a French MP played rock, paper, scissors in parliament – and what it teaches us about resisting the far right

The people we like can influence the connections our memory makes

Climate crisis sees rise in illegal water markets in the Middle East

Tourism development doesn’t equal bad jobs – weak government protection does

Eating quickly saves time, but it takes a toll on your health – here’s how

For our own good: the psychology of ‘nudging’

The chaos of choice: how do people pick their food products?

Two reasons I’m sceptical about psychedelic science

The problems with climate scenarios, and how to fix them

How the Dutch became the tallest nation on Earth

The first chemist in history may have been a female perfumer – here’s how the science of scents has changed since

How (apparently) identical animals can have different genomes – new research

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Western movies: a 21st century renaissance

Biodiversity loss impacts our societies and economies – How can Europe confront the spread of invasive species?

5G doesn’t affect your health – here are 5 points to put your mind at ease

Is social media fuelling political polarisation?

Shepherd’s graffiti sheds new light on Acropolis lost temple mystery – new research

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Middle-aged radicalisation: why are so many of Britain’s rioters in their 40s and 50s?

The people we like can influence the connections our memory makes

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Generation Z may not need mortgages, here’s why

Teenagers give their tips to fight doomscrolling

Digital multi-tasking is ruining our work, school grades and sleep – here are 7 ways we can reclaim our attention spans

Surging property prices: When will Europe’s cities become affordable again?

We need to talk about Chinese and US influence in Europe’s energy industry

Epstein-Barr virus: how does a common infection trick the immune system into attacking the brain in people with MS?

How companies calculate their carbon footprints

How to buy a good pair of sunglasses

Our research reveals the scale of the EU’s dependency on imports for critical minerals needed for the green transition - here’s how that can change

Leadership and teamwork at high altitude: seven lessons from Everest

The horrifying human cost of big sporting events