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

Nepal-Tibet floods

A large boulder is pushed along with the Nepal flood

A large boulder is pushed along with the Nepal flood

Satellite images show how the Nepal flood disaster unfolded

How does a collapsing glacier turn into a lethal wall of mud and water? An expert explains what happened in Nepal

destroyed buildings buried in mud

destroyed buildings buried in mud

Tsunami of dirt: what caused Nepal’s deadly glacial flood?

Levan Tielidze, Monash University

aftermath of flood, mud and broken buildings.

aftermath of flood, mud and broken buildings.

Nepal-Tibet floods: when disaster strikes before communities recover from previous climate extremes, crisis escalates

Flood damage in Nepal.

Flood damage in Nepal.

Nepal’s flash floods show the devastating power of ‘cascading hazards’

Milad Haghani, The University of Melbourne and Zahra Shahhoseini, RMIT University

More top stories

Ratko Mladić wearing a grey suit and hat

Ratko Mladić wearing a grey suit and hat

Ratko Mladić is still viewed as a hero by many Bosnian Serbs. It’s a reminder how divided my country remains today

Olivera Simic, Griffith University

The music that made Dolly Parton a global icon

Meta settles landmark US lawsuit for nearly $18bn

Changes to Facebook and Instagram are key part of Meta’s settlement over harm to teens

a man with curly hair wearing a business suit and tie surrounded by several other men outside a stone building

a man with curly hair wearing a business suit and tie surrounded by several other men outside a stone building

Six months into the US-Iran war, will there be any accountability for potential war crimes?

Melanie O'Brien, The University of Western Australia

How Ukraine is bringing the war home to Russia

Isabella Podwinski, The Conversation and Justin Bergman, The Conversation

Mark Carney’s defiance shows how to respond to Donald Trump’s threats

Eric Van Rythoven, Carleton University

A man with short grey hair speaks from behind a wooden podium with a carve maple leaf. Canadian flags are behind him.

A man with short grey hair speaks from behind a wooden podium with a carve maple leaf. Canadian flags are behind him.

Why Gaza peace deals keep unravelling

Adam Farquhar, University of Edinburgh

Displaced Palestinians walk among destroyed buildings in a neighbourhood of Gaza City.

Displaced Palestinians walk among destroyed buildings in a neighbourhood of Gaza City.

Dolly Parton with guitar performing

Dolly Parton with guitar performing

How the ‘backwoods Barbie’ Dolly Parton turned self-aware artifice into authentic artistry

Rosemary Overell, University of Otago

The ‘robot Olympics’ were spectacular �� but will this technology end up helping humans?

Jonathan Roberts, Queensland University of Technology

Robots compete at the free combat event of the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing.

Robots compete at the free combat event of the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing.

From Frank-N-Furter to Pennywise, Tim Curry was a master shapeshifter who could terrify and delight

Marcus Harmes, University of Southern Queensland

From right to left, actors Richard O'Brien, Tim Curry and Patricia Quinn as Riff Raff, Dr Frank-N-Furter and Magenta.

From right to left, actors Richard O'Brien, Tim Curry and Patricia Quinn as Riff Raff, Dr Frank-N-Furter and Magenta.

Kim Jong-un hugs an injured soldier with military personnel gathered round.

Kim Jong-un hugs an injured soldier with military personnel gathered round.

North Korea grows stronger as South Korea reckons with fading US support

Virginie Grzelczyk, Aston University

Shoppers pass by a Cambodian vendor sitting amongst a colourful bed of vegetables.

Shoppers pass by a Cambodian vendor sitting amongst a colourful bed of vegetables.

Microfinance was supposed to save Asia’s poor. Why has it failed to live up to its promise?

We’re building a New York-sized city every month. That’s worrying for our climate

Philip Oldfield, UNSW and William Craft, UNSW

Aerial view of the island of Manhattan, New York City.

Aerial view of the island of Manhattan, New York City.

Russia is cutting off Ukraine’s grain exports again, threatening a critical harvest and global food security

Ethiopia-Eritrea tensions over Red Sea port have turned the Tigray peace deal into a political weapon

Hafte Gebreselassie Gebrihet, University of Oslo; University of Cape Town

A man passes by a destroyed tank on a town street.

A man passes by a destroyed tank on a town street.

Ceuta crisis: anti-migrant ‘invasion’ rhetoric threatens Europe’s food supply and economy

Diana Tung, Universitat de Barcelona and Seth M. Holmes, Universitat de Barcelona; ICREA; University of California, Berkeley

People resting on benches in a city park.

People resting on benches in a city park.

Two men in suits shake hands.

Two men in suits shake hands.

In taking Syria off state sponsor of terrorism list, US is putting its faith in al-Qaida alumni – that presents risks and opportunities

Jason M. Blazakis, Middlebury College

China is launching a Moon mission to find water ice. It’s unlike anything NASA has done

After Ceuta, Europe is once again mired in migration chaos of its own making

A child pleads with a military officer.

A child pleads with a military officer.

I lived through the first Taliban girls’ school ban — watching it happen again is heartbreaking

A group of young girls strand shoulder to shoulder facing the camera with solemn looks.

A group of young girls strand shoulder to shoulder facing the camera with solemn looks.

How a ‘psychic’ horse named Clever Hans changed the way we do science

Matyáš Moravec, Queen's University Belfast

Horse standing with abacus, blackboard, man with beard and man wearing hat

Horse standing with abacus, blackboard, man with beard and man wearing hat

Crude oil tankers, bulk carriers and other vessels idle at anchor as they wait to pass the Strait of Hormuz.

Crude oil tankers, bulk carriers and other vessels idle at anchor as they wait to pass the Strait of Hormuz.

Ships stuck in the Strait of Hormuz region may be biosecurity risks when they leave. What can we do?

A fireman fights a blaze in a Russian warehouse.

A fireman fights a blaze in a Russian warehouse.

How Ukraine’s strikes on Russian warehouses became a problem in Kyrgyzstan

Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma: a queer slasher about trauma and desire

Darren Elliott-Smith, University of Stirling

Gillian Anderson and Hannah Einbinder stand in a supermarket aisle covered in blood

Gillian Anderson and Hannah Einbinder stand in a supermarket aisle covered in blood

Sunscreen for lakes and dams: could a thin floating layer of nanomaterial shield water from evaporation?

Daniel Kwasi Kpeglo, University of South Africa

A lake with a distant shoreline

A lake with a distant shoreline

The media has made Donald Trump look more coherent than he is. It’s called ‘sanewashing’

The silhouette of Donald Trump against bright media lighting

The silhouette of Donald Trump against bright media lighting

The sinking of the MV Barima puts Guyanese inequities under a global spotlight

A ferry sitting at a dock.

A ferry sitting at a dock.

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Life and art

Would Ted Lasso be a good sports coach in real life?

US actor Jason Sudeikis, who plays Ted Lasso, arrives at the opening of season three.

US actor Jason Sudeikis, who plays Ted Lasso, arrives at the opening of season three.

Zed Beats: how home studios reinvented Zambian pop music and gave young people a voice

A young African man fashionably dressed with shades and peroxided dreads points both hands to camera, behind him a dazzling nightclub light.

A young African man fashionably dressed with shades and peroxided dreads points both hands to camera, behind him a dazzling nightclub light.

How Netflix’s Little House on the Prairie expands the book and TV series for today

A young girl in a dress with a hat tied around her shoulders gazes into the distance with her hands on a wooden frame structure.

A young girl in a dress with a hat tied around her shoulders gazes into the distance with her hands on a wooden frame structure.

Chores or no chores? The economic psychology of giving kids pocket money

Gigi Foster, UNSW

Kid helping out with chores by doing dishes

Kid helping out with chores by doing dishes

Environment

Butterflies are on the move as the planet warms: new research

Butterfly with turquoise, red and black wings standing on rocky surface

Butterfly with turquoise, red and black wings standing on rocky surface

Wildfires: why media coverage doesn’t always make the climate connection

red smoke fire flames and sandy dunes, beach in foreground

red smoke fire flames and sandy dunes, beach in foreground

Africa’s Greater Horn region is facing a looming polycrisis fueled by conflict, prices, climate and disease

A man holds aloft an animal carcass

A man holds aloft an animal carcass

How an El Niño becomes a super El Niño

Map of El Nino temperatures

Map of El Nino temperatures

Health

Behind the betel nut smile: the quiet epidemic of oral cancer in Papua New Guinea

How pigeon fanciers are helping scientists understand lung disease

Racing pigeon champion at a pigeon fancier competition

Racing pigeon champion at a pigeon fancier competition

Can Ozempic prevent cancer? A doctor explains why the headlines are easy to misread

Close-up of person injecting a dose of Ozempic into a pinched fold of their stomach

Close-up of person injecting a dose of Ozempic into a pinched fold of their stomach

When a teenager makes the ‘stupid choice’, their brain is working exactly as designed

Evelyn Svingen, University of Birmingham

Teenage boy looking sullenly at parent

Teenage boy looking sullenly at parent

Science and Technology

Sam Altman says we’re ‘in the singularity’ with AI. Here’s why he’s wrong

Bright blue and purple lights, leading to a vanishing point.

Bright blue and purple lights, leading to a vanishing point.

Al-Qaida and the Islamic State are both adopting AI – but differ in how they think about the technology

Arabic writing is seen on a computer screen

Arabic writing is seen on a computer screen

Cracking the code: can AI help us decipher ancient languages?

Jane Adkins, Dublin City University

An inscription in Etruscan hangs above the heads of a noble couple in this fresco from the Tomb of the Shields, Tarquinia, Italy.

An inscription in Etruscan hangs above the heads of a noble couple in this fresco from the Tomb of the Shields, Tarquinia, Italy.

Nasa’s new space telescope will tackle some of the universe’s biggest mysteries

Noelia Noël, University of Surrey

Illustration of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope against the background of Hubble's 25th anniversary image.

Illustration of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope against the background of Hubble's 25th anniversary image.

Business and economy

The idea of the ‘company man’ was forged decades ago. Its problems still haunt leaders today

A group of businessmen laughing while looking at a chart

A group of businessmen laughing while looking at a chart

These 3 charts show female-dominated jobs are actually the most exposed to AI

Generic stock view of an empty office with desk and chairs and monitors.

Generic stock view of an empty office with desk and chairs and monitors.

This history of currencies suggests the US dollar’s dominance may fade – but it will happen slowly

John Hawkins, University of Canberra

American dollar and chart, making money concept Red color

American dollar and chart, making money concept Red color

Featuring Trump on US coins and bills would put America in rare company

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent holds up a document featuring a proposed $250 banknote with Donald Trump's portrait

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent holds up a document featuring a proposed $250 banknote with Donald Trump's portrait

The Conversation Weekly Podcast

How do we know what dinosaurs looked like?

An iguanodon stands in a dense prehistoric forest.

An iguanodon stands in a dense prehistoric forest.

Why Javier Milei’s inflation ‘miracle’ in Argentina is more of a mirage

Javier Milei president of Argentina

Javier Milei president of Argentina

What a US military base lost under Greenland’s ice sheet reveals about the island’s real strategic importance

US soldiers digging tunnels in the snow in Greenland in the 1960s.

US soldiers digging tunnels in the snow in Greenland in the 1960s.

The American fixation on white Afrikaners in South Africa stretches back nearly a century

South African president Cyril Ramaphosa in the White House with US president Donald Trump.

South African president Cyril Ramaphosa in the White House with US president Donald Trump.

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