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

Top stories

A knife-edge result, 3 possible outcomes: what comes next after NZ’s election?

NZ’s next government hangs in the balance: 2026 election results at a glance

Digital Storytelling Team, The Conversation

View from The Hill: an over-committed Albanese is scrambling to keep his eyes on the main game

Pauline Hanson’s High Court appeal will put freedom of speech to the test

US voters lashed out at data centres. What does that mean for Australia’s AI ambitions?

Protesters opposing a data centre development

Protesters opposing a data centre development

With control of Congress, here’s how Democrats could stop Trump’s war in Iran

A man wearing a suit stands at a podium in front of a placard that reads 'Trump's Iran War'.

A man wearing a suit stands at a podium in front of a placard that reads 'Trump's Iran War'.

Young men and Latino voters helped drive the Democrats’ blue wave. Why did they abandon Trump?

A man puts his ballot in the ballot machine

A man puts his ballot in the ballot machine

Grattan on Friday: are the Nationals on life support?

Justice, accountability, more questions: what Russell Brand’s guilty verdict means for victim-survivors

Editor's picks

5 fascinating Australian literary podcasts – from biographers’ tales to Luke Bateman

Pink headphones on top of two books, on a chair.

Pink headphones on top of two books, on a chair.

Godzilla Minus Zero is incredibly loud. Who decides on the cinema volume? And is it safe?

As diesel from the Gulf and Russia dried up, Australia had to find new suppliers – at a cost

diesel tanker driving away from camera on empty highway.

diesel tanker driving away from camera on empty highway.

Thinking about refinancing your mortgage? Check these 3 things before calling the bank

A woman on the phone looks out her window.

A woman on the phone looks out her window.

US midterms

Voters have sent a message to Trump on tariffs, but the White House still holds significant power

Voters fill out their ballots to vote in the midterm election on Election Day

Voters fill out their ballots to vote in the midterm election on Election Day

What the US midterms result means for the Ukraine war

Volodymyr Zelensky speaks during a press conference in Berlin.

Volodymyr Zelensky speaks during a press conference in Berlin.

I study polling failures – this time, pollsters in the US were mostly right, if not precise

Several voting booths are seen in a dark hall.

Several voting booths are seen in a dark hall.

Why are Australians so interested in the US midterms?

More midterms coverage

More top stories

A group of school students sitting on a staircase. One is using a smartphone and the other is using a laptop.

A group of school students sitting on a staircase. One is using a smartphone and the other is using a laptop.

Australian classrooms are getting a ‘digital detox’ – what does this mean for schools and students?

Politics with Michelle Grattan: Business chief urges government to use more means testing

Devices aren’t lasting as long as they should. Here’s why

A person wearing yellow gloves holds a mobile phone while sorting through other old devices.

A person wearing yellow gloves holds a mobile phone while sorting through other old devices.

NZ election eve poll watch: right’s lead slipping with Opportunity still the wild card

Beehive building in Wellington with flag flying against blue sky

Beehive building in Wellington with flag flying against blue sky

Humidity can make heatwaves more dangerous. It’s time to warn Australians about this threat

storm over red dirt and highway.

storm over red dirt and highway.

Spot a baby bird on the ground? Don’t be tempted to bird-nap it

A pair of superb fairy wrens, one bright blue and the other brown, hidden in a leafy tree branch.

A pair of superb fairy wrens, one bright blue and the other brown, hidden in a leafy tree branch.

David Jones falls into administration – and its outdated business model explains why

Blurred images of people walking past a David Jones store entrance

Blurred images of people walking past a David Jones store entrance

Why chronic pain is often overlooked as part of disability – and what can help

Woman looking out the window.

Woman looking out the window.

Friday essay: when is a kiss a crime? Feminists have asked this question for more than 100 years

A man in a suit grabs a woman around the head and kisses her on the lips.

A man in a suit grabs a woman around the head and kisses her on the lips.

Born in Aussie or NZ, playing for the Pacific: the startling demographics of the Rugby League World Cup

AI learns from the products of thinking, not thought itself. That’s a problem for machines – and for us

A glitchy digital version of Rodin's sculpture The Thinker

A glitchy digital version of Rodin's sculpture The Thinker

Why Trump, Xi, and Putin can’t carve up the world like the ‘big three’ leaders of 1945

China, US, Russia flags on small flagpoles on a desk.

China, US, Russia flags on small flagpoles on a desk.

The Binance hack exploited familiar weaknesses – all organisations should learn from it

Software engineer.

Software engineer.

Why Québec separatism is unlikely despite the Parti Québecois election win

A bearded man speaks at a podium with blue and white flags behind him

A bearded man speaks at a podium with blue and white flags behind him

Ales stenar (Ale’s Stones) in southern Sweden

Ales stenar (Ale’s Stones) in southern Sweden

We used ancient DNA to track the origins and spread of the Germanic and Celtic languages – new research

Men holding the Motorola One Zoom smartphone

Men holding the Motorola One Zoom smartphone

Young Australians are trusting AI for financial advice. But chatbots can fail in 3 ways

When a bull falls for a donkey: what an unlikely relationship reveals about animal sexuality

Achille with Patroclo.

Achille with Patroclo.

Australia needs serious discussion on AUKUS. This inquiry didn’t deliver it

AUKUS Inquiry Commissioners Admiral Chris Barrie AC RAN (Ret’d) and musician and former Labor Minister Peter Garrett at the National Press Club in Canberra, Wednesday

AUKUS Inquiry Commissioners Admiral Chris Barrie AC RAN (Ret’d) and musician and former Labor Minister Peter Garrett at the National Press Club in Canberra, Wednesday

Climate change is undermining our health and the burden falls heaviest on women

A woman in Tuvalu waits to sell souvenirs to customers outside the Funafuti International Airport during the Pacific pre-COP31 summit.

A woman in Tuvalu waits to sell souvenirs to customers outside the Funafuti International Airport during the Pacific pre-COP31 summit.

Plagiarism is a kind of theft, but it is also a question of honour

Who’ll hold power in the Victorian upper house after the state election?

Australia is set to get a Wegovy pill. How does it compare with weight-loss injections?

Three pill bottles of Wegovy semaglutide tablets.

Three pill bottles of Wegovy semaglutide tablets.

Does time on social media make teens anxious and depressed? The evidence is not so clear

Teen girl eating lunch with friends looks at her phone.

Teen girl eating lunch with friends looks at her phone.

The US$6.3 billion Binance hack is the biggest heist ever – it should be a wake up call for cryptocurrency users

Cryptocurrency

Cryptocurrency

How North Korea became a world leader in state-sponsored hacking

Kim Jong-un inspects a munitions factory surrounded by military officials.

Kim Jong-un inspects a munitions factory surrounded by military officials.

Earth’s rocks have a missing layer spanning up to a billion years. We finally know where it went

A change in layers of rock

A change in layers of rock

Australia’s native bees have an unusual power that can fight antibiotic resistance

A spiral of brood cells at the centre of a native bee nest with shiny cells revealing honey.

A spiral of brood cells at the centre of a native bee nest with shiny cells revealing honey.

How to say ‘no’ to your child – and stick to it

A toddler opening her mouth to say something.

A toddler opening her mouth to say something.

RBA hikes interest rates to an 18-year high, warning inflation will hurt for another year

Reserve Bank Governor Michele Bullock speaking at a press conference with her hand raised

Reserve Bank Governor Michele Bullock speaking at a press conference with her hand raised

More news + analysis

Who cares series

Labor came to power promising a big care agenda. Four years on, how has it fared?

Australia has many older people but not enough young people to care for them. What can we do?

A green composite image of a bar chart with the bars increasing from left to right

A green composite image of a bar chart with the bars increasing from left to right

Parents have one of Australia’s most important jobs, so why don’t we have policy for them?

A composite image of two children drawing with empty adult silhouettes behind them

A composite image of two children drawing with empty adult silhouettes behind them

Governments have turned care into a commodity. It’s failing us all

Unwelcome nature series

Calling species ‘invasive’ – and culling them – isn’t done lightly. But it matters to Australia’s threatened species

fox in grassland in Australia.

fox in grassland in Australia.

From ‘gentle’ and ‘graceful’ to the ‘cane toad of the sky’: how Australia turned on the common myna

common myna bird on branch against blurred out background

common myna bird on branch against blurred out background

Why the humble rabbit might be Australia’s worst introduced species

swarm of feral rabbits at a waterhole in Australia

swarm of feral rabbits at a waterhole in Australia

Feral – and threatened? Endangered camels, banteng and hog deer have found an unexpected refuge in Australia

herd of wild camels in Australian bush.

herd of wild camels in Australian bush.

Read the entire series

Food Futures series

Milking it: 5 tricks from the supermarket playbook

A woman in a supermarket looking confused and food products flying around her.

A woman in a supermarket looking confused and food products flying around her.

Food insecurity is on the rise in Australia. We need more effective responses

Picture of fresh food with price tags in a market

Picture of fresh food with price tags in a market

Replacing just 10% of ultra-processed foods with whole foods linked to drop in bowel cancer rate

A woman reaches for fruits and vegetables at a market.

A woman reaches for fruits and vegetables at a market.

Will El Niño send food prices soaring this summer?

produce is seen in the fruit and vegetables section of a supermarket

produce is seen in the fruit and vegetables section of a supermarket

Read the entire series

New research

Traces of dinosaur blood found in world-first discovery

A fossil dinosaur bone

A fossil dinosaur bone

Two new bandicoot species discovered after trawling through museum drawers

Two small furry animals

Two small furry animals

The phantom lighthouse: new research explains one of Australia’s strangest illusions

Lady Elliot Island lighthouse

Lady Elliot Island lighthouse

‘It’s pretty toxic… but just a little, I want to be like that’: what young men think of manosphere content

A young man wearing black uses a smartphone

A young man wearing black uses a smartphone

More new research

Life

Why we give flowers to those in grief – or buy them for ourselves when we’re sad

Flowers in a vase

Flowers in a vase

Worried you’re breathing unclean air? Here’s how to measure it

A man wears a face mask to protect himself against very dangerous level of air pollution, shown by a background a thick yellow fog.

A man wears a face mask to protect himself against very dangerous level of air pollution, shown by a background a thick yellow fog.

You’re supposed to turn Bluetooth off when you don’t need it – how risky is it really?

A young woman with earbuds in looks at her phone, in front of the sea.

A young woman with earbuds in looks at her phone, in front of the sea.

Creative arts enrolments are dropping for Year 12. Here’s what parents and students should know

Young people rehearse dance moves in a studio.

Young people rehearse dance moves in a studio.

Arts and reviews

Bigger than bombs: Tim Burns exhibition explores the artist behind explosive art actions

Large black white photo print of an explosion, taking over a gallery wall.

Large black white photo print of an explosion, taking over a gallery wall.

Australian poetry classics: Adam Lindsay Gordon’s The Sick Stockrider captured the nation’s frontier anxiety

Booker prize 2026: a diverse list to inspire all sorts of readers – six experts review the nominees

Shortlisted books

Shortlisted books

Sidney Nolan looms large over this exhibition of his early work, but his voice can’t always be trusted

Painting of Ned Kelly figure on a horse riding towards horizon, with brown landscape and blue sky with clouds.

Painting of Ned Kelly figure on a horse riding towards horizon, with brown landscape and blue sky with clouds.

World

From Wales to Finland, minority language speakers still face prejudice

An image of Castle Arcade in Cardiff.

An image of Castle Arcade in Cardiff.

Can democracy be taught? Brazil is about to find out

A young man, in front of a votation cabin, casting his vote.

A young man, in front of a votation cabin, casting his vote.

The Democrats’ ‘blue tsunami’ is a strong repudiation of Donald Trump. Now, they will look to replicate it in 2028

Polls understated Democrat vote in landslide repudiation of Donald Trump

Federal politics

How secure is postal voting in Victoria? We decided to find out

A Victorian Electoral Commission official sorts ballot papers

A Victorian Electoral Commission official sorts ballot papers

View from The Hill: Jim Chalmers has a lot of weight on his shoulders in the run-up to Christmas

View from The Hill: Albanese puts cat among One Nation pigeons with staff offer

‘Uncontrolled warrior culture’: Australia’s special forces under fire in new inquiry

Australian soldiers work together in southern Afghanistan.

Australian soldiers work together in southern Afghanistan.

More federal politics

New Zealand

NZ’s next government must look beyond today’s health challenges – a new report shows why

The midterms will change US politics. But NZ will keep feeling the Trump effect

Donald Trump speaking at a rally with Make America Great Again sign and crowd in background

Donald Trump speaking at a rally with Make America Great Again sign and crowd in background

Trust in democracy is in decline in NZ. Could citizens’ assemblies help restore it?

A raised hand, with a crowd of people blurred in the background

A raised hand, with a crowd of people blurred in the background

How much could NZ raise from a higher top tax rate? We crunched the numbers

NZ tax return form with pen and calculator

NZ tax return form with pen and calculator

More New Zealand

Climate

Millions of bogong moths are blanketing our cities and they are still endangered

A bogong moth feeding on a bright red bottlebrush flower.

A bogong moth feeding on a bright red bottlebrush flower.

Climate change is killing the plants of Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa. Aṉangu traditional owners are concerned

The red rock of Uluru

The red rock of Uluru

The deep ocean’s protection against warming started to change in 2016. Nobody knows what happens now

Floating 'pancakes' of sea ice

Floating 'pancakes' of sea ice

Indonesia’s El Niño-driven peat fires are choking the region – and releasing centuries of stored carbon

People riding scooters through reddish haze

People riding scooters through reddish haze

Start your day with evidence-based news.

Get our free daily newsletter

Podcasts

How porn became so extreme – and how it’s shaping the sex lives of young people

A hand in front of computer screen to depict pornography.

A hand in front of computer screen to depict pornography.

Politics with Michelle Grattan: Joe Hockey on how Trump would handle defeat in the midterms

America’s death penalty: why executions are rising again

A phone showing an image of Christa Pike, the death row inmate who survived an execution attempt.

A phone showing an image of Christa Pike, the death row inmate who survived an execution attempt.

Politics with Michelle Grattan: Ed Husic urges brakes on data centres ‘swamping’ Australia

All episodes of Politics with Michelle Grattan

All episodes of The Conversation Weekly

Your say

Your say: week beginning November 2

Your say: week beginning October 26

Your say: week beginning October 19

Your say: week beginning October 12

Are you an academic expert who wants to share your knowledge?

Pitch an article

Most read this week

Newsletters

Subscribe to The Conversation Daily

Subscribe to Science newsletter

Stars

Stars

Subscribe to NZ Weekly

Mountain

Mountain

Subscribe to Books & Ideas Weekly

Lightbulb

Lightbulb

Events, Courses & Jobs

More events, courses & jobs