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

Red laser beams

Red laser beams

Australia’s government has woken up to the risks of AI. More ambition is needed

Despite Trump’s wishes, Iran is dragging the US into a long war

A woman waves a large Iranian flag in a dense crowd

A woman waves a large Iranian flag in a dense crowd

Grattan on Friday: AI’s opportunities and risks front and centre on Albanese government’s agenda

Derryn Hinch was a bombastic journalist fuelled by imperfect principles and righteous outrage

A man with glasses smiles

A man with glasses smiles

Fire and ice: erratic Trump fulminates on Iran and lambasts (then embraces) Europe at NATO summit

Donald Trump stands at lectern bearing presidential seal with Pete Hegseth, Marco Rubio and US flags behind him

Donald Trump stands at lectern bearing presidential seal with Pete Hegseth, Marco Rubio and US flags behind him

Young girl slides down a snowy mountain on a red toboggan.

Young girl slides down a snowy mountain on a red toboggan.

What happened to Australia’s snow season? A climate expert explains

Etching of tall ships

Etching of tall ships

Sydney’s 1789 smallpox epidemic came from the First Fleet and killed up to 220,000 Indigenous Australians: new research

How Australia’s new negative gearing rules might accidentally favour some property investors

black and pink house figurines made of plastic

black and pink house figurines made of plastic

If so many people live with toxoplasmosis, how dangerous is this brain parasite really? Should I be worried?

Calico cat snuggles in woman's arms.

Calico cat snuggles in woman's arms.

How a nationwide Telstra outage rocked the Australian economy – and what we can learn

A person walks on the street while holding a phone

A person walks on the street while holding a phone

Threats may change, but geography doesn’t. It’s time for Australia to be a good neighbour to the Pacific

Editor's picks

Why Prince Harry lost phone hacking case against Daily Mail publisher

Photo of Prince Harry from behind, waving as he enters an event

Photo of Prince Harry from behind, waving as he enters an event

‘Let the people judge me’: how Marine Le Pen and Nigel Farage learned a potent populist tactic from Donald Trump

French far-right leader Marine Le Pen and NIgel Farage, leader of the UK's Reform Party.

French far-right leader Marine Le Pen and NIgel Farage, leader of the UK's Reform Party.

30 years since Dolly the sheep was born, where is cloning technology at now?

Collage of Dolly the sheep and various cell science related images in the background.

Collage of Dolly the sheep and various cell science related images in the background.

The real mystery behind Moana: after 1,700 years, why did Polynesians suddenly sail east?

Still from Moana movie

Still from Moana movie

World Cup

After the ‘red card’ scandal, has the shine come off Gianni Infantino’s World Cup?

Can’t get enough of the World Cup? Here are the best books about soccer – chosen by experts

Why reports Trump pressed FIFA to overturn a decision are so alarming

United States striker Folarin Balogun

United States striker Folarin Balogun

World Cup’s credibility in question after Fifa volte face following call from Donald Trump

US men's team striker Folarin Balogun

US men's team striker Folarin Balogun

More top stories

An image featuring graphics related to gambling, including coins, a football, a poker machine and a jokey riding a horse.

An image featuring graphics related to gambling, including coins, a football, a poker machine and a jokey riding a horse.

Young people are being exposed to gambling too early. Here’s what we can do

Neil the seal is more than a viral animal. He’s become a global folk hero

Close shot of an elephant seal's face.

Close shot of an elephant seal's face.

Is porn actually addictive? The science isn’t straightforward

An image featuring graphics of two holding hands, a laptop, a human brain and a large camera.

An image featuring graphics of two holding hands, a laptop, a human brain and a large camera.

Giant kangaroos survived until 6,500 years ago on the New Guinea coast

A painting of a small kangaroo with black and white fur hopping along rocks.

A painting of a small kangaroo with black and white fur hopping along rocks.

Beyond the Tracks is a joyous celebration of First Nations dance pioneer Michael Leslie

An older Aboriginal man with a grey beard performs onstage.

An older Aboriginal man with a grey beard performs onstage.

Friday essay: ‘cultural Marxism’ is a conspiracy theory for our time

A big El Niño is likely. Australia needs to get ready now for drought, fire and the unknown

two sheep walking through drought, dry landscape and heat haze

two sheep walking through drought, dry landscape and heat haze

A timing glitch was behind Telstra’s nationwide outage. It points to a bigger vulnerability

How an outage like Telstra’s affects Australians’ health care, beyond emergency calls

Woman on phone walks under Telstra sign.

Woman on phone walks under Telstra sign.

Close-up of a V/Line screen showing a major disruption.

Close-up of a V/Line screen showing a major disruption.

How does a Telstra outage bring down trains? A telco expert explains

Angus Taylor warns a One Nation government would bring ‘an eternity of pain’

What are peptides? And why am I hearing so much about them?

A composite image of people using peptides

A composite image of people using peptides

The tiny microalgae behind South Australia’s harmful algal bloom is among the most toxic ever tested

Two dead fish lay on a beach during a harmful algal bloom.

Two dead fish lay on a beach during a harmful algal bloom.

Mental illness is up in young people, dementia is now the biggest killer: Australia’s health in 2026

Composite image of the Australian flag, a beer, a cancer cell, charts and a crowd of people

Composite image of the Australian flag, a beer, a cancer cell, charts and a crowd of people

More pharmacists will be able to vaccinate children under 5. Here’s what you need to know

Mother with young child in arm choosing products on pharmacy shelf.

Mother with young child in arm choosing products on pharmacy shelf.

AI can predict how you’ll respond to a survey. But that’s not the same as understanding you

Crowd of people walking through a brightly colored virtual space

Crowd of people walking through a brightly colored virtual space

China’s submarine missile test looks routine. The real story is the panic it triggered

A missile launching from the ocean

A missile launching from the ocean

Can you put a price on love? For those wanting an Australian partner visa, it’s $11,700

The backs of a couple looking out the window at an airport

The backs of a couple looking out the window at an airport

More news + analysis

Population panic series

Australia’s migration system lacks something crucial: a plan

A map of Australia filled with people moving with Angus Taylor and Anthony Albanese in front of it

A map of Australia filled with people moving with Angus Taylor and Anthony Albanese in front of it

Migration is dropping, but public concern is climbing. Why?

Pauline Hanson in front of two photos of protests, one in favour of immigration and one against

Pauline Hanson in front of two photos of protests, one in favour of immigration and one against

How does Australia’s migration system actually work? 5 common myths busted

A map of Australia with an open door and a line of people walking through it

A map of Australia with an open door and a line of people walking through it

Australia was built on migration, but it’s long been a love-hate relationship

An Australian flag made up of a collage of photos of migrants

An Australian flag made up of a collage of photos of migrants

Read the whole series

New research

Living in a glorified tent: new research shows huge energy gaps between older and newer homes

line of older terrace houses, footpath and trees in inner Sydney.

line of older terrace houses, footpath and trees in inner Sydney.

Younger Australians show greater interest in Indigenous histories, but know less about them: new research

Aboriginal tent embassy, Canberra, with Parliament House in the background.

Aboriginal tent embassy, Canberra, with Parliament House in the background.

3.1 billion-year-old rocks in Australia reveal a forgotten chapter of Earth’s water cycle

Close-up of red rocks with unusual cracked shapes and small holes.

Close-up of red rocks with unusual cracked shapes and small holes.

Upside-down whales aren’t sick or hurt – they’re just resting

A whale and her calf in clear blue water.

A whale and her calf in clear blue water.

More new research

Life

Australians live longer than previous decades but spend more years in poorer health

An older woman cooks in her kitchen

An older woman cooks in her kitchen

AI can’t replace mental health therapists. But here’s where it might make a difference

Do your dreams have smells? New study on ‘blind minds’ reveals vast differences in imagination

Plutarch’s ancient advice for how to be happier online

Future of space

From pureed meals to fresh greens: how space food is advancing to keep astronauts healthy

Tubes with donuts, wheat and corn pouring out into an astronaut's open helmet

Tubes with donuts, wheat and corn pouring out into an astronaut's open helmet

From interplanetary spaceships to lunar reactors, our future in space looks nuclear-powered

A satellite with nuclear cooling towers and a nuclear hazard symbol

A satellite with nuclear cooling towers and a nuclear hazard symbol

13,000 tonnes of space junk clutters Earth orbit. Here’s how it could be cleaned up

A bin dropping junk and a vacuum cleaning it up in space

A bin dropping junk and a vacuum cleaning it up in space

The US is leading the new space race – but other countries are close behind

Rocket launches from the US, India and China with flags in the background

Rocket launches from the US, India and China with flags in the background

Read the full series

Arts and reviews

Antonio Gramsci: his philosophy explained

Saccharine is a body horror film for the Ozempic era

Production image: Hana looks at her reflection in a spoon.

Production image: Hana looks at her reflection in a spoon.

From The Godfather to Middlemarch: 8 of the most faithful adaptations ever

‘Adaptive reuse’: how contemporary artists reuse and recycle objects to be born again

A woman squats next to a sculpture featuring a ship wreckage and pieces of porcelain.

A woman squats next to a sculpture featuring a ship wreckage and pieces of porcelain.

World

Australia and Fiji sign a new defence pact as China launches a ballistic missile test in the Pacific. What does it all mean?

Anthony Albanese and Sitiveni Rabuka wearing matching shirts

Anthony Albanese and Sitiveni Rabuka wearing matching shirts

As US celebrates independence, Iran mourns its fallen leader – and both countries claim victory

A woman in a crowd of mourners holds up a picture of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

A woman in a crowd of mourners holds up a picture of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

Trump has made more than $1 billion from crypto in a year. How?

A man in a suit tossing a gold coin in the air.

A man in a suit tossing a gold coin in the air.

The US is turning 250 – and Trump is making it all about him

US President Donald Trump dances after speaking during the kick-off celebration for the "Great American State Fair" on the National Mall in Washington, DC, June 24, 2026. The "Great American State Fair" will be held from June 25 to July 10, 2026, to celebrate the 250th anniversary of US independence.

US President Donald Trump dances after speaking during the kick-off celebration for the "Great American State Fair" on the National Mall in Washington, DC, June 24, 2026. The "Great American State Fair" will be held from June 25 to July 10, 2026, to celebrate the 250th anniversary of US independence.

Federal politics

View from The Hill: ‘we must disagree with this action’ Albanese tells Beijing

View from The Hill: WA state byelection within Hastie’s seat another ‘real time’ test for One Nation

Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra

Deeming delays de-selection move, as Hanson declares One Nation doesn’t want her

Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra

A woman in a purple blazer looks past the camera

A woman in a purple blazer looks past the camera

The National Rental Affordability Scheme has ended. What’s next for those who relied on it?

A man looks out an apartment window

A man looks out an apartment window

More federal politics

New Zealand

NZ legalised homosexuality 40 years ago – but even today, justice issues remain

Two men with arms around each other, on a beach, looking out at the ocean

Two men with arms around each other, on a beach, looking out at the ocean

NZ’s unique fossil record of marine molluscs helps scientists predict extinction risk – before it’s too late

Ten-million-year-old fossil snails in a water-worn boulder from a site in the southern North Island.

Ten-million-year-old fossil snails in a water-worn boulder from a site in the southern North Island.

NZ wants to end climate lawsuits. How does that sit with its international commitments?

New Zealand's parliament building

New Zealand's parliament building

This ‘centrist’ party is rising in NZ polls. Will it prove power broker?

Woman speaks with a microphone in front of an Opportunity Party poster

Woman speaks with a microphone in front of an Opportunity Party poster

More New Zealand

Climate

‘A giant blanket’: how better insulation lowers energy costs for you and the grid

A model house wrapped in a scarf, sitting on a heater.

A model house wrapped in a scarf, sitting on a heater.

The world’s oceans are the hottest on record for June – and El Niño is set to turn up the heat even more

large red sun setting over grey ocean.

large red sun setting over grey ocean.

Darwin residents want answers on toxic gas emissions. The science shows their concerns are warranted

An LNG tanker off the coast of Darwin.

An LNG tanker off the coast of Darwin.

Could this be Australia’s warmest winter ever?

A pic of a ski run shows sparse snow and lots of clear ground.

A pic of a ski run shows sparse snow and lots of clear ground.

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Podcasts

Politics with Michelle Grattan: Julian Leeser on fighting an ‘explosion’ of hate in Australia

Politics with Michelle Grattan: Jenny McAllister on ‘confronting but necessary’ NDIS reforms

How high can a volcano throw lava up in the air?

A volcano erupting

A volcano erupting

Politics with Michelle Grattan: Jonno Duniam on guilt and relief about quitting politics

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Events, Courses & Jobs

Job: Associate Dean (Indigenous Strategy and Services), University of Sydney Business School

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