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

A teen looks at her phone while holding her head in despair.

Social media is boosting mental health disorders and suicidal thoughts among teens, particularly in girls

Olivia Roth-Delgado, Agence nationale de sécurité sanitaire de l’alimentation, de l’environnement et du travail (Anses) and Thomas Bayeux, Agence nationale de sécurité sanitaire de l’alimentation, de l’environnement et du travail (Anses)

Federal immigration agents (ICE) with firearms and tear-gas guns in Minneapolis, January 2026.

Shooting of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis has put America’s gun lobby at odds with the White House

Andrew Gawthorpe, Leiden University

The new US food pyramid is scientifically questionable, and upends decades of trusted public health advice

Juan Alfonso Revenga Frauca, Universidad San Jorge and José Miguel Soriano del Castillo, Universitat de València

A customer filling a shopping cart in a supermarket in New York.

Questions are being raised about microplastics studies – here’s what’s solid science and what isn’t

Michael Richardson, Leiden University and Le Yang, Leiden University

The circular economy may not be taking off: Here are six ways stakeholders can make it happen

Arne De Keyser, EDHEC Business School and Katrien Verleye, Ghent University

Young businesswoman suffering bellyache working sitting at office

Menstrual leave: stigma and uncertainty mean these progressive measures are being underused around the world

Lidia de la Iglesia Aza, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela

A mother points out some birds in the forest while on a hike with her two young sons.

Paying attention to birdsong while walking in nature can boost wellbeing, my research shows

Christoph Randler, University of Tübingen

People in parkas protest in front of a red clapboard building holding signs that read Greenland is Not For Sale. Snowy hills are in the background.

Trump’s annexation of Greenland seemed imminent. Now it’s on much shakier ground

Eric Van Rythoven, Carleton University

74th F-89 Interceptor Fighter Squadron at Thule Air Base in Greenland in 1955.

Greenland: Staying with the Polar Inuit. How a secret military base helped trigger the silent collapse of an Arctic world

Ludovic Slimak, Université de Toulouse

School children gather in a village in Uganda

From Hamburg to Uganda: how an NGO learned to reinvent itself

Carolin Waldner, ESCP Business School; Andreas Rasche, Copenhagen Business School, and Stephanie Schrage, University of Kiel

Snow is vital for the Pyrenees – and it’s disappearing fast

Josep Bonsoms, Universitat de Barcelona

Europe wants to end its dangerous reliance on US internet technology

Johan Linåker, Lund University

Aerial image of the Swedish city of Helsingborg.

A man in a dark cave pointing at ancient hand stencils on the rocky surface.

Humanity’s oldest known cave art has been discovered in Sulawesi – our new research suggests

Maxime Aubert, Griffith University; Adam Brumm, Griffith University; Adhi Oktaviana, Badan Riset dan Inovasi Nasional (BRIN), and Renaud Joannes-Boyau, Southern Cross University

Air pollution may be linked to increased risk of motor neurone disease, our new study indicates

Jing Wu, Karolinska Institutet

How cocaine traffickers launder cartel money

Pierre-Charles Pradier, Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne

A hundred-dollar bill, a Bitcoin token, and a bag of cocaine.

Four ways to understand what’s going on with the US, Denmark and Greenland

Ian Manners, Lund University

An aerial view of the coast of Greenland.

Europe has five options for responding to Trump’s Greenland threats. None of them look good

Jun Du, Aston University and Oleksandr Shepotylo, Aston University

Flag of Greenland onboard a boat sailing among snow covered mountains

Blue Monday isn’t real, but sadness is – and it plays a vital role in children’s development

Paola Alexandria Pinto de Magalhães, Universidad de Navarra; Maider Belintxon Martín, Universidad de Navarra, and Pablo Tabuenca Agramonte, Universidad de Navarra

US-Greenland negotiations have hit a wall. Here are three ways the crisis could end

Michele Testoni, IE University

With Maduro gone and Venezuela’s oil cut off, Cuba is isolated and vulnerable

Carmen Beatriz Fernández, Universidad de Navarra

Two men in white shirts shake hands while sitting at a table.

Iran’s crackdown: why security forces are shooting demonstrators straight in the eye

Firouzeh Nahavandi, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB)

Ursula von der Leyen speaks from a lectern while Javier Milei, Luis Lacalle Pou, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Santiago Peña are seated in a long table next to her

The EU-Mercosur agreement will have winners and losers – but it won’t make a major economic impact

Sergi Basco, Universitat de Barcelona

Image taken from social media showing thousands of people protesting in Iran.

Iran protests 2026: our surveys show Iranians agree more on regime change than what might come next

Ammar Maleki, Tilburg University and Pooyan Tamimi Arab, Utrecht University

Denaturalization in the Trump era: When the State questions the citizenship of millions of Americans

Ashley Mantha-Hollands, European University Institute

How worried should we be that political leaders keep making oblique Nazi references?

David L Collinson, Lancaster University and Keith Grint, Warwick Business School, University of Warwick

A protester holds up a sign featuring an illustration of Elon Musk and the words 'heil twittler'.

As the US eyes Greenland, Europe must turn a global problem into an opportunity

Francesco Grillo, Bocconi University

A phone showing a map of Greenland and a picture of Donald Trump in the background.

Odysseus the destroyer? Christopher Nolan’s new Odyssey adaptation revives an ancient moral question

Michael La Corte, University of Tübingen and Stephan Blum, University of Tübingen

Does running wear out the bodies of professionals and amateurs alike?

Sylvain Durand, Le Mans Université

Amateur and professional runners during the Paris Marathon, with the Eiffel Tower visible in the background.

What the New Year’s fire at a Swiss bar tells us about fire prevention

Brodie Ramin, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa

a large display of many candles outdoors, people stand around, some light candles

The Neurotechnology Shift: how next-generation wearables interface with the brain itself

José M. Muñoz, IE University

We’re talking about AI all wrong. Here’s how we can fix the narrative

Pablo Sanguinetti, IE University

‘We need to rethink how we approach biodiversity’: an interview with IPCC ecologist and ‘refugee scientist’ Camille Parmesan

Camille Parmesan, Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS); University of Plymouth; The University of Texas at Austin

Screens and social media are damaging kids’ conversation skills. Here’s why this matters, and how to get them back

Estrella Montolío Durán, Universitat de Barcelona

The hidden health dangers of electric scooters: how ‘assisted mobility’ is making us less mobile

Javier Brazo-Sayavera, Universidad Pablo de Olavide; Javier Molina García, Universitat de València; Mario Jordi Sánchez, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, and Palma Chillón Garzón, Universidad de Granada

Primer plano de la parte inferior de un patinete eléctrico.

Is democracy always about truth? Why we may need to loosen our views to heal our divisions

Frank Chouraqui, Leiden University

A black and white illustration of a fictional city.

From stadium to the wild: Sports clubs as new champions of biodiversity

Ugo Arbieu, Université Paris-Saclay and Franck Courchamp, Université Paris-Saclay

Very beautiful ginger cat sleeping on a blanket on a sofa

Is your dog or cat getting old? These simple gestures could help them live longer and happier lives

Sara Hoummady, UniLaSalle

America’s anti-European attitudes are centred on perceptions of military weakness and the decline of native populations

Roman Birke, Dublin City University

One ‘single and simple’ set of EU-wide business laws: everything you need to know about Europe’s 28th regime

Antonio Aloisi, IE University and Sara Kabiri, IE University; King's College London

UK to re-join Erasmus+ – here are six benefits of the European exchange scheme

Sascha Stollhans, University of Leeds

What makes people welcome or reject refugees? What research in Germany reveals

Tobias Hillenbrand, United Nations University

‘Extreme melting’ episodes are accelerating ice loss in the Arctic

Josep Bonsoms, Universitat de Barcelona

Landscape of peripheral glaciers and glacial lakes in western Greenland.

Why does lettuce go bad so quickly? Our new study has the answer

Victoria Fernández, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM); Ana Cros Stötter, Universitat de València, and Jaime Colchero, Universidad de Murcia

Un adulto y un adolescente apoyados en los antebrazos.

How neuromuscular training helps growing teens to retain their motor skills

Elena Mainer Pardos, Universidad San Jorge and Rafael Albalad Aiguabella, Universidad San Jorge

A row of teenagers all using their phones.

Social media, not gaming, tied to rising attention problems in teens, new study finds

Torkel Klingberg, Karolinska Institutet and Samson Nivins, Karolinska Institutet

Germany’s plan to deport Syrian refugees echoes 1980s effort to repatriate Turkish guest workers

Michelle Lynn Kahn, University of Richmond

Reptiles are neglected and mistreated. Here’s how we can take better care of them

Alicia Bartolomé, Universitat de València

Sweden’s mining industry is threatening the Indigenous Sami people’s way of life

Georgia de Leeuw, Lund University

Reindeer grazing on a snow covered hill.

How European colonisation has created more animal hybrids

Lachie Scarsbrook, University of Oxford; Greger Larson, University of Oxford, and Laurent Frantz, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich

Girl does exercises to strengthen her body and spirit.

Why our physical bodies may be a core part of conscious experience – new research

Renzo Lanfranco, Karolinska Institutet

An empty gold-coloured frame hangs on a white wall, with the word "sold" written in red marker within the frame.

Why art is a prime target for organised crime

Guergana Guintcheva, EDHEC Business School and Bertrand Monnet, EDHEC Business School

How we unlocked the secrets of Denmark’s oldest plank boat – with the help of an ancient fingerprint

Mikael Fauvelle, Lund University

Painting of ancient Scandinavian sailors in a rough sea.

‘Is my boss a narcissist?’ How researchers look and listen for clues

Ivana Vitanova, EM Lyon Business School

A man wearing a business suit stands next to a glass wall with his image appearing in it.

Internet of beings: the dream of digitising human bodies for healthcare (and the nightmare)

Francesco Grillo, Bocconi University

Scene from the film Fantastic Voyage where the patients head is being prepped.

DNA from soil could soon reveal who lived in ice age caves

Gerlinde Bigga, University of Tübingen

Excavation at Hohle Fels cave in Germany.

Why meetings can harm employee well-being

Willem Standaert, Université de Liège

Collage of different faces and bodies talking.

Why we remember the source of an opinion better than the source of a fact – new research

Daniel Mirny, IESE Business School (Universidad de Navarra)

Coastal regions and climate change: how better risk assessment can help protect infrastructure and livelihoods

Anthony Schrapffer, PhD, EDHEC Business School

A man stands on land that has been devastated by Hurricane Melissa.

How technology is reshaping children’s development – the good, the bad and the unknown

Valentina Fantasia, Lund University and Joanna Rączaszek-Leonardi, University of Warsaw

Little girl holding smart phone and smiling.

Our food has too many toxins and not enough nutrients – but we already have the tools to fix it

Marta López Alonso, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela

Small grey stones on a red Chinese yuan banknote

Europe’s Achilles’ heel: how rare earths leave the EU wide open to economic blackmail from China

Gracia Abad Quintanal, Universidad Nebrija

Before trips to Mars, we need better protection from cosmic rays

Zahida Sultanova, University of East Anglia

Two astronauts in spacesuits walk toward research station, colony or scientific base on Mars.

How a desperate lie saved a Gustav Klimt portrait from the Nazis – and helped shape its record sale price

Benedict Carpenter van Barthold, Nottingham Trent University

Portrait of a woman surrounded by blue and a crowd of people

Food insecurity is on the rise: a look at the world’s ‘hunger hotspots’

José Miguel Soriano del Castillo, Universitat de València

A crowd of people with pots, pans and containers gather to receive food.

What teenagers want adults to know about their digital lives

Leo Ziegel, Karolinska Institutet and Carl Fredrik Sjöland, Karolinska Institutet

A black clock sits on a dinner plate, with a fork and knife on either side. It is almost 6 o'clock.

Should we eat dinner earlier in winter? Why timing might matter more than you think

Catherine Norton, University of Limerick

EU proposal to delay parts of its AI Act signal a policy shift that prioritises big tech over fairness

Jessica Heesen, University of Tübingen and Tori Smith Ekstrand

European nations have no choice but to raise retirement ages – our case study shows why

Javier Díaz Giménez, IESE Business School (Universidad de Navarra) and Julián Díaz Saavedra, Universidad de Granada

The truth about Vikings and mead might disappoint modern enthusiasts

Simon Trafford, School of Advanced Study, University of London

The science of weight loss – and why your brain is wired to keep you fat

Valdemar Brimnes Ingemann Johansen, University of Copenhagen and Christoffer Clemmensen, University of Copenhagen

Person's feet on scales on top of patterned rug.

How authoritarian states sculpt a warped alternative reality in our news feeds

Aiden Hoyle, Leiden University

H5N1 bird flu cases spike in Europe. How worried should we be?

Ignacio López-Goñi, Universidad de Navarra

Involving women in peace deals reduces chance of a conflict restarting by up to 37%

Giuditta Fontana, University of Birmingham; Argyro Kartsonaki, Institute for Peace Research and Security Policy, University of Hamburg; Natascha Neudorfer, Heinrich Heine Universität Düsseldorf, and Stefan Wolff, University of Birmingham

Delegates at the UN general assembly debate on women, peace and security, October 2025.

Why are so many millennials getting cancer?

Lydia Begoña Horndler Gil, Universidad San Jorge

Un médico mira una radiografía de un joven (sentado al fondo con cara de preocupación).

Legal highs: these new drugs are cheap, dangerous, and just a click away

Martalu D Pazos, Universitat de Barcelona and David Pubill Sánchez, Universitat de Barcelona

‘We have to regularise them’: Europe’s deportation-first border policy, as told by the judges and police who enforce it

Olga Jubany, Universitat de Barcelona and Sevda Tunaboylu, Universitat de Barcelona

Migrants wrapped ni red blankets and Spanish police Civil Guard officers.

Voices from the sea, part one: people rescued in the Mediterranean tell their stories of survival in ‘onboard workshops’

Morgane Dujmovic, Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS)

‘You and the Atom Bomb’: how George Orwell’s 1945 essay predicted the Cold War and nuclear proliferation

Ibrahim Al-Marashi, IE University; California State University San Marcos

Black and white photo of a plane flying over clouds

Academic freedom: how to defend ‘the very condition of a living democracy’ in France and worldwide

Stéphanie Balme, Sciences Po

A demonstration in support of science in Toulouse, France in April 2025.

How Europe is using taxes to slow down fast fashion

Albert Navarro García, Universitat de Girona

Una pantalla de móvil muestra productos en venta en una tienda online

Wild honeybees now officially listed as endangered in the EU

Arrigo Moro, University of Galway

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