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

Defensive missiles pointed towards the sky.

How prepared are the US and its allies for a protracted conflict in Iran?

Andrew Gawthorpe, Leiden University

Could the US cut off trade with Spain? Here’s what international law says

Hernán Núñez Rocha, Universidad de Alcalá

A man in a suit speaking behind a podium, with the flags of Spain and the European Union in the background

Iran and the US have been at war for decades – and there’s no end in sight

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

people holding flags, banners and pictures stand next to a row of coffins

What oil, stocks and bonds are telling us about the Iran conflict and how long it might last

Daniele D'Alvia, Queen Mary University of London

a trader at the new york stock exchange studies prices on a monitor after the opening bell on monday.

The US-Iran war has divided Europe, leaving Spain in a critical position

Salvador Sánchez Tapia, Universidad de Navarra

Strait of Hormuz: if the Iran conflict shuts world’s most important oil chokepoint, global economic chaos could follow

Sarah Schiffling, Hanken School of Economics

US warship Thomas Hudner launches a Tomahawk missile

US-Israeli attack on Iran risks plunging the world into turmoil

Arshin Adib-Moghaddam, SOAS, University of London

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ruled Iran with defiance and brutality for 36 years. For many Iranians, he will not be revered

Andrew Thomas, Deakin University

Ilustración de personas caminando en un paisaje contaminado

Pollution, noise and climate stress all pose a serious threat to heart health

Arce Domingo Relloso, IE University and Pablo Juan-Salvadores, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Galicia Sur

Why we shouldn’t abandon handwriting at school

Atheena Johnson, Université Paris Nanterre

Bodies of four dead puffins found on a French beach.

Thousands of dead puffins are washing up on Europe’s beaches – why it’s been such a dangerous winter for seabirds

Ruth Dunn, Lancaster University

Could global tensions finally see Sweden warming towards the euro?

Fredrik NG Andersson, Lund University

a swedish flag hangs outside a cafe in stockholm with people passing by in the street

Is legal uncertainty softly killing remote-work innovation?

Kseniya Navazhylava, Audencia

A woman makes a phone call, sitting at a cafe table where she is working on her laptop.

The 5am myth: why waking early won’t make you more successful

Christoph Randler, University of Tübingen

Woman lying in bed about to hit the 5am alarm with a hammer

That cosy candle? It’s also polluting the air you’re breathing

Karin Rosenkilde Laursen, Aarhus University

Woman wearing white jumper with black painted nails lights a white candle with a match.

The built-up Indian city of Mumbai at sunrise, shrouded in thick smog.

Atmospheric dust: the overlooked suspect in urban air pollution

Emmanouil Proestakis, National Observatory of Athens

European Capitals of Culture: a diplomatic linchpin in an unstable world?

Maria Elena Buslacchi, Aix-Marseille Université (AMU)

A photo of the Slovakian city of Trenčín and Trenčín castle on a hill in the background.

Reinterpreting ‘awe’: why cross-cultural emotional intelligence needs to be handled with care

Craig L. Anderson, HEC Paris Business School

An awe-struck young woman looks at her computer.

Our pets are destroying biodiversity – but a few changes in EU law could make all the difference

Miguel Ángel Gómez-Serrano, Universitat de València

Ukraine war: after four surprising years, where does it go next? Experts give their view

Stefan Wolff, University of Birmingham; Mark Webber, University of Birmingham; Scott Lucas, University College Dublin, and Tetyana Malyarenko, National University Odesa Law Academy

Smoke rises over downtown Kyiv after a Russian missile attack.

12 reasons why plastic recycling is failing so badly

Jordi Diaz Marcos, Universitat de Barcelona

Agroecology: rethinking global policy efficiency and funding priorities to overcome the blind spot in climate action

Fabio G. Santeramo, Università di Foggia

Home care: The Dutch model that challenges bureaucracy

Sharda S. Nandram, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam; Puneet K. Bindlish, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, and Raysa Geaquinto Rocha, European Academy of Management (EURAM)

A carer helps an elderly patient to move around his home.

Drug murders in France: how organised crime moves in and ruins communities

Felia Allum, University of Bath

Man at a podium pointing at people seen from behind who have raised hands

Trump’s tariffs have gutted Agoa’s duty‑free promise: our model shows how

Tim Vogel, German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS) and Zoryana Olekseyuk, German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS)

Close up shot of a hand holding a red apple.

Developing lab-grown human cartilage… using apples!

Karim Boumédiene, Université de Caen Normandie

How can Europe meet the challenge posed by the retreat of the US?

Niall Oddy, The Open University

Sanae Takaichi’s push to revise Japan’s constitution could put an end to decades of post-war pacifism

Shahana Thankachan, Universidad de Navarra

Sanae Takaichi standing on a red carpet with the flags of the United States and Japan in the background

Why brands can become emotional lifelines in times of crisis

Laetitia Mimoun, ESCP Business School and Julien Schmitt, ESCP Business School

How 1.5 million km of undersea internet cables can double up as an earthquake and tsunami warning system

Marc-Andre Gutscher, Université de Bretagne occidentale

Where are Europe’s oldest people living? What geography tells us about a fragmenting continent

Florian Bonnet, Ined (Institut national d'études démographiques); Carlo Giovanni Camarda, Ined (Institut national d'études démographiques); France Meslé, Ined (Institut national d'études démographiques), and Josselin Thuilliez, Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS)

An aerial view of the East German town of Magdeburg, capital of Land de Saxe-Anhalt.

Impulse and inhibition: the complex ways bilingual brains balance reason with emotion

Irini Mavrou, Universidad Nebrija; UCL; Andrea Révész, UCL, and Andreas Kyriakou, Universidad Nebrija

‘Carb-loading’ is a myth. But how much carbohydrate do athletes really need?

José Miguel Soriano del Castillo, Universitat de València

A runner carrying a sachet of carbohydrate gel.

Menopause, hormones and the brain: how hormone therapy could help protect against Alzheimer’s

George E. Barreto, University of Limerick and Miguel G. Borda, Universidad de Navarra

Are pets good for kids’ mental health? Type of animal and duration of bond could make all the difference

Llúcia González Safont, Fisabio; Blanca Sarzo Carles, Fisabio, and Marisa Estarlich Estarlich, Universitat de València

How Paris’ working-class dining experience is reshaping restaurant economics in France

Nathalie Louisgrand, GEM

Head waitress Fati at Bouillon Chartier, strikes a pose in the main dining room of this Parisian institution.

Why Sweden’s young people are so good at English

Una Cunningham, Stockholm University and BethAnne Paulsrud, Stockholm University

Spain social media ban for under-16s: here’s what we know so far, and what we don’t

Tatiana Íñiguez Berrozpe, Universidad de Zaragoza; Ana Cebollero Salinas, Universidad de Zaragoza; Carmen Elboj, Universidad de Zaragoza, and Pablo Bautista Alcaine, Universidad de Zaragoza

Middle-aged Caucasian social worker with a badge assisting client by stamping an official document in social services office

When rights exist on paper but not in practice: how bureaucracy blocks access to welfare across Europe

Andrei Quintiá Pastrana, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela and Alba Nogueira López, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela

Not an artefact, but an ancestor: why a German university is returning a Māori taonga

Michael La Corte, University of Tübingen and Annika Vosseler, University of Tübingen

Your genes matter more for lifespan now than they did a century ago – here’s why

Karin Modig, Karolinska Institutet

Spain already regularised over half a million undocumented migrants in 2005. Here’s what happened to its economy

Joan Monras, IESE Business School (Universidad de Navarra)

Two black men standing on scaffolding working on the facade of a building

Spain’s mass regularisation for 500,000 undocumented migrants is not extreme, unprecedented or opportunistic

Asbel Bohigues, Universitat de València

Painting of a castle on a hill with a Trojan couple in the foreground

Rethinking Troy: how years of careful peace, not epic war, shaped this bronze age city

Stephan Blum, University of Tübingen

The workplace wasn’t designed for humans – and it shows

Christine Ipsen, Technical University of Denmark and Maria Karanika-Murray, University of Leicester

Woman sits at a computer with two colleagues next to her. She is wearing a white t-shit and pink suit jacket.

Why futuristic, tech-centred ‘smart city’ projects are destined to fail

Pascual Berrone, IESE Business School (Universidad de Navarra)

Concept design of a tech city that ends in the sea with water and boats

CEOs are mixing business and politics beyond the boardroom.

Is CEO activism threatening democracy?

Aurélien Feix, EDHEC Business School and Georg Wernicke, HEC Paris Business School

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

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

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

Christoph Randler, University of Tübingen

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

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)

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

Small-scale farmers produce more of the rich world’s food than previously thought – new study

Oliver Taherzadeh, Leiden University

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

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

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

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

Young businesswoman suffering bellyache working sitting at office

When should dentists prescribe antibiotics? Some countries don’t even have guidelines to answer this question

Maruxa Zapata Cachafeiro, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela and Mª de la Almudena Rodríguez Fernández, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela

Clock sculpture in front of the Saint Lazare station in Paris.

Is time a fundamental part of reality? A quiet revolution in physics suggests not

Florian Neukart, Leiden University

Aerial image of the Swedish city of Helsingborg.

Europe wants to end its dangerous reliance on US internet technology

Johan Linåker, Lund University

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

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.

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.

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

Firouzeh Nahavandi, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB)

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.

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