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

Two giant Australian cuttlefish during breeding season in the Great Southern Reef near Whyalla, South Australia.

Two giant Australian cuttlefish during breeding season in the Great Southern Reef near Whyalla, South Australia.

The giant cuttlefish’s technicolour mating display is globally unique. The SA algal bloom could kill them all

Zoe Doubleday, University of South Australia

The giant cuttlefish’s technicolour mating display is globally unique. The SA algal bloom could kill them all

Zoe Doubleday, University of South Australia

Two giant Australian cuttlefish during breeding season in the Great Southern Reef near Whyalla, South Australia.

Two giant Australian cuttlefish during breeding season in the Great Southern Reef near Whyalla, South Australia.

How can I keep my cat happy? 5 tips from a vet to help your feline friend live their best life

Anne Quain, University of Sydney

A comfy Bengal cat snoozing in the sun on a sofa.

A comfy Bengal cat snoozing in the sun on a sofa.

Illustration of a young woman listening to music through headphones.

Illustration of a young woman listening to music through headphones.

What the constant sound of modern life is doing to our minds

Victor (Vik) Pérez, Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

Michael Caine: half his face is white noise.

Michael Caine: half his face is white noise.

Michael Caine’s voice is iconic. Why would he sell that to AI?

Amy Hume, The University of Melbourne

Cuba’s speedboat shootout recalls long history of exile groups engaged in covert ops aimed at regime change

William M. LeoGrande, American University School of Public Affairs

A number of military looking vessels are seen docked.

A number of military looking vessels are seen docked.

Ukraine: after four years of war, exhaustion on both sides is the main hope for peace

Alexander Titov, Queen's University Belfast

A woman stands looking at a display of flowers and Ukrainian flags.

A woman stands looking at a display of flowers and Ukrainian flags.

Anthropic v the US military: what this public feud says about the use of AI in warfare

Elke Schwarz, Queen Mary University of London and Neil Renic, University of Copenhagen

US defense secretary Pete Hegseth arrives at the US Capitol to brief members of the House and Senate after the arrest of President Nicolás Maduro, January 7 2026.

US defense secretary Pete Hegseth arrives at the US Capitol to brief members of the House and Senate after the arrest of President Nicolás Maduro, January 7 2026.

Mexico is losing its battle with the cartels after years of flawed strategy

Amalendu Misra, Lancaster University

Mexican soldiers stand guard outside Guadalajara International Airport.

Mexican soldiers stand guard outside Guadalajara International Airport.

Baby and mother

Baby and mother

South Korea’s birth rate is rising – but the population is still shrinking

Gemma Ware, The Conversation

As war in Ukraine enters a 5th year, will the ‘Putin consensus’ among Russians hold?

A group of people in traditional Russian garb stand behind a man in a suit

A group of people in traditional Russian garb stand behind a man in a suit

New global study: long after war, injuries from landmines and explosives kill nearly 4 in 10 victims

How China is betting cheap AI will get the world hooked on its tech

A billboard showing English text reading GLOBAL SOLIDARITY IN THE AI ERA with Chinese text and computer graphics

A billboard showing English text reading GLOBAL SOLIDARITY IN THE AI ERA with Chinese text and computer graphics

Africa’s militaries have always relied on imported weapons: why a shift to homegrown defence is now under way

People marching in uniform, a ship in the background

People marching in uniform, a ship in the background

How Russia is intercepting communications from European satellites

Aleix Nadal, RAND Europe

20 billion galaxies: new survey of the sky will reveal the universe in unprecedented detail

Bright clouds of pink and orange dust, surrounded by stars.

Bright clouds of pink and orange dust, surrounded by stars.

A new space race could turn our atmosphere into a ‘crematorium for satellites’

Gaza’s cultural sites have been decimated. UNESCO’s muted response sets a dangerous precedent

The Great Omari Mosque in Gaza City after it was damaged by an Israeli strike.

The Great Omari Mosque in Gaza City after it was damaged by an Israeli strike.

A stock image of a Latino woman putting a wad of US dollars in her pocket.

A stock image of a Latino woman putting a wad of US dollars in her pocket.

La Jefa: the wife of slain drug kingpin El Mencho and the women at the heart of the cartels

Ethiopia and Eritrea are on edge again: what’s behind the growing risk of war

A man holds miniature national flags of Eritrea (left) and Ethiopia.

A man holds miniature national flags of Eritrea (left) and Ethiopia.

Israel is accelerating its creeping annexation of the West Bank. Can Donald Trump stop it?

How Putin turned Russia’s post-Soviet ‘national humiliation’ into military aggression in Ukraine

Vladimir Putin chairing a security council meeting

Vladimir Putin chairing a security council meeting

A few weeks of X’s algorithm can make you more right-wing – and it doesn’t wear off quickly

A stone building lit with pink lights, with a large X on the roof.

A stone building lit with pink lights, with a large X on the roof.

John Davidson and Robert Aramayo attend the 2026 BAFTA Film Awards Nominees' Party

John Davidson and Robert Aramayo attend the 2026 BAFTA Film Awards Nominees' Party

How Tourette’s causes involuntary outbursts – and what people with the condition want you to know

Two black and white birds

Two black and white birds

Can African penguins be brought back from the brink? Better designed no-fishing zones could help

Jacqui Glencross, University of St Andrews

Is AI really ‘intelligent’? This philosopher says yes

One of the biggest stars in the universe might be getting ready to explode

Illustration of an ominous red start surrounded by swirls of gas and dust.

Illustration of an ominous red start surrounded by swirls of gas and dust.

SpaceX rocket left behind a plume of chemical pollution as it burnt up in the atmosphere

A streak of bright light against a night sky.

A streak of bright light against a night sky.

A cosmic explosion with the force of a billion Suns went unseen – until we caught its echo

Two jets of light shooting out from a bright point in the centre of the image.

Two jets of light shooting out from a bright point in the centre of the image.

A baby monkey lying on concrete cuddling an orange plush toy.

A baby monkey lying on concrete cuddling an orange plush toy.

A viral monkey, his plushie, and a 70-year-old experiment: what Punch tells us about attachment theory

As Alberta separatists court the U.S., prosperity is fuelling a sovereigntist turn

A thin man with short grey hair points and walks behind a hulking man with orange-ish white hair and splotchy orange-hued skin. Mountains are in the background.

A thin man with short grey hair points and walks behind a hulking man with orange-ish white hair and splotchy orange-hued skin. Mountains are in the background.

Age verification online can be done safely and privately. Here’s how

Two girls looking at their phones sitting on a park bench.

Two girls looking at their phones sitting on a park bench.

Does exercise really work for osteoarthritis?

Mid-life woman exercises to alleviate osteoarthritis

Mid-life woman exercises to alleviate osteoarthritis

Russia tested NATO’s airspace 18 times in 2025 alone – a 200% surge that signals a dangerous shift

A man in a hi-vis jacket stands behind a police line.

A man in a hi-vis jacket stands behind a police line.

Five reasons Trump’s plan for Ukrainian elections and a peace referendum will only prolong the war

Ukrainian soldiers operate a drone, February 2026.

Ukrainian soldiers operate a drone, February 2026.

South Africa is sending in the army to fight crime (again). Does it ever work?

Guy Lamb, Stellenbosch University

People in camouflage uniform, holding weapons, outside an apartment block

People in camouflage uniform, holding weapons, outside an apartment block

Iran-US nuclear talks may fail due to both nations’ red lines – but that doesn’t make them futile

A selection of newspaper

A selection of newspaper

Sudan: how warring factions gained influence in the country’s food system – and what it means for the current conflict

A man pouring out feed from a sack among a flock of goats

A man pouring out feed from a sack among a flock of goats

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Life and art

How Dracula became a red-hot lover

Stanley Stepanic, University of Virginia

A young man in a top hat rests his chin on the shoulder of a young woman who looks uncomfortable.

A young man in a top hat rests his chin on the shoulder of a young woman who looks uncomfortable.

Wuthering Heights looks lush – but it’s a bad film and a worse adaptation

Film Still: Man and a Woman gaze downwards dressed in black funeral clothes

Film Still: Man and a Woman gaze downwards dressed in black funeral clothes

What Bridgerton’s ‘pinnacle’ tells us about sex talk today

Francesca Stirling (nee Bridgerton) sits awkwardly on sofa with husband John Stirling

Francesca Stirling (nee Bridgerton) sits awkwardly on sofa with husband John Stirling

Charli XCX turned Wuthering Heights into a sonic gothic masterpiece

Lillian Hingley, University of Oxford

Charli XCX at the Wuthering Heights premiere wearing a pink dress and veil.

Charli XCX at the Wuthering Heights premiere wearing a pink dress and veil.

Environment

Preventable deaths in a warming world: how politics shapes who lives and who dies

woman wades through flooded street in India holding black bag of belongings

woman wades through flooded street in India holding black bag of belongings

Deep in the Amazon, I discovered this monkey’s ingenious survival tactic

Adrian Barnett, University of Greenwich

Black monkey with red nose perches in tree

Black monkey with red nose perches in tree

Marine protected areas aren’t in the right places to safeguard dolphins and whales in the South Atlantic

Guilherme Maricato, UFRJ; Clinton N. Jenkins, Florida International University; Maria Alice S. Alves, UERJ, and Rodrigo Tardin, UFRJ

A whale tale with a cargo ship in the background.

A whale tale with a cargo ship in the background.

How mountain terraces have helped Indigenous peoples live with climate uncertainty

A view of a hillside with level sections built into it.

A view of a hillside with level sections built into it.

Health

Can blood tests really detect cancer?

Researcher wearing a white labcoat and glasses holds a test tube.

Researcher wearing a white labcoat and glasses holds a test tube.

Intermittent fasting doesn’t have an edge for weight loss, but might still work for some

Woman cooks vegetables

Woman cooks vegetables

We studied primary care in 6 rich countries – it’s under unprecedented strain everywhere

Exercise can be as effective as medication for depression and anxiety – new study

Three people holding plank position in a gym.

Three people holding plank position in a gym.

Science and Technology

Amazon’s Ring wanted to track your pets. It revealed the future of surveillance

Aerial photo showing glowing blue circles indicating the view of surveillance cameras around suburban houses

Aerial photo showing glowing blue circles indicating the view of surveillance cameras around suburban houses

Ads are coming to AI. Does that really have to be such a bad thing?

A giant star is changing before our eyes and astronomers are watching in real time

Illustration of large circular object alongside a smaller one

Illustration of large circular object alongside a smaller one

An ‘AI afterlife’ is now a real option – but what becomes of your legal status?

Business and economy

Does ‘free’ shipping really exist? An expert shares the marketing tricks you need to know

Truck with parcels

Truck with parcels

Why your brain has to work harder in an open-plan office than private offices: study

Why Trump’s new pick for Fed chair hit gold and silver markets – for good reasons

Kevin Warsh walking outside after a conference in 2024.

Kevin Warsh walking outside after a conference in 2024.

Why the world’s central bankers had to speak up against Trump’s attacks on the Fed

US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell

US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell

The Conversation Weekly Podcast

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.

How trafficked American guns fuel Mexico’s cartel violence – podcast

Guns on a table in Mexico.

Guns on a table in Mexico.

Three scientists speak about what it’s like to have research funding cut by the Trump administration

A sign saying science helps you held up by a protestor.

A sign saying science helps you held up by a protestor.

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