The Conversation
An independent source of news and views from the academic and research community, delivered direct to the public.
Raw materials, or sacred beings? Lithium extraction puts two worldviews into tension.
Lithium extraction in Bolivia poses more than environmental questions: It illustrates how notions about raw materials can be at odds with Indigenous relations with the land.
Finding Ukraine’s stolen children and bringing perpetrators to justice: lessons from Argentina
The astonishing life and music of Emahoy Tsegué-Maryam Guèbrou, the Ethiopian nun who has died at 99
Burt Bacharach mastered the art of the perfect pop song — and that ain’t easy
Warsaw Ghetto’s defiant Jewish doctors secretly documented the medical effects of Nazi starvation policies
Bees face many challenges — and climate change is ratcheting up the pressure
Honey bees, wild and native bees face threats from parasites, pesticides and habitat loss. Shorter winters, more extreme weather and more habitat destruction won’t help.
Reindeer eyes change color, putting Rudolph’s red nose in the shade, new research says
In winter, light in the northern latitudes is dim and very blue compared to summer light. Reindeer eyes have evolved to be better suited at seeing in this unique environment.
Benin is building a theme park to remember slavery — is history up for sale?
The Marina Project in Benin could lead to a better understanding of the transatlantic slave trade. But critics say that the commodification of heritage may debase the experiences of painful pasts.
What is affirmative action? Here are 4 essential reads.
Scholars explain what affirmative action is — and isn’t — as well as what its effects are, and why, among others, the military has supported it for decades.
Loss and damage: Who is responsible when climate change harms the world’s poorest countries?
That’s the big question coming up at the UN Climate Change Conference, known as COP27, and it’s controversial. It refers to the economic and physical costs that developing countries are facing from the impacts of climate change.
A game of numbers: How air defense systems work and why Ukraine is eager for more protection
What will it take for Ukraine to defend against the ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and explosive drones raining down on the country? The question is not so much what as how many.
With ‘bravery’ as its new brand, Ukraine is turning advertising into a weapon of war
Ukraine is partnering with an advertising company to produce an innovative nation branding campaign during a war. The campaign could have influence beyond how Ukraine and Russia conduct this war.
The Soviet Union once hunted endangered whales to the brink of extinction — but its scientists opposed whaling and secretly tracked its toll
The Soviet Union was a latecomer to industrial whaling, but it slaughtered whales by the thousands once it started and radically under-reported its toll to international monitors.
Revealed: Untold story of the CIA/Stasi double agent abandoned after 22 years of service
A double agent who operated for the CIA and the Dutch security service against the Stasi tells his story for the first time.
NASA’s head warned that China may try to claim the moon — two space scholars explain why that’s unlikely to happen
A comment by Bill Nelson, the NASA administrator, sparked a strong public response from the Chinese government. But due to legal and practical reasons, no country could take over the moon anytime soon.