How is Antarctica melting, exactly? Crucial details are beginning to come into focus
By Catherine Vreugdenhil Et Al
The size of the Antarctic ice sheet can be hard to comprehend. Two kilometres thick on average and covering nearly twice the area of Australia, the ice sheet holds enough freshwater to raise global sea levels by 58 metres....
Why Alberta’s Danielle Smith is rejecting the Team Canada approach to Trump’s tariff threats
By Lisa Young
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith finds herself at the centre of controversy because of her refusal to be part of a Team Canada approach to Donald Trumps tariff threats. While other provincial premiers have signed on to a...
Why the Australian Open’s online tennis coverage looks like a Wii sports game
By Marc C-Scott
The 2025 Australian Open (AO) broadcast may seem similar to previous years if youre watching on the television. However, if youre watching online via the official Australian Open TV YouTube channel youll encounter a...
While Hollywood ignored stories of Black resistance, Cuban filmmakers celebrated Black power
By Philip Kaisary
In recent years, there has been an increased push for more diversity and representation on our entertainment screens. The #OscarsSoWhite campaign of 2015 and the enduring social justice movement it generated increased...
From dog whistles to blaring horns, Poilievre makes his case
By Noah Fry
Pierre Poilievres recent 100-minute interview with the psychologist and right-wing media commentator Jordan Peterson provided some clues about the Conservative leaders political ideology heading into a federal election...
Ontario’s high-stakes bet on iGaming: Province profiting from online betting but at what cost to problem gambling?
By Nassim Tabri Et Al
In April 2022, Ontario became the first province in Canada to regulate online gambling and sports. This opened the door to an industry that brought in $1.4 billion in revenue over the next year, making Ontario one of North...
Student unions: Warnings of toxic problems fuelling disillusionment need to be dealt with
By Justin Patrick
Almost every post-secondary student in Canada must live under some form of democratic student government known as a student union. They are largely incorporated under provincial or federal non-profit legislation. Student...
How constitutional guardrails have always contained presidential ambitions
By Victor Menaldo
As Donald Trumps second inauguration fast approaches, concerns he threatens American democracy are rising yet again. Some warnings have cited Trumps authoritarian rhetoric, willingness to undermine or malign institutions...
Gaza ceasefire: fragile deal offers hope for peace but could still fall apart
By Jonathan Este
This article was first published as World Affairs Briefing from The Conversation UK. Click here to receive this newsletter every Thursday, direct to your inbox. Waiting for news this week of whether a ceasefire deal...
AI-based technology could reduce the number of controversial decisions in boxing
By Kamran Mahroof Et Al
Boxing, the sweet science, is a theatre of skill, power and drama that has captivated audiences for centuries. Yet, behind the allure of championship nights and historic rivalries lies a persistent shadow controversial...
The hidden health risk of having your hair washed
By Maria Ashioti
Going to the hairdresser is often considered a relaxing, pampering experience, but a rare condition known as beauty parlor stroke syndrome (BPSS) can, for a small number of people, make a shampoo at the hairdressers a...
How the UK’s plans for AI could derail net zero – the numbers explained
By Tom Jackson Et Al
The UK governments goal to increase public-controlled artificial intelligence computing power twentyfold by 2030 would significantly raise electricity demand. Can renewable energy supply meet it and still have enough left...
All change! Why the UK’s public transport system could look very different very quickly
By Marcus Mayers Et Al
The UKs public transport system has been in a state of flux since the arrival of COVID. Lockdowns, social distancing and working from home all made customer demand for buses and trains dramatically different from...
How Trump could try to stay in power after his second term ends
By Philip Klinkner
Think Donald Trump cant be president after his second term is up in January 2029? Think again. When President-elect Donald Trump met with congressional Republicans shortly after his November 2024 election victory, he...
Civil servants brace for a second Trump presidency
By Jaime L Kucinskas
On the eve of Donald Trumps inauguration as the 47th president of the United States, some people who work for the federal government are concerned. Trump and his allies have repeatedly promised to dismantle the...
African countries need more PhD graduates but students are held back by a lack of money and support
By Oluwatomilayo Omoya Et Al
Over the past 15 years theres been an increasing demand from within and outside the higher education sector for African countries to produce more PhD graduates. For this to happen, its important to know whats holding...
Gaza: seven big issues affecting the delivery of humanitarian aid
By Sarah Schiffling
If the new Israel-Hamas deal holds and their ceasefire begins on Sunday, the first stage includes a commitment to allow more humanitarian aid into the besieged territory. Announcing the deal to the US public, the outgoing...
How America courted increasingly destructive wildfires − and what that means for protecting homes today
By Justin Angle
The fires burning in the Los Angeles area are a powerful example of why humans have learned to fear wildfire. Fires can level entire neighborhoods in an instant. They can destroy communities, torch pristine forests and...
Joe Biden leaves a complicated legacy on the federal courts
By Paul M. Collins Jr.
President Joe Bidens farewell to elected office on Jan. 20, 2025, presents an opportunity to reflect on the legacy he left on the federal courts. Many will perceive Bidens influence on the courts primarily based on his...
Soaring wealth inequality has remade the map of American prosperity
By Tom Kemeny
One need only glance at headlines about Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk and other super-wealthy individuals to understand that wealth in America is increasingly concentrated in fewer and fewer hands. Inequality is sharply on the...
The US ambassador to the UN is tasked with doing a careful dance between Washington and the world
By Abiodun Williams
New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, a Republican, is set to testify before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Jan. 16, 2025, as part of her confirmation process to become the next U.S. ambassador to the United Nations....
Bird flu flares up again in Michigan poultry – an infectious disease expert explains the risk to humans, chickens, cows and other animals
By Kimberly Dodd
After a relatively quiet fall, theres been another spike in cases of bird flu in Michigan. When state officials announced on Dec. 16, 2024, that bird flu had been found in another poultry facility in Ottawa County, it was...
White House Office of Science and Technology Policy provides in-house science advice for the president
By Kenneth Evans
Presidents need science advice. From climate change and pandemics to the governance of AI and the countrys nuclear arsenal, science sits at the center of a range of foreign and domestic policy challenges that reach the...
Bezos’ Blue Origin has successfully launched its New Glenn rocket to orbit − a feat 15 years in the making
By Wendy Whitman Cobb
Just past 2 a.m. Eastern time on Jan. 16, 2025, a new rocket blasted off from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. By reaching orbit, Blue Origins New Glenn rocket launch has marked a milestone for a...
Caesareans are rising fast in the UK – but giving birth is getting worse for women
By Soo Downe Et Al
Caesarean births are rising worldwide, but the UK has one of the highest rates in Europe, with the fastest increase in recent years. In England, 42% of all births are now by caesarean section compared with 29% five years...
Deepfakes of children: how the government can get to grips with them
By Sue Roberts
The UK government plans to crack down on explicit deepfakes, in which images or videos of people are blended with pornographic material using artificial intelligence (AI) to make it look like an authentic piece of content....
American studies degrees are declining in popularity – but the subject has never been more important
By Sarah Trott
Were witnessing a momentous period in US history and culture. A second Donald Trump presidency promises to be just as turbulent, if not more so, than his first term in office. A proper understanding of how the US works is...
Why LA is on fire (it’s not just climate change)
By Jack Marley
The fires that have engulfed Los Angeles cap the hottest decade in history. Each year in the last ten was record-warm, but 2024 was the warmest ever recorded. Last year, Earth was 1.6C hotter than the temperature average...
Silicon Valley’s bet on AI defence startups and what it means for the future of war – podcast
By Gemma Ware1
From Gaza to Ukraine, todays war zones are being used as testing grounds for new systems driven by artificial intelligence. Billions of dollars are now being pumped into AI weapons technology, much of it from Silicon...
The Silicon Valley venture capitalists who want to ‘move fast and break things’ in the defence industry
By Elke Schwarz
Im a propagandist, Ill twist the truth, Ill put forward only my version of it if I think thats going to propagandise people to believe what I need them to believe. This is not a soundbite from a particularly ebullient...
Wildfires ignite infection risks, by weakening the body’s immune defences and spreading bugs in smoke
By Christine Carson Et Al
Over the past several days, the world has watched on in shock as wildfires have devastated large parts of Los Angeles. Beyond the obvious destruction to landscapes, homes, businesses and more fires at this scale have...
Beyond the Israel–Hamas ceasefire, the future looks unclear. Here are six key unanswered questions
By Ian Parmeter
The ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, to come into effect on Sunday, has understandably been welcomed by the overwhelming majority of Israelis and Palestinians. Israelis are relieved that a process for freeing...
The LA fires have prompted a reckoning for the insurance industry – Australian premiums could soar as a result
By Paula Jarzabkowski Et Al
A series of wildfires in Los Angeles County have caused widespread devastation in California, including at least 24 deaths and the destruction of more than 12,000 homes and structures. Thousands of residents have been...
US ‘TikTok refugees’ are fleeing to Chinese app RedNote. It’s a new phase of the digital cold war
By Jian Xu
Social media giant TikTok is preparing to shut down its app in the United States this Sunday the day that legislation signed by President Joe Biden last year banning the app takes effect. There is a slim chance this...
Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal: Why now and what next?
By Asher Kaufman
A much-anticipated Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal is set to take effect on Jan. 19, 2025 subject to an Israeli government vote on the package scheduled for the morning of Jan. 16. The breakthrough comes 15 months into...
Meta’s shift to ‘community notes’ risks hurting online health info providers more than ever
By Kath Albury Et Al
Last week, social media giant Meta announced major changes to its content moderation practices. This includes an end to its fact-checking program, starting with the United States. Metas platforms which include Facebook,...
How Justin Trudeau’s resignation could affect the future of the Canadian Dental Care Plan
By Carlos Quiñonez Et Al
Justin Trudeaus resignation raises questions about the future of the Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP). Proroguing Parliament until late March will have an impact. While existing spending for the CDCP will continue, the...
Say it with a picture: overcoming legalese in public procurement contracts
By Marta Andhov
They say a picture is worth a thousand words. But in the world of legal contracts, pictures can be worth even more by making complicated concepts more accessible to people without expertise. Traditional contracts are often...
Israel and Hamas have agreed to a ceasefire. It doesn’t guarantee a peaceful end to a devastating war
By Marika Sosnowski
After 467 days of violence, a ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel has been reached and will come into effect on Sunday, pending Israeli government approval. This agreement will not end the war or bring about...
Home ownership is slipping out of reach. It’s time to rethink our fear of ‘forever renting’
By Dorina Pojani
A wide range of voices in the Australian media have been sounding the alarm about the phenomenon of forever-renting. This describes a situation in which individuals or families are unable to transition from renting to home...
‘AI agents’ promise to arrange your finances, do your taxes, book your holidays – and put us all at risk
By Uri Gal
Over the past two years, generative artificial intelligence (AI) has captivated public attention. This year signals the beginning of a new phase: the rise of AI agents. AI agents are autonomous systems that can make...
LA fires: Long-term exposure to wildfire smoke is poorly understood − and a growing risk
By Luke Montrose
Millions of people across the Los Angeles area are being exposed to wildfire smoke as fires burn through homes and vehicles. The fires in January 2025 have burned thousands of structures, along with the building materials,...
Gaza deal: what it means for peace in the Middle East – expert Q&A
By Scott Lucas
After 15 months of bitter conflict on the Gaza Strip, a ceasefire deal has been agreed which promises an end to the fighting and will allow for the access of food and other desperately needed humanitarian aid to the...
Fertile land for growing vegetables is at risk — but a scientific discovery could turn the tide
By Josée Fortin Et Al
A large proportion of the vegetables consumed in Québec are grown in the Montérégie region in what are known as organic soils. Highly fertile and rich in organic matter, these soils are particularly...
US secretary of state has an expansive job that could make or break peace deals and key foreign alliances
By Monica Duffy Toft
U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, Donald Trumps nominee for secretary of state, will testify before the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee as part of his confirmation process on Jan. 15, 2025. Rubios nomination is...
Car dealers took secret fees for recommending finance – and consumers could be owed millions
By Derek Whayman
Decades after tens of millions of consumers were mis-sold payment protection insurance, banks are facing another potential scandal in what has been dubbed PPI 2.0. In a major test case in 2024, the Court of Appeal held...
Justin Trudeau’s resignation creates a progressive void in Canada, part of a long-established cycle
By Noah Eliot Vanderhoeven
Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus resignation will have cascading effects on political leadership in Canada. Trudeaus recent cabinet shakeup, spurred by Finance Minister Chrystia Freelands shock resignation in December,...
Firefighting planes are dumping ocean water on the Los Angeles fires − why using saltwater is typically a last resort
By Patrick Megonigal
Firefighters battling the deadly wildfires that raced through the Los Angeles area in January 2025 have been hampered by a limited supply of freshwater. So, when the winds are calm enough, skilled pilots flying planes...
Future of Russian gas looking bleak as Ukraine turns off taps and Europe eyes ending all imports
By Michael Bradshaw Et Al
Russias contract for the transit of its gas across Ukraine expired on December 31 last year and Kyiv refused to consider a new deal. Ukraines decision was supported by the European Commission, even though the lost imports...
One way Trump could help revive rural America’s economies
By Tim O'Brien Et Al
Picture yourself living the American Dream. You likely have more opportunity than your parents did. Through hard work, smart choices and perhaps some good luck along the way, you have financial stability and a great deal...