The Moana effect: how small island developing states are bringing their struggle against climate change to the world

By Susan Ann Samuel

Walking through the delegation pavilion at the UN climate summit, Cop29, in Baku, Azerbaijan, the Moana blue Pacific pavilion grabbed my attention more than any other. This pavilion is named after the spirited young...

What Davina McCall’s colloid cyst removal can tell us about brain tumours

By Dan Baumgardt

British TV presenter Davina McCall has undergone neurosurgery to remove a colloid cyst a type of benign brain tumour. McCall was diagnosed with the tumour by chance. In an Instagram video posted in November 2024, she...

How a solar Minecraft server is changing the way we play video games

By Bart Simon Et Al

Video games have always been a showcase for new technologies. They help create new audiences and new markets. In the 1990s, computer parts manufacturers advertised the speed of their video cards in terms of the frames they...

Ghana elections: swing voting is on the rise, shaping outcomes – a look at what’s driving this

By John Taden Et Al

Ghanaian elections have become much more challenging for politicians. In the past they have often been characterised as nothing more than an ethnic headcount. But since the 2008 presidential and parliamentary elections,...

Americans face an insurability crisis as climate change worsens disasters – a look at how insurance companies set rates and coverage

By Andrew J. Hoffman

Home insurance rates are rising in the United States, not only in Florida, which saw tens of billions of dollars in losses from hurricanes Helene and Milton, but across the country. According to SP Global Market...

From using plant rinds to high-tech materials, bike helmets have improved significantly over the past 2 centuries

By Jud Ready

Imagine its the mid-1800s, and youre riding your high-wheeled, penny-farthing bicycle down a dusty road. Sure, it may have some bumps, but if you lose your balance, youre landing on a relatively soft dirt road. But as the...

Robo price-fixing: Why the Justice Department is suing a software company to stop landlords colluding on rents

By Roger Alford

Of all the reasons it could be hard to pay rent each month, did you have an algorithm-powered illegal cartel on your list? Millions of people across the United States are paying far more rent than they can reasonably...

Donor-advised funds are drawing a lot of assets besides cash – taking a bigger bite out of tax revenue than other kinds of charitable giving

By Brian Mittendorf

Donor-advised funds, or DAFs, are financial accounts funded by donors to support future charitable work. This kind of giving differs greatly from charitable giving as a whole because its much more likely to involve...

Why school police officers may not be the most effective way to prevent violence

By Monic Behnken

In 1975, only 1% of public schools had their own police officers. Today, 44% do. A large reason for the increase is the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, which led to the creation of the federal...

What is net zero? What is blue carbon? Experts explain key climate terms

By Anna Turns

Jargon is hard to decipher. And when it comes to climate science, its rife. So, weve teamed up with top climate experts to explain the meaning, and the context, of some of the most crucial terminology. The Conversations...

How game theory predicts Trump might not do all that he threatens over Ukraine, Taiwan and Nato

By Paul Whiteley

Donald Trumps victory in the US presidential elections has left many across the world unsure about what he might do in his next term, and whether some of the threats he made about international policy will be followed...

AI feels like an unstoppable force. But it is not a panacea for businesses or society

By Akhil Bhardwaj Et Al

In Greek mythology, Prometheus is credited with giving humans fire as well as the spark that spurred civilisation. One of the unintended consequences of Prometheuss gift was that the need for celestial Gods diminished....

Does immigration really drive up crime? Not according to the evidence

By Paolo Pinotti Et Al

Immigration and crime were once again central themes throughout the US presidential election campaign. The belief that immigration drives up crime is one of the oldest and strongest convictions held by the public,...

How ethical are South Africa’s news media? We studied public complaints to the press council to find out

By Sisanda Nkoala Et Al

The news media in South Africa have a long and dark history of being used to oppress the majority during colonialism and apartheid. In the new context of societal transformation and constitutional democracy since 1994,...

The crypto community sees a powerful new friend in Donald Trump. Here’s why

By Nafis Alam

It can be hard to make sense of the price of bitcoin, which has swung wildly throughout its history. But in the aftermath of Donald Trumps presidential victory in the United States, its reached unprecedented highs. Last...

Prime time for cicadas: what a once-in-1,547-year bug population surge tells us about the nature of reality

By Sam Baron

Its a big year in America for wildlife as well as for politics. Im talking about periodical cicadas. These curious creatures spend most of their lives in the ground, emerging after 13 or 17 years to eat, breed, die and...

New study suggests weight loss drugs like Ozempic could help with knee pain. Here’s why there may be a link

By Giovanni E. Ferreira Et Al

The drug semaglutide, commonly known by the brand names Ozempic or Wegovy, was originally developed to help people with type 2 diabetes manage their blood sugar levels. However, researchers have discovered it may help...

You will soon be able to power your house with your electric car. Here’s how

By Syed M Nawazish Ali

This year, dozens of new models of electric vehicles have hit the Australian market and more are coming. New models of battery electric and plug-in hybrids come with bigger batteries. The average battery electric now has...

Supreme Court hears case on Canada’s prostitution laws

By Debra M Haak

The Supreme Court of Canada is currently hearing arguments about the constitutionality of Canadas prostitution laws. The case, R v. Kloubakov, is the first time Canadas highest court will consider whether Canadas...

What role did music play in Trump and MAGA’s electoral appeal?

By Aidan McGartland

Donald Trump knows the value of music. On November 5, Lee Greenwoods God Bless The U.S.A filled the Palm Beach County Convention Center as the former and incoming president of the United States walked onto the stage to...

Why the metaverse isn’t ready to be the future of work just yet

By Victoria (Vicky) McArthur Et Al

The COVID-19 pandemic radically changed how many Canadians work. According to Statistics Canada, remote work rose to 40 per cent in April 2020 and fell to 18.7 per cent as of May 2024. While telework allows employees to...

US election pollsters were actually a lot closer than people think – John Curtice

By John Curtice

Polling of the US election has been widely criticised following the outcome of last Tuesdays ballot. For weeks in the run-up to polling day the polls were widely reported as saying that the result was too close to call....

The Trump presidency could hammer global growth – here’s what the UK could do

By Stephen Barber

Donald Trumps victory in the US presidential election has brought big questions about what it means for Nato, Ukraine, the Middle East and, of course, global trade. Faced with the threat of protectionism, and outside the...

A new plan aims to fix the UK’s ‘broken’ food system –but here’s what the strategy overlooks

By David Benton

Two-thirds of the UK population are either overweight or obese a crisis that costs billions each year in healthcare and lost productivity. Yet, in a 2021 review of nearly 700 obesity-related policies in England,...

Dyslexia can actually be an advantage for university researchers

By Dr Edward Ademolu

Many people may think of dyslexia as a reading difficulty, or the occasional embarrassing mix-up of letters. For years, I thought that too. But as a dyslexic academic who has spent much of my life wrangling with academic...

Tech firms like to make cancelling subscriptions infuriatingly hard – but regulators are starting to crack down

By Richard Whittle Et Al

Imagine your favourite author has a new book coming out, and your local bookshop is offering to deliver it to you for free on publication day. All you have to do in return is sign up to their new reading club. This...

Israel: Yoav Gallant’s sacking could have devastating consequences both for Palestinians and Israelis

By John Strawson

When Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu sacked his defence minister, Yoav Gallant, on November 5, he was settling accounts with the only well-qualified and experienced member of his cabinet. The war is still...

3 reasons why a Trump White House might not be a disaster for Ukraine − in fact, it might tighten the screws on Russia

By Tatsiana Kulakevich

Among the first world leaders to speak with Donald Trump following his election victory on Nov. 5, 2024 was Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Congratulating the U.S. president-elect, Zelenskyy expressed confidence...

10 privacy violations in the federal government’s proposed changes to the Canada Elections Act

By Sara Bannerman

Bill C-65, currently before Parliament, would make changes to the Canada Elections Act. According to the Liberal government, it aims to engage more people and increase the confidence of Canadians in elections. But by...

Trump tariffs: What the president-elect’s rhetoric tells us about how Canada could be affected — again

By Vivek Astvansh

Donald Trump is known for his often outlandish rhetoric. The president-elect of the United States regularly makes public statements that are exaggerations, or vows to take action but fails to do so, which is not...

Canada’s immigration strategy: How reduced targets can preserve positive attitudes

By Victoria Esses Et Al

The Government of Canada recently announced plans to lower immigration targets for the next three years. The new targets are 395,000 new permanent residents for 2025, 380,000 for 2026, and 365,000 for 2027. This is a...

Authoritarian fossil fuel states keep hosting climate conferences – how do these regimes operate and what do they want?

By Ellie Martus Et Al

For the third year in a row, the United Nations Climate Change Conference will be hosted by an authoritarian state that sells fossil fuels. This week the 29th conference of the parties, COP29, is being held in Baku,...

The ‘Lost Boys’ of Gen Z: how Trump won the hearts of alienated young men

By Kate Scott

Generation Z was supposed to be a vanguard of progressive politics more queer, ethnically diverse and environmentally conscious than previous generations. Spurred on by climate protests, racial equality campaigns and...

Meta now allows military agencies to access its AI software. It poses a moral dilemma for everybody who uses it

By Zena Assaad

Meta will make its generative artificial intelligence (AI) models available to the United States government, the tech giant has announced, in a controversial move that raises a moral dilemma for everyone who uses the...

Child sexual abuse by women is on the rise. We don’t have the support services to cope

By Larissa Christensen Et Al

Sexual offending perpetrated by females is probably much more common than people think. In Australia, we have seen an almost 208% increase in the number of women in the criminal justice system for sexual offences from...

Beyond Ukraine and Gaza: five consequences of overlooking other conflicts

By Patricia Justino Et Al

The years since 2020 have been one of the most violent periods since the end of the second world war. The war in Ukraine and the escalating violence in the Middle East have dominated global headlines and captured the...

Trump voters said they were angry about the economy – many of them had a point

By Don Leonard

Inflation has slowed down, and real incomes typical wages adjusted for inflation have bounced back to levels last seen before the COVID-19 pandemic. Democrats campaigned in 2024 on the overall strength of the economy....

Why does everything look flat even though the Earth is round?

By Kelly R. MacGregor

Ever since the ancient Greeks first made observations of the circular Moon and the skies, scientists have known that the Earth is a sphere. Weve all seen beautiful images of the Earth from space, some photographed by...

Restricting cars in cities: a cost-benefit analysis of Low Emission Zones

By Ricard Gil

Faced with unmanageable traffic and health-threatening air quality, hundreds of cities across Europe are adopting measures to reduce the number of vehicles clogging their streets, with the aim of lowering air pollution...

Jobs of the future: South Africa has major gaps in skills needed to shape the green economy

By Sean Kruger

Globally, theres a shortage of people with the expertise and skills needed to drive the transition towards a green economy known as green talent. The pool of green talent needs to be doubled by 2050 if the world is to...

Most businesses won’t pay more national insurance. But the UK’s small employers still need support

By Jagannadha Pawan Tamvada

There are nearly 5.5 million businesses in the UK. It may come as a surprise, however, to learn that most of these (about 4.1 million) are not employers. They might be, for example, the sole traders we call to fix our...

Fitness apps can reveal your location – updated laws would help plug this hole in our personal security

By Pin Lean Lau

Fitness apps have revolutionised the way we approach health and exercise. They provide users with the ability to track their workouts, monitor their progress towards fitness goals and share achievements with a like-minded...

The election is over − but what is a ‘lame duck’ anyway?

By Jordan Cash

The 2024 election has finally ended. What happens now? Theres a 2½-month period between Election Day and Inauguration Day. Its commonly known as the lame-duck period, when the outgoing president still holds...

What do people think about smartglasses? New research reveals a complicated picture

By Fareed Kaviani Et Al

Smartglasses, a type of wearable device, have evolved rapidly since the pioneering yet ill-fated Google Glass received social backlash in 2013. Early adopters were nicknamed Glassholes, and the product never reached...

Pending updates to Canada’s Copyright Act bring consumers closer to the ‘right to repair’ your devices

By Anthony D Rosborough

On Oct. 31, the Senate completed its third reading of two bills that make enormous progress toward establishing a meaningful right to repair in Canada. Bills C-244 and C-294 are complementary private members bills that...

How Trump won Pennsylvania − and what the numbers from key counties show about the future of a pivotal swing state

By Daniel J. Mallinson

Pennsylvania was for months considered the key swing state that would decide the 2024 election. Candidates, political parties and advocacy groups spent over US$1 billion courting the commonwealths small number of...

World Update: Trump’s global shockwaves

By Rachael Jolley

The world was definitely watching as the US went to the polls on Tuesday. Many people turned to YouTube to view the latest figures as states turned in their votes, where an apparent 84 million hours of presidential...

UK interest rates cut – here’s the outlook for property owners and home buyers after the budget

By Alper Kara

The main thrusts of the UK governments budget in October 2024 was more borrowing, more tax and more spending. And within those broad goals lie substantial implications for the housing market. One of the immediate...

Why China is worried about a second Trump presidency

By Chee Meng Tan

Donald Trump will return to the White House having set out his foreign policy approach for the next four years. US voters have chosen a leader who adheres to an America first principle, where US interests come first,...

Electric vehicles in Africa: what’s needed to grow the sector

By MJ (Thinus) Booysen Et Al

In sub-Saharan Africa, high levels of particulate matter (PM2.5) pollution from vehicle tailpipe emissions cause poor health, developmental stunting, and even death. Vehicle emissions also contribute to global...