Why some countries give away free electricity and even pay consumers to use it
vfhnb12/Shutterstock In parts of Germany and Australia, a surprising thing is happening more and more often: households are being offered free electricity. This is happening at times of day when there are high levels of energy being generated from solar or wind. It is caused because sometimes more electricity is being produced than people need. […]
Supplements for menopause: here’s what the evidence actually says
All sorts of supplements are marketed online as being able to improve symptoms of the menopause. Pixel-Shot/ Shutterstock Social media is saturated with menopause solutions: powders for brain fog, gummies for sleep or capsules promising hormonal balance. Supplements such as magnesium, lion’s mane, creatine and collagen are being marketed as must-haves for perimenopause and menopause. […]
Chernobyl: the five best things to watch and play to understand the disaster
Can we ever really understand Chernobyl? As a researcher in visual culture, I find myself returning to this question again and again as I examine films, TV shows, documentaries, visual novels and artworks. We know that the explosion occurred on April 26 1986 at 1:23am due to a safety test gone wrong, and that the […]
Why Sweden’s ban on fossil fuel production matters, despite not producing any itself – new research
Greta Thunberg and fellow climate activists demonstrating outside the Swedish parliament in 2019. Liv Oeian/Shutterstock In 2022, Sweden took a rare step: the country banned all fossil fuel production. The quirk is that Sweden has never actually produced any fossil fuels. So why would a country with no fossil fuel production decide to ban such […]
Middle East conflict looks increasingly like a war nobody can win
Let’s begin with a simple question that rarely gets a straight answer: what would victory over Iran actually look like? In Washington and Jerusalem, the answers tend to sound definitive: eliminate Iran’s nuclear capability, break its regional power, perhaps even force political change at the top. It’s the language of decisive war, the kind with […]
Entries now open! The Conversation Prize for writers 2026 – in partnership with Faber and Curtis Brown
We’re delighted to announce that The Conversation Prize for writers is back for another year. This annual competition invites academics and researchers to bring their work to life for a wider audience. It’s an opportunity to turn your research, expertise and insights into a compelling longform story that also has the potential to be developed […]
Chernobyl’s wildlife: the real story isn’t the presence of radiation – it’s the absence of humans
Anton Yuhimenko / shutterstock “Dogs at Chernobyl are now genetically distinct … thanks to years of exposure to ionizing radiation, study finds.” That’s just one of many similar headlines that appeared in response to a scientific study published a few years back. They present a compelling story of radiation, mutation and survival against the odds. […]
The Strait of Hormuz shows how everything is now about leverage
lavizzara//Shutterstock Iran’s military might was never going to be a match for the US and Israel. So instead it turned to the highly effective weapon it has at its disposal – geography. Blocking off the Strait of Hormuz has shaken the global economy. It has doubled the price of a barrel of crude oil, which […]
How Bafta helped elevate the video game to a respected art form worthy of celebration
To receive a nomination at the Bafta Game Awards is to be placed amongst the very best video games developed each year. This year’s ceremony saw 42 games nominated, demonstrating a wide range of gaming excellence. Among the nominees were designers, voice actors and composers, each contributing to the validation of video games as a […]
Mandelson vetting scandal: why Whitehall is the worst of all worlds when it comes to accountability
Keir Starmer’s decision to appoint Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the US keeps coming back to haunt him. It has now emerged that Mandelson was granted security clearance by the Foreign Office, despite concerns raised during the vetting process. Top Foreign Office civil servant Olly Robbins was sacked over these revelations. Mandelson was controversial long […]