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The Conversation

theconversation.com

Academic explainers written by working researchers for general audiences. Topical news angles, but the depth comes from the writer's actual expertise.

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The Conversation

Inflation is slowing, but the cost of living story is more complicated

Lower inflation does not mean prices will return to where they were before. Inflation measures the average change in prices over time, not which specific prices are rising or falling.

Colin Mang, Assistant Professor of Economics, McMaster UniversityAug 5, 2026
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The Conversation

Once-weekly HIV pill as effective as daily dose, research shows

A weekly oral pill would give people living with HIV greater treatment choice.

Chloe Orkin, Professor of Infection and Inequities, Centre for Immunobiology, Blizard Institute, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of LondonAug 5, 2026
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The Conversation

Indigenous communities aren’t rejecting tourism – they just want to shape it themselves

Tourism that seeks to engage with indigenous communities often masks the enduring historical struggle of who gets to decide what a place is and who benefits from it.

Teea Palo, Senior Lecturer in Marketing, Business School, University of EdinburghAug 5, 2026
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The Conversation

Why AI wants you to buy more – and mindfulness could help you buy less

As AI makes advertising more personal and persuasive, mindful shopping habits could help consumers stay in control.

Sharad Gupta, Senior Lecturer in Marketing, Cardiff Metropolitan UniversityAug 5, 2026
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The Conversation

Disabled people face greater climate change risks – and they can also help NZ adapt

New research shows disabled people remain overlooked in climate policy, despite lived experience that could help build more resilient communities.

Raven Cretney, Senior Lecturer, Department of Tourism, Sport and Society, Lincoln University, New ZealandAug 5, 2026
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The Conversation

Omar Musa’s Miles Franklin win rewards epic, ambitious Australian writing with a global scope

Fierceland, the energetic, adventurous winner of this year’s Miles Franklin, asks what it means to inherit a world already being dismantled.

Alexander Howard, Senior Lecturer, Discipline of English and Writing, University of SydneyAug 5, 2026
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The Conversation

Butterflies are on the move as the planet warms: new research

Conservation cannot only protect habitats where species once lived – it must include the places where they will relocate in a warming world.

Jonathan Lenoir, Senior Researcher in Ecology & Biostatistics (CNRS), Université de Picardie Jules Verne (UPJV)Aug 5, 2026
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The Conversation

What BTS’ Grammy boycott tells us about the problem with ‘Asian pop’ as a label

BTS expressed a wish that ‘music can be heard and loved for what it is, rather than being divided by region or language’.

Dorothy Finan, Lecturer in Cultural Industries, University of LeedsAug 5, 2026
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The Conversation

In Love Me Tender, a mother’s fight for her child reveals how queerness is still policed

This powerful custody drama questions how society judges queer mothers.

Christina Wilkins, Lecturer in Film and Creative Writing, University of BirminghamAug 5, 2026
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The Conversation

Your bedroom could be the unhealthiest room in your home

You spend eight hours a night in the one room nobody ventilates. That’s bad for your sleep, and ideal for mould.

Lala Rukh, PhD Candidate, Energy, University of Galway; Atlantic Technological UniversityAug 5, 2026
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The Conversation

How trains can transform Persian Gulf politics and global security

Once completed, the 2,177-kilometer GCC Railway will connect six Gulf kingdoms and provide alternative routes to Europe and Asia.

Firmesk Rahim, PhD Student, UMass BostonAug 5, 2026
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The Conversation

What critics of college athletes making money get wrong about name, image and likeness policies

Since college athletes were allowed to sign branding deals in 2021, the debate has continued over whether letting students make money off their names is a good thing.

Brennan Berg, Professor of Sport Management, University of MississippiAug 5, 2026
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The Conversation

Boulder is opening homes to Sundance visitors through a new license – who stands to benefit?

The new Festival Lodging Rental License allows properties to be rented out for a maximum of 29 days per year.

Tim Komarek, Associate Professor of Economics, Colorado State UniversityAug 5, 2026
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The Conversation

Philadelphia’s failing air quality hits hardest in neighborhoods near industry and highways, where asthma rates soar

Greater Philadelphia earned failing air quality grades. A new study finds higher asthma rates near industry and major roads, especially where green space is scarce.

Sean Olcese, Graduate Research Fellow, Rowan UniversityAug 5, 2026
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The Conversation

SpaceX aims to use rockets to quickly transport cargo across the Earth and into orbit – moves that would expand the global cargo system

Point-to-point rocket delivery could cut down on transportation times. But engineers will need to figure out how to integrate rockets into current transportation systems.

Koki Ho, Associate Professor of Aerospace Engineering, Georgia Institute of TechnologyAug 5, 2026
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The Conversation

Wounaan Indigenous people have opposed illegal rosewood logging and centuries of exploitation with wisdom and beauty

We highlight ways to celebrate Wounaan wisdom, joy, beauty and resistance while discussing centuries of taking from Indigenous communities.

Doris Cheucarama Membache, Member of Wounaan Podpa Nʌm Pömaam (Wounaan National Congress), Indigenous KnowledgeAug 5, 2026
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The Conversation

Climate change may be making us lonelier: How heat waves and extreme weather disrupt social connections everyone relies on

On extremely hot days and in the aftermath of storms, people tend to hole up inside. Losing festivals, traditions and gathering places can worsen that loneliness.

Fiona Doherty, Assistant Professor of Social Work, University of TennesseeAug 5, 2026
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The Conversation

White parents who tell their kids that race doesn’t matter are ignoring the long shadow of racism

18-year old Nolan Wells’ death in Mississippi has raised again the importance of ‘the talk’ that Black parents have with their children. But what do white parents tell their kids about race?

James M. Thomas, Professor of Sociology, University of MississippiAug 5, 2026
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The Conversation

Why being born helpless may be one of humanity’s greatest strengths

Human infant helplessness is not a weakness to be outgrown. It is an evolved trait that may be central to our ability to care for others.

Stuart I. Hammond, Full Professor in Developmental Psychology, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of OttawaAug 5, 2026
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The Conversation

Europe’s stone age hunters made sea voyages to Malta – thousands of years before evidence of sails

People reached the Mediterranean island at least 8,500 years ago.

Eleanor Scerri, Independent Group Leader, Max Planck Institute of GeoanthropologyAug 5, 2026
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The Conversation

Children and adults cope with extreme heat differently, but are kids really at greater risk?

Although children sweat less than adults, they are able to regulate body heat in other ways.

Toby Mündel, Professor in Kinesiology, Canada Research Chair in Extreme Human Environments, Brock UniversityAug 5, 2026
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The Conversation

Monkeys keep pets too - animal specialist on the world of interspecies friendship

It’s not just humans who enjoy interacting with other animal species.

Cyril Grueter, Adjunct Associate Professor, The University of Western Australia; University of OxfordAug 5, 2026
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The Conversation

Smart clothes will soon be on sale. But regulations are needed to prevent a new waste mountain

Clever clothing that can sense health issues are not far off, but they could prove hard to recycle or reuse.

Stephen Beeby, Royal Academy of Engineering Chair in Emerging Technologies, University of SouthamptonAug 5, 2026
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The Conversation

Edinburgh festival: how the city’s residents could benefit after the crowds leave

Every year the festival attracts thousands of people to Scotland’s capital, but is the city able to harness this and improve it as a place to live?

Veselina Stoyanova, Associate Professor in Strategy & International Management, University of BirminghamAug 5, 2026
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The Conversation

‘They walk among us.’ The White House’s Aliens page and the dehumanisation of undocumented migrants

The White House’s controversial Aliens.gov portal dehumanises undocumented non-US citizens by blurring the boundaries between the term “illegal aliens”, or unauthorised residents, and extraterrestrials.

Fatima-Zahra Aklalouch, Doctor in English Linguistics specialized in Political Discourse Analysis, Université Paris CitéAug 5, 2026
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The Conversation

India and Pakistan’s 79-year rivalry has made the dangerous move into space

India and Pakistan fought a war in 2025 that was wholly dependent on space technology.

Muhammad Waqas Haider, PhD candidate in International Relations, Lancaster UniversityAug 5, 2026
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The Conversation

Ceuta and Melilla: how the colonial legacies of these cities have shaped migration in the region

These cities occasionally sparks intense debates on undocumented migration to Spain, and hence to the EU.

Parvati Nair, Professor of Hispanic, Cultural and Migration Studies, Queen Mary University of LondonAug 5, 2026
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The Conversation

Math gaps between Ontario kids start in kindergarten — and often persist through Grade 9

Math achievement gaps begin in kindergarten and persist through Grade 9, highlighting the importance of investing in children’s early development.

Scott Davies, Professor, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of TorontoAug 5, 2026
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The Conversation

Is hemp a thirsty crop? New research measures just how much water cannabis farming can use

Researchers have used drones and ground sensors to get the first ever measurements of exactly how much water hemp crops consume.

Sukhmani Mantel, Associate Professor at the ARUA Water Centre of Excellence Academic Manager, Institute for Water Research, Rhodes UniversityAug 5, 2026
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The Conversation

Burundi refugees talk about life in South Africa after their long journey: hope and heartbreak side by side

There’s more to being a refugee than crossing a border.

Maheshvari Naidu, Full Professor in Anthropology, University of KwaZulu-NatalAug 5, 2026