The Conversation Weekly

The Conversation

A show for curious minds, from The Conversation. Each week, host Gemma Ware speaks to an academic expert about a topic in the news to understand how we got here.

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288 episodes
Updated Thursday

Episodes288

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Dec 8, 2022 · 35 min
Changing a nation's diet
How do you get a country to change its national diet? That’s what China has been trying by introducing potato as a staple as part of an effort to improve food security. In this episode, we talk to three experts about why countries need to shift what their citizens eat, and what the optimum diet for our planet might be. Featuring Xiaobo Xue Romeiko, assistant professor of Environmental Health Sciences at University at Albany, State University of New York in the US, Paul Behrens, associate professor of energy and environmental change at Leiden University in The Netherlands and Marco Springmann, professor of climate change food systems and health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in the UK, and a senior researcher at the University of Oxford. This episode was produced by Mend Mariwany and Katie Flood with sound design by Eloise Stevens. It was written by Mend Mariwany and Gemma Ware is the show's executive producer. Our theme music is by Neeta Sarl. Full credits for this episode are available here. Sign up here for a free daily newsletter from The Conversation. Further reading: Our food system is at risk of crossing ‘environmental limits’ – here’s how to ease the pressure War in Ukraine is pushing global acute hunger to the highest level in this century Offering more plant-based choices on menus can speed up diet change
Dec 5, 2022 · 19 min
Discovery: how celebrity footballers can help reduce prejudice against minorities
In the latest episode of Discovery, an ongoing series where we explore the stories behind new research discoveries from around the world, we hear about how a Muslim celebrity footballer helped reduce Islamophobia. In this episode, Salma Mousa, assistant professor of political science at Yale University in the US, explains how she found a "Mo Salah effect" and why she's now testing how durable it is. This episode was produced and written by Gemma Ware, with sound design by Eloise Stevens. Our other producers are Mend Mariwany and Katie Flood. Our theme music is by Neeta Sarl. More episodes of our Discovery series will be published via The Conversation Weekly every couple of weeks. Further reading and listening: How to depolarise deeply divided societies – podcast Brazil’s iconic football shirt was a symbol of Bolsonaro – here’s how the World Cup is changing that
Dec 1, 2022 · 38 min
Young people’s shifting relationship with alcohol
The amount of alcohol young people drink in many high-income countries has seen a marked decline since the early 2000s. But in many developing countries, the opposite is happening. In this episode we talk to three experts studying trends in youth drinking to find out why and explore the questions this raises about the way young people see themselves and their place in the world. Featuring Amy Pennay, research fellow at La Trobe University in Australia, Jonas Raninen, a researcher at the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden and Emeka Dumbili a lecturer at Nnamdi Azikiwe University in Nigeria. This episode was produced by Katie Flood, Dan Merino and Mend Mariwany. It was written by Katie Flood and Dan Merino. The executive producer is Gemma Ware. Eloise Stevens does our sound design and our theme music is by Neeta Sarl. Full credits for this episode are available here. A transcript will be available soon. Sign up here for a free daily newsletter from The Conversation. Further reading: Why are young people drinking less than their parents’ generation did? Some young Nigerians say heavy drinking is fun: controls must keep pace with culture Should I give my teen alcohol? Just a sip, the whole can, or none at all?
Nov 24, 2022 · 38 min
Treating mental illness with electricity
Mental illnesses like obsessive compulsive disorder, depression and addiction are notoriously hard to treat and often don't respond to drugs. But a new wave of treatments that stimulate the brain with electricity are showing promise on patients and in clinical trials. We talk to three experts and one patient about the history of treating mental illness, how new technology and deeper understanding of the brain are leading to better treatments and where the neuroscience of mental illness is headed next. Featuring Rachel A. Davis, a psychiatrist and researcher at University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus in the US and her patient Moksha Patel, a physician and professor at the University of Colorado who has severe obsessive compulsive disorder. We also hear from Joseph J. Fins, a neuroethicist and professor of medicine at Wei Cornell Medical College, part of Cornell University in the US and Jacinta O'Shea, a neuroscientist and associate professor at the University of Oxford. This episode was produced by Katie Flood, Dan Merino and Mend Mariwany. It was written by Katie Flood and Dan Merino. The executive producer is Gemma Ware. Eloise Stevens does our sound design and our theme music is by Neeta Sarl. Full credits for this episode are available here. A transcript will be available soon. Sign up here for a free daily newsletter from The Conversation. Further reading: Deep brain stimulation can be life-altering for OCD sufferers when other treatment options fall short Patients suffering with hard-to-treat depression may get relief from noninvasive magnetic brain stimulation Brain stimulation can rewire and heal damaged neural connections, but it isn’t clear how – research suggests personalization may be key to more effective therapies
Nov 19, 2022 · 27 min
Uncharted Brain 3: the role viruses may play in Alzheimer’s
There are many competing theories about what causes Alzheimer's disease. For more than 30 years, Ruth Itzhaki has been accumulating evidence that viruses are involved in its development in the brain. We investigate in the In the third and final part of Uncharted Brain: Decoding Dementia. Featuring Ruth Itzhaki, professor emeritus of molecular neurobiology at the University of Manchester in the UK, Dana Cairns, a postdoctoral research fellow at Tufts University in the US and Davangere P. Devanand, director of geriatric psychiatry and professor of psychiatry and neurology, Columbia University Medical Center in the US. The series is hosted by Paul Keaveny and Gemma Ware and was initially published via The Anthill podcast from the team at The Conversation in the UK. Uncharted Brain was produced by Tiffany Cassidy with sound design by Eloise Stevens. The executive producer is Gemma Ware. The Conversation Weekly theme music is by Neeta Sarl. Further reading: My work investigating the links between viruses and Alzheimer’s disease was dismissed for years – but now the evidence is building We’ve been studying the same people for 76 years – this is what we’ve found out about Alzheimer’s disease Alzheimer’s disease: surprising new theory about what might cause it
Nov 18, 2022 · 25 min
Uncharted Brain 2: the family trauma of dementia from sports injuries
In the second of a three-part series, Uncharted Brain: Decoding Dementia, we explore chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a form of dementia that athletes from a whole range of sports can develop. We hear about the toll it can take on family members, who are often unaware of what’s happening to their loved ones. Featuring Matthew Smith, a senior lecturer in sport and exercise psychology at the University of Winchester in the UK and Lisa McHale, director of family relations at the Concussion Legacy Foundation. The series is hosted by Paul Keaveny and Gemma Ware and was initially published via The Anthill podcast from the team at The Conversation in the UK. Uncharted Brain was produced by Tiffany Cassidy with sound design by Eloise Stevens. The executive producer is Gemma Ware. The Conversation Weekly theme music is by Neeta Sarl. Further reading: Sport-induced traumatic brain injury: families reveal the ‘hell’ of living with the condition The risk of concussion lurks at the Super Bowl – and in all other sports Tackling in children’s rugby must be banned to curb dementia risks
Nov 17, 2022 · 29 min
Uncharted Brain 1: a lifelong study unlocks clues to Alzheimer’s
This week we're running a three-part series called Uncharted Brain: Decoding Dementia exploring new research searching for answers to how dementia works in the brain and the damage it leaves behind. The series is hosted by Paul Keaveny and Gemma Ware and was initially published via The Anthill podcast from the team at The Conversation in the UK. In the first episode, we explore how a study which began just after the end of the second world war is revealing new insights into the risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease. Featuring Marcus Richards, professor of psychology in epidemiology and Jonathan Schott, professor of neurology, both at UCL in the UK and David Ward, one of the cohort study participants. Uncharted Brain was produced by Tiffany Cassidy with sound design by Eloise Stevens. The executive producer is Gemma Ware. The Conversation Weekly theme music is by Neeta Sarl. Further reading: We’ve been studying the same people for 76 years – this is what we’ve found out about Alzheimer’s disease Alzheimer’s disease: surprising new theory about what might cause it New Alzheimer’s drug slows cognitive decline – and may be available as early as next year
Nov 10, 2022 · 33 min
Africa's stolen objects: what happens after they return
Momentum is growing for objects stolen during the colonial era that are now held in museums in Europe and North America to be returned to the places and communities that they were taken from. We talk to three experts about what happens to these objects once they're returned and the questions their restitution is raising about the relationship between communities and museums in Africa. Featuring John Kelechi Ugwuanyi, senior lecturer in archaeology and tourism at the University of Nigeria in Nsukka, Farai Chabata, visiting lecturer in heritage studies at the University of Zimbabwe and senior curator of ethnography for the National Museums and Monuments of Zimbabwe and Aribiah David Attoe, lecturer in philosophy at the University of Witwatersrand. This episode was produced by Mend Mariwany and Katie Flood. The executive producer is Gemma Ware. Eloise Stevens does our sound design and our theme music is by Neeta Sarl. Full credits for this episode are available here. A transcript will be available soon. Sign up here for a free daily newsletter from The Conversation. Further reading Germany is returning Nigeria’s looted Benin Bronzes: why it’s not nearly enough 3D printing is helping museums in repatriation and decolonisation efforts ‘Restitution’ of looted African art just continues colonial policies - much more is at stake
Nov 3, 2022 · 39 min
How to depolarize deeply divided societies
From the US, to Brazil, to India, deepening political polarisation is used as a frame through which to see a lot of 21st century politics. But what can actually be done to depolarise deeply divided societies, particularly democracies? In this episode we speak to a political scientist and a philosopher trying to find answers to that question. Featuring Jennifer Lynn McCoy, professor of political science at Georgia State University in the US and Robert B. Talisse, professor of philosophy at Vanderbilt University in the US. This episode was produced by Mend Mariwany and Katie Flood. The executive producer is Gemma Ware. Eloise Stevens does our sound design and our theme music is by Neeta Sarl. Full credits for this episode are available here. Read a transcript of this episode. Sign up here for a free daily newsletter from The Conversation. Further reading and listening: Democratic and Republican voters both love civility – but the bipartisan appeal is partly because nobody can agree on what civility is Extreme political polarization weakens democracy – can the US avoid that fate? Brazil election: what I saw on the streets made me cautiously optimistic
Oct 31, 2022 · 16 min
Discovery: celibacy's surprising evolutionary advantages
Welcome to the first episode of Discovery, a new series via The Conversation Weekly where we hear the stories behind new research discoveries from around the world. In this episode, Ruth Mace, professor of anthropology at University College London in the UK, explains how her research with the families of Tibetan monks in China suggests celibacy might have some surprising evolutionary advantages. This episode was produced by Mend Mariwany, with sound design by Eloise Stevens. The executive producer was Gemma Ware. Our theme music is by Neeta Sarl. More episodes of our Discovery series will be published via The Conversation Weekly every couple of weeks. Further reading: Celibacy: its surprising evolutionary advantages – new research
Oct 27, 2022 · 40 min
Radiation, pollution and urbanization are taking over natural selection
Humans do a lot of different things to the environment, and there aren’t many natural processes that can rival the scale of changes brought on by human activity. In this episode, we speak to three experts who study different ways that human action – from radiation to pollution to urbanization – is affecting how plants and animals evolve, and how humanity has become the single biggest driver of evolutionary changes on Earth. Featuring Germán Orizaola, a biologist at the University of Oviedo in Spain, Andrew Whitehead, a professor of environmental toxicology at University of California, Davis in the US and Marc Johnson, a professor of biology at the University of Toronto in Canada. This episode was produced by Mend Mariwany and Daniel Merino and the executive producer is Gemma Ware. Eloise Stevens does our sound design and our theme music is by Neeta Sarl. Full credits for this episode are available here. A transcript will be available soon. Sign up here for a free daily newsletter from The Conversation. Further reading and listening: Chernobyl black frogs reveal evolution in action Russian capture of Ukraine’s Chornobyl nuclear plant threatens future research on radioactivity and wildlife To avoid humans, more wildlife now work the night shift
Oct 20, 2022 · 40 min
When digital nomads come to town
Digital nomads who work as they travel are often attracted by a life of freedom far removed from the daily office grind. Many head to cities that have become known hotspots for remote workers. In this episode, we find out what impact digital nomads have on these cities and the people who live there, and how governments are responding to the phenomenon. Featuring Dave Cook, PhD candidate in anthropology at UCL in the UK, Adrián Hernández Cordero, head of sociology at Metropolitan Autonomous University in Mexico and Fabiola Mancinelli, assistant professor of anthropology at the University of Barcelona in Spain. This episode was produced by Mend Mariwany, with sound design by Eloise Stevens. Gemma Ware is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Neeta Sarl. Full credits for this episode are available here. Read a transcript of this episode. Sign up here for a free daily newsletter from The Conversation. Further reading and listening: As countries ranging from Indonesia to Mexico aim to attract digital nomads, locals say ‘not so fast’ Digital nomads have rejected the office and now want to replace the nation state. But there is a darker side to this quest for global freedom The great remote work experiment – what happens next? Podcast
Oct 13, 2022 · 35 min
Inside Brazil’s divisive gun debate
Soon after Jair Bolsonaro’s election as president of Brazil in 2018, he began making it a lot easier for people in the country to buy guns. In this episode, we speak to two experts about Brazil’s boom in private gun ownership and why it’s exacerbating fears about political violence ahead of a run-off presidential election on October 30. Featuring Erika Robb Larkins, associate professor of anthropology and director of the Behner Stiefel Center for Brazilian Studies at San Diego State University in the US and Juliano Cortinhas, professor of international relations at the University of Brasilia in Brazil. This episode was produced by Gemma Ware and Mend Mariwany, with sound design by Eloise Stevens. Gemma Ware is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Neeta Sarl. Full credits for this episode are available here. Read a transcript of this episode. Sign up here for a free daily newsletter from The Conversation. Further reading and listening: Brazil: inside Jair Bolsonaro’s militarised democracy – podcast Bolsonaro’s first-round election bounce back reminds us why populist leaders are so popular Another stress test for democracy: The imminent election crisis in Brazil Brazil election: how the political violence of the country’s history has re-emerged
Oct 6, 2022 · 41 min
Secretive lawsuits by fossil fuel companies could hold back climate action
A new barrier to climate action is opening up in an obscure and secretive part of international trade law which fossil fuel investors are using to sue countries if policy decisions go against them. We speak to experts about the investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) mechanism and how it works. Many are worried that these clauses in international trade deals could jeopardise global efforts to save the climate – costing countries billions of dollars in the process. Featuring Kyla Tienhaara, Canada research chair in economy and environment at Queen's University, Ontario in Canada, Emilia Onyema, reader in international commercial Law at SOAS, University of London in the UK, Lea Di Salvatore, PhD researcher at the University of Nottingham in the UK and Maria-Rita D'Orsogna, anti-oil activist and professor of mathematics at California State University, Northridge in the US. This episode was produced by Gemma Ware and Mend Mariwany, with sound design by Eloise Stevens. Gemma Ware is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Neeta Sarl. Full credits for this episode are available here. A transcript is also available. Sign up here for a free daily newsletter from The Conversation. Further reading: How treaties protecting fossil fuel investors could jeopardize global efforts to save the climate – and cost countries billions Energy charter treaty makes climate action nearly illegal in 52 countries – so how can we leave it? British investors could sue Australia over climate action if UK joins trans-Pacific trade pact
Sep 29, 2022 · 33 min
Psychedelic research: balancing trippyness with a new scientific rigor
As research into psychedelics and their medical uses makes a comeback, scientists are having to deal with the legacy – both scientific and social – of a 40-year near total freeze on psychedelic research. In this episode, we speak with three experts about the early rise and fall of psychedelics in western science and culture, how the mystical and often vague language of the 60s and 70s still pervades research today and what it’s like to actually run clinical trials using psilocybin. Featuring Robin Carhart-Harris at the University of California, San Francisco in the US; Wayne Hall, at the University of Queensland in Australia; and Josjan Zijlmans at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam in the Netherlands. This episode was produced by Mend Mariwany, with sound design by Eloise Stevens. Gemma Ware is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Neeta Sarl. Full credits for this episode are available here. A transcript is also available. Sign up here for a free daily newsletter from The Conversation. Further reading: Psychedelic drugs: how to tell good research from bad AI maps psychedelic ‘trip’ experiences to regions of the brain – opening new route to psychiatric treatments Psychedelics: how they act on the brain to relieve depression
Sep 22, 2022 · 38 min
Thwaites Glacier: the melting, Antarctic monster of sea level rise
The Thwaites Glacier in Antarctica is one of many bodies of ice that are melting, but this massive glacier is uniquely important when it comes to sea level rise. In this episode we talk to three experts studying the glacier in Antarctica to find out what's happening and why it's so significant. Featuring Yixi Zheng, a PhD candidate in Oceanography at the University of East Anglia in the UK, Ted Scambos, a senior research scientist at the University of Colorado Boulder and Paul Holland, an ocean and ice scientist at the British Antarctic Survey. This episode was produced by Mend Mariwany, with sound design by Eloise Stevens. Gemma Ware is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Neeta Sarl. Full credits for this episode are available here. A transcript is also available. Sign up here for a free daily newsletter from The Conversation. Further reading: Ice world: Antarctica’s riskiest glacier is under assault from below and losing its grip Antarctica’s ‘doomsday’ glacier: how its collapse could trigger global floods and swallow islands Ice shelves hold back Antarctica’s glaciers from adding to sea levels – but they’re crumbling
Sep 15, 2022 · 33 min
Keeping buildings cool as it gets hotter
For thousands of years, people living in parts of the world used to high temperatures have deployed traditional passive cooling techniques in the way they design their buildings. But "modern" styles of architecture using concrete and glass often usurped local building techniques better suited to hotter climates. In this episode, we explore why that happened, and how some architects are championing traditional techniques to help keep buildings cool. Featuring Anthony Ogbuokiri, senior lecturer in architectural design at Nottingham Trent University in the UK, Vyta Pivo, assistant professor of architecture at the University of Michigan in the US and Susan Abed Hassan, professor of architectural engineering at Al-Nahrain University in Baghdad, Iraq. This episode was produced by Mend Mariwany, with sound design by Eloise Stevens. Gemma Ware is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Neeta Sarl. Full credits for this episode are available here. A transcript is available here. Sign up here for a free daily newsletter from The Conversation. Further reading: Cities like Lagos need building designs that don’t just copy global styles Tiny algae could help fix concrete’s dirty little climate secret – 4 innovative ways to clean up this notoriously hard to decarbonize industry How to keep buildings cool without air conditioning – according to an expert in sustainable design
Jul 27, 2022 · 35 min
The cold war double agent abandoned by the spy agencies he risked his life for
M was a double agent during the cold war, working on the side of the west. But when the Iron Curtain fell, he felt abandoned by the secret services he risked his life for. M's story is told by Eleni Braat, associate professor of international history at Utrecht University and Ben de Jong, research fellow at Leiden University. They've been interviewing him in depth for their research on what happens to spies when their secret service days come to an end. This episode of The Conversation Weekly was produced by Gemma Ware and Mend Mariwany. Sound design is by Eloise Stevens and our theme music is by Neeta Sarl. Full credits for this episode are available here. Further reading: John Le Carré: authentic spy fiction that wrote the wrongs of post-war British intelligence How ordinary people are convinced to become spies Revealed: the panic that followed the defection of the Cambridge spies
Jun 16, 2022 · 23 min
What did dinosaurs actually look like?
As the latest Jurassic World Dominion film hits cinemas, we’re re-running a story originally aired in 2021 about what dinosaurs really looked liked – and how scientists' understanding of their appearance keeps evolving. Featuring Maria McNamara, professor of palaeobiology at University College Cork in Ireland and Nicolas Campione, senior lecturer in paleaobiology at the University of New England in Australia. The Conversation Weekly is produced by Mend Mariwany and Gemma Ware. Sound design is by Eloise Stevens and our theme music is by Neeta Sarl. Full credits for this episode available here. Read a transcript of the original version of this story. Further reading: Jurassic World Dominion: a palaeontologist on what the film gets wrong about dinosaurs Dinosaur embryo discovery: rare fossil suggests dinosaurs had similar pre-hatching posture to modern birds Nocturnal dinosaurs: Night vision and superb hearing in a small theropod suggest it was a moonlight predator The discovery of two giant dinosaur species solves the mystery of missing apex predators in North America and Asia
Jun 1, 2022 · 52 sec
A brief update
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