Welsh election: why immigration is important to voters in the ‘Nation of Sanctuary’
Kariting Picah/Shutterstock Immigration is receiving much attention in the run-up to the Welsh election. This might seem odd at first because the Welsh parliament (the Senedd) has no power over immigration. It can’t make laws on who enters the country, how asylum claims are handled or who gets citizenship. All of that is controlled by […]
Protecting pollinating insects could improve diets and livelihoods worldwide – new study
Apples are an important source of revenue in Jumla, but their yield depends heavily on insect pollinators Tom Timberlake, CC BY-NC-ND In Nepal’s remote mountain district of Jumla, preparation for a family meal begins long before food reaches the cooking pot. It starts in terraced fields of beans, buckwheat, apples and pumpkins that must be […]
There’s little love for the SNP – so why does the party look set to win in Scotland?
Barring a last-minute surprise, the Holyrood election will probably return the Scottish National Party (SNP) to government for the fifth time in a row. The nationalists have been in office for so long that thousands of Scots who weren’t even born when the party entered office in 2007 are now going to the polls for […]
Election day in the UK: what to look out for – and when we’ll know the results
Voters are casting their ballots in elections to 136 English local authorities, the Scottish Parliament and the Welsh Senedd. For most, it’s the first opportunity to cast a ballot since the 2024 general election. This set of elections is complex, taking place in multiple locations with ballots being counted over several days and across three […]
Normal: this quirky Bob Odenkirk caper is Die Hard meets Fargo
Ulysses, a mild but disillusioned police officer, arrives in icy Minnesota to start an eight-week stint as substitute sheriff in the surprisingly prosperous small town of Normal. The previous sheriff has died in mysterious circumstances. As he recovers from a traumatic episode in his own career, his aim is to serve out his time as […]
The ‘100-day cough’ that adults often miss
MDV Edwards/Shutterstock Whooping cough, medically known as pertussis, is a highly contagious bacterial infection that affects the airways. It gets its common name from the “whoop” sound that some infected children make when they take a deep, gasping breath after a severe coughing fit. The infection is caused by the bacterium bordetella pertussis, with research […]
Introducing The Conversation Climate Poetry Award – for UK-based academics
HappyBall3692/Shutterstock We’re launching a new poetry award to bring science and creativity closer together. Too often, research can stay locked in academic language – but poetry offers a powerful way to make ideas felt, not just understood. This prize is for UK-based researchers who want to explore the climate crisis through a different lens, blending […]
The Conversation UK Climate Poetry Award Terms & Conditions 2026
The Promoter The promoter of this competition is The Conversation Trust (UK), a non-profit company limited by guarantee (number 08158264), with its registered office at Shropshire House (4th Floor), 11-20 Capper Street, London, WC1E 6JA. For queries about this competition, please contact climatepoetry@theconversation.com. 1. How to enter 1.1. The competition will close on September 1 […]
‘Skimpflation’: how the Strait of Hormuz is linked to your lasagne – and other everyday goods
Food magic/Shutterstock The standoff in the Strait of Hormuz has already made fuel and energy noticeably more expensive. But energy prices are only part of the story. While tensions continue between Iran and the US over that vital stretch of water, another, more subtle economic effect could come into play. “Skimpflation” is the name for […]
China has played a key role in the Iran war – and will continue to do so
Donald Trump has paused “Project Freedom”, the US operation aimed at restoring commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. In a post on social media just days after the operation was first announced, Trump said he had made the decision to give US negotiators time to reach an agreement with Iran to end the war. […]