Rhino horn: why South Africa wants to revive the international trade, and why critics fear the consequences
Jason Gilchrist South Africa wants to expand exports of rhino hunting trophies and other wildlife products. The move relies on an exemption process within the international treaty that has largely restricted rhino horn trade since 1977. It’s a shift that could reopen one of global conservation’s fiercest debates: does a legal trade protect endangered species […]
If AI is addictive, where does the responsibility lie – with big tech or its users?
When I talk to my son, an engineering student, and we have a question or disagreement, he immediately turns to ChatGPT as his primary source of information and confirmation. He is not alone in this. The use of generative AI tools has exploded across different demographic groups. For many people, these tools can be entertaining, […]
Vision, Europe of the Future conference – in partnership with The Conversation
The Conversation is once again delighted to be a media partner of the think tank Vision, as it hosts its seventh ‘Europe of the Future’ conference in Siena, Italy. The partnership has seen Conversation editors and authors engage in previous editions of the conference, which brings together media, academics, policymakers and industry from across the […]
Despite toxic reputation, our research shows podcasts can help men’s mental health
PavelKant/Shutterstock Over the last decade, podcasts have become big business, with more than a fifth of UK adults listening to podcasts each week. The format particularly resonates with men, who are more likely than women to identify as podcast fans. Men are also overrepresented as podcast hosts. In a society where the political divide between […]
River wildlife moves freely once dams are removed – but so too can invasive species
Weirs and dams act as barriers within river ecosystems – removing them affects how aquatic wildlife and invasive species move. Bardhok Ndoji/Shutterstock Almost a quarter of all freshwater species are threatened with extinction. The removal of human-made barriers from rivers, such as dams and weirs, is a popular way to restore water flow and sediment […]
Will AI really make banking better for customers?
Dorde Krstic/Shutterstock AI is changing how people bank, save, borrow and ask for help. It could make finance faster, cheaper – and even more personal. But if customers cannot understand decisions, challenge mistakes or reach a human when things go wrong, “smart” finance may simply become a more efficient way to frustrate people. In the […]
Women’s prize for fiction: tales of power, agency, ageing and connection – six experts review the shortlist
The Women’s prize for fiction has been awarded to a female author of any nationality for the best novel written in English since 1996. In its 30th year, it is now one of the most influential literary awards in the world. The 2026 shortlist explores themes of power, agency, ageing and connection. The list reflects […]
Iran’s attacks on Israel were an attempt to shape the region on its own terms
Iran fired barrages of missiles at Israel for the first time in two months on June 7. The initial trigger was an Israeli strike against a Hezbollah target in the Lebanese capital of Beirut earlier that day, an attack that Donald Trump had only recently asked the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to avoid carrying […]
Great mysteries of archaeology: an ancient Amazonian world revealed from the sky
From the air, you see it only through the constant jolt, tilt and shudder of the low-flying Cessna aircraft. The landscape of the Llanos de Moxos, northern Bolivia, appears as a disconnected patchwork of open grassland savannahs, forest islands and lakes. It feels random, almost unreadable. Only gradually does the pattern resolve itself: raised causeways […]
Alien first contact: how the new rules differ from science fiction
The moment of first contact with extraterrestrials is a staple of science fiction. It usually involves a frantic scientist having a Eureka moment, realising in a single dramatic instant that Earth is being visited by creatures from light-years away. Aliens are in the public consciousness once again thanks to Steven Spielberg’s latest film, Disclosure Day, […]