How does a collapsing glacier turn into a lethal wall of mud and water? An expert explains what happened in Nepal
A collapsing glacier in Tibet led to a devastating wall of water and debris roaring through a valley in Nepal, leaving hundreds dead and many hundreds still missing. Stuart Dunning is a professor of applied geomorphology who researches disaster risk reduction in high mountain a areas nd has closely studied the 2021 Chamoli disaster, a […]
Nepal’s devastating floods reveal the danger of ‘cascading hazards’ in Himalayas
The devastating floods that have swept through the Nepal–Tibet border region are first and foremost a human tragedy. Hundreds of people have died or remain missing. But as scientists begin to reconstruct what happened, the event also exposes something fundamental about the way we understand natural hazards in high mountain regions. Mountains and rivers do […]
Dolly Parton changed country music by refusing to play by its rules
Dolly Parton has sung disco, pop, bluegrass and even metal – but for all her genre-hopping, she has always come back to country. From the disco bop of Baby I’m Burnin’ to the metal-influenced Bygones, featuring Judas Priest’s Rob Halford, Parton’s career has repeatedly pushed beyond country’s boundaries while remaining firmly rooted in it. Although […]
Want to imagine a better future? Write a poem
Billion Photos/Shutterstock This roundup of The Conversation’s environment coverage was first published in our award-winning weekly climate action newsletter, Imagine. At school, I was told by my teachers I wasn’t allowed to take art A-level alongside biology and chemistry. I’ve always regretted listening to them. The crossover between the arts and sciences fascinates me. The […]
Europe needs to fight back against US software dominance – and now is the time
Nokia still makes Android mobile phones Andrew Sozinov Europe’s relationship with American technology increasingly resembles an addiction. The patient knows it’s bad for them but cannot quite bring themselves to break it, because they don’t not know where to start. And yet everyone agrees that the longer the addict waits, the higher the price of […]
Andy Burnham the social chameleon? Why a leader with different personas can still be authentic
Burnham met President Zelensky in Portsmouth in July wearing his trademark black T-shirt and blazer. Simon Dawson/No 10 Downing Street, CC BY-NC-ND Shortly before entering Downing Street, Andy Burnham made a promise that appeared to be reassuring in its simplicity. “I won’t change,” he said. “I have a style. It’s my style.” Burnham’s political appeal […]
Care leavers are dying at a disproportionate rate – evidence and leadership are needed to support them
New Africa/Shutterstock A new government-commissioned report has laid bare the tragedy of care leaver deaths. The review was conducted by social work leader Clare Chamberlain and journalist Ashley John-Baptiste, who grew up in care himself. It found that isolation and a drop-off in support contributed to the early deaths of 112 care leavers aged 18 […]
Climate disasters are ravaging government budgets – aid works best when paid upfront
Subarnachar, Noakhali, Bangladesh in May 2019 after Cyclone Fani. Sayed Akber Hoshen/Shutterstock When a cyclone destroyed Chompa Munda’s home in coastal Bangladesh in 2019, she and her son went days without food. When the next one came in 2024, her phone lit up hours before it made landfall. A US$43 (£31) transfer was sent straight […]
Why holding elections now may not be the best safeguard for Ukrainian democracy
A recent call by Ukraine’s former defence minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, for new national elections in Ukraine – which would be the first to take place in the country since 2019 – has sparked a renewed debate about whether it is possible to hold a legitimate vote in wartime. Under normal circumstances, Ukraine’s parliamentary elections would […]
Star Trek at 60: the secret of this pioneering series was its exploration of humanity, not aliens
When Star Trek first appeared on television screens 60 years ago, audiences expected science fiction to offer aliens, monsters and futuristic technology. What they encountered was something far more ambitious. From its very first broadcast episode on September 8 1966, Star Trek established that its true subject was the exploration of humanity itself. For all […]