By Kimberley Reid, Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Atmospheric Sciences, The University of Melbourne
Frightening headlines predicting a Super El Niño or even a Godzilla El Niño amp up anxiety levels for farmers and residents of bushfire-prone regions.
But these phrases are not particularly accurate. The phrase “Super El Niño” makes climate scientists…
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By Annelise Blomberg, Associate Researcher in Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Lund University
Anna Saxne Jöud, Associate Professor, Epidemiology, Lund University
Christel Nielsen, Associate Professor, Epidemiology, Lund University
Pfas, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a group of human-made chemicals found in everything from food packaging to firefighting foam. Often called “forever chemicals” due to their persistence in the environment, they can affect our health and disrupt our immune system.
Pfas cross the placenta, so that when a woman is pregnant, she shares some of the Pfas in her body with her unborn child. While most of us are routinely exposed…
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By Jonathan Este, Senior International Affairs Editor, Associate Editor, The Conversation
This is the text from The Conversation UK’s World Affairs Briefing email. Sign up here to receive weekly analysis of the latest developments in international relations, direct to your inbox.
It’s still not clear who will turn up in Islamabad tomorrow for the first round of talks aimed at turning the 14-day ceasefire in the Iran war into a permanent end to the crisis. Indeed, it’s not at all certain that the ceasefire will still even exist by then.
To anyone following…
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By Ioana Emy Matesan, Associate Professor of Government, Wesleyan University
President Donald Trump’s rapid and dramatic turn from threatening to kill “an entire civilization” in Iran on the morning of April 7, 2026, to announcing a two-week ceasefire later that day left many observers with a sense of whiplash.
While it is difficult to predict whether the ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran will hold or how events will…
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By Alexander Lewis Peace, Associate Professor, Structural Geology, McMaster University
The interpretation that the subduction zone is winding down gets ahead of the science. What the new research actually shows is far more complex and interesting.
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By Chad S.A. Gibbs, Assistant Professor of Jewish Studies, College of Charleston
Topics such as sexual assault have been difficult for survivors and historians to write about, even decades after the war.
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By Ashlynne McGhee, Head of Editorial Innovation, The Conversation
Isabella Podwinski, Social Media Producer, The Conversation
Every populist movement needs a threat. One Nation found several: Asian immigration, native title and Islam just to name a few. But do those enemies still resonate?
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By Stella Huangfu, Associate Professor, School of Economics, University of Sydney
Talk of a recession in Australia has picked up in recent weeks. Rising fuel prices, a sharp fall in consumer confidence, and signs of softer spending have all added to concerns the economy may be losing momentum.
A recession is commonly defined as two consecutive quarters of negative economic growth. By that standard, Australia is not there yet — but the key question is what the data are telling us about the likelihood of getting there.
The answer depends on which data you…
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By Erin Harper, Lecturer, School of Education and Social Work, University of Sydney
A major Australian study found kids who spend 40 hours or more in childcare may struggle more with social skills and emotions than those who attend for less time.
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By Peter Edwell, Associate Professor in Ancient History, Macquarie University
Most Roman emperors died on the job. So when the emperor Diocletian decided to abdicate and retire in March 305 CE, it was a highly unusual development.
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