By Santa Kravcenko, Lecturer in Management, University of Lancashire
“Please tell me where to go? A 14-year-old teenager has been possessed by a demon … we tried healers, but they couldn’t help … has anyone encountered this? Moscow region.” This is one of many similar pleas that have been circulating in Russia’s online communities in recent years.
According to reports in Russian media outlets such as Gazeta.ru, thousands of people in Russia are actively discussing exorcisms on social media.…
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By Miranda Sheild Johansson, Senior Research Fellow in Social Anthropology, UCL
For some Swedes, the question isn’t simply whether a wealth tax works, but what kind of society has been lost with its abolition.
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By Amy Wilcockson, Research Fellow, English Literature, Queen Mary University of London
Last year marked 250 years since the birth of the English novelist Jane Austen. The Conversation celebrated this important literary milestone with a series of articles and a dedicated podcast, Jane Austen’s Paper Trail. This special year saw a variety of high-profile celebratory events across the country, from regency balls and film screenings, to special tours and literary talks.
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By Adrian Palmer, Senior Lecturer, Geography, Royal Holloway, University of London
The return of humans to the British Isles after the end of the last ice sheet, which covered much of the northern hemisphere, happened around 15,200 years ago – nearly 500 years earlier than previous estimates.
This movement of people coincided with a sharp rise in summer temperatures in southern Britain, research by our group shows.
These environmental conditions allowed humans to migrate back up into Britain – then still…
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By Guy Guppy, Lecturer in Performance Nutrition and Exercise Physiology, Kingston University
Matt Damon credits his transformation to cutting gluten. Experts warn it may be just water weight and risk your heart and gut health.
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By Paul Webster Hare, Master Lecturer and Interim Director of Latin American Studies, Boston University
The ideology named after former Venezuelan leader Hugo Chávez became more authoritarian under Nicolás Maduro. Can the country’s new leader steer it back toward democracy?
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By Monica Beeder, Lecturer, University of Southampton
For many women in Ethiopia, getting their first formal job doesn’t just change their income; it can change how they describe who they are in everyday public interactions.
In a country where ethnicity shapes access to opportunities, safety and political rights, this shift is far from small.
That is the provocative finding of our recent study: formal employment can cause women to switch their self-reported ethnicity. We are a team of political scientists and development economists who study labour markets,…
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By Robert A. Strong, Senior Fellow, Miller Center, University of Virginia
As the 2026 midterm elections edge closer, most people know the party that controls the White House is likely to lose seats in Congress. They usually do not know just how entrenched that pattern is.
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By Nilton O. Rennó, Professor of Climate and Space Sciences Engineering, University of Michigan
A rover recently captured sounds of lightning crackling on Mars, over a decade after scientists uncovered the first evidence for electric discharges on the planet.
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By Onyedikachi Madueke, Teaching Assistant, University of Aberdeen
The Nigerian Senate confirmed the appointment of the immediate past chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as an ambassador in December 2025. This has resurfaced concerns about electoral integrity in the country.
Mahmood Yakubu stepped down as head of the electoral…
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