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The Latest Breaking News from The Conversation

So much research is already free to read in Australia – but it’s not getting the support it needs

Australian universities pay millions to commercial academic publishers each year. This is one of the main ways academics publish their research and have it recognised by their peers.

The Conversation

These shocks to Australia’s food system won’t be the last. Will it learn in time for the next one?

News of a fragile ceasefire has done little to calm anxieties about the Strait of Hormuz, where Iran has choked shipping and the United States has responded with a targeted maritime blockade.

The Conversation

Coral reefs are secretly connected across vast oceans – and that’s crucial for their survival

Lord Howe Island lies in the middle of the ocean, about 700 kilometres northeast of Sydney. It’s covered in lush forest and fringed by the world’s most southerly coral reef ecosystem.

The Conversation

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Whale strandings draw emotional responses. But repeated rescues can cause more harm

A humpback whale repeatedly restranding in shallow waters in the Baltic Sea for more than three weeks has become the focus of a complex debate about reconciling compassion for animals with ethical, evidence-based decision making.

The Conversation

Finland’s president Alexander Stubb has some ideas to save the international order – and ourselves

Whatever we call the current historical juncture – polycrisis, rupture or just the possible end of civilisation as we know it – there is growing agreement that the stakes couldn’t be much higher for humanity. Even in atypically fortunate Australia, just recognising and agreeing on the nature and extent of…

The Conversation

Multicultural Australia was built under a Liberal prime minister. The current party should take heed

Multiculturalism first made its way into Australian political dialogue in the 1970s, with the idea that the country could, and should, be home to people from all over the world.

The Conversation

What is a lingua franca? A brief history, from the Crusades to today

When the Crusaders descended upon the eastern shores of the Mediterranean at the end of the 11th century, they had to communicate with each other, with traders and with locals.

The Conversation

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First Robodebt, now NDIS and aged care: how computers still decide who gets care

Every welfare program negotiates a fundamental tension: between fiscal responsibility and consistency on one hand, and care for real people with complex needs and situations on the other.

The Conversation

Pretend play is a magical part of childhood. New research suggests it can also help mental health

Pretend play is a significant and often magical part of childhood.

The Conversation

How does imagination really work in the brain? New theory upends what we knew

Your brain is currently expending about a fifth of your body’s energy, and almost none of that is being used for what you’re doing right now. Reading these words, feeling the weight of your body in a chair – all of this together barely changes the rate at which your…

The Conversation

The end of oil? As fuel shocks cascade, 53 nations gather to plan a fossil fuel phaseout

US President Donald Trump is a longtime climate denier and oil industry ally, who sums up his own energy policy as “drill, baby, drill”. Yet he is doing more than almost anyone to speed up the global shift from fossil fuels to clean energy and electric vehicles (EVs).

The Conversation

Tinkering with the capital gains tax discount isn’t enough. Here’s why it needs to go

It looks increasingly likely Treasurer Jim Chalmers will make changes to the capital gains tax (CGT) discount in the federal budget in May.

The Conversation

Why the US military is stuck using $1 million missiles against Iran’s $20,000 drones

It may sound hard to believe, but the almost trillion-dollar U.S. military is struggling to fight cheap drones in its war with Iran.

The Conversation

When a spouse starts a business, the other partner pays a hidden price

When an entrepreneur leaves a salaried job to pursue a venture, the conversation nearly always centres on them: the risk they’re taking, the opportunity they’re pursuing and the funding they need.

The Conversation

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The Conversation

Forty years after the Chernobyl disaster, its legacy still resonates

The explosion at the fourth reactor of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in northern Ukraine on April 26, 1986, changed the lives of thousands of Soviet citizens.

The Conversation

Consent is a core principle in the Kamasutra – what we can learn from it today

We often assume, when it comes to sex, that women’s voices have only been taken seriously in relatively recent history. However, female sexual power and liberation can be found in the Kamasutra, which dates back to the 3rd century.

The Conversation

Not getting enough physical activity may be harming your health: Here’s what being sedentary does to your body

Being regularly active can improve your mental well-being, reduce your chances of disease and increase your lifespan.

The Conversation

Heritage is created, not inherited – as Korean pop culture shows

The word “heritage” generally calls to mind the distant past. Ancient buildings, historic objects or traditions passed down over generations. “Heritage” feels old by definition, but it’s not simply something we inherit. It is something we actively make. What matters is not age but the decision to preserve, display and…

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The Conversation

How US presidents shift controversial actions abroad to get around limits at home

When Donald Trump deported a group of Venezuelan nationals to El Salvador in 2025, it was the fulfilment of a long-held wish. Across both of his administrations Trump has pushed officials to find ways to brutalise immigrants, particularly those who are undocumented, believing that doing so will deter others from…

The Conversation

From floppy discs to Claude Mythos, how ransomware grew into a multibillion-dollar industry

When evolutionary biologist Joseph Popp coded the first documented piece of ransomware in 1989, he had little idea it would become a major criminal business model capable of bringing economies to their knees.

The Conversation

Fining hospitals for medical misogyny won’t help women – it will hurt them

Hospitals that score poorly on feedback from female patients could soon see their budget cut under a plan unveiled in April by Wes Streeting, the UK’s health secretary. Branded “patient power payments”, the scheme would tie a slice of hospital income to women’s experiences of care, a measure designed to…

The Conversation

Venice is sinking – we analysed every plan to save it, and none would preserve the city as we know it

Venice has co-existed with the sea throughout its 1,500-year history, perhaps better than any other city on earth. Yet over the past century it has flooded increasingly often, as the sea rises and the city itself sinks under its own weight.

The Conversation

With talk of closer EU alignment, the UK is signalling to Europe that it’s a partner worthy of trust

It is now almost a decade since the UK voted for Brexit and since the tariffs of US president Donald Trump’s first term increased global trade frictions. Brexit removed the UK from the European single market for goods and services. Now though, the country is proposing a pivot back towards…

The Conversation

Research at Chernobyl and Fukushima shows how radioactive materials move in the environment

When nuclear accidents happen, many people imagine radiation spreading everywhere and lasting forever. The reality is more complex. Radioactive materials move, change and sometimes disappear faster than people expect.

The Conversation

Cloud tech outages: how the EU plans to bolster its digital infrastructure

When Amazon Web Services (AWS) went down globally in October 2025, millions of users were abruptly reminded how invisible yet indispensable cloud technology has become.

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