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The Latest Breaking News from Katie Flood

What will batteries of the future be made of? Four scientists discuss the options – podcast

The majority of the world’s rechargeable batteries are now made using lithium-ion. Most rely on a combination of different rare earth metals such as cobalt or nickel for their electrodes. But around the world, teams of researchers are looking for alternative – and more sustainable – materials to build the…

The Conversation

How Europe dropped the ball on its own defence and was left fawning over Donald Trump – podcast

The language from European leaders was fawning and obsequious. At one point, the head of Nato, Mark Rutte, even called Donald Trump “daddy”. But when the US president left the Nato summit in late June, there was a sigh of relief that he had not made any more angry criticism…

The Conversation

Amid alarm over a US ‘autism registry’, people are using these tactics to avoid disability surveillance – podcast

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. caused controversy in April by promising to find the cause for autism by September. Claims by the new US secretary for health and human services that autism is a “preventable disease” with an environmental cause, contradict a body of research that suggests autism is caused by…

The Conversation

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What makes some people self-censor while others speak out? Podcast

Faced with the choice in their daily lives, their work or their politics, why do some people decide to keep quiet, to censor themselves in anticipatory obedience, even if they’re not ordered to do so?

The Conversation

Cash for sharks: the unintended consequences of paying fishermen to release sharks caught in their nets – podcast

As Jaws marks its 50th anniversary this year, sharks continue to get a bad rap. Film after film portrays them as terrifying hunters, the bane of surfers and swimmers.

The Conversation

It’s unlikely a magic bullet will ever cure Alzheimer’s – maybe a magic shotgun can

For much of the 21st century, one theory has dominated research efforts to cure Alzheimer’s disease: the amyloid hypothesis. Beta-amyloid is a protein that builds up in clumps, or plaques, in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease and is linked to their cognitive decline.

The Conversation

Three scientists speak about what it’s like to have research funding cut by the Trump administration

The Trump administration’s cuts to funding for American universities and research have left many scientists reeling and very worried. At the National Institutes of Health, which has an annual budget of US$47 billion to support medical research both in the U.S. and around the world, nearly 800 grants have been…

The Conversation

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Birkin vs Wirkin: the backlash against the global elite and their luxury bags – podcast

The Birkin bag made by French luxury retailer Hermès has become a status symbol for some of the global elite. Notoriously difficult to obtain, a select few obsess over how to get their hands on one.

The Conversation

COVID modelling reveals new insights into ancient social distancing – podcast

Five years since COVID emerged, not only has the pandemic affected the way we live and work, it’s also influencing the way researchers are thinking about the past.

The Conversation

A glimpse into a surreal abyss: how COVID ravaged a remote city in the Amazonian jungle – podcast

When the first cases of COVID began to spread around the world in early 2020, people in Iquitos, a remote city in the Peruvian Amazon, weren’t unduly worried. They assumed their isolation would protect them. It didn’t. Peru, and Iquitos, were hit fast and hard.

The Conversation

Taung child: the controversial story of the fossil discovery that proved humanity’s common origins in Africa – podcast

One hundred years ago, a paper was published in the journal Nature that would radically shift our understandings of the origins of humanity. It described a fossil, found in a lime mine in Taung in South Africa, which became known as the Taung child skull.

The Conversation

‘I thought about escaping every day’: how survivors get out of Southeast Asia’s cybercrime compounds – Scam Factories podcast, Ep 3

Every day that he was locked up in a scam compound in Southeast Asia, George thought about how to get out. “We looked for means of escaping, but it was hard,” he told The Conversation.

The Conversation

‘Your life becomes a nightmare’: how scam operations exploit those trapped inside – Scam Factories podcast, Ep 2

A few weeks after Ben Yeo travelled to Cambodia for what he thought was a job in a casino, he found himself locked up in a padded room. “It’s a combination between a prison and a madhouse,” he remembers. He was being punished for refusing to conduct online scams.

The Conversation

‘It seemed like a good job at first’: how people are trafficked, trapped and forced to scam in Southeast Asia – Scam Factories podcast, Ep 1

Scam Factories is a podcast series from The Conversation Weekly taking you inside Southeast Asia’s brutal fraud compounds. It accompanies a series of articles on The Conversation.

The Conversation

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The Conversation

Scam Factories: the inside story of Southeast Asia’s brutal fraud compounds

Scam Factories is a special multimedia and podcast series by The Conversation that explores the inner workings of Southeast Asia’s brutal scam compounds.

The Conversation

Why the US return to tariffs and protectionism ‘reeks of hypocrisy’ – podcast

When Donald Trump imposed sweeping tariffs during his first term as US president, it sparked a trade war with China. As the Trump administration ratchets up its threat to tax imports from its allies and economic rivals alike, the world is bracing for another wave of costly economic disruption.

The Conversation

Decentralised social media offers an alternative to big tech platforms like X and Meta. How does it work? Podcast

When Elon Musk acquired Twitter in 2022, many users looked for alternatives, fuelling a wave of online migration from the social media platform. Musk says he’s using Twitter, now named X, to champion free speech and that “cancel culture has been cancelled”. But his closeness to Donald Trump and his…

The Conversation

How close are quantum computers to being really useful? Podcast

Quantum computers have the potential to solve big scientific problems that are beyond the reach of today’s most powerful supercomputers, such as discovering new antibiotics or developing new materials.

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The Conversation

How wildfire, humans and a warming climate led to the extinction of California’s big mammals 13,000 years ago – podcast

Firefighters in Los Angeles continue to battle devastating wildfires that have killed at least 27 people and left thousands of homes destroyed. A new fire also provoked evacuation orders north of the city.

The Conversation

Silicon Valley’s bet on AI defence startups and what it means for the future of war – podcast

From Gaza to Ukraine, today’s war zones are being used as testing grounds for new systems driven by artificial intelligence. Billions of dollars are now being pumped into AI weapons technology, much of it from Silicon Valley venture capitalists.

The Conversation

How the world fell in love with plastic without thinking through the consequences – podcast

Every year, 400 million tons of plastic are produced worldwide, and every year, approximately 57 million tons of plastic pollution is created. And yet in November, the latest round of negotiations on the first legally binding international treaty on plastics pollution ended without an agreement.

The Conversation

Brain implants, agentic AI and answers on dark matter: what to expect from science in 2025 – podcast

In a special episode of The Conversation Weekly podcast to start 2025, we’ve brought together three science editors from The Conversation’s editions around the world to discuss what to look out for in the world of science and technology in the coming year.

The Conversation

Why distrust in powerful politicians is part of a functioning democracy – podcast

Surveys suggest that in many western democracies, political trust is at rock bottom. Scandals, corruption, faltering economies, conspiracy theories and swirling disinformation are all playing their part. But is it really such a bad thing for people living in a democracy to distrust their government?

The Conversation

From grieving orcas to opposums playing dead: how animals respond to death – podcast

It was a story that pulled at the heartstrings. In 2018, an orca called Tahlequah was seen dragging the corpse of her newborn baby calf for 17 days, over 1,000 miles along the coast of North America. Eventually, Talequah let the baby go (happily, she’s had another baby since), but…

The Conversation

As Amazon workers prepare to strike on Black Friday, the story of one warehouse in the UK that pushed to unionise – podcast

Amazon workers in 20 countries are expected to strike or protest on Black Friday, pushing the company to respect their rights and commit to more action on the climate. The protests are coordinated by the Make Amazon Pay campaign, run by a global umbrella body of trade unions and workers’…

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