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Native pollinators need more support than honeybees in Australia – here’s why

If the governments of Australia can invest millions into the honeybee industry, they surely have the resources to support native pollinators.

latest 3

The Conversation

Graham H. Pyke

Does adding ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ to your ChatGPT prompts really waste energy?

The viral idea that polite prompts waste electricity is an exaggeration. But it reflects a growing awareness of AI’s enormous infrastructure costs.

latest 3

The Conversation

Richard Morris

Another war in the Horn of Africa would be disastrous for one of the world’s most repressive nations

Why two of Africa’s most bitter rivals – Ethiopia and Eritrea – are on the brink of war again.

latest 3

The Conversation

William Gourlay

Prioritising protein? What the new US dietary guidelines get right – and wrong – according to 2 nutrition experts

Last week, United States health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr released the government’s revamped dietary guidelines for 2025 to 2030. These...

latest 7

The Conversation

Lauren Ball

Trump wants to cap credit card interest to 10% for a year. Should Australia consider it?

US President Donald Trump has called for a one year cap on credit card interest rate charges at 10% – around half of the average current US rate –...

latest 7

The Conversation

Ama Samarasinghe

No power, no phone, no radio: why comms dropped out during the central Victorian fires

Australia has entered an era of climate instability, where communications during bushfires and extreme weather must perform under increasingly...

latest 7

The Conversation

Fiannuala Morgan

This TikTok star sharing Australian animal stories doesn’t exist – it’s AI Blakface

The self-described “Bush Legend” on TikTok, Facebook and Instagram is growing in popularity. These short and sharp videos feature an Aboriginal...

latest 7

The Conversation

Tamika Worrell

Why the Heated Rivalry TV series understands gay men better than the book

Heated Rivalry, written and directed by Jacob Tierney, has become a massive hit, going viral among gay romance fans and gathering millions of likes...

yesterday 30

The Conversation

Harry Stewart

What’s the difference between a sprained ankle and a twisted ankle?

After the summer break, you’re ready to get back into exercise. You put on your shoes, pop on your headphones and head out the door on your first...

yesterday 10

The Conversation

Hunter Bennett

What’s cooler than sex, drugs and pashing models? I found out from 3 rock memoirs

At the height of his success, Evan Dando was notorious for his good looks, heavy drug use and flaky personality. As his memoir, Rumours of My...

yesterday 10

The Conversation

Liz Evans

Takeaway coffee cups release thousands of microplastic particles

It’s 7:45am. You grab a takeaway coffee from your local cafe, wrap your hands around the warm cup, take a sip, and head to the office. To most of...

yesterday 30

The Conversation

Xiangyu Liu

Guide to the classics: death-haunted masterpiece The Blind Owl shadows the decline of modern Iran

Sadeq Hedayat (1903-1951) abandoned his training in dentistry and, later, engineering in France and Belgium, to study old Persian and Iranian...

yesterday 40

The Conversation

Hossein Asgari

With its new laws, the government is tackling hate speech quickly, but not properly

On Tuesday, in response to the Bondi terrorist attack and mounting pressure to take strong action, the Albanese government released draft...

yesterday 20

The Conversation

Keiran Hardy

Jewelled eels, beards of gold and unfathomable cruelty: 5 of ancient Rome’s most eccentric leaders

Ancient Roman political leaders could be violent and cruel. Some had odd tastes and were out of touch. Others had wildly eccentric habits that...

yesterday 10

The Conversation

Peter Edwell

Alleged tobacco kingpin Kazem ‘Kaz’ Hamad has been arrested in Iraq – what happens next?

Overnight, government authorities in Iraq arrested Kazem “Kaz” Hamad, the alleged kingpin of Australia’s illicit tobacco trade. Declared by an...

yesterday 20

The Conversation

James Martin

From bolts to blue jets, lightning comes in many strange forms

Lightning has captured people’s fascination for millennia. It’s embedded in mythology, religion and popular culture. Think of Thor in Norse...

yesterday 10

The Conversation

Andrew Dowdy

As we begin to assess the fire damage in Victoria, we must not overlook these hidden costs

Devastated by widespread fires, Victoria has declared a state of disaster. More than 500 structures have reportedly been destroyed and 1,000...

yesterday 10

The Conversation

Sonia Akter

A ‘cosmic clock’ in tiny crystals has revealed the rise and fall of Australia’s ancient landscapes

Australia’s iconic red landscapes have been home to Aboriginal culture and recorded in songlines for tens of thousands of years. But further clues...

yesterday 20

The Conversation

Maximilian Dröllner

The World Trade Organization is on life support. Will Trump’s new rules finish it off?

The United States has now withdrawn from 66 international organisations, conventions and treaties, illegally invaded Venezuela, and promoted an “...

yesterday 10

The Conversation

Jane Kelsey

Why the world’s central bankers had to speak up against Trump’s attacks on the Fed

Central bankers from around the world have issued a joint statement of support for US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, as he faces a criminal...

yesterday 9

The Conversation

John Hawkins

Why Iran can’t afford to shut down the internet forever – even if the world doesn’t act

As citizens around the world prepared to welcome the new year, Iranians began taking to the streets to protest their country’s deepening economic...

yesterday 10

The Conversation

Dara Conduit

NZ’s health data hack needs a proper diagnosis – and a transparent treatment plan

Two cyber hacks have highlighted the vulnerability of New Zealand’s digital health systems – and the vast volumes of patient data we rely on them...

yesterday 10

The Conversation

Dylan A Mordaunt

Yes, those big touchscreens in cars are dangerous and buttons are coming back

In recent years, the way drivers interact with cars has fundamentally changed. Physical buttons have gradually disappeared from dashboards as more...

previous day 100

The Conversation

Milad Haghani

What is the global water cycle and how is it amplifying climate disasters?

Floods, droughts and heatwaves continue to dominate headlines around the world and in Australia. In the past few days, hundreds of bushfires have...

previous day 20

The Conversation

Albert Van Dijk

What causes ‘extreme morning sickness’? What we know, don’t know and suspect about hyperemesis gravidarum

Most women experience some nausea and vomiting in early pregnancy. Although this is called morning sickness, it can happen at any time of day. Up...

previous day 30

The Conversation

Karin Hammarberg

Could Heated Rivalry bring a whole new fanbase to ice hockey – and can the sport embrace them?

Heated Rivalry has taken the world by a storm. The series tells the story of rivals-to-lovers hockey players Japanese-Canadian Shane Hollander...

previous day 10

The Conversation

Kasey Symons

How do airlines set bag and weight limits? An ex-pilot explains new changes on the way

You arrive at the airport in plenty of time to check in. You reach the departure gate early. You board, walking down to your seat – and that’s when...

previous day 10

The Conversation

Natasha Heap

The Pout-Pout Fish visually exemplifies contemporary animation – but something is lost in translation

Adapting the much beloved and best-selling picture book series The Pout-Pout Fish is no easy feat. Staying core to the source material, the new...

previous day 10

The Conversation

Ari Chand

It takes many ghosts to make a story: how Maggie O'Farrell’s Hamnet takes from – and mistakes – Shakespeare

In her eighth novel Hamnet, Maggie O’Farrell imagines the short life and tragic death of Shakespeare’s only son, aged 11, in 1596. Although it is...

previous day 10

The Conversation

Kate Flaherty

Did NZ’s sweeping health reforms deliver on their promise? 3 years on, the verdict is mixed

When the former Labour-led government unveiled the Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) reforms in 2022, it billed them as the biggest shakeup of New...

previous day 10

The Conversation

Arshad Ali

A centuries-old debate on how reptiles keep evolving skin bones is finally settled

Our bones did not begin deep inside the body. They started in the skin, not long after the first complex animals took shape. Ever since, skin bones...

previous day 10

The Conversation

Roy Ebel

View from The Hill: Kevin Rudd, a controversial energy ball as ambassador to US, quits early

Kevin Rudd’s premature departure in March from his post of Australia’s ambassador to the United States is a surprise, but perhaps not as...

previous day 30

The Conversation

Michelle Grattan

This is the playbook the Iranian regime uses to crack down on protests – but will it work this time?

In late December, Tehran’s bazaar merchants began protesting against Iran’s theocratic rulers over the sharp collapse of the currency. These...

previous day 8

The Conversation

Amin Naeni

‘Masterclass in poor governance’: what was the board’s role in the end of Adelaide Writers Week?

This afternoon, Adelaide Writers Week was cancelled for 2026 – less than a week after Palestinian-Australian writer Randa Abdel-Fattah was...

previous day 30

The Conversation

Kim Goodwin

Why do educated people fall for conspiracy theories? It could be narcissism

If there are two things the internet loves talking about, it’s conspiracy theories, and who may or may not be a narcissist. Misinformation and...

previous day 10

The Conversation

Tylor Cosgrove

Three early January polls have Labor down, but disagree on One Nation’s vote

Three early January national polls have Labor sliding to between 52–53% two party preferred against the Coalition, down from around 55% to Labor...

previous day 20

The Conversation

Adrian Beaumont

Meet the springtails: little-known fantastic beasts that live everywhere on Earth

In virtually every piece of land on Earth – from near the summit of Mount Everest to Antarctica to caves nearly 2,000 metres underground – live...

monday 6

The Conversation

Mark Stevens

An Antarctic ‘polar thriller’ and a neurodivergent novel imagine a climate changed future

Two new Australian novels imagine how we might live in a climate‑changed future. Bri Lee’s Seed explores antinatalism in an Antarctic seed vault....

monday 3

The Conversation

Caitlin Macdonald

NZ’s low productivity is often blamed on businesses staying small. That could be a strength in 2026

For decades, we have heard a familiar story about why New Zealand’s firms choose to stay small. Business owners prefer comfort, control and...

monday 2

The Conversation

Rod Mcnaughton

Can the China-Australia relationship stay on track in 2026? This is how experts in China see it

When Labor was returned to power in 2022, the China-Australia relationship began to stabilise after what had been a rocky few years. So, where do...

monday 20

The Conversation

Guangyi Pan

Venezuela’s leader may be gone, but his regime remains – with a new chief in Washington

US President Donald Trump has insisted the United States will now be “running” Venezuela after US forces bombed the capital on January 3 and...

monday 1

The Conversation

Luis Gomez Romero

Beauty in ordinary things: why this Japanese folk craft movement still matters 100 years on

On January 10 1926, Yanagi Sōetsu and the potters Hamada Shōji and Kawai Kanjirō sat talking excitedly late into the night at a temple on Mt Kōya,...

monday 20

The Conversation

Penny Bailey

Not just ‘eunuchs’ or sex workers: in ancient Mesopotamia, gender-diverse people held positions of power

Today, trans people face politicisation of their lives and vilification from politicians, media and parts of broader society. But in some of...

monday 20

The Conversation

Chaya Kasif

The antisemitism debate is already a political minefield. The royal commission must rise above it

What we currently know about antisemitism in Australia is pieced together from a fragmented body of information produced by community...

monday 1

The Conversation

Matteo Vergani

Why eating disorders are more common among LGBTQIA+ people and what can help

When people picture someone with an eating disorder, many think of a thin, teenage girl with anorexia nervosa. This stereotype is so pervasive it...

monday 10

The Conversation

Kai Schweizer

Modern rock wallabies seem to survive by sticking together in small areas. Fossils show they need to travel

Today, rock wallabies are seen as secretive cliff-dwellers that rarely stray far from the safety of their rocky shelters. But the fossil record...

monday 1

The Conversation

Christopher Laurikainen Gaete

The epic novel runs amok in Omar Musa’s Fierceland

Omar Musa’s new book, Fierceland, ranges across five distinct geographies and covers a period of some 170 years. It is told from at least ten...

monday 1

The Conversation

Giacomo Bianchino

Rain one minute, heatwave the next. How climate ‘whiplash’ drives unpredictable fire weather

After a weekend of extreme heat and windy conditions, more than 30 blazes were still burning in Victoria and New South Wales as of Sunday evening,...

monday 1

The Conversation

David Bowman