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‘You’re a 4 out of 10’: the troubling rise of AI appearance ratings

‘You’re a 4 out of 10’: the troubling rise of AI appearance ratings

AI-generated attractiveness scores raise concerns about body image, privacy, child safety and coercive control.

yesterday 7

The Conversation

Dawn Branley-Bell

Ukraine assault on Russian retail giant Wildberries brings war home to consumers and retailers

Ukraine assault on Russian retail giant Wildberries brings war home to consumers and retailers

Ukrainian drones have hit 20 Wildberries warehouses, making the economic costs of war harder for ordinary Russians to ignore.

yesterday 10

The Conversation

Yerzhan Tokbolat

How a cosmic coincidence gives Earth its ‘perfect’ solar eclipses

How a cosmic coincidence gives Earth its ‘perfect’ solar eclipses

A solar eclipse’s appearance is wrapped up in the geometry of the bodies involved.

yesterday 7

The Conversation

Alix Violet Freckelton

Having a baby throws time management into chaos – here are five important lessons for new parents

Having a baby throws time management into chaos – here are five important lessons for new parents

Parenthood eats everyone’s hours, but it takes different bites depending on the size of your bank account.

yesterday 5

The Conversation

Boróka Bó

Morning‑after pill now free at your local pharmacy – what you need to know

Morning‑after pill now free at your local pharmacy – what you need to know

The morning-after pill is now easier to get than ever. But how does the new NHS pharmacy service work?

yesterday 8

The Conversation

Dipa Kamdar

What Andy Burnham means for the arts

What Andy Burnham means for the arts

It seems hopeful at least that the new prime minister does not have to be persuaded of the value of the arts and culture.

yesterday 8

The Conversation

Adam Behr

As severe drought hits, the UK’s food system faces crisis – here’s how to change that

As severe drought hits, the UK’s food system faces crisis – here’s how to change that

Our entire food system needs a redesign to cope with increasing threats to resilience over the long haul.

yesterday 5

The Conversation

Neil Ward

One Song: Kadir Karababa’s exhibition uses music to reimagine home

One Song: Kadir Karababa’s exhibition uses music to reimagine home

The show explores stories of migration through song.

yesterday 1

The Conversation

Jessica Mary Bradley

Who really wrote Elizabeth I’s angriest letter? New research reveals a hidden hand

Who really wrote Elizabeth I’s angriest letter? New research reveals a hidden hand

Elizabeth strategically deployed emotion to achieve particular political goals.

yesterday 2

The Conversation

Clodagh Murphy

Can DNA from cave paintings tell us who the artists were?

Can DNA from cave paintings tell us who the artists were?

A new study has retrieved human genetic material from the walls of caves with ancient rock art.

yesterday 3

The Conversation

Robyn Adams

How Jordan’s clothing industry exploits migrant workers: ‘we have nowhere to go with our complaints’

How Jordan’s clothing industry exploits migrant workers: ‘we have nowhere to go with our complaints’

Drawing on two years of research with migrant garment workers, a recent report argues that the recent US forced labour ban exposes a broader system of...

yesterday 5

The Conversation

Katharina Grueneisl

Canals cool down cities during heatwaves – new research

Canals cool down cities during heatwaves – new research

Canals can provide cooling corridors in cities, a study shows.

yesterday 1

The Conversation

Matt Tomkins

How heatstroke kills – it can still be deadly after your body cools down

How heatstroke kills – it can still be deadly after your body cools down

Heat stroke doesn’t just overheat the body. It unleashes an inflammatory chain reaction that can damage organs even after the temperature returns to...

yesterday 3

The Conversation

Borko Amulic

Part of a rocket crashed into the Moon – why this could threaten future lunar bases

Part of a rocket crashed into the Moon – why this could threaten future lunar bases

The rocket section struck the lunar surface near Einstein crater on the Moon’s near side.

saturday 10

The Conversation

Megan Argo

A rocket crashed into the Moon – why this could threaten future lunar bases

A rocket crashed into the Moon – why this could threaten future lunar bases

The rocket section struck the lunar surface near Einstein crater on the Moon’s near side.

07.08.2026 10

The Conversation

Megan Argo

Eleven must‑see comedy shows at the Edinburgh Fringe

Eleven must‑see comedy shows at the Edinburgh Fringe

When it comes to the best of the Fringe’s comedy lineup this year, we’ve done all the heavy lifting so you don’t have to.

07.08.2026 9

The Conversation

Emma Sullivan

Europe’s wildfires have raised the danger posed by unexploded WWII bombs

Europe’s wildfires have raised the danger posed by unexploded WWII bombs

Europe is full of buried explosives left over from 20th century wars, and wildfires are now reaching them more regularly.

07.08.2026 10

The Conversation

Sarah Njeri

A SpaceX rocket section crashed into the Moon – we can’t let the Moon get polluted by space debris

A SpaceX rocket section crashed into the Moon – we can’t let the Moon get polluted by space debris

The rocket section struck the lunar surface near Einstein crater on the Moon’s near side.

07.08.2026 10

The Conversation

Megan Argo

Can leaders ever reform prisons without playing politics? Four things Andy Burnham could do

Can leaders ever reform prisons without playing politics? Four things Andy Burnham could do

What shapes leaders’ responses to issues of crime and justice is not that toughness wins, but that leniency-gone-wrong loses.

07.08.2026 10

The Conversation

Jake Phillips

India’s cockroach movement: how satire became political power as youth protest forced change

India’s cockroach movement: how satire became political power as youth protest forced change

What started as a humorous tweet inspired a movement to force political change in India.

07.08.2026 10

The Conversation

Susan Ann Samuel

AI is flooding the online book market with poor translations – here’s how to spot them

AI is flooding the online book market with poor translations – here’s how to spot them

AI translations push the crafted work of real translators – with qualifications, genuine language skills and experience – to the back of a very...

07.08.2026 7

The Conversation

Terry Bradford

AI is making disinformation harder to spot – but we’ve found a new way to catch it

AI is making disinformation harder to spot – but we’ve found a new way to catch it

As AI-generated text becomes harder to identify, the real clues lie in how online conversations are being manipulated.

07.08.2026 4

The Conversation

Seán Roberts

The Shards transforms Bret Easton Ellis’s 1980s LA nightmare into a warning for the present

The Shards transforms Bret Easton Ellis’s 1980s LA nightmare into a warning for the present

Beneath the show’s wealth, sex and violence is an examination of how the freedoms and fears of the 1980s shaped the world we inhabit today.

07.08.2026 5

The Conversation

Bran Nicol

ADHD diagnoses and prescriptions have increased globally across all age groups, our review shows

ADHD diagnoses and prescriptions have increased globally across all age groups, our review shows

Increased public awareness of ADHD, better diagnostic care and the availability of new and improved medications may all partly explain the trends.

07.08.2026 10

The Conversation

Barbara Jacquelyn Sahakian

Does more vitamin D in pregnancy make children smarter?

Does more vitamin D in pregnancy make children smarter?

A Danish trial found small memory gains at age ten, but no rise in intelligence and does not support a high-dose routine in pregnancy

07.08.2026 6

The Conversation

Hamid Merchant

The psychology of overconfidence: why excessive self‑belief is often a successful strategy in life

The psychology of overconfidence: why excessive self‑belief is often a successful strategy in life

Most people are overconfident. There’s an evolutionary reason for this.

07.08.2026 3

The Conversation

Chris Dawson

Museums face growing cyber threats but security remains an afterthought

Museums face growing cyber threats but security remains an afterthought

Time again it is made clear through audits and reports that cybersecurity needs to be more of a priority.

07.08.2026 7

The Conversation

James Davenport

Dash for Ceuta adds heat to Europe’s migration debate

Dash for Ceuta adds heat to Europe’s migration debate

The surge in irregular crossings at Ceuta has been seized on by the far right to criticise Spain’s liberal immigration policies.

07.08.2026 10

The Conversation

Jonathan Este

Online shadow libraries – and why they’re being implicated in AI copyright lawsuits

Online shadow libraries – and why they’re being implicated in AI copyright lawsuits

Listen to expert on shadow libraries Balázs Bodó on The Conversation Weekly podcast.

07.08.2026 20

The Conversation

Gemma Ware

What Spider‑Man: Brand New Day can teach us about loss and grief

What Spider‑Man: Brand New Day can teach us about loss and grief

Peter Parker has lost all of his support network in this new film – but navigating his grief proves transformative.

06.08.2026 10

The Conversation

Ben Partridge

Catherine Opie: To Be Seen – who gets to be visible, belong and be remembered?

Catherine Opie: To Be Seen – who gets to be visible, belong and be remembered?

Opie has redefined portraiture by bringing overlooked communities into sharp focus.

06.08.2026 10

The Conversation

Katarzyna Kosmala

What Spiderman: Brand New Day can teach us about loss and grief

What Spiderman: Brand New Day can teach us about loss and grief

Peter Parker has lost all of his support network in this new film – but navigating his grief proves transformative.

06.08.2026 10

The Conversation

Ben Partridge

We might soon have the technology to reach other star systems

We might soon have the technology to reach other star systems

Miniaturisation of sensors and light sails for propulsion mean we could reach the stars within a person’s lifetime.

06.08.2026 10

The Conversation

Colin McInnes

Prisoner release: Andy Burnham’s difficult choices

Prisoner release: Andy Burnham’s difficult choices

With no clear plan to manage sentencing inflation, one option becomes to release prisoners early.

06.08.2026 10

The Conversation

Jessica Gallagher

Firefighting aircraft aren’t enough – Britain needs to build a wildfire‑resilient society that involves everyone

Firefighting aircraft aren’t enough – Britain needs to build a wildfire‑resilient society that involves everyone

The most effective wildfire risk reduction happens long before the first 999 call.

06.08.2026 7

The Conversation

Komal Raj Aryal

The Ceuta border incident shows how EU migration can be ‘weaponised’ – but overall levels are declining

The Ceuta border incident shows how EU migration can be ‘weaponised’ – but overall levels are declining

The Ceuta crossing is just one part of the wider migration story in the Mediterranean.

06.08.2026 10

The Conversation

Matilde Rosina

Are cats getting tamer – or is it people who are changing?

Are cats getting tamer – or is it people who are changing?

It’s not just you – many people have been getting more intense about their pet cat over the decades.

06.08.2026 10

The Conversation

Grace Carroll

Lessons from Canada on assisted dying

Lessons from Canada on assisted dying

Canada’s assisted-dying law has expanded since 2016. What can England and Wales learn about safeguards, eligibility and social pressure?

06.08.2026 4

The Conversation

Bethany Simmonds

Adding an AI tool to Google Earth shook our trust in maps that has been centuries in the making

Adding an AI tool to Google Earth shook our trust in maps that has been centuries in the making

People have always put huge trust in the technology used to create maps, from the ancient Greek dioptra to modern satellites.

06.08.2026 8

The Conversation

James Cheshire

How Queen Caroline turned King Arthur into an 18th‑century royal PR strategy

How Queen Caroline turned King Arthur into an 18th‑century royal PR strategy

Caroline’s use of Arthurian iconography sought to promote a shared British identity at a time of political uncertainly.

06.08.2026 5

The Conversation

Amy Louise Blaney

Why are deaf audiences still treated as an afterthought in theatre and cinema?

Why are deaf audiences still treated as an afterthought in theatre and cinema?

For deaf audiences, inclusion means more than being welcomed; it’s being able to attend performances with the same spontaneity and freedom as...

06.08.2026 7

The Conversation

Anna Kenyon

The neuroscience behind a ‘runner’s high’

The neuroscience behind a ‘runner’s high’

For many people, the mental benefits of a runner’s high even outlast the run itself.

06.08.2026 4

The Conversation

Laura Elin Pigott

Why AI wants you to buy more ‑ and mindfulness could help you buy less

Why AI wants you to buy more ‑ and mindfulness could help you buy less

As AI makes advertising more personal and persuasive, mindful shopping habits could help consumers stay in control.

05.08.2026 20

The Conversation

Sharad Gupta

Once‑weekly HIV pill as effective as daily dose, research shows

Once‑weekly HIV pill as effective as daily dose, research shows

A weekly oral pill would give people living with HIV greater treatment choice.

05.08.2026 10

The Conversation

Chloe Orkin

Indigenous communities aren’t rejecting tourism – they just want to shape it themselves

Indigenous communities aren’t rejecting tourism – they just want to shape it themselves

Tourism that seeks to engage with indigenous communities often masks the enduring historical struggle of who gets to decide what a place is and who...

05.08.2026 20

The Conversation

Josiane Fernandes

India and Pakistan’s 79‑year rivalry has made the dangerous move into space

India and Pakistan’s 79‑year rivalry has made the dangerous move into space

India and Pakistan fought a war in 2025 that was wholly dependent on space technology.

05.08.2026 10

The Conversation

Muhammad Waqas Haider

Ceuta and Melilla: how the colonial legacies of these cities have shaped migration in the region

Ceuta and Melilla: how the colonial legacies of these cities have shaped migration in the region

These cities occasionally sparks intense debates on undocumented migration to Spain, and hence to the EU.

05.08.2026 8

The Conversation

Parvati Nair

Monkeys keep pets too ‑ animal specialist on the world of interspecies friendship

Monkeys keep pets too ‑ animal specialist on the world of interspecies friendship

It’s not just humans who enjoy interacting with other animal species.

05.08.2026 5

The Conversation

Cyril Grueter

Smart clothes will soon be on sale. But regulations are needed to prevent a new waste mountain

Smart clothes will soon be on sale. But regulations are needed to prevent a new waste mountain

Clever clothing that can sense health issues are not far off, but they could prove hard to recycle or reuse.

05.08.2026 10

The Conversation

Ian Williams

Edinburgh festival: how the city’s residents could benefit after the crowds leave

Edinburgh festival: how the city’s residents could benefit after the crowds leave

Every year the festival attracts thousands of people to Scotland’s capital, but is the city able to harness this and improve it as a place to live?

05.08.2026 7

The Conversation

Veselina Stoyanova