The Conversation

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Channel • 21 Shows

News Commentary

News Commentary

Updated weekly
Nutrition

Nutrition

Updated weekly
Science

Science

Every two months
News Commentary

News Commentary

Updated 27/03/2025
Kids & Family

Kids & Family

Updated weekly
Politics

Politics

Updated twice weekly
News Commentary

News Commentary

Every two weeks

6 days ago

Cockroach party hits nerve with angry young Indians

A new youth protest movement in India that started as online satire is now staging an ongoing sit-in in New Delhi calling for the resignation of India’s education minister. The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) was launched in late May by Abhijeet Dipke, a graduate of Boston University, in response to alleged comments by India's chief justice, Surya Kant, comparing unemployed young Indians to cockroaches. Dipke launched a parody political party, calling on all cockroaches to unite, which led to street protests in cities including Delhi, Pune, Jaipur and Bengaluru. The CJP latched onto mounting anger in India at a series of issues affecting exams, including the secondary school leaving exam, which has affected thousands of people and been linked to suicides. But the movement has also tapped into the anger of a generation of graduates who’ve done everything right but still can’t find work that matches their aspirations. In this episode economist Rosa Abraham at Azim Premji University, explains how India’s jobs crisis is fuelling this new youth protest movement. This episode was written and produced by Gemma Ware and Mend Mariwany. Mixing by Michelle Macklem and theme music by Neeta Sarl. Read the full credits for this episode and sign up here for a free daily newsletter from The Conversation. If you like the show, please consider donating to The Conversation, an independent, not-for-profit news organisation.

6 days ago

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26 min
1 day ago

Do whales fart?

itA few years ago, 10-year-old Guy was driving along the Australian coast when he saw whales, spouting water up into the air. He was amazed. “Then my brother farted, and then I wondered if whales fart,” says Guy. Guy joined our host Eloise to put his question to Vanessa Pirotta, a wildlife scientist at Macquarie University in Australia on this episode. A podcast from The Conversation, the independent not-for-profit news organisation that brings you news and analysis straight from academic experts. Full credits available here. This season is supported by the University of Southampton in the UK, a world-leading research-intensive university with a global network of international students and campuses in Malaysia and Delhi. Are you a curious kid with a question? Pop it in an email, or record it and send us the audio to curiouskids@theconversation.com. Curious Kids: why do elephants have tusks?Curious Kids: which is smarter – a blue whale or an orca?Curious Kids: How did some animals evolve wings to fly?Curious kids: do whales fart and sneeze?

1 day ago

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15 min
6 days ago

Jenny McAllister on why NDIS reforms are being delayed

The NDIS minister joined the podcast to discuss the government's reforms – and what the changes mean for 160,000 Australians.

6 days ago

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29 min
28/10/2021

Degrowth: why some economists think abandoning growth is the only way to save the planet

Some economists have long argued that to really save the planet – and ourselves – from the climate crisis, we need a fundamental overhaul of the way our economies work. In this episode, we explore the ideas of the degrowth movement and their calls for a contraction in the world’s consumption of energy and resources. We also compare degrowth to other post-growth proposals for governments to reduce their fixation on economic growth. Featuring Samuel Alexander, research fellow at the Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute at the University of Melbourne in Australia, Lorenzo Fioramonti, full professor of political economy at the University of Pretoria in South Africa and also a serving Italian MP, and Beth Stratford PhD candidate at the School of Earth and Environment at the University of Leeds in the UK. And Veronika Meduna, science, health and environment editor at The Conversation in Wellington, gives us some recommended reading about the coronavirus situation in New Zealand. The Conversation Weekly is produced by Mend Mariwany and Gemma Ware, with sound design by Eloise Stevens. Our theme music is by Neeta Sarl. You can sign up to The Conversation’s free daily email here. Full credits for this episode available here. Further reading Beyond GDP: here’s a better way to measure people’s prosperity, by Henrietta Moore,UCLTime for degrowth: to save the planet, we must shrink the economy, by Jason Hickel, London School of Economics and Political ScienceRediscover the ideas of Jacques Ellul, pioneer of décroissance, by Patrick Chastenet, Université de Bordeaux (in French)‘If you want summer, get vaccinated’ – Jacinda Ardern sets the target for re-opening New Zealand, by Michael Plank, University of Canterbury and Shaun Hendy, University of AucklandNew Zealand cannot abandon its COVID elimination strategy while Māori and Pasifika vaccination rates are too low, by Collin Tukuitonga, University of Auckland

28/10/2021

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37 min
18 Jun

Teens are still on social media, but does that mean Australia's ban has failed?

When Australia banned under 16-year-olds from using social media in December 2025, it became a test case for a policy now being pursued by governments around the world. This week, the UK announced a similar social media ban from 2027. So how’s it going in Australia? Have the teenagers emerged from a phone-lit glow to reengage in the real world? And what kind of difference is it having on their mental health? In this episode, we speak to Susan Sawyer, a professor of adolescent mental health at the University of Melbourne, who is running a number of ongoing studies examining the way young people and their parents are reacting to Australia’s ban. This episode was written and produced by Gemma Ware, Katie Flood and Mend Mariwany. Mixing by Michelle Macklem and theme music by Neeta Sarl. Read the full credits for this episode and sign up here for a free daily newsletter from The Conversation. If you like the show, please consider donating to The Conversation, an independent, not-for-profit news organisation.

18 Jun

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27 min
23 Jun

How high can a volcano throw lava up in the air?

Erupting volcanoes spew molten lava, gas and rocks up into the air. But just how high can the lava go and how do eruptions work? That’s what eight-year-old Thomas from Leeds in the UK wanted to know. Thomas joined our host Eloise to put his question to volcanologist Martin Mangler from the University of Southampton. If you'd like to join in with the experiment in this episode, you'll need some bicarbonate of soda, some vinegar, honey, a bottle or mug and a straw, to hand. A podcast from The Conversation, the independent not-for-profit news organisation that brings you news and analysis straight from academic experts. Full credits available here. This season is supported by the University of Southampton in the UK, a world-leading research-intensive university with a global network of international students and campuses in Malaysia and Delhi. Are you a curious kid with a question? Pop it in an email, or record it and send us the audio to curiouskids@theconversation.com. We’ve discovered how diamonds make their way to the surface and it may tell us where to find themWhat causes volcanoes to erupt?Curious Kids: How can we tell when a volcano is going to erupt?

23 Jun

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16 min
6 May

6 | The Making of One Nation: seize the moment?

One Nation didn't emerge in a vacuum, then or now. The global surge in right-wing populism has propelled the party and thirty years on, it’s arguably stronger than ever. But is its popularity a protest or a fundamental realignment of Australian politics? And what happens to Pauline Hanson’s One Nation, post Pauline? In the sixth and final episode of The Making of One Nation, we speak to Jill Sheppard, a political scientist and senior lecturer in the School of Politics and International Relations at the Australian National University. This episode was written and hosted by Ashlynne McGhee and produced and edited by Isabella Podwinski. Sound design by Michelle Macklem. Misha Ketchel is the editor of The Conversation Australia. If you are enjoying the series, please consider donating to The Conversation, an independent, not-for-profit news organisation. Mentioned in this episode: We're asking for your help. https://donate.theconversation.com/au

6 May

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25 min
30 Apr

Trump v Leo: the war of words over a just war

After Donald Trump took to social media to lambast Pope Leo's criticism of the Iran war, the pontiff told journalists "I'm not afraid of the Trump administration". Part of the war of words between Trump and Leo is a question over whether the Iran war is a just one. Just war theory, first articulated by St Augustine in the fifth century, outlines the church’s moral guidelines for political and military leaders to consider before choosing to go to war. But it’s not static, and the church’s own position has become more restrictive in recent years. In this episode, Gerard Powers, the director of Catholic Peace Building Studies at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, explains how the Catholic church’s just war tradition evolved and the influence it’s had on US military thinking. Powers was a senior advisor on international policy for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops during the Iraq war, and was involved in efforts to persuade the Bush administration not to invade. He sets out the difficulty now facing Catholics serving in the US military, whose archbishop has now spoken out against the war they’re being asked to fight This episode was produced by Katie Flood and Mend Mariwany and the executive producer was Gemma Ware. Mixing by Eleanor Brezzi and theme music by Neeta Sarl. Read the full credits for this episode and sign up here for a free daily newsletter from The Conversation. If you like the show, please consider donating to The Conversation, an independent, not-for-profit news organisation.

30 Apr

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26 min
16 Jun

What came before the Big Bang?

It’s a question big enough to make your head spin! Eight-year-old Ellie from Atlanta, Georgia, wants to know what came before the Big Bang? Ellie joins our host Eloise to delve into the origins of our universe with astronomer Michael Lam from Rochester Institute of Technology. If you'd like to join in with the experiment in this episode, make sure you have a balloon and a pen on hand while you listen. A podcast from The Conversation, the independent not-for-profit news organisation that brings you news and analysis straight from academic experts. Full credits available here. This season is supported by the University of Southampton in the UK, a world-leading research-intensive university with a global network of international students and campuses in Malaysia and Delhi. Are you a curious kid with a question? Pop it in an email, or record it and send us the audio to curiouskids@theconversation.com. Curious Kids: how likely is it that there are parallel universes and other Earths?Curious Kids: how are galaxies formed?How could an explosive Big Bang be the birth of our universe?What if the Big Bang wasn’t the beginning? Our research suggests it may have taken place inside a black hole

16 Jun

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17 min
16 Jun

6 | The Making of One Nation: seize the moment?

One Nation didn't emerge in a vacuum, then or now. The global surge in right-wing populism has propelled the party and thirty years on, it’s arguably stronger than ever. But is its popularity a protest or a fundamental realignment of Australian politics? And what happens to Pauline Hanson’s One Nation, post Pauline? In the sixth and final episode of The Making of One Nation, we speak to Jill Sheppard, a political scientist and senior lecturer in the School of Politics and International Relations at the Australian National University. This episode was written and hosted by Ashlynne McGhee and produced and edited by Isabella Podwinski. Sound design by Michelle Macklem. Misha Ketchel is the editor of The Conversation Australia. If you are enjoying the series, please consider donating to The Conversation, an independent, not-for-profit news organisation.

16 Jun

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25 min

Listen to experts explain the world around us and tell the stories behind brand new research. Podcasts from The Conversation, an independent source of news and views, sourced from the academic and research community. Shows in English, French and Bahasa Indonesia. Free to listen.