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Updated 25/03/2021
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Updated 27/03/2025

08/03/2023

Is time an illusion?

Without a sense of time, leading us from cradle to grave, our lives would make little sense. But on the most fundamental level, physicists aren't sure whether the sort of time we experience exists at all. We talk to three experts and find out if time could potentially be moving backwards as well as forwards. Featuring Sean Carroll, Homewood professor of natural philosophy at Johns Hopkins University, Emily Adlam, postdoctoral associate of the philosophy of physics at Western University and Natalia Ares, Royal Society university research fellow at the University of Oxford. This episode was presented by Miriam Frankel and produced by Hannah Fisher. Executive producers are Jo Adetunji and Gemma Ware. Social media and platform production by Alice Mason, sound design by Eloise Stevens and music by Neeta Sarl. A transcript is available here. Sign up here for a free daily newsletter from The Conversation. Further reading: Quantum mechanics: how the future might influence the pastFour misconceptions about quantum physics

08/03/2023

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44 min
22/03/2023

Is there a multiverse?

Interest in the multiverse theory, suggesting that our universe is just one of many, has spiked since the movie Everything Everywhere All At Once was released. The film follows Evelyn Wang on her journey to connect with versions of herself in parallel universes to stop the destruction of the multiverse. The multiverse idea has long been an inspiration for science fiction writers. But does it have any basis in science? And if so, is it a concept we could ever test experimentally? Featuring Andrew Pontzen, professor of Cosmology at University College London, Katie Mack, Hawking chair in cosmology and science communication at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, and Sabine Hossenfelder, research fellow of physics at the Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies. This episode is presented by Miriam Frankel and produced by Hannah Fisher. Executive producers are Jo Adetunji and Gemma Ware. Social media and platform production by Alice Mason, sound design by Eloise Stevens and music by Neeta Sarl. A transcript is available here. Sign up here for a free daily newsletter from The Conversation. Further reading: The multiverse: how we're tackling the challenges facing the theoryCurious Kids: how likely is it that there are parallel universes and other Earths?The multiverse: our universe is suspiciously unlikely to exist – unless it is one of many

22/03/2023

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41 min
15/03/2023

Fundamental constants: is the universe fine tuned for life to exist?

Imagine a universe with extremely strong gravity. Stars would be able to form from very little material. They would be smaller than in our universe and live for a much shorter amount of time. But could life evolve there? It after all took human life billions of years to evolve on Earth under the pleasantly warm rays from the Sun. Now imagine a universe with extremely weak gravity. Its matter would struggle to clump together to form stars, planets and – ultimately – living beings. It seems we are pretty lucky to have gravity that is just right for life in our universe. Featuring Fred Adams, professor of physics, University of Michigan, and Paul Davies, professor of physics, Arizona State University. This episode was presented by Miriam Frankel and produced by Hannah Fisher. Executive producers are Jo Adetunji and Gemma Ware. Social media and platform production by Alice Mason, sound design by Eloise Stevens and music by Neeta Sarl. A transcript is available here. Sign up here for a free daily newsletter from The Conversation. Further reading: The multiverse is suspiciously unlikely to exist unless it is one of many

15/03/2023

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42 min
05/04/2023

Will we ever have a fundamental theory of life and consciousness?

What’s the difference between a living collection of matter, such as a tortoise, and an inanimate lump of it, such as a rock? They are, after all, both just made up of non-living atoms. The truth is, we don’t really know yet. Life seems to just somehow emerge from non-living parts. Featuring Jim Al-Khalili, professor of physics at the University of Surrey and Sara Imari Walker professor of physics at Arizona State University. This episode is presented by Miriam Frankel and produced by Hannah Fisher. Executive producers are Jo Adetunji and Gemma Ware. Social media and platform production by Alice Mason, sound design by Eloise Stevens and music by Neeta Sarl. A transcript is available here. Sign up here for a free daily newsletter from The Conversation. Further reading: Life: modern physics can’t explain it – but our new theory, which says time is fundamental, might

05/04/2023

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48 min
12/04/2023

Theory of everything: do we really need one?

The quest for a theory of everything – explaining all the forces and particles in the universe – is arguably the holy grail of physics. While each of our main theories of physics works extraordinarily well, they also clash with each other. But do we really need a theory of everything? And are we anywhere near achieving one? Featuring Vlatko Vedral, a professor of physics at the University of Oxford and Chanda Prescod-Weinstein, an assistant professor in physics and astronomy and core faculty in women's and gender studies at the University Of New Hampshire. This episode is presented by Miriam Frankel and produced by Hannah Fisher. Executive producers are Jo Adetunji and Gemma Ware. Social media and platform production by Alice Mason, sound design by Eloise Stevens and music by Neeta Sarl. A transcript is available here. Sign up here for a free daily newsletter from The Conversation. Further reading: The standard model of particle physics may be broken – an expert explains

12/04/2023

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57 min
29/03/2023

Quantum mechanics: does objective reality exist?

It is hard to shake the intuition that there's a real and objective physical world out there. If I see an umbrella on top of a shelf, I assume you do too. And if I don't look at the umbrella, I expect it to remain there as long as nobody steals it. But the theory of quantum mechanics, which governs the micro-world of atoms and particles, threatens this commonsense view. Featuring Chiara Marletto, Research Fellow of Physics, and Christopher Timpson, Professor of Philosophy of Physics, both at the University of Oxford, and Marcus Huber, Professor of Physics, TU Wien. This episode is presented by Miriam Frankel and produced by Hannah Fisher. Executive producers are Jo Adetunji and Gemma Ware. Social media and platform production by Alice Mason, sound design by Eloise Stevens and music by Neeta Sarl. A transcript is available here. Sign up here for a free daily newsletter from The Conversation. Further reading: 'QBism': quantum mechanics is not an objective description of reality – it reveals a world of genuine free will

29/03/2023

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53 min
11/05/2024

Why do some trees lose their leaves and others don't?

As spring started springing, and leaves started to reappear on the trees, Robi-Jo wanted to find out why some trees lose their leaves and others don't. He joined our host Eloise to ask Paul Ashton, a botanist at Edge Hill University in the UK, who took them into the secret life of our big, leafy friends! The Conversation's Curious Kids podcast is published in partnership with FunKids, the UK's children's radio station. It's hosted and produced by Eloise and Gemma Ware is the executive producer. Full sound credits available here. If you have a question for an expert, email us at curiouskids@theconversation.com or record it and send your question to us directly at funkidslive.com/curious. And explore more articles from our Curious Kids series on The Conversation. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

11/05/2024

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17 min
12 MAR

Mystery covid methane spike solved

Six years ago, as countries around the world went into COVID lockdowns, the air got cleaner. Factories slowed down, roads emptied and aeroplanes were grounded. As people stayed home, the world burned fewer fossil fuels and so carbon dioxide emissions dropped. But something else was also happening in the atmosphere. Levels of methane, an extremely potent greenhouse gas that warms the planet even faster than CO2, rose faster in 2020 than at any point since records began in the 1980s. And methane levels kept on rising during 2021 and 2022. Ever since, scientists have been trying to piece together what caused this sudden mysterious increase in methane. Now, they think they have the answer – and it was partly due to COVID lockdowns. In this episode, we speak to Philippe Ciais, a researcher at the Laboratory for Environmental and Climate Science at Université Paris-Saclay in France, and one of the authors of a new study in the journal Science about the spike in methane levels, who explains how they solved the mystery. This episode was written and produced by Mend Mariwany and Katie Flood and Gemma Ware was the executive producer. 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. Pourquoi les émissions de méthane ont-elles bondi de 2020 à 2023 ? Une étude permet enfin de répondreWhy fixing methane leaks from the oil and gas industry can be a climate game-changer – one that pays for itselfCoronavirus lockdowns cut global carbon emissions by an estimated 7% – what happens now?Methane emissions are at new highs. It could put us on a dangerous climate path Mentioned in this episode: The Making of an Autocrat Search "The Conversation Weekly" for our new series: The Making of an Autocrat. Is America watching its democracy unravel in real time? In The Making of an Autocrat from The Conversation, six of the world’s pre-eminant scholars reveal the recipe for authoritarian rule. From capturing a party, to controlling the military, Donald Trump is borrowing from the playbook of strongmen thoughout history. This is the story of how democracies falter — and what might happen next.

12 Mar

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23 min
27/06/2024

Gen Z di dunia kerja: apa yang membuat generasi ini berbeda?

Seiring dengan banyaknya Gen Z yang telah menyelesaikan masa studi dan masuk ke dunia kerja, diskusi tentang generasi “digital native” ini makin sering terdengar. Beberapa orang menilai kehadiran pekerja Gen Z sangat kontras dibandingkan dengan generasi-generasi sebelumnya hingga kerap membuat pekerja senior menggaruk kepala akibat fenomena ini. Sebagai contoh, akun anonim di platform X (dahulu Twitter) bercerita mengenai seorang pegawai yang masuk dalam kategori Gen Z tidak serius dalam menyelesaikan pekerjaannya.. Respons publik pun beragam. Ada sebagian orang yang mengeluhkan pegawai Gen Z ini memang tidak memiliki etos kerja yang baik, namun ada juga beberapa orang yang berpendapat pendekatan kepada pegawai mereka harus menggunakan cara yang berbeda untuk menghindari permasalahan ini. Lantas, bagaimana menurut ahli mengenai fenomena Gen Z ditempat kerja yang sedang ramai dibahas ini? Dalam episode SuarAkademia terbaru, kami berdiskusi dengan Annisaa Miranty Nurendra, Dosen Jurusan Psikologi dari Universitas Islam Indonesia (UII). Annisaa mengatakan, Gen Z memang memiliki karakteristik yang unik dan berbeda dengan generasi sebelumnya (milenial dan Gen X). Menurutnya, Gen Z adalah generasi yang sejak lahir sudah menjadi piawai menggunakan internet sehingga mereka bisa mendapatkan segala bentuk informasi dengan cepat, suka mempelajari hal-hal baru, dan mengutamakan passion dalam menggarap pekerjaan. Karakter generasi ini di dunia kerja juga dianggap Annisaa berbeda dengan generasi lain. Ia melihat Gen Z condong mementingkan fleksibilitas, apresiasi dan pengakuan dalam pekerjaan serta memiliki rasa ingin tahu yang tinggi. Manajemen perusahaan perlu memahami hal ini untuk menciptakan harmoni di lingkungan kerja. Berbicara mengenai banyaknya keluhan tentang perilaku Gen Z pada saat bekerja, Annisaa menganggap pentingnya komunikasi dalam hubungan antargenerasi dan bagaimana hal itu bisa menjadi alat untuk memahami dan saling berkembang. Ia menekankan perlunya menghindari egosentrisme sebagai proses pembelajaran. Ia menambahkan perusahaan perlu melakukan penyesuaian kebijakan manajemen dan menerapkan gaya kepemimpinan yang tidak statis agar sesuai dengan perubahan demografi pekerja. Simak episode lengkapnya hanya di SuarAkademia —ngobrol seru isu terkini, bareng akademisi.

27/06/2024

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32 min
12/06/2025

Pemerintah cairkan BSU: solusi lesunya daya beli masyarakat?

Pemerintah Indonesia kembali menggulirkan program Bantuan Subsidi Upah (BSU) sebagai bagian dari upaya menjaga daya beli masyarakat pekerja di tengah tekanan ekonomi. Program ini mulai dicairkan pada 5 Juni 2025, menyasar para buruh dan pekerja yang memenuhi syarat tertentu sesuai regulasi ketenagakerjaan dan kebijakan ekonomi nasional. BSU ini dirancang sebagai bentuk intervensi fiskal langsung untuk membantu kelompok pekerja yang terdampak dinamika ekonomi seperti deflasi atau menurunnya daya beli masyarakat. Bantuan ini diberikan sebesar Rp300.000 per bulan selama dua bulan (Juni–Juli) dan langsung dicairkan sekaligus sebesar Rp600.000 pada bulan Juni. Pemerintah mengalokasikan dana sebesar Rp10,72 triliun untuk pelaksanaan program BSU tahun ini. Di tengah tantangan seperti inflasi dan ketidakpastian global, pemerintah berharap bantuan semacam ini bisa menjadi stimulan bagi masyarakat supaya tetap bisa menggerakkan roda ekonomi. Apakah pemberian BSU ini benar benar menjadi solusi jitu untuk menggerakkan perekonomian negara yang belakangan dianggap lesu? Dalam episode SuarAkademia terbaru, kami membahas isu ini bersama Jaya Darmawan, peneliti ekonomi dari Center of Economic and Law Studies (CELIOS). Jaya berpendapat BSU menjadi salah satu instrumen andalan pemerintah untuk merespons tekanan ekonomi yang dialami masyarakat kelas pekerja. Meskipun program BSU bermanfaat dalam jangka pendek, ia menganggap besaran bantuannya belum mampu mengimbangi tekanan ekonomi saat ini. Salah satu masalah yang menurut Jaya juga perlu disoroti adalah kriteria kelayakan penerima manfaat. Banyak pekerja tidak memenuhi syarat bantuan karena batasan administratif yang tidak mempertimbangkan kompleksitas kerja informal. kriteria penerima BSU ini membuat pekerja yang ada di sektor informal kerap luput dari jangkauan bantuan sosial, meskipun mereka berada dalam posisi paling rentan secara ekonomi. Meskipun kebijakan pemerintah ini perlu disambut dengan baik, namun Jaya beranggapan langkah-langkah ini masih belum cukup untuk mendorong daya beli masyarakat secara berkelanjutan. Ia berpendapat perlu ada pergeseran arah kebijakan dari sekadar bantuan jangka pendek menuju strategi jangka panjang yang lebih menyeluruh. Fokus kebijakan pemerintah sebaiknya tidak hanya memperbaiki daya beli secara sementara, tetapi juga membuka akses terhadap pekerjaan yang layak dan mendukung pekerja untuk keluar dari sektor informal. Menurutnya, pemerintah perlu memikirkan strategi yang lebih komprehensif untuk menciptakan kebijakan ekonomi yang tidak hanya responsif terhadap krisis, tetapi juga berorientasi pada transformasi sosial dan ekonomi yang berkelanjutan. Simak episode lengkapnya hanya di SuarAkademia—ngobrol seru isu terkini, bareng akademisi.

12/06/2025

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33 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.