The Conversation

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Channel • 21 Shows

News Commentary

News Commentary

Updated weekly
Physics

Physics

Updated weekly
News Commentary

News Commentary

Updated 1 Apr
Science

Science

Updated 06/06/2023
Kids & Family

Kids & Family

Updated weekly
News

News

Updated 18/08/2022
News

News

Updated 28/04/2020

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
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
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
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
29 JAN

How Iran shut down the internet

On January 8, as thousands of Iranians took to the streets in nationwide protests, the government cut off the internet. Under cover of digital darkness, the Iranian regime launched a brutal and deadly crackdown against anti-government protesters. After three weeks of internet blackout, reports from web traffic monitor Netblocks suggest that the internet is slowly coming back online but predominantly for government-approved users. Yet for most of the shutdown, banks and some local government websites and apps still worked. And that’s because Iran is developing its own, national internet, cut off from the rest of the world. In this episode, we speak to Amin Naeni, a PhD candidate researching digital authoritarianism at Deakin University in Australia, about how Iran built one of the world’s most sophisticated systems of digital control. This episode was written and produced by Mend Mariwany and Gemma Ware with editing help from Katie Flood. 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. Iran’s universities have long been a battleground, where protests happen and students fight for the futureIran’s biggest centres of protest are also experiencing extreme pollution and water shortagesThis is the playbook the Iranian regime uses to crack down on protests – but will it work this time?Why Iran can’t afford to shut down the internet forever – even if the world doesn’t actIran’s latest internet blackout extends to phones and Starlink 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.

29 Jan

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28 min
12 FEB

How Minneapolis is organising against ICE

Whenever federal immigration agents pull up to a location in Minneapolis, people take their whistles out, start blowing them and start filming. In December, US government sent more than 2,000 Immigration and Customs and Enforcement (ICE) agents into Minnesota in December as part of Operation Metro Surge. The residents of the metropolitan area known as the Twin Cities – Minneapolis and St. Paul – quickly came together to protect and support their neighbours at risk of being caught up in ICE raids. In this episode, we speak to Daniel Cueto-Villalobos, a doctoral candidate at the University of Minnesota, who lives in southern Minneapolis and studies race, religion and social movements. He tracks the neighbourhood groups that have sprung into action in response to the ICE presence back to mutual networks set up during the 2020 Covid pandemic and in the wake of the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis policeman. This episode was written and produced by Katie Flood with editing help from Mend Mariwany. The executive producer is Gemma Ware. 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. I’m a former FBI agent who studies policing, and here’s how federal agents in Minneapolis are undermining basic law enforcement principlesFrom Colonial rebels to Minneapolis protesters, technology has long powered American social movementsMinnesota raises unprecedented constitutional issues in its lawsuit against Trump administration anti-immigrant deploymentThe contradictions of ‘Minnesota nice’ 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 Feb

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25 min
26/11/2020

« P » comme Parentalité

Cet épisode est dédié à la notion de parentalité qui désigne les pratiques parentales, devenues un champ d'étude tant pour la psychiatrie, l'anthropologie que la sociologie. Claude Martin, sociologue, y a dédié plus de trente ans de recherches. Hébergé par Acast. Visitez acast.com/privacy pour plus d'informations.

26/11/2020

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24 min
29/01/2018

Trust Me I’m An Expert: Why February is the real danger month for power blackouts

There are ways we can stay cool in a heat wave without blasting air con at peak times. AAP Image/TRACEY NEARMYIt’s been hot – and it’s going to get hotter. Australia has experienced some record hot days in recent weeks and scientists say Sydney and Melbourne need to prepare for 50°C days by the end of the century, or sooner. In today’s episode of Trust Me I’m An Expert, we’re unpacking the research on why some of the most disadvantaged parts of our cities cop the worst of a heatwave. And Chris Dunstan, an expert on energy policy, explains why February is the month when energy ministers and energy operators really get worried there won’t be enough electricity to go around – and how you can do your bit to curb blackout risk. Join us as we ask academic experts to explain the issues making news in Australia. Trust Me, I’m An Expert is out at the start of every month. Find us and subscribe in Apple Podcasts, Pocket Casts or wherever you get your podcasts. Further reading Beyond Coal: Alternatives to extending the life of Liddell power station, by the Institute for Sustainable Futures, UTS. Explainer: power station ‘trips’ are normal, but blackouts are not Additional music and audio Kindergarten by Unkle Ho, from Elefant Traks Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong, Summertime. YACHT: Summer Song (Instrumental) from Free Music Archive Broke For Free: Summer Spliffs from Free Music Archive Unheard Music Concepts: Hot Summer Day from Free Music Archive Ketsa: Summer from Free Music Archive RT: Sizzling Up: Australian policeman fries egg on car hood in 46°C weather via YouTube Lateline: Cities need adapt to deadly heatwaves from ABC News ABC news report ABC news Seven News, January 8, 2018

29/01/2018

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19 min
19/11/2020

« P » comme Peer review

Les mots de la science, le podcast qui décrypte les mots clés de la recherche pour mieux comprendre l’époque. Cet épisode est dédié à la notion de « peer review », l'évaluation par les pairs. Hébergé par Acast. Visitez acast.com/privacy pour plus d'informations.

19/11/2020

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23 min
20/10/2021

À la conquête de l’espace : quelles sont les recherches scientifiques menées dans la station internationale ?

Claudie Haigneré, première, et toujours seule, femme astronaute française nous raconte les expériences scientifiques qu'elle a menées dans la station Mir pendant la mission Cassiopée et dans la Station spatiale internationale lors de la mission Andromède. Cette dernière est le seul laboratoire où il est possible d'étudier des phénomènes physiques, chimiques ou biologiques en condition de microgravité. Elle nous renseigne également sur l'évolution des sciences dans l'espace, et sur ce que fait Thomas Pesquet en ce moment, au dessus de nos têtes. Crédits "In extenso." est un podcast produit par The Conversation France. Retrouvez les autres épisodes sur le site de The Conversation ou sur les plateformes de podcasts. Conception, Benoît Tonson. Réalisation, Romain Pollet, Chargé de production, Rayane Meguenni Hébergé par Acast. Visitez acast.com/privacy pour plus d'informations.

20/10/2021

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20 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.