The Conversation

•

Channel • 21 Shows

Nutrition

Nutrition

Updated weekly
News Commentary

News Commentary

Updated weekly
Politics

Politics

Updated twice weekly

Physics

Physics

Updated weekly
Kids & Family

Kids & Family

Updated weekly
Social Sciences

Social Sciences

Updated weekly
Science

Science

Updated 31/07/2019
News Commentary

News Commentary

Twice monthly
Life Sciences

Life Sciences

Twice monthly
News Commentary

News Commentary

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

•

44 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

•

57 min
07/11/2024

Gangsters who leave their gang behind for something new

What happens when a gangster leaves their life on the street? How do they transition to something new? We find out through the life stories of two people who joined them as young men and came out the other side. Featuring an interview with Gaz, a former gang member in Sierra Leone, and Dennis Rodgers, a research professor at the Graduate Institute in Geneva, Switzerland who leads a global research project on gangs. This episode was produced by Mend Mariwany and Gemma Ware. Sound design was by Michelle Macklem and our theme music is by Neeta Sarl. Full credits for this episode are available. Sign up here for a free daily newsletter from The Conversation. If you like the show, please consider donating to The Conversation, which is an independent, not-for-profit news organisation. And please do rate and review the show wherever you listen. Further reading:Gangs’stories: The Sierra Leonian gangster who gave up violence and drugs for poetryGangs’stories : A glimpse of hard lives around the worldFrom dealing drugs to selling tortillas: the surprising future of former gang members

07/11/2024

•

32 min
TRAILER

Great Mysteries of Physics - trailer

"There is nothing new to discover in physics", declared the British physicist Lord Kelvin in 1900. That is no longer true. Today it is becoming increasingly clear that there are problems that physics, as we know it, doesn't seem to be able to solve. Perhaps we just need more data, perhaps we need a new fundamental theory of reality. In this six-part series, host Miriam Frankel from The Conversation will take you on a mind-blowing journey from the smallest to the largest conundrums, exploring curled-up dimensions, consciousness and parallel universes along the way. We will discover the greatest mysteries facing physicists today – and discuss the radical proposals for solving them. The first episode will be available on March 8. Great Mysteries of Physics is produced by Hannah Fisher with sound design by Eloise Stevens. You can sign up to The Conversation’s free daily email here. Great Mysteries of Physics is a podcast series supported by FQXi.

Trailer

•

3 min
08/06/2024

Does magic really exist?

Seven year old Julia in London thinks that rainbows and the recent Northern Lights are magical. But if a scientist tells her how they work, will she still believe they are? Join us to find out! Featuring Partha Chowdhury, professor of physics at UMass Lowell in the US. 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. The executive producer is Gemma Ware. Email your question to 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.

08/06/2024

•

19 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

•

41 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

•

48 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

•

42 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

•

53 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

•

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.