The Conversation Weekly

As world leaders and their climate negotiators gathered at the COP28 climate summit in Dubai in early December, on the other side of the world, Brazil was experiencing an unprecedented drought in the Amazon. Scientists fear it could release of billions of additional tons of carbon into the atmosphere. In this episode, we speak to an ecologist who has spent 45 years living and studying in the Amazon about the causes of the drought, why it’s so dangerous for the planet and what can be done to protect the rainforest.Featuring Philip Fearnside, ecologist and professor at the National Institute of Amazonian Research in Brazil.This episode was written and produced by Katie Flood with production assistance from Mend Mariwany. Gemma Ware is the executive producer of the show. Full credits for this episode are available here. A transcript is also available.Further reading: Amazon region hit by trio of droughts in grim snapshot of the century to comeDeforestation jeopardises agribusiness and food security in Brazil and worldwide Climate tipping points are nearer than you think – our new report warns of catastrophic risk UN’s ‘global stocktake’ on climate offers a sobering emissions reckoning − but there are also signs of progress

Analyzing the Israel-Hamas conflict, accusations of genocide from both sides are explored. A genocide expert shares personal stories from Cambodia. The Cambodian genocide, its history, and prosecution are discussed. Different types of crimes beyond genocide are explored. The possibility of prosecuting both sides of the conflict at the International Criminal Court is explored. Challenges in reaching a verdict on genocide are examined.

Amid the flurry of billboards promoting cut price deals in the run up to Black Friday, some activists have slipped in the odd spoof advert. By subverting public advertising space, they’re risking legal action to try and make serious points about the excesses of consumer culture and the perilous state of the environment. In this episode, we find out about the subvertising movement and its links to a wider conversation about mass consumerism and the environment.Featuring Eleftheria Lekakis, a senior lecturer in media and communication at the University of Sussex in the UK.This episode was written, produced and sound designed by Eloise Stevens, with production assistance from Mend Mariwany and Katie Flood. Gemma Ware is the executive producer of the show.. Full credits for this episode are available here. A transcript is now available.Further reading: Why artists installed 600 fake adverts at COP21Artists are not at the negotiating table at COP26 but art is everywhere. What can they accomplish through their work? 

The rise of drug-resistant infections is one of the biggest global threats to health, food security and development. Antibiotic-resistant superbugs were estimated to kill 1.27 million people in 2019, and the UN projects that drug-resistant diseases could cause 10 million deaths a year by 2050. In this episode, we hear from a microbiologist at a hospital in Nigeria working on the frontlines against antibiotic resistance, and find out about the new scientific techniques, including artificial intelligence, being deployed to find new potential antibiotics.Featuring Nubwa Medugu, a clinical microbiologist at Nile University of Nigeria and André O. Hudson, dean of the College of Science and professor of biochemistry at Rochester Institute of Technology in the US.This episode was written and produced by Mend Mariwany and Gemma Ware with assistance from Katie Flood. Eloise Stevens does our sound design, and our theme music is by Neeta Sarl. Gemma Ware is the executive producer of the show. Full credits for this episode are available here. A transcript is also available. Further reading: Will we still have antibiotics in 50 years? We asked 7 global expertsResistance to antibiotics in northern Nigeria: what bacteria are prevalent, and which drugs work against themAntibiotic resistance is at a crisis point – government support for academia and Big Pharma to find new drugs could help defeat superbugsMore reading from our series on The dangers of antibiotic resistance

Two months after the earthquake, we hear why Marrakech and its medina are so important to Islamic heritage – and why some researchers are worried that the expertise of the city's traditional artisans could being overlooked in the reconstruction.Featuring Abbey Stockstill, assistant professor of art history at Southern Methodist University in the US; Nour Eddine Nachaoune, professor of heritage at Université Mohammed V in Rabat; and Kalpana Jain, senior religion and ethics editor and director of the Global Religion Journalism Initiative at The Conversation in the US.This episode was written and produced by Gemma Ware and Katie Flood with assistance from Mend Mariwany, who also recorded the English voiceover in this episode. Eloise Stevens does our sound design, and our theme music is by Neeta Sarl. Gemma Ware is the executive producer of the show. Full credits for this episode are available here. A transcript is now available.Further reading: Marrakech artisans – who have helped rebuild the Moroccan city before – are among those hit hard in the earthquake’s devastationTinmel – Morocco’s medieval shrine and mosque – is one of the historic casualties of the earthquakeWhat caused Morocco’s earthquake? A geologist studying the Atlas mountains explains

Emily Lindsey, associate curator at La Brea Tar, discusses new research on the extinction of large animals at the end of the Ice Age and the concerning lessons it provides about human interaction with fire and ecosystems. They explore the impact of fires on ecosystems, the causes of wildfires in California, and the importance of studying evidence from the past to understand and mitigate the risks of climate change.

Homs was once the centre of the Syrian revolution. Today, 12 years on, much of the city remains scarred and deserted after years of siege and heavy bombardment. In this episode we speak to an architect from Homs about what the deliberate destruction of homes and neighbourhoods, known as domicide, does to people displaced by conflict – and his perspective on the Israeli bombardment of Gaza.  Featuring Ammar Azzouz, research fellow in geography and the environment at the University of Oxford in the UK. This episode was produced and written by Mend Mariwany and Gemma Ware. The executive producer was Gemma Ware. Sound design was by Eloise Stevens and our theme music is by Neeta Sarl. Full credits for this episode are available here. A transcript will be available soon. Sign up for a free daily newsletter from The Conversation.Further reading: ‘My home city was destroyed by war but I will not lose hope’ – how modern warfare turns neighbourhoods into battlefieldsHow Syrian architects can start to rebuild – even in the devastation of warOngoing coverage from The Conversation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

We’re bringing you an extra episode this week to share an interview from Don’t Call Me Resilient, another podcast from The Conversation. Hosted by Vinita Srivastava at The Conversation in Canada, Don’t Call Me Resilient is your weekly dose of news and current events through a sharply-focused anti-racist lens.In this episode which we're running in full, Vinita talks to Daniel Martinez HoSang, a professor of ethnicity, race and migration and American studies at Yale University about why brown and Black people are being drawn to far-right politics in the United States. It originally aired in early October 2023.You can listen to or follow Don’t Call Me Resilient on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you listen to your podcasts.Further reading:Republicans are trying to build a multiracial right – will it work?All episodes of Don't Call Me Resilient

Imagine a particle so small that it’s the same relative size to a soccer ball as that football is to the planet Earth. That’s the size of a quantum dot – a type of nanocrystal that changes colour depending on its size, and was once thought impossible to actually make. Now, three scientists who helped discover and synthesise these quantum dots have been awarded the 2023 Nobel prize in chemistry.In this week’s episode we speak to Louis Brus, one of these new Nobel laureates, and an emeritus professor of chemistry at Columbia University in New York, about his work on quantum dots and what winning the accolade means.  This episode of The Conversation Weekly was produced and written by Gemma Ware and Katie Flood with assistance from Mend Mariwany. The executive producer was Gemma Ware. Sound design was by Eloise Stevens and our theme music is by Neeta Sarl. Full credits for this episode are available here. A transcript will be available soon. Sign up for a free daily newsletter from The Conversation.Further reading: Quantum dots − a new Nobel laureate describes the development of these nanoparticles from basic research to industry applicationNobel prize in chemistry awarded for ‘quantum dot’ technology that gave us today’s high definition TVsFull coverage of the 2023 Nobel prizesIranian Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi, in prison for speaking up against human rights violations, has been a voice for women for almost two decades Jon Fosse: Nobel prize in literature winner is a playwright who puts outsiders centre stage

Archaeologist Ludovic Slimak and his team share provocative new findings on Neanderthals, their extinction, and the insights it holds for Homo Sapiens. They discuss the relationship between Homo Sapiens and Neanderthals, the discovery of teeth challenging migration beliefs, the colonization of Australia, and the extinction of other human species. The differences in tool production techniques between Neanderthals and Homo Sapiens and its impact on their extinction are also explored.