The Conversation Weekly

As the latest Jurassic World Dominion film hits cinemas, we’re re-running a story originally aired in 2021 about what dinosaurs really looked liked – and how scientists' understanding of their appearance keeps evolving. Featuring Maria McNamara, professor of palaeobiology at University College Cork in Ireland and Nicolas Campione, senior lecturer in paleaobiology at the University of New England in Australia.The Conversation Weekly is produced by Mend Mariwany and Gemma Ware. Sound design is by Eloise Stevens and our theme music is by Neeta Sarl. Full credits for this episode available here. Read a transcript of the original version of this story.Further reading:Jurassic World Dominion: a palaeontologist on what the film gets wrong about dinosaursDinosaur embryo discovery: rare fossil suggests dinosaurs had similar pre-hatching posture to modern birdsNocturnal dinosaurs: Night vision and superb hearing in a small theropod suggest it was a moonlight predatorThe discovery of two giant dinosaur species solves the mystery of missing apex predators in North America and Asia

A little update about The Conversation Weekly podcast and what we'll be up to over the next few months.If you've not yet completed our listener survey, we'd love to hear what you think about the show. It should take about five minutes to complete. Thank you!

India and Pakistan have been sweltering under an unprecedented heatwave, the severity of which scientists attribute to climate change. In this episode we explore how much worse heatwaves in the region could get and how farmers can prepare for it.Featuring Alan Thomas Kennedy-Asser, a research associate in climate science at the University of Bristol in the UK, Andrew King, a senior Lecturer in climate science at the University of Melbourne in Australia and Shruti Bhogal, who's just finished working as a post-doctoral research associate at the University of Cambridge in the UK. This episode of The Conversation Weekly was produced by Mend Mariwany and Gemma Ware. Sound design is by Eloise Stevens and our theme music is by Neeta Sarl. Full credits for this episode are available here. A transcript will be available shortly.  Further readingIndia heatwave: why the region should prepare for even more extreme heat in the near future How to survive a heatwave A climate scientist on India and Pakistan’s horror heatwave, and the surprising consequences of better air qualityYoung Indian farmers are turning to an ancient crop to fight water stress and climate change

As Australians prepare to vote in federal elections on May 21, in this episode we explore how the country’s political landscape is shifting – and why it's not looking good for Prime Minister Scott Morrison.Featuring Michelle Grattan, a professorial fellow at the University of Canberra and political correspondent for The Conversation in Australia. Grattan, who is one of Australia's most respected political journalists, also hosts the Politics with Michelle Grattan podcast for The Conversation.We'd love to hear what you think about The Conversation Weekly. Please let us know via our listener survey, which should take about five minutes to complete. Thank you!This episode of The Conversation Weekly was produced by Mend Mariwany and Gemma Ware. Sound design is by Eloise Stevens and our theme music is by Neeta Sarl. Full credits for this episode are available here. Further readingHow does Australia’s voting system work?In a year of endless floods, why isn’t disaster governance front and centre in the election campaign?If the polls are right, he may soon be the next Australian prime minister. So who is Anthony Albanese?‘His beating heart is a focus group’: what makes Scott Morrison tick?

We'd love to hear what you think about The Conversation Weekly. Please let us know via our listener survey, which should take about five minutes to complete. Thank you!Parents and doctors have known about childhood ADHD – attention deficit hyperactivity disorder – for decades, but it is only recently that the medical field has started to recognise, diagnose and seriously study ADHD in adults. In this episode of The Conversation Weekly podcast, we explore what adult ADHD looks like, how it is diagnosed today and the many new treatments available to help those with the disorder live better lives.Featuring Laura E Knouse an associate professor of psychology a the University of Richmond in the US, and Tamara May, senior research fellow at Monash University in Australia. This episode of The Conversation Weekly was produced by Mend Mariwany. Sound design is by Eloise Stevens and our theme music is by Neeta Sarl. Full credits for this episode are available here.You can also read a full transcript of this episode too.  Further readingADHD looks different in adults. Here are 4 signs to watch forWhy many women with autism and ADHD aren’t diagnosed until adulthood – and what to do if you think you’re one of themADHD in adults: what it’s like living with the condition – and why many still struggle to get diagnosedThese strategies and life hacks can help anyone with ADHD, as well as those who struggle with attention problems but don’t have a diagnosis

We'd love to hear what you think about The Conversation Weekly. Please let us know via our listener survey, which should take about five minutes to complete. Thank you!When war breaks out, what does it mean for a country to remain neutral? In this episode we explore the advantages and disadvantages of neutrality – and what responsibilities come with the choice not to take sides. We talk to an historian about how an age of neutrality emerged in the 19th century and what lessons it has for the war in Ukraine. And we dig down into the reasons why one country – India – has decided to remain neutral on the conflict. Featuring Maartje Abbenhuis, professor of history at the University of Auckland in New Zealand, and Swaran Singh, professor of diplomacy and disarmament at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, India.This episode of The Conversation Weekly was produced by Gemma Ware and Mend Mariwany. Sound design is by Eloise Stevens and our theme music is by Neeta Sarl. Full credits for this episode are available here. You can read a transcript on The Conversation's website. Further readingWhy India chose a path of ‘proactive neutrality’ on UkraineWhat does it mean to be ‘neutral’ over Ukraine – and what responsibilities come with it?As Ukraine war deepens great-power divisions, a revitalized non-aligned movement could emergeRussia’s war with Ukraine: Five reasons why many African countries choose to be ‘neutral’History may explain South Africa’s refusal to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is challenging the structures of international collaboration in space. In this episode, we talk to two experts about how space is entering a new era of international competition – and whether the existing laws are ready for what comes next. Featuring Kuan-Wei (David) Chen, executive director of the Centre for Research in Air and Space Law at McGill University in Canada and Svetla Ben-Itzhak, assistant professor of space and international relations at Air University in the US.This episode of The Conversation Weekly was produced by Gemma Ware. Sound design is by Eloise Stevens and our theme music is by Neeta Sarl. Full credits for this episode available here. A transcript is also available to read. Further readingSpace Blocs: The future of international cooperation in space is splitting along lines of power on EarthRussia’s invasion of Ukraine threatens space co-operation, business and securityUkraine war: how it could play out in space – with potentially dangerous consequencesRussian invasion of Ukraine and resulting US sanctions threaten the future of the International Space Station

How much does your cultural background influence the way you react to music? Or whether you think a piece of music sounds happy or sad? That's what George Athanasopoulos and his colleagues decided to investigate. They travelled to a remote part of northwest Pakistan to spend time with the Kalash and Kho people who live there and find out how they reacted to western music. Athanasopoulos, an ethnomusicologist at Durham University in the UK, tells us what they discovered.This episode is an extended version of an interview first published on February 3.The Conversation Weekly is produced by Mend Mariwany and Gemma Ware. Sound design is by Eloise Stevens and our theme music is by Neeta Sarl. Full credits for this episode available here.Further reading:How your culture informs the emotions you feel when listening to musicThe global music community must help Afghan musicians resist a Taliban music ban

Indonesia plans to move its capital city from Jakarta on the island of Java to a new forest city on the island of Borneo called Nusantara. We talk to three experts in urban planning and ecology to find out why, what the problems are with Jakarta – and what the environmental impacts of the project could be.Featuring Eka Permanasari, associate professor in urban design, Monash University Australia, Hendricus Andy Simarmata, lecturer in urban planning at the University of Indonesia and Alex Lechner, associate professor in landscape ecology at Monash University Indonesia.The Conversation Weekly is produced by Mend Mariwany and Gemma Ware. Sound design is by Eloise Stevens and our theme music is by Neeta Sarl. Full credits for this episode available here.Further readingHow not to build a capital: what Indonesia can learn from other master-planned cities’ mistakesDoes Indonesia really need to move its capital?Assessing Jokowi’s $33-billion project to move Indonesia’s capital for the country’s economic developmentMoving Indonesia’s capital city won’t fix Jakarta’s problems and will increase fire risk in Borneo

Can makeup really kill you? That’s the myth attached to Maria Gunning, the Countess of Coventry, an 18th century socialite who reportedly died from her lead-based makeup in 1760, aged just 27. In this episode, we speak to Fiona McNeill, a professor of physics at McMaster University in Canada, who has recreated some centuries-old recipes for white lead makeup to test how dangerous these cosmetics really were. Plus, an extract from a special episode of The Conversation's Don't Call Me Resilient podcast, about Will Smith's Oscar slap.The Conversation Weekly is produced by Mend Mariwany and Gemma Ware, with reporting from the Aboriginal Tent Embassy in Canberra by Ellen Duffy. Sound design is by Eloise Stevens and our theme music is by Neeta Sarl. Full credits for this episode available here.Further readingDying for makeup: Lead cosmetics poisoned 18th-century European socialites in search of whiter skinThere’s a complex history of skin lighteners in Africa and beyond