The Conversation Weekly

In this episode we bring you three stories from Australia and the UK exploring the role of art in helping people deal with the challenges life throws at them. We talk to Cherine Fahd, associate professor at the School of Design at the University of Technology Sydney about Being Together: Parramatta Yearbook, a photography project in a suburb of Sydney bringing people back together again as COVID-19 restrictions lift.Angelina Hurley, PhD candidate at Griffith University in Brisbane tell us how art is used to process the trauma of colonisation for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in Australia, and about the work of her father, the late artist Ron Hurley. And Kirsty Sedgman, a lecturer in theatre at the University of Bristol in England, explains why the second world war led to the birth of public funding for arts buildings in Britain – and how the Bristol Old Vic theatre became the first recipient.And Gregory Rayko, international editor for The Conversation in Paris, France give us his recommended reading.This episode of the The Conversation Weekly is supported by the UK/Australia Season Patrons Board, the British Council and the Australian Government as part of the UK/Australia Season, which centres on the theme Who Are We Now? The season's programme reflects on the two countries’ shared history, explores their current relationship, and imagines their future together.This episode was produced by Mend Mariwany and Gemma Ware, with reporting by Rhianna Patrick and Olivia Rosenman and sound design by Eloise Stevens. You can sign up to The Conversation’s free daily email here. Full credits for this episode available here.Further reading‘Art is our voice’: why the government needs to support Indigenous arts, not just sport, in the pandemic, by Angelina Hurley, Griffith UniversityYearning for touch — a photo essay, by Cherine Fahd, University of Technology SydneyArts rescue package: by all means protect Britain’s ‘jewels’ – but don’t forget the rest of the crown, by Kirsty Sedgman, University of BristolShould we be alarmed by the sound of boots on the Russia-Ukraine border?, by Christine Dugoin-Clément, IAE Paris – Sorbonne Business School (in French)France-Algeria: the diplomatic impasse, by Luis Martinez, Sciences Po (in French)

With a mirror six and half metres in diameter, a sun shield the size of a tennis court and an instrument compartment bigger than a phone booth, the James Webb Space Telescope is enormous. After years of delays, it's now set for launch on December 22. We speak to two astronomers about the telescope and the questions they hope it will answer about the beginning of the universe and the conditions on exoplanets orbiting far-away stars. Featuring Martin Barstow, professor of astrophysics and space science at the University of Leicester in the UK and chair of the Space Telescope Science Institute Council; and Marcia Rieke, Regents professor of astronomy at the University of Arizona in the US and principal investigator on the near-infrared camera onboard the James Webb Space Telescope.In our second story, Edwin Kwong, a research fellow at the University of Melbourne in Australia, explains his recent research into the tactics used by the food industry to boost sales of ultra-processed foods in middle-income countries. And Luthfi Dzulfikar, an editor for The Conversation in Jakarta, Indonesia recommends some analysis on the recent volcanic eruption on the island of Java.The Conversation Weekly is produced by Mend Mariwany and Gemma Ware, with sound design by Eloise Stevens. Our theme music is by Neeta Sarl. You can sign up to The Conversation’s free daily email here. Full credits for this episode available here.Further reading:James Webb Space Telescope: An astronomer on the team explains how to send a giant telescope to space – and whyJames Webb Space Telescope: what will happen after its launch? (in French)How big companies are targeting middle income countries to boost ultra-processed food salesMount Semeru erupts: the history of its eruption (in Bahasa Indonesia)How religion influences Indonesian workers to seek work-life balance

After nearly two years of COVID, how is the pharmaceutical industry faring? In this episode, we explore where drug companies were before the arrival of COVID and how they performed financially during the pandemic. And we hear about the ongoing tensions between profits and equitable access to vaccines.Featuring, Ray Moynihan, assistant professor at the Institute for Evidence-Based Healthcare at Bond University in Australia; Jérôme Caby, professor of corporate finance at Sorbonne Business School in Paris, France; Ana Santos Rutschman, assistant professor of law at Saint Louis University in the US; and Nicole Hassoun, professor of philosophy at Binghamton University, State University of New York in the US.And Ozayr Patel, digital editor at The Conversation in Johannesburg, South Africa, recommends some reading on the emergence of the Omicron variant of COVID-19. The Conversation Weekly is produced by Mend Mariwany and Gemma Ware, with sound design by Eloise Stevens. Our theme music is by Neeta Sarl. You can sign up to The Conversation’s free daily email here. Full credits for this episode available here.Further reading:COVID vaccines offer the pharma industry a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reset its reputation. But it’s after decades of big profits and scandals, by Ray Moynihan, Bond UniversityWhy Moderna won’t share rights to the COVID-19 vaccine with the government that paid for its development, by Ana Santos Rutschman, Saint Louis UniversityThe US drug industry used to oppose patents – what changed? by Joseph M. Gabriel, Florida State UniversityThe hunt for coronavirus variants: how the new one was found and what we know so far, by a panel of experts in South AfricaOmicron is the new COVID kid on the block: five steps to avoid, ten to take immediately, by Shabir A. Madhi, University of the Witwatersrand

Justices on the US Supreme Court are considering two challenges to abortion restrictions that could have wide-reaching implications for access to abortion across the country. In this episode, we look at what's at stake, and how else abortion laws are changing around the world.Featuring Amanda Jean Stevenson, assistant professor of sociology, University of Colorado Boulder; Sydney Calkin, lecturer in political geography, Queen Mary University of London and Jane Marcus Delgado, professor of political science, College of Staten Island, CUNY. We talk to a forensic scientist, Patrick Randolph-Quinney, Associate Professor of Forensic Science, Northumbria University, Newcastle in England. He explains how he studied bones to help solve the mystery of how to tell if a person was killed by a lightning strike.And Wale Fatade, commissioning editor at The Conversation in Lagos, gives us some recommended reading. The Conversation Weekly is produced by Mend Mariwany and Gemma Ware, with sound design by Eloise Stevens. Our theme music is by Neeta Sarl. You can sign up to The Conversation’s free daily email here. Full credits for this episode available here.Further readingThe erosion of Roe v. Wade and abortion access didn’t begin in Texas or Mississippi – it started in Pennsylvania in 1992, by Alison Gash, University of OregonPoland’s abortion ruling amounts to a ban – but it will not end access, by Sydney Calkin, Queen Mary University of LondonStudy shows an abortion ban may lead to a 21% increase in pregnancy-related deaths, by Amanda Jean Stevenson, University of Colorado BoulderForensic science is unlocking the mysteries of fatal lightning strikes, by Patrick Randolph-Quinney, Northumbria University, Newcastle; Nicholas Bacci and Tanya Nadine Augustine, University of the WitwatersrandAfrican marine rules favour big industry, leaving small-scale fishers in the lurch by Ifesinachi Okafor-Yarwood, University of St Andrews; Edward H. Allison, CGIAR System Organisation My formula for a tasty and nutritious Nigerian soup - with termites by Adedayo Adeboye, Osun State University

What did the Glasgow COP26 climate change summit actually achieve? In this episode, we're joined by Jack Marley, energy and environment editor for The Conversation in the UK, as we speak to researchers from around the world to get their views on the negotiations and what needs to happen now. Featuring Saleemul Huq, director of the International Centre for Climate and Development at the Independent University Bangladesh; Richard Beardsworth, professor of international relations at the University of Leeds in England; Rachel Kyte, dean of the Fletcher School at Tufts University in the US; Anna Malos, country lead for Australia at ClimateWorks, part of Monash University in Australia; and Intan Suchi Nurhati, a senior scientist at the National Research and Innovation Agency in Indonesia.And Stephen Khan, global executive editor for The Conversation, based in London, gives us some recommended reading.The Conversation Weekly is produced by Mend Mariwany and Gemma Ware, with sound design by Eloise Stevens. Our theme music is by Neeta Sarl. You can sign up to The Conversation’s free daily email here. Full credits for this episode available here.Further reading:COP26: experts react to the UN climate summit and Glasgow Pact, various authorsAfter COP26, the hard work begins on making climate promises real: 5 things to watch in 2022, by Rachel Kyte, Tufts UniversityGlasgow Climate Pact: where do all the words and numbers we heard at COP26 leave us?, by Mary Gagen, Swansea UniversityHere’s how some of Cape Town’s gangsters got out – and stayed out, by Dariusz Dziewanski, University of Cape TownHow to function in an increasingly polarized society, by Fiona MacDonald, University of Northern British Columbia

We speak to a climate scientist who just updated a clock he created that counts down the seconds until the world reaches 1.5°C of global warming. And we hear from experts about the latest research evidence on climate anxiety – what it is, how common it is around the world and what to do about it. Featuring Damon Matthews, professor and Concordia University research chair in climate science and sustainability at Concordia University in Canada, Caroline Hickman, lecturer in the department of social and policy sciences at the University of Bath in England, Charles Ogunbode, assistant professor in applied psychology at the University of Nottingham in England and Teaghan Hogg, PhD candidate in clinical psychology at the University of Canberra in Australia.And Fabrice Rousselot, editor at The Conversation in Paris, gives us some recommended reading from the team in France.The Conversation Weekly is produced by Mend Mariwany and Gemma Ware, with sound design by Eloise Stevens. Our theme music is by Neeta Sarl. You can sign up to The Conversation’s free daily email here. Full credits for this episode available here.Further readingClimate clock reset shows the world is one year closer to 1.5 C warming threshold, by H. Damon Matthews, Concordia University and Glen Peters, Center for International Climate and Environment Research - OsloFeel alone in your eco-anxiety? Don’t – it’s remarkably common to feel dread about environmental decline, by Teaghan Hogg and Léan O'Brien, University of Canberra and Samantha Stanley, Australian National University‘The notion of death is very present’: what we can learn about eco-anxiety from memes, by Leila Elgaaied-Gambier, TBS Business School and Timo Mandler, TBS Business School Why does Eric Zemmour embarrass the right so much? by Emilien Houard-Vial, PhD candidate in political science, Center for European Studies, Sciences Po (in French)Vaccination of children against Covid-19: the unprecedented ethical issues, by Emmanuel Hirsch, Professor of medical ethics, Paris-Saclay University (in French)

A year since war broke out in the Tigray region of Ethiopia, conflict in the country is intensifying. In this episode, we talk to two experts about the worsening humanitarian situation in Tigray and the international community’s response to the conflict.Featuring Emnet Negash, a PhD candidate at Ghent University in Belgium who is tracking the food situation in Tigray, and Mukesh Kapila, professor emeritus of global health and humanitarian affairs at the University of Manchester in England and a former UN official.In our second story, we hear from Alejandro Gallego Schmid, senior lecturer in circular economy and life cycle sustainability assessment at the University of Manchester, about his findings that reusable food containers aren’t always better for the environment than disposable ones. (Listen at 32m25)And Nicole Hasham, environment and energy editor at The Conversation in Australia, recommends some analysis tied to the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow. (Listen at 43m30)The Conversation Weekly is produced by Mend Mariwany and Gemma Ware, with sound design by Eloise Stevens. Our theme music is by Neeta Sarl. You can sign up to The Conversation’s free daily email here. Full credits for this episode available here. Further readingDecades of progress gone in one year: Tigray’s healthcare system has been destroyed, by Berhe W Sahle, Deakin University and Mulu A Woldegiorgis, Swinburne University of TechnologyFollowing the Tigray conflict, the rocky road to peace in Ethiopia, by Mukesh Kapila, University of ManchesterReusable containers aren’t always better for the environment than disposable ones - new research, by Alejandro Gallego Schmid and Adisa Azapagic, University of Manchester and Joan Manuel F. Mendoza, Ikerbasque FoundatioScott Morrison attends pivotal global climate talks today, bringing a weak plan that leaves Australia exposed, by Frank Jotzo, Australian National UniversityGlobal emissions almost back to pre-pandemic levels after unprecedented drop in 2020, new analysis shows, by Pep Canadell, CSIRO and colleagues

Some economists have long argued that to really save the planet – and ourselves – from the climate crisis, we need a fundamental overhaul of the way our economies work. In this episode, we explore the ideas of the degrowth movement and their calls for a contraction in the world’s consumption of energy and resources. We also compare degrowth to other post-growth proposals for governments to reduce their fixation on economic growth.Featuring Samuel Alexander, research fellow at the Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute at the University of Melbourne in Australia, Lorenzo Fioramonti, full professor of political economy at the University of Pretoria in South Africa and also a serving Italian MP, and Beth Stratford PhD candidate at the School of Earth and Environment at the University of Leeds in the UK.And Veronika Meduna, science, health and environment editor at The Conversation in Wellington, gives us some recommended reading about the coronavirus situation in New Zealand. The Conversation Weekly is produced by Mend Mariwany and Gemma Ware, with sound design by Eloise Stevens. Our theme music is by Neeta Sarl. You can sign up to The Conversation’s free daily email here. Full credits for this episode available here. Further readingBeyond GDP: here’s a better way to measure people’s prosperity, by Henrietta Moore,UCLTime for degrowth: to save the planet, we must shrink the economy, by Jason Hickel, London School of Economics and Political ScienceRediscover the ideas of Jacques Ellul, pioneer of décroissance, by Patrick Chastenet, Université de Bordeaux (in French)‘If you want summer, get vaccinated’ – Jacinda Ardern sets the target for re-opening New Zealand, by Michael Plank, University of Canterbury and Shaun Hendy, University of AucklandNew Zealand cannot abandon its COVID elimination strategy while Māori and Pasifika vaccination rates are too low, by Collin Tukuitonga, University of Auckland

As military tensions run high once again across the Taiwan Strait, we talk to two experts about China’s longer-term reunification strategy – and what that means for Taiwan. Featuring Wen-Ti Sung, sessional lecturer in Taiwan Studies at the Australian National University and Olivia Cheung, research fellow at the SOAS China Institute at SOAS University of London.  Plus, we’re joined by Vinita Srivastava, host of the Don’t Call Me Resilient podcast from The Conversation in Canada. We feature part of their recent episode on the phenomenon of white – or mostly white people – in North America who pretend to be Indigenous. The conversation features two Indigenous scholars: Veldon Coburn, assistant professor in the Institute of Indigenous Research and Studies at the University of Ottawa and Celeste Pedri-Spade an associate professor in Indigenous Studies at Queen’s University. Listen to the full episode here.  And Luthfi Dzulfikar, education and young people’s editor at The Conversation in Jakarta, gives us some recommended reads from Indonesia. The Conversation Weekly is produced by Mend Mariwany and Gemma Ware, with sound design by Eloise Stevens. Our theme music is by Neeta Sarl and music in the Don't Call Me Resilient section is by Jahmal Padmore. You can sign up to The Conversation’s free daily email here. Full credits for this episode available here. Further readingWhy Taiwan remains calm in the face of unprecedented military pressure from China, by Wen-Ti Sung, Australian National UniversityTaiwan: how the ‘porcupine doctrine’ might help deter armed conflict with China, by Zeno Leoni, King's College LondonStolen identities: What does it mean to be Indigenous? Don’t Call Me Resilient Podcast EP 8Fostering girls’ education will be challenging under a Taliban regime, but Afghanistan can learn a lot from Indonesia, by M Niaz Asadullah, University of MalayaIndonesia’s shrimp paste reigns supreme among others used in Asian cuisine, has potential, but needs a solid export strategy by Widya Agustinah, Universitas Katolik Atma Jaya (In Bahasa Indonesia)

Six prize announcements later, 12 men and one woman from 11 countries are now settling down to their new lives as Nobel laureates. In this episode, we delve into the scientific discoveries around touch and organic catalysts awarded the 2021 prizes in medicine and chemistry. And we talk to a friend and collaborator of Abdulrazak Gurnah, the Tanzanian writer awarded the Nobel prize for literature.Featuring Kate Poole, associate professor in physiology, at the University of New South Wales in Australia, David Nagib, associate professor of chemistry at the Ohio State University and Susheila Nasta, emeritus professor of modern and contemporary literatures at Queen Mary University of London.Plus, Ina Skosana, health editor at The Conversation in Johannesburg, recommends some recent analysis on a huge breakthrough for the African continent: the approval of a malaria vaccine. (At 41m30)The Conversation Weekly is produced by Mend Mariwany and Gemma Ware, with sound design by Eloise Stevens. Our theme music is by Neeta Sarl. You can sign up to The Conversation’s free daily email here. Full credits for this episode available here.Further readingMy PhD supervisor just won the Nobel prize in physics – here’s how his research on complex systems changed science, by Paolo Barucca, UCLNobel Peace Prize for journalists serves as reminder that freedom of the press is under threat from strongmen and social media, by Kathy Kiely, University of Missouri-ColumbiaNobel winner David Card proves immigrants don’t reduce the wages of native-born workers, by Arvind Magesan, University of CalgaryBreakthrough malaria vaccine offers to reinvigorate the fight against the disease, by Eunice Anyango Owino, University of NairobiMalaria vaccine is a major leap forward: but innovation mustn’t stop here, by Jaishree Raman and Shüné Oliver, National Institute for Communicable Diseases