The Conversation Weekly

What’s happening in our brains to create consciousness? In this episode we hear from two scientists uncovering clues to where dopamine fits into this mystery. It could help the recovery of people with severe brain injuries. Featuring Emmanual Stamatakis, who leads the cognition and consciousness imaging group at the Division of Anaesthesia, University of Cambridge in the UK and Leandro Sanz, a medical doctor and PhD candidate in medical sciences at the Coma Science Group at the University of Liège in Belgium.Plus, the story of how artificial intelligence – and its human helpers – completed Beethoven’s unfinished 10th symphony. Ahmed Elgammal, a professor of computer science and director of the Art and AI lab at Rutgers University in New Jersey, who led the artificial intelligence side of the project, tells us how they did it. And Holly Squire, arts and culture editor at The Conversation in Brighton gives us some of her recommended reading from this week. 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 readingConsciousness: how the brain chemical ‘dopamine’ plays a key role – new research, by Barbara Jacquelyn Sahakian, Christelle Langley, Emmanuel A Stamatakis and Lennart Spindler, at the University of CambridgeScience as we know it can’t explain consciousness – but a revolution is coming, by Philip Goff, Durham UniversityHow a team of musicologists and computer scientists completed Beethoven’s unfinished 10th Symphony, by Ahmed Elgammal, Rutgers UniversityRemembering the Black abolitionists of slavery in Yorkshire, by Emily Zobel Marshall, Leeds Beckett UniversityHow Dolly Parton’s Coat of Many Colors became an LGBTQ+ anthem, by James Barker, Newcastle University

After Germany’s recent election, coalition talks are now underway to determine the composition of the next government and who will succeed Angela Merkel as chancellor. We speak to three experts about what the results tell us about German voters’ priorities – and dig into the history of the Greens, now one of the kingmakers in coalition negotiations. Featuring Jasmin Riedl, professor of political science at Bundeswehr University Munich in Germany, Niko Switek, visiting professor for German studies at University of Washington in the US and Chantal Sullivan-Thomsett, PhD candidate in German and politics at the University of Leeds in the UK. In our second story, we talk to Charles James Steward, PhD candidate at the Centre for Sport, Exercise and Life Sciences at Coventry University in the UK, on his research looking at the health benefits of saunas and hot baths, particularly after exercise. Plus, Lucía Caballero, environment and energy editor at The Conversation in Madrid gives us some of her 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 readingGerman election explained: why is it always so hard to form a government?, by Alim Baluch, University of BathGermany election: Olaf Scholz’s social democrats come out on top but smaller parties hold the key to government, by Ed Turner, Aston UniversityGerman election sees centre-left eke out a slim victory over Angela Merkel’s party, by James M. Skidmore, University of WaterlooCan’t face running? Have a hot bath or a sauna – research shows they offer some similar benefits, by Charles James Steward, Coventry UniversityWhy we continue to live near volcanoes despite the risk, by María Belén Benito Oterino , Polytechnic University of Madrid (UPM) (in Spanish)Can cities continue to grow in an unlimited way?, by Juan Manuel Ros García , CEU San Pablo University (in Spanish)

For decades, scientists have warned that unchecked global warming could bring climate extremes such as severe droughts, flash floods and rising sea levels. We talk to three climate change experts on how predictions of a changing world are holding up against the reality we’re living through. Featuring Christopher White, head of the Centre for Water, Environment, Sustainability and Public Health at the University of Strathclyde in the UK, Victor Ongoma Assistant Professor, at Université Mohammed VI Polytechnique in Morocco, and Kewei Lyu a postdoctoral researcher in ocean and climate at CSIRO in Australia.And Justin Bergman, deputy politics editor at The Conversation in Melbourne, Australia, recommends some recent analysis of the fallout from the recent AUKUS defence pact.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 readingHow summer 2021 has changed our understanding of extreme weather, by Christopher J White, University of Strathclyde Insights for African countries from the latest climate change projections, by Victor Ongoma, Université Mohammed VI PolytechniquePinpointing the role of climate change in every storm is impossible – and a luxury most countries can’t afford, by Friederike Otto, University of Oxford and Luke Harrington, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of WellingtonIPCC says Earth will reach temperature rise of about 1.5℃ in around a decade. But limiting any global warming is what matters most, by Michael Grose and Pep Canadell at CSIRO; and Malte Meinshausen and Zebedee Nicholls, The University of MelbourneC'est fini: can the Australia-France relationship be salvaged after scrapping the sub deal?, by Romain Fathi, Flinders University and Claire Rioult, Monash UniversityAfter AUKUS, Russia sees a potential threat — and an opportunity to market its own submarines, by Alexey D Muraviev, Curtin University

Ahead of Canadian elections on September 20, two experts in Canadian politics profile the current prime minister, Justin Trudeau. They explore why he's so much more popular abroad than at home and assess what his real foreign policy record has been beyond being a celebrity.Featuring Alex Marland, professor of political science at Memorial University of Newfoundland and Jeremy Wildeman, Research Fellow at the Human Rights Research and Education Centre, University of Ottawa and Adjunct Assistant Professor at Queen's University, Ontario.In our second story (at 28m55), we hear about research providing new clues on why mosquitoes bite some people more than others. Madelien Wooding, a researcher at the Department of Chemistry at the University of Pretoria, explains how her team pinpointed some of the chemical compounds that make our skin more attractive to mosquitoes.We also hear (25m50) from Clea Chakraverty, politics editor at The Conversation in France about their new podcast series on what it takes to be president of France, Moi président·e, and Moina Spooner, assistant editor at The Conversation in Nairobi, recommends some reading on two concerning recent events in Guinea (39m38).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 readingFrom sunny ways to pelted with stones: Why do some Canadians hate Justin Trudeau?, by Fenwick McKelvey, Concordia University and Scott DeJong, Concordia UniversityRhetoric Check: Historically, how important is the 2021 Canadian election?, by Alex Marland, Memorial University of NewfoundlandCanada’s non-diplomacy puts Canadians at risk in an unstable Middle East, by Jeremy Wildeman, University of BathWe’re a step closer to figuring out why mosquitoes bite some people and not others, by Madelien Wooding, University of Pretoria and Yvette Naudé, University of PretoriaPasha 121: Why we need mosquitoes, featuring Jeremy Herren, Scientist, International Centre of Insect Physiology and EcologyGuinea coup highlights the weaknesses of West Africa’s regional body, by Benjamin Maiangwa, Lakehead UniversityMarburg in Guinea: the value of lessons from managing other haemorrhagic outbreaks, by Michelle J. Groome, National Institute for Communicable Diseases and Janusz Paweska, National Institute for Communicable Diseases

From earthquakes, to hurricanes, disease and drug violence, the Caribbean island of Haiti has faced a decade of cascading crises. In this week’s episode of The Conversation Weekly we talk to experts about what Haiti’s history tells us about its political fragility, and what that means for the country’s ability to recover from disasters.Featuring disaster management expert Louise Comfort, professor of public and international affairs at the University of Pittsburgh and Haitian American historian Jean Eddy Saint Paul, professor of sociology at Brooklyn College of the City University of New York.In our second story (at 27m40s), we talk to historian Susan Kamei, lecturer in history at the University of Southern California Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences about her new research chronicling the experiences of Japanese Americans interned by the US government during the second world war. And Kalpana Jain, senior religion and ethics editor at The Conversation in the US, recommends some reading from our coverage marking the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks (at 41m).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:Assassinations and invasions – how the US and France shaped Haiti’s long history of political turmoil, by Jean Eddy Saint Paul, Brooklyn CollegeWill recent political instability affect Haiti’s earthquake response? We ask an expert, by Louise K. Comfort, University of PittsburghEarthquake expert who advised the Haiti government in 2010: ‘Why were clear early warning signs missed?’, by Luigi Di Sarno, University of LiverpoolHaiti: what aid workers can learn from the previous earthquake as they struggle to rebuild the country, by David Alexander, UCLThe crisis in Haiti reflects the failure of the international community to stabilize the country, by Chalmers Larose, Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM)How memories of Japanese American imprisonment during WWII guided the US response to 9/11, by Susan H. Kamei, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and SciencesWhy some Muslim women feel empowered wearing hijab, a headscarf, by Kalpana Jain, The ConversationAt the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, ancient Greece and Rome can tell us a lot about the links between collective trauma and going to war, by Joel Christensen, Brandeis University

As many children head back to school, in this episode we look at what really works to help stop COVID-19 transmission in the classroom. And for those countries where masks remain mandatory in schools, we hear some tips for teachers and students on how to communicate.Featuring, Brandon Guthrie, an associate professor of global health an epidemiology at the University of Washington in the US and Laura Abou Haidar, a professor of linguistics at the Université Grenoble Alpes in France.In our second story, we dig into the science behind daydreaming. Thomas Andrillon, research fellow at the Paris Brain Institute in France and an adjunct research fellow at Monash University in Australia, explains his new research on what's happening in our brains when our mind wanders.And Heather Kroeker, a health editor at The Conversation in London, recommends some recent health stories. 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:Schools can reopen safely – an epidemiologist describes what works and what’s not worth the effort, by Brandon Guthrie, University of WashingtonCOVID-19 back to school Q&A: Is it safe for unvaccinated children to go to school in person? Is the harm of school closures greater than the risk of the virus? by Joanna-Trees Merckx and Jay Kaufman, McGill University; Catherine Haeck, Université du Québec à Montréal; Dimitri Van der Linden, Université Catholique de LouvainTeaching with a masked face: a challenge? by Laura Abou Haidar, Université Grenoble Alpes (in French)What is daydreaming? Parts of the brain show sleep-like activity when your mind wanders, by Thomas Andrillon, Inserm; Jennifer Windt, Monash University, and Naotsugu Tsuchiya, Monash UniversityFeeling tired? Here’s how the brain’s ‘hourglass’ controls your need for sleep – new research , by Lukas B. Krone, Vladyslav Vyazovskiy and Zoltán Molnár, University of OxfordSugar: why some people experience side-effects when they quit, by James Brown, Aston University

Twenty years after they were ousted from Kabul, the Taliban are now back in control of most of Afghanistan. In this episode, two Afghan experts trace the origins of the Taliban back to the late 1970s, and explain what's happened to the group over the past two decades.Featuring Ali A Olomi, assistant professor of history at Penn State Abington in the US and Niamatullah Ibrahimi, lecturer in international relations at La Trobe University in Australia.And Lee-Anne Goodman, politics editor at The Conversation in Toronto, commends some further reading on what the Taliban takeover means for Afghans. 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 Taliban wants the world’s trust. To achieve this, it will need to make some difficult choices, by Niamatullah Ibrahimi, La Trobe University and Safiullah Taye, Deakin UniversityThe world must not look away as the Taliban sexually enslaves women and girls, by Vrinda Narain, McGill UniversityAfghanistan’s Panjshir Valley: the last stronghold of resistance to Taliban rule, by Kaweh Kerami, SOAS, University of LondonThe Taliban may have access to the biometric data of civilians who helped the U.S. military, by Lucia Nalbandian, Ryerson UniversityTaliban’s religious ideology – Deobandi Islam – has roots in colonial India, by Sohel Rana, Indiana University and Sumit Ganguly, Indiana University

The Conversation Weekly podcast is taking a short break in August. In the meantime, we're bringing you extended versions of some of our favourite interviews from the past few months.This week, how researchers discovered a biological switch that could turn on and off neuroplasticity in the brain – the ability of neurons to change their structure. We speak to Sarah Ackerman, a postdoctoral fellow at the Institute of Neuroscience and Howard Hughes Medical Institute at the University of Oregon, about what she and her team have found and why it matters.This episode of The Conversation Weekly features an extended version of an interview first published on April 29. 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:Astrocyte cells in the fruit fly brain are an on-off switch that controls when neurons can change and grow, by Sarah DeGenova Ackerman, University of OregonSwimming gives your brain a boost – but scientists don’t know yet why it’s better than other aerobic activities, by Seena Mathew, University of Mary Hardin-BaylorWhat is brain plasticity and why is it so important?, by Duncan Banks, The Open University

The Conversation Weekly podcast is taking a short break in August. For the next few weeks we'll be bringing you extended versions of a few of our favourite interviews from the past few months.This week, we speak to Fathima Azmiya Badurdeen, lecturer in the department of social sciences at the Technical University of Mombasa, who interviewed Kenyan women about why they joined the militant Islamist group Al-Shabaab. She explains how she gained the trust of these women and their families, and what her findings mean for their rehabilitation.This episode of The Conversation Weekly features an extended version of an interview first published on April 22. 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:Why we did it: the Kenyan women and girls who joined Al-Shabaab, by Fathima Azmiya Badurdeen, Technical University of MombasaWhy Somali clan elders could hold the key to opening dialogue with Al-Shabaab, by Mohammed Ibrahim Shire, University of PortsmouthSomalia’s toxic political and security order: the death knell of democracy, by Abdi Ismail Samatar, University of Pretoria

The Conversation Weekly podcast is taking a short break in August. For the next few weeks we'll be bringing you extended versions of some our favourite interviews from the past few months.This week, the story of researchers who invented an ingenious new conservation technique to protect endangered birds. Catherine Price, postdoctoral researcher in conservation biology at the University of Sydney, is part of a team of researchers who’ve found a better way. They use misinformation – in the form of fake smells – to fool predators into leaving bird nests alone.This episode of The Conversation Weekly features an extended version of an interview first published on April 9. 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:Scientists used ‘fake news’ to stop predators killing endangered birds — and the result was remarkable, by Peter Banks, University of Sydney and Catherine Price, University of SydneySouth Korea is bringing back bears in a country of 52 million people – I went to find out how, by Joshua Powell, UCL‘Bat boxes’ could help revive Canada’s depleting bat population, by Karen Vanderwolf, Trent University