The Conversation Weekly

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

How close is a four-day working week? Over the last few years, companies and governments in a number of countries have begun to experiment with the idea of a four-day work week – and some of the results are in. We talk to experts about these recent trials, explore how they fit into the long history of ever-shrinking work hours, and wonder what this all might mean for the future of work. Featuring Anthony Veal, adjunct professor a the Business School, University of Technology Sydney, Jana Javornik, associate professor of work and employment relations at Leeds University Business School, University of Leeds and José-Ignacio Antón associate professor at the Department of Applied Economics at the University of Salamanca in Spain. In our second story, historian Melissa Wanjiru-Mwita from the Technical University of Kenya explains her research on the history and politics of how informal settlements in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, got their names. And Catesby Holmes, international editor at The Conversation in New York, recommends two recent stories about immigration in the US.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:The success of Iceland’s ‘four-day week’ trial has been greatly overstated, by Anthony Veal, University of Technology SydneyFour-day week: how workplaces can successfully establish it, by Rita Fontinha, University of Reading and James Walker, University of ReadingPost-pandemic return to work is a perfect opportunity to move to a four-day week, by David Spencer, University of LeedsAre we ready to work from only Monday to Thursday?, by José-Ignacio Antón, University of Salamanca (in Spanish) Is it becoming easier to be a working mother?, by Jana Javornik, University of LeedsThe fascinating history of how residents named their informal settlements in Nairobi, by Melissa Wanjiru-Mwita, Technical University of KenyaThis is what happens to child migrants found alone at the border, from the moment they cross into the US until age 18, by Randi Mandelbaum, Rutgers UniversityDACA in doubt after court ruling: 3 questions answered, by Kevin Johnson, University of California, Davis

Are there limits to how much faster, higher or stronger humans can get? We talk to researchers in biomechanics, sports technology and psychology, to find out.Featuring Nicole Forrester, a former Canadian Olympic high jumper and now assistant professor in the school of media at Ryerson University in Toronto, Anthony Blazevich, professor of biomechanics at Edith Cowan University in Perth, Australia, and Jonathan Taylor, lecturer in sport and exercise at Teesside University in the UK.In our second story, we hear the story of the troubled 1920 Antwerp Olympics, held in the wake of the first world war and the Spanish flu pandemic from Keith Rathbone, senior lecturer in modern European history and sports history at Macquarie University in Sydney.And Thabo Leshilo, politics editor at The Conversation in Johannesburg, recommends some analysis on the recent unrest in South Africa following the imprisonment of former president, Jacob Zuma.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 ReadingSuper shoes: Explaining athletics’ new technological arms race, by Jonathan Taylor, Teesside UniversityHow the COVID-19 delay of the Tokyo Olympics helped some athletes break records, by Jane Thornton, Western UniversityThe secret formula for becoming an elite athlete, by Nicole W. Forrester, Ryerson UniversitySardines for breakfast, hypothermia rescues: the story of the cash-strapped, post-pandemic 1920 Olympics, by Keith Rathbone, Macquarie UniversityUnrest is being used to subvert South Africa’s democracy: giving in is not an option, by Mcebisi Ndletyana, University of JohannesburgWhy have South Africans been on a looting rampage? Research offers insights, by Guy Lamb, Stellenbosch University

How do you mimic meat? We take a look at the science behind plant-based and cultured meat in this episode, where it might lead and how ready people are to eat meat grown in a lab.Mariana Lamas, a research associate at the Centre for Culinary Innovation at Northern Alberta Institute of Technology in Edmonton, Canada, talks us through some of the key elements that make a plant-based meat mimic successful. Andrew Stout, PhD candidate in biomedical engineering at Tufts University in Massachusetts, US, explains how he grows meat in a petri dish, and where he sees the future of the field. And Matti Wilks, postdoctoral research associate in psychology at Yale University in Connecticut, tells us what she's found by asking people about their readiness to eat cultured meat.In our second story (25m30), we hear about new research on cigarette advertising and how it lures in children in Indonesia – ranked in the top 10 countries in the world for the number of adults who smoke. Nurjanah, senior lecturer in health promotion at Universitas Dian Nuswantoro in Semarang City, explains what she and her colleagues found when they mapped the proximity of cigarette advertising to schools.And Hannah Hoag, deputy editor at The Conversation in Canada, gives us some of her recommended environment stories to dip into this week (34m40).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 find us on Twitter @TC_Audio, on Instagram at theconversationdotcom or via email on podcast@theconversation.com. You can also sign up to The Conversation’s free daily email here. Full credits for this episode available here.Further readingHow scientists make plant-based foods taste and look more like meat, by Mariana Lamas, Northern Alberta Institute of TechnologyNo animal required, but would people eat artificial meat?, by Clive Phillips, The University of Queensland and Matti Wilks, The University of Queensland (now Yale)Plant-based burgers: should some be considered ‘junk food’?, by Richard Hoffman, University of HertfordshireLab-grown meat could leave marginalized people in need, by Sarah Duignan, McMaster UniversityResearch: teenagers whose schools are surrounded by cigarette advertisements tend to smoke more, Dian Kusuma, Imperial College London; Abdillah Ahsan, University of Indonesia; Nurjanah and Sri Handayani, Dian Nuswantoro University (In Bahasa Indonesia)Putting an end to billions in fishing subsidies could improve fish stocks and ocean health, by Daniel Skerritt, University of British ColumbiaScientists aim to build a detailed seafloor map by 2030 to reveal the ocean’s unknowns, by Sean Mullan, Memorial University of Newfoundland

Why is it so difficult to prosecute militaries for alleged war crimes? In this episode of The Conversation Weekly, we speak to experts about the legal hurdles. By hanging around military bases in the US and Israel, Craig Jones managed to meet a usually very secretive group of people: military lawyers. Jones, a lecturer in political geography at Newcastle University in the UK, explains what he learnt from these conversations – including the way different militaries interpret international law to suit their own purposes. And why victims and their families have such little recourse to justice. And Amy Maguire, associate professor at the University of Newcastle Law School in Australia, tells us the history of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and how its investigations into alleged war crimes work. She explains the context of a newly opened ICC investigation into alleged war crimes in the Palestinian territories.In our second story we look at why sarcasm is so difficult for children to understand. Penny Pexman, professor of psychology at the University of Calgary in Canada, talks about her new research aimed at making it easier for them to learn.And Megan Clement, a commissioning editor at The Conversation in Paris, 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 find us on Twitter @TC_Audio, on Instagram at theconversationdotcom or via email on podcast@theconversation.com. You can also sign up to The Conversation’s free daily email here. Full credits for this article available here. Further reading‘Almost divine power’: the lawyers who sign off who lives and who dies in modern war zones, by Craig Jones, Newcastle UniversityWhy is accountability for alleged war crimes so hard to achieve in the Israel-Palestinian conflict?, by Amy Maguire, University of NewcastleCan the world stop Israel and Hamas from committing war crimes? 7 questions answered about international law, by Asaf Lubin, Indiana UniversitySyria and Iraq: RAF killed only one civilian in airstrikes – why the discrepancy with what others report?, by Peter Lee, University of PortsmouthWhy it’s difficult for children to understand sarcasm, by Penny Pexman, University of CalgarySuckers for learning: why octopuses are so intelligent, by Lisa Poncet, Université de Caen NormandieTotal an offshore wind turbines – diversifying to survive, by Sylvain Roche, Sciences Po Bordeaux (in French)

After the US government released its long-awaited report on unidentified aerial phenomena, we explore the cultural history and scientific taboo around UFOs. And three months after rebels killed the president of Chad in central Africa, we talk to experts about the balance of power there. Welcome to The Conversation Weekly. In the end, when it finally dropped on June 25, the US government's report on unidentified aerial phenomena didn’t mention the word extraterrestrial once. And nobody had expected it to. We talk to Chris Impey, university distinguished professor of astronomy at the University of Arizona, about what it did actually say and why doing serious research into UFOs has been such a taboo for scientists. And Greg Eghigian, professor of history at Penn State University, gives us a cultural history of UFOs and how what started as an American obsession spread around the world. And in our second story, we head to Chad in central Africa where the country's long-serving president, Idriss Déby was killed suddenly by rebels in April. Line Engbo Gissel, associate professor of global political sociology at Roskilde University in Denmark and Troels Burchall Henningsen, assistant professor at the Royal Danish Defence College, talk us about Chad's 'gatekeeper politics' and why its legacy will live on beyond Déby. And Naomi Joseph, arts and culture editor at The Conversation 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 find us on Twitter @TC_Audio, on Instagram at theconversationdotcom or via email on podcast@theconversation.com. You can also sign up to The Conversation’s free daily email here. Full credits for this article available here. Further readingPentagon UFO report: No aliens, but government transparency and desire for better data might bring science to the UFO world, by Chris Impey, University of ArizonaThe truth is still out there: why the current UFO craze may be a problem of intelligence failings, by Kyle Cunliffe, University of SalfordPentagon report says UFOs can’t be explained, and this admission is a big deal , by Adam Dodd, The University of QueenslandUFOs: how to calculate the odds that an alien spaceship has been spotted, by Anders Sandberg, University of OxfordLegacy of Chad’s gatekeeper politics lives on beyond Déby – and carries grave risks, by Line Engbo Gissel, Roskilde University and Troels Burchall Henningsen, Royal Danish Defence CollegeFrance’s decision to pull troops out of the Sahel invites a less military approach, by Folahanmi Aina, King's College LondonChina is using mythology and sci-fi to sell its space programme to the world, by Molly Silk, University of ManchesterWhy this Rodin scholar would gladly see the back of The Thinker, by Natasha Ruiz-Gómez, University of Essex

When catastrophes like a pandemic strike, how do we make sure societies learn – and implement – lessons from disaster? We talk to three researchers coming at this question in different ways. First, a story from northern Australia about how Indigenous knowledge that can help to prevent natural disasters has been with us for thousands of years. We speak to Kamaljit Sangha, senior ecological economist at the Darwin Centre for Bushfire Research at Charles Darwin University in northern Australia.Second, what happens when a country with a long history of preparing for disasters, faces something it didn't predict. With Elizabeth Maly, associate professor of international research at the Institute of Disaster Science at Japan's Tohoku University. And third, use the recovery from a disaster like the pandemic as a catalyst for change. We speak to Ian Goldin, professor of globalisation and development at the University of Oxford in the UK. And Julius Maina, East Africa editor at The Conversation in Nairobi, recommends some analysis of this week's crucial election in Ethiopia. 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 find us on Twitter @TC_Audio, on Instagram at theconversationdotcom or via email on podcast@theconversation.com. You can also sign up to The Conversation’s free daily email here. Full credits for this article available here. The stories in this episode are tied to two series on The Conversation. Resilient recovery looks at how to recover from the pandemic in a way that makes societies more resilient and able to deal with future challenges. It’s supported by a grant from PreventionWeb, a platform from the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction. And a second series called Disaster and Resilience focused on the nexus between disaster, disadvantage and resilience, supported by a grant form the Paul Ramsay foundation. Further reading:Indigenous expertise is reducing bushfires in northern Australia. It’s time to consider similar approaches for other disasters, by Kamaljit K Sangha, Charles Darwin University; Andrew Edwards, Charles Darwin University, and Willie Rioli Sr, Indigenous KnowledgeTsunamis, earthquakes, nuclear meltdowns and COVID-19 – what Japan has and hasn’t learned from centuries of disaster, by Elizabeth Maly, Tohoku UniversityCOVID-19 has shown that following the same road will lead the world over a precipice, by Ian Goldin, University of OxfordRecovery: a series from The Anthill podcast. Part 1: How Europe recovered from the Black Death, featuring Adrian Bell, University of Reading, Eleanor Russell, University of Cambridge and Mark Bailey, University of East AngliaMore than a decade after the Black Saturday fires, it’s time we got serious about long-term disaster recovery planningLisa Gibbs, The University of MelbourneLearning from COVID: how to improve future supplies of medical equipment and vaccines, by Liz Breen, University of BradfordWhat we can learn about risk from the COVID experience, by Geoff Mulgan, UCL

Jair Bolsonaro is openly nostalgic for the era of Brazil’s military dictatorship, which ended in 1985. Since the former army captain was elected president in 2018, he’s packed his government full of military men and maintained a close relationship with the armed forces. But in recent months it’s not always been straightforward. With Brazil heading towards presidential elections in 2022, and Bolsonaro slumping in the polls, some of those military officers who’ve tasted political power may be assessing their options. We speak to two experts about the history of relations between politics and the military in Brazil – and what’s at stake. Maud Chirio is a lecturer in history at Université Gustave Eiffel in Paris, is a specialist in Brazil's military dictatorship. And Vinicius Mariano de Carvalho is director of King’s Brazil Institute at King's College London and former member of the army, who studies civilian-military relations. And in our second story (24m20s), we travel back to 12th century Islamic Iberia with the help of zooarchaeologist Marcos García García, a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of York in the UK. By sifting through ancient household waste at an archaeological dig outside Córdoba in Spain, he’s revealing clues about the people left out of history.And Nick Lehr, arts and culture editor at The Conversation in the US, tells us about a new series of articles on transgender young people (34m15s). To go alongside it, The Conversation has put together an email newsletter course to help shed light on the issues that transgender young people and their families face. Anyone of any age, gender or sexuality that is interested in learning about the latest research on transgender youth can sign up here to receive the mini-course in the form of four emails over about a week.The Conversation Weekly is produced by Mend Mariwany and Gemma Ware, with sound design by Mau Loseto. Our theme music is by Neeta Sarl. You can find us on Twitter @TC_Audio, on Instagram at theconversationdotcom. or via email on podcast@theconversation.com. You can also sign up to The Conversation’s free daily email here. Full credits for this article available here. Further readingBrazil’s economic crisis, prolonged by COVID-19, poses an enormous challenge to the Amazon, by Peter Richards, George Washington UniversityLe Brésil, une démocratie militarisée, by Maud Chirio, Université Gustave EiffelPopulism in Brazil: how liberalisation and austerity led to the rise of Lula and Bolsonaro, by Patricia Justino, United Nations University and Bruno Martorano, United Nations UniversityLos cerdos no mienten: un basurero cristiano en la Córdoba islámica, by Marcos García García, University of York and Guillermo García-Contreras Ruiz, Universidad de GranadaNew archaeology finding shows how Muslim cuisine endured in secret despite policing by the Spanish Catholic regime, by Aleks Pluskowski, University of Reading; Guillermo García-Contreras Ruiz, Universidad de Granada, and Marcos García García, University of YorkTrans kids in the US were seeking treatment decades before today’s political battles over access to health care, by Jules Gill-Peterson, University of PittsburghHow the bulletin board systems, email lists and Geocities pages of the early internet created a place for trans youth to find one another and explore coming out, by Avery Dame-Griff, Appalachian State University