The Conversation Weekly

Marine ecologist Isabel Key discusses recording underwater sounds of seagrass meadows to understand the creatures within. She explores creating a seagrass sound library and using AI to decipher sea sounds, shedding light on the importance of seagrass habitats in marine conservation.

We’re bringing you an extra episode this week 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 Vinita talks to Nisrin Elamin about the ongoing war in Sudan, which has displaced more than 10m people. Elamin, an assistant professor in the Department of Anthropology and African Studies at the University of Toronto in Canada, says that in the absence of a properly functioning government and looming famine, grassroots groups are stepping in to help people survive. This episode originally aired on May 30, 2024.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 and listening: Iran’s intervention in Sudan’s civil war advances its geopolitical goals − but not without risksSudan’s descent into chaos sets stage for al-Qaida to make a return to historic strongholdSudan’s civil war is rooted in its historical favouritism of Arab and Islamic identity

3D-printed guns are now appearing the world over, including in the hands of organised criminals in Europe and anti-junta rebels in Myanmar. Made using a 3D printer and a few metal parts that can be easily sourced online, these shadow guns are untraceable, and becoming a popular choice for extremists too. In this episode, we talk to researcher Rajan Basra at King's College London about this clandestine world, and about his hunt to uncover the real identity of the man who designed the world's most popular 3D-printed gun, the FGC-9. Read an article by Basra from our Insights series about his research too. This episode was written and produced by Gemma Ware with assistance from Mend Mariwany and Katie Flood. Eloise Stevens does our sound design, and our theme music is by Neeta Sarl. Gemma Ware is the executive editor. Full credits available here. Subscribe to a free daily newsletter from The Conversation.Further readingWhat are ‘ghost guns,’ a target of Biden’s anti-crime effort?American gun culture is based on frontier mythology – but ignores how common gun restrictions were in the Old West

The podcast discusses the controversial UK asylum plan to send migrants to Rwanda, its impact on UK immigration debate, and potential wider European implications. Experts explain the challenges faced by migrants in the UK, post-Brexit migration strategies, and EU's interest in third-country processing of asylum seekers. The discussion also includes the expansion of safe routes to the UK and the asylum process post-Brexit.

It’s one of the biggest puzzles in cosmology. Why two different methods used to calculate the rate at which the universe is expanding don’t produce the same result. Known as the Hubble tension, the enigma suggests that there could be something wrong with the standard model of cosmology used to explain the forces in the universe. Now, recent observations using the new James Webb Space Telescope are shaking up the debate on how close the mystery is to being resolved.In this episode, Vicent J. Martínez, professor of astronomy and astrophysics at the University of Valencia in Spain, and his former teacher, Bernard J.T. Jones, emeritus professor of astronomy at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands, explain why the Hubble tension matters so much for our understanding of the universe. Also featuring Lorena Sánchez, science editor at The Conversation in Spain. This episode was written and produced by Katie Flood with assistance from Mend Mariwany. Eloise Stevens does our sound design, and our theme music is by Neeta Sarl. Gemma Ware is the executive editor. Full credits available here. A transcript will be available shortly. Subscribe to a free daily newsletter from The Conversation.Further reading and listening: Tensión sobre la tensión de Hubble (in Spanish)Great Mysteries of Physics: a mind-blowing podcast from The Conversation The universe is expanding faster than theory predicts – physicists are searching for new ideas that might explain the mismatchCosmological models are built on a simple, century-old idea – but new observations demand a radical rethink

Neuroscientist John Kounios scanned jazz musicians' brains to uncover the secrets of creative flow. They discuss brain processes during flow, the role of brain hemispheres in creativity, and techniques to achieve flow in creative pursuits. Exploring personal experiences and research on creative flow, they delve into the evolutionary basis of flow and how expertise plays a role.

Snake bites kill tens of thousands of people around the world each year. But we still use techniques invented in the late 19th century to make antivenom, and each bite needs to be treated with antivenom for that specific type of snake.We hear from two scientists whose recent breakthroughs – and failures – could save many more lives and help achieve the holy grail: a universal antivenom. Featuring Stuart Ainsworth, senior lecturer at the University of Liverpool in the UK and Christoffer Vinther Sørensen, postdoctoral researcher at the Center for Antibody Technologies at the Technical University of Denmark.This episode was written and produced by Katie Flood, with assistance from Mend Mariwany. Eloise Stevens does our sound design, and our theme music is by Neeta Sarl. Gemma Ware is the executive editor. Full credits available here. A transcript will be available shortly. Subscribe to a free daily newsletter from The Conversation.Further reading: We’re a step closer to having a universal antivenom for snake bites – new studySnakebites: we thought we’d created a winning new antivenom but then it flopped. Why that turned out to be a good thingSnakebites can destroy skin, muscle, and even bone – exciting progress on drugs to treat them

After six weeks of voting in the world’s largest democracy, on June 4, Indians will learn who is to be their next prime minister. Narendra Modi, standing for a third term, is the frontrunner. Critics of Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party argue that India’s democracy has been hollowed out during his premiership. Thousands of Indians have taken to the streets to protest against Modi’s policies.For Indrajit Roy, professor of global development at the University of York in the UK, these pushbacks by Indians against threats to their democracy is an example of an audacious type of hope. He talks to us for this episode about what it means to be living in hope, and where he sees moments of that in India.  This episode was written by Gemma Ware and produced by Mend Mariwany and Katie Flood. Eloise Stevens does our sound design, and our theme music is by Neeta Sarl. Full credits available here. A transcript will be available shortly. Subscribe to a free daily newsletter from The Conversation.Further reading and listening: India Tomorrow: a podcast series from The Anthill – episode guide‘We have thousands of Modis’: the secret behind the BJP’s enduring success in IndiaIndian protesters pull from poetic tradition to resist Modi’s Hindu nationalismWith democracy under threat in Narendra Modi’s India, how free and fair will this year’s election be? 

A growing number of countries now permit some form of assisted dying and politicians in a number of others, including Ireland, Scotland and France, are now seriously debating it.In Canada, where medical assistance in dying, known as MAID, became legal in 2016, the government intends to extend eligibility to people whose sole reason for ending their life is mental illness. But the planned expansion, now twice delayed, is controversial. In this episode, we speak to a leading psychiatrist, Karandeep Sonu Gaind, professor of psychiatry at the University of Toronto about the situation in Canada and why he’s a vocal opponent of the expansion. Also featuring Patricia Nicholson, health and medicine editor at The Conversation in Canada.This episode was written by Gemma Ware and produced by Mend Mariwany and Katie Flood. Eloise Stevens does our sound design, and our theme music is by Neeta Sarl. Full credits available here. A transcript will be available shortly. Subscribe to a free daily newsletter from The Conversation.Further reading and listening:Should people suffering from mental illness be eligible for medically assisted death? Canada plans to legalize that in 2027 – a philosopher explains the core questionsMAID and mental health: Does ending the suffering of mental illness mean supporting death or supporting better lives?Medical assistance in dying for mental illness ignores safeguards for vulnerable peopleMAID’s evolving ethical tensions: Does it make dying with dignity easier than living with dignity?

As global temperatures continue to rise, the ramifications of climate change – from more frequent and severe extreme weather events to rising sea levels and ecosystem disruptions – are becoming increasingly evident around the world. But their effects are not evenly distributed, often hitting vulnerable communities the hardest.In this episode we speak to Katherine Browne, a research fellow at the Stockholm Environment Institute, and Margaret Angula, a senior lecturer at the University of Namibia, about a UN pilot programme in Namibia that's trialling a new approach to financing climate adaptation by empowering local communities. Also featuring an introduction with Kofo Belo-Osagie, commissioning editor at The Conversation in Nigeria.This episode was written and produced by Mend Mariwany 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. Full credits available here. A transcript will be available shortly. Subscribe to a free daily newsletter from The Conversation.Further reading and listeningClimate adaptation funds are not reaching frontline communities: what needs to be done about itWhat Africa’s drought responses teach us about climate change hotspotsCOP26: billions are being spent tackling climate change – where is it all going? Climate Fight podcast part 1