The Conversation Weekly

The Middle East is perilously close to all-out war. In the year since the October 7 Hamas-led attacks on Israel, millions of people have been displaced from their homes in Gaza, Israel, the West Bank and now Lebanon, and tens of thousands killed.In this episode, we speak to two experts from the Middle East, Mireille Rebeiz and Amnon Aran, to get a sense of the strategic calculations being made by both Israel and its neighbours at this frightening moment for the region. Rebeiz is chair of Middle East Studies at Dickinson College in the US and Aran is professor of International Relations, City St George's, University of London in the UK. This episode was produced by Mend Mariwany and mixed by Michelle Macklem. Full credits for this episode are available.If you like the show, please consider donating to The Conversation, which is an independent, not-for-profit news organisation. And please do rate and review the show wherever you listen. Further reading and listening:Does Hezbollah represent Lebanon? And what impact will the death of longtime leader Hassan Nasrallah have? October 7 marks 12 months of escalation into the ‘forever war’ now engulfing the Middle EastA year of escalating conflict in the Middle East has ushered in a new era of regional displacement Inside the Oslo accords: a new podcast series marks 30 years since Israel-Palestine secret peace negotiations

A new drug to prevent HIV infection is showing hugely promising results in clinical trials when injected every six months.In this episode, we speak to South African HIV doctor and scientist Linda-Gail Bekker at the University of Cape Town about her involvement in one of the trials for lenacapavir and why she thinks it could be so ground-breaking. This episode was written and produced by Mend Mariwany and sound design was by Michelle Macklem. Gemma Ware is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Neeta Sarl. Full credits for this episode are available. Sign up here for a free daily newsletter from The Conversation.If you like the show, please consider donating to The Conversation, which is an independent, not-for-profit news organisation. And please do rate and review the show wherever you listen.Further reading:HIV breakthrough: drug trial shows injection twice a year is 100% effective against infectionThe HIV epidemic 40 years on: 5 essential reads on breakthroughs, blind spots and new challengesHIV prevention: new injection could boost the fight, but some hurdles remain

What makes some people more likely to feel disproportionate sympathy to people facing accusations of sexual misconduct – a concept known as himpathy? In this episode, we speak to a human behaviour expert whose research seeks to understand the psychological factors behind it.Featuring Samantha Dodson, assistant professor of organizational behaviour and human resources at the University of Calgary in Canada, and an introduction form Eleni Vlahiotis, business and economy editor at The Conversation in Canada. This episode was written and produced by Katie Flood with assistance from Mend Mariwany and sound design by Michelle Macklem. Gemma Ware is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Neeta Sarl. Full credits for this episode are available. Sign up here for a free daily newsletter from The Conversation. If you like the show, please consider donating to The Conversation, which is an independent, not-for-profit news organisation. And please do rate and review the show wherever you listen.Further reading:How ‘himpathy’ helps shield perpetrators of sexual misconduct from repercussionsTrump found liable for assaulting, defaming E. Jean Carroll – after a trial where he relied on a discredited myth about how women should react to rapeKavanaugh is a reminder: Accused sexual harassers get promoted anyway

Laura Cinti, a research fellow at the University of Southampton, is on a mission to save the world's 'loneliest' plant, Encephalartos woodii, which has no known female counterpart. She discusses the challenges of locating this ancient cycad, all while employing cutting-edge drones and AI technology. Cinti shares compelling anecdotes about the detective work involved in this quest and emphasizes the urgent need for biodiversity conservation. This intriguing conversation highlights the intersection of science and art in preserving our planet's unique flora.

Join virologist Wolfgang Preiser and pediatrician Nadia Adjoa Sam-Agudu as they discuss the ignored epidemic of mpox in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is devastating young children. They reveal how existing vaccines are stockpiled in the West while Africa suffers. The conversation highlights the urgent need for child vaccination, treatment options, and a shift towards equitable health practices. Their insights emphasize the tragic consequences of global health neglect and call for immediate action to save vulnerable lives.

Dating apps are having a rocky moment, with some of the biggest struggling to attract paying users. In this episode, we hear from researchers exploring how dating apps have changed modern dating and the expectations around it. And we find out why some dating app users aren’t actually there looking for love, but keep on swiping anyway.Featuring Treena Orchard, associate professor at the School of Health Studies at Western University in Canada, and Carolina Bandinelli associate professor in media and creative industries at the University of Warwick in the UK.This episode was written and produced by Mend Mariwany, with assistance from Katie Flood and sound design by Michelle Macklem. Our theme music is by Neeta Sarl. Gemma Ware is the executive producer. Full credits for this episode are available. Sign up here for a free daily newsletter from The Conversation.If you like the show, please consider donating to The Conversation, which is an independent, not-for-profit news organisation. And please do rate and review the show wherever you listen. If you listen on PocketCasts, they've just launched the ability to rate shows here.Further reading:Swipe right or left? How dating apps are impacting modern masculinityDating apps are accused of being ‘addictive’. What makes us keep swiping?The problems with dating apps and how they could be fixed – two relationship experts discussDating apps: Lack of regulation, oversight and competition affects quality, and millions stand to lose

In the second of two episodes on geoengineering, we hear the case against trying to reflect sunlight to cool the Earth.Solar radiation modification has attracted attention and investment in recent years as a way to potential reverse the effects of climate change, but it remains a controversial idea.We hear from researchers pushing a non-use agreement for solar geoengineering who explain why they believe these types of technologies are a dangerous distraction from what needs to be done to reduce fossil fuel emissions. Featuring Chukwumerije Okereke, professor in global governance and public policy at the University of Bristol, and Co-Director at the Center for Climate Change and Development at Alex Ekwueme Federal University in Nigeria and Aarti Gupta, professor of global environmental governance at Wageningen University in the Netherlands. And responses from Shaun Fitzgerald at the Centre for Climate Change at the University of Cambridge in the UKListen to the first episode to hear scientists who argue modifying the climate can help buy the world time.This episode was written and produced by Mend Mariwany and Gemma Ware, with assistance from Katie Flood and sound design by Michelle Macklem. Our theme music is by Neeta Sarl. Full credits for this episode are available. Sign up here for a free daily newsletter from The Conversation.Further reading:Not such a bright idea: cooling the Earth by reflecting sunlight back to space is a dangerous distractionSolar geoengineering might work, but local temperatures could keep rising for yearsBlocking out the sun won’t fix climate change – but it could buy us timeThe overshoot myth: you can’t keep burning fossil fuels and expect scientists of the future to get us back to 1.5°CAfrica has vast gas reserves – here’s how to stop them adding to climate change

Geoengineering, the modification of the climate using technological interventions to reverse climate change, is a hugely divisive issue and we’ve decided to explore it in two episodes. In this first episode, we talk to scientists working on potential geoengineering technologies who argue the case for conducting research into these interventions. We speak to Shaun Fitzgerald, director of the Centre for Climate Repair at the University of Cambridge in the UK and Hugh Hunt, deputy director at the Centre, as well as Ben Kravitz, assistant professor of Earth and atmospheric sciences at Indiana University in the US. We're also joined by Stacy Morford, environment and climate editor at The Conversation in the US.Part two, out tomorrow, will focus on the case against a particular type of solar geoengineering called solar radiation management. This episode was written and produced by Katie Flood, Mend Mariwany and Gemma Ware, with sound design by Michelle Macklem. Our theme music is by Neeta Sarl. Full credits for this episode are available. Sign up here for a free daily newsletter from The Conversation.Further reading:What could we do to cool the Arctic, specifically?Climate engineering carries serious national security risks − countries facing extreme heat may try it anyway, and the world needs to be preparedBlocking out the sun won’t fix climate change – but it could buy us timeThe overshoot myth: you can’t keep burning fossil fuels and expect scientists of the future to get us back to 1.5°C

As we take a short production break in August, we're re-running an episode from 2023 about Neanderthals, and what new discoveries about their research could tell us about Homo Sapiens. For generations, Neanderthals have been a source of fascination for scientists. This species of ancient hominim inhabited the world for around 500,000 years until they suddenly disappeared 42,000 years ago. Today, the cause of their extinction remains a mystery.Archaeologist Ludovic Slimak at the University of Toulouse III, Paul Sabatier in France and his team have spent three decades excavating caves, studying ancient artefacts and delving into the world of Neanderthals and they've recently published provocative new findings. He tells us more about how Neanderthals lived, what happened to them and why their extinction might hold profound insights into the story of own species, Homo Sapiens.This episode was produced and written by Mend Mariwany with assistance from Katie Flood. The executive producer was Gemma Ware. Sound design was by Eloise Stevens and our theme music is by Neeta Sarl. Full credits for this episode are available here. A transcript is now available. Sign up here for a free daily newsletter from The Conversation.Further reading: Q&A with Ludovic Slimak, the archeologist who wants to rewrite the history of early humans in EuropeModern human DNA contains bits from all over the Neanderthal genome – except the Y chromosome. What happened?How Neanderthal language differed from modern human – they probably didn’t use metaphorsThe reconstruction of a 75,000-year-old Neanderthal woman’s face makes her look quite friendly – there’s a problem with thatWhy did modern humans replace the Neanderthals? The key might lie in our social structures

As The Conversation Weekly takes a short production break in August, we're bringing you a recent episode from our partners at the Borders and Belonging podcast about Japan’s evolving stance on immigration.With a rapidly ageing population and a shrinking workforce, Japan is facing an unprecedented crisis: by 2030, it's projected to have a shortfall of nearly 6.4 million workers. But despite Japan’s reputation for being closed off to migrants, there are signs that the country’s national immigration policy is starting to shift.Each episode of Borders and Belonging takes an in-depth look at a different regional migration issue and puts it into a global context. They do this through interviewing people with deep knowledge and experience of the region, including a couple of academic experts. The show is hosted by Maggie Perzyna, a researcher with the Canada Excellence Research Chair in Migration and integration programme at Toronto Metropolitan University in Canada.This episode features Nicholas A. R. Fraser, a senior research associate at Toronto Metropolitan University, Ito Peng, professor of sociology and public policy at the University of Toronto and Nana Oishi, associate professor in Japanese Studies at the University of Melbourne.Borders and Belonging is produced by CERC Migration in collaboration with Lead Podcasting. Sound design for this episode of The Conversation Weekly was by Michelle Macklem, with production by Mend Mariwany. Sign up for a free daily newsletter from The Conversation and to support what we do, please consider donating to The Conversation.