The Conversation UK is your most reliable trusted news. Written by academics.

More news

A magnifying glass showing a close-up depiction of the female reproductive organs.

Why has PCOS been given a new name?

Elisabet Stener-Victorin, Karolinska Institutet

Drug shortages continue to be a problem in the UK – yet strengthening supply chains alone won’t solve this issue

Emilia Vann Yaroson, University of Sheffield; Jonathan Silcock, University of Bradford, and Liz Breen, University of Bradford

An assortment of empty blister packs of medicines.

Depressed mice successfully treated with smart contact lenses that zap their brains – new study

Barbara Pierscionek, Anglia Ruskin University

A woman putting a smart contact lens in her eye.

We bring you the facts behind the claims. Help us combat misinformation. Invest in experts you can trust by supporting The Conversation today.

Donate now

UK politics & society

Sencos: the government’s plans for Send reform in England hinge on these overworked school staff

Julie Wharton, University of Winchester

With talk of closer EU alignment, the UK is signalling to Europe that it’s a partner worthy of trust

Ursula F Ott, Nottingham Trent University

European Commission President Ursula von der LEYEN receives the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Sir Keir STARMER in Brussels, Belgium on October 2 , 2024.

Southport inquiry: schools are key to safeguarding, but their job is getting harder

Colin Diamond, University of Birmingham

Blurred photo of students in a stairwell at a school

There is something wrong with the asylum process for LGBTQ+ people – but it’s not fake claimants

Raawiyah Rifath, University of Exeter; Alex Powell, University of Warwick, and Calogero Giametta, University of Leicester

Person holding sign saying 'no human is illegal'

A new voting system meant the Welsh election couldn’t have been further from a two-horse race – so why was it portrayed as one?

Stephen Cushion, Cardiff University; Keighley Perkins, Cardiff University; Swansea University, and Maxwell Modell, Cardiff University

Dan Thomas surrounded by cameras and microphones.

The week in British politics – explained by experts

Subscribe to our politics newsletter

Global affairs

A group of warships doing exercises on the Caspian Sea.

Why the Caspian Sea has become so important in both the Ukraine and Iran wars

Basil Germond, Lancaster University

Xi warned Trump against the ‘Thucydides Trap’ – here’s what ancient Greece can tell us about US-China relations

Neville Morley, University of Exeter

Greek mural showing Athans warriors facing Spartans

Get our weekly roundup of the big stories affecting international relations and global stability

Subscribe to World Affairs Briefing

Podcasts

Why Javier Milei’s inflation ‘miracle’ in Argentina is more of a mirage

Gemma Ware, The Conversation

China’s ability to weather Trump’s trade war was two decades in the making

Gemma Ware, The Conversation

A boat with Shanghai skyline behind lit up at night.

The pseudoscientific attractiveness scale that grew out of incel forums and is now making money for looksmaxxing influencers

Gemma Ware, The Conversation

Young man looking at himself in the mirror.

What is a just war? Inside the war of words between the Trump administration and the Catholic church

Gemma Ware, The Conversation

Pope Leo during a ceremony at the Vatican.

South Korea’s birth rate is rising – but the population is still shrinking

Gemma Ware, The Conversation

More podcasts

Insights long reads

Dinosaurs with a fireball in the background.

What it would have been like to experience the dinosaur-killing asteroid armageddon: a blow-by-blow account

Michael J. Benton, University of Bristol and Monica Grady, The Open University

Cold and expensive v hot, cheap and eco-friendly: the contrasting histories of home heating in the UK and Sweden

Aimee Ambrose, Sheffield Hallam University and Jenny Palm, Lund University

A row of brightly coloured houses in southern Sweden, pictured during a snowstorm.

‘It ain’t no unicorn’: meet the researchers who’ve interviewed 130 Bigfoot hunters

Jamie Lewis, Cardiff University and Andy Bartlett, University of Sheffield

Frame 352 from the Patterson Gimlin Bigfoot film in 1962."

There’s a reason we don’t have birds the size of elephants: the mysterious story of how dinosaurs evolved – expert Q&A

Stephen Brusatte, University of Edinburgh

The truth about child IQ: research shows it fluctuates and may be an unreliable predictor of future success

Margherita Malanchini, Queen Mary University of London

Schoolboy writing math formula on blackboard.

Make better decisions

Five reasons to add peas into your diet

Rachel Woods, University of Nottingham; University of Lincoln

Energy gels: here’s what runners need to know

Alan Ruddock, Sheffield Hallam University and Mayur Ranchordas, Sheffield Hallam University

A man running a long-distance race holds an energy gel in his hand.

Supplements for menopause: here’s what the evidence actually says

Dipa Kamdar, Kingston University

A middle-aged blonde woman shakes a supplement out of a bottle and into the palm of her hand. There are an assortment of other supplements sitting on the counter beside her.

Screens are part of modern parenting – five tips for healthy use

Liane Beretta de Azevedo, Sheffield Hallam University and Colette Marr, Sheffield Hallam University

TikTok’s ‘nonnamaxxing’ trend explained: here’s how living like an Italian grandma can benefit health and wellbeing

Trudy Meehan, RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences

Three elderly women gather potatoes grown from the garden.

Research highlights

Replica of the Homo erectus specimen known as 'Peking Man'.

Ancient tooth proteins suggest Homo erectus may have left a genetic legacy in people today

Sally Christine Reynolds, Bournemouth University

Were enormous octopuses apex predators in ancient oceans?

Thomas Clements, University of Reading

Archaeologists have discovered 12,000-year-old dice – here’s what they reveal about the history of play

Aris Politopoulos, Leiden University; Angus Mol, Leiden University, and Walter Crist, Leiden University

Why European households throw away so much food – and how to curb the waste mountain

Ian Williams, University of Southampton

colourful pile of peppers and other vegetables

Our Large Hadron Collider results hint at undiscovered physics

William Barter, University of Edinburgh and Mark Smith, Imperial College London

The LHCb experiment at the Large Hadron Collider.

Expert reviews

A row of six books nominated for the 2025 Booker Prize.

Booker shortlist 2025: six novels (mostly) about middle age that are anything but safe and comfortable

Jenni Ramone, Nottingham Trent University

The Music Is Black: A British Story – it’s little wonder this emotional exhibition took over four years to complete

Kenny Monrose, University of Cambridge

Two women looking at black and white photos hung on an orange wall.

Paula Rego’s Story Line – an exhibition that invites exploration of the ambiguous narratives the Portuguese artist drew

Alexandra Lourenço Dias, King's College London

The Christophers explores the world of art fakes, but leaves its hardest questions unresolved

Edward White, Kingston University

Michaela Coel and Ian McKellen in The Christophers.

Michaelina Wautier review: an astoundingly skilled painter returned to her rightful place in the spotlight

Gabriele Neher, University of Nottingham

So much to catch up on. Your time is precious. Get our expert picks of film, TV, music, exhibitions, books and more

Subscribe to our arts newsletter

Events

The Women's Library at 100: celebrating a century of collections

London School of Economics and Political Science

Brunel Creates Arts Festival

Brunel University of London

Stratford's hidden theatrical histories Professor Abigail Rokison-Woodall's Inaugural Lecture

University of Birmingham

From citizen subject: police militarisation and the imperial boomerang

London School of Economics and Political Science

See all events listings

We exist to share knowledge and inform decisions.

The Conversation is the world's leading publisher of research-based news and analysis. It is a unique collaboration between academics and journalists.

We'll always be free to read and free to republish.

Our charter

Our partners

The Conversation is funded by its member institutions, sector funding partners and the generosity of our readers. Our huge thanks to our founding partners, our members, Research England and all those supporting organisations in our network.

View all our partners

View all our Founding Partners

View all our Funding Partners

School of Advanced Study, University of London

London School of Economics and Political Science

RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences

View all our Member Partners

View all our Strategic Partners

View all our Media Partners

archive.today webpage capture	Saved from		22 May 2026 22:52:12 UTC
	All snapshots	from host theconversation.com
Webpage Screenshot
		share download .zip report bug or abuse Buy me a coffee

The Conversation UK is your most reliable trusted news. Written by ac…

The Conversation UK is your most reliable trusted news. Written by academics.

Top stories

The latest news and research, analysed by experts.

How London, Paris and New York coped in the heatwaves of the past

Ageing with purpose: the surprising science of frailty reversal

Could sodium replace lithium as the dominant ingredient in batteries?

Why warmer UK summers could make staycations the money-smart choice

Wildfire risk is now spreading to cool climates like the Scottish Highlands and Irish uplands

Cooling poverty is making extreme heat more dangerous for millions

How ‘zebra striping’ on a night out can help you drink less – and potentially avoid a hangover

Net migration and asylum claims have fallen – here’s what the latest figures tell us

John of John: weaving an island tale of secrets that lie beneath repression and shame

The Enhanced Games: ‘dangerous clown show’ or a wake-up call for traditional sport?

Spying, Southampton and economic pressure cooker of the ‘richest match in football’

Married at First Sight: does reality TV’s duty of care support participants – or the industry?

Matt Brittin takes over as BBC director general – will the former Google exec’s tech world experience be right for the job?

Tuna has overtaken cod as the UK’s top-selling seafood – here’s why

A single dose of psilocybin eased depression symptoms for months, our study found

Five questions over Nigel Farage’s £5 million donation

Is the US preparing for military action against Cuba? Expert Q&A

NHS shakeup: if it sounds like we’ve been here before, it’s because we have

Asexual lizards, virgin births and clones – the all-female species of the animal kingdom

New towns are back – but this time they must be more walkable

Decarbonising everything is impossible – here’s why

From Iran to Ukraine, lasting ceasefires remain elusive

The Bayeux Tapestry tells only the winner’s story – but the other side can be found in old English texts

Why a 1,500-year-old monastic rulebook still challenges what it means to live a meaningful life

Prescriptions for ivermectin soar after Mel Gibson claims it cured friends of cancer

How the world sees Donald Trump: surveys show other countries see US president as ‘unreliable’ and ‘dangerous’

Why talking like Yoda can help you to master British Sign Language

Andy Burnham: what has made the king of the north so popular?

Xi and Putin tout ‘new type’ of world order in Beijing – but is their alliance really that strong?

Putin and Xi: Russian president’s China trip shows for the second time in a week how rapidly the world order is changing

The Silence of the Lambs introduced the world to forensic entomology – but how much has the science changed since?

Why managing expectations matters in chronic pain treatment

Swatch brawls: why are people fighting over pocket watches?

Why early medieval Ireland had laws for bees

European countries reach new agreement on human rights – here’s what it means for the UK’s immigration debate

Taiwan Travelogue wins 2026 International Booker – a deftly translated tale of food, love and history

What AI taxis and robots can learn from bees

Why digital IDs are back on the UK government’s agenda

Vitiligo affects around 1 in 100 people worldwide – yet the skin condition remains misunderstood

Six tech-free tips from history for designing your garden

Ebola outbreak declared a global health emergency – what you need to know

Can supplements containing NMN, NAD+ and resveratrol really slow ageing? Here’s what the evidence says

How traffic makes cities warmer

Teen self-harm: responses should focus on social context, not just mental health

Should you embrace your inner stonemason? Why our constant desire for change needs a rethink

Fears of helping the enemy are blocking international agreements on AI in weapons systems

Is the Gulf losing its grip on the oil world?

A pill helps you keep weight off after you come off weight-loss jabs – new study

Rivals season 2: Jilly Cooper’s Rutshire drama shows good sex from a woman’s point of view

Premenstrual dysphoric disorder is associated with higher risk of suicide – here’s how we hope our new tool will help

Even if the UK changes prime minister, voters now expect to hear the language of populism

Lipoedema: the painful condition too often dismissed as obesity

We’re ‘green chemists’ – why we think this emerging science can transform the way the world uses its resources

Elon Musk sued OpenAI and lost. But the core question of the case remains unanswered

Elizabeth I refused to go to bed before she died – a stubborn final act that reflected her reign

Entries now open! The Conversation Prize for writers 2026 – in partnership with Faber and Curtis Brown

Start your day with news from experts

Get our award-winning climate action newsletter

Experts recommend the best arts and culture

A weekly digest of the biggest global stories

The week in UK politics, explained by experts

More news

Why has PCOS been given a new name?

Drug shortages continue to be a problem in the UK – yet strengthening supply chains alone won’t solve this issue

Depressed mice successfully treated with smart contact lenses that zap their brains – new study

We bring you the facts behind the claims. Help us combat misinformation. Invest in experts you can trust by supporting The Conversation today.

UK politics & society

Sencos: the government’s plans for Send reform in England hinge on these overworked school staff

With talk of closer EU alignment, the UK is signalling to Europe that it’s a partner worthy of trust

Southport inquiry: schools are key to safeguarding, but their job is getting harder

There is something wrong with the asylum process for LGBTQ+ people – but it’s not fake claimants

A new voting system meant the Welsh election couldn’t have been further from a two-horse race – so why was it portrayed as one?

The week in British politics – explained by experts

Global affairs

Why the Caspian Sea has become so important in both the Ukraine and Iran wars

Xi warned Trump against the ‘Thucydides Trap’ – here’s what ancient Greece can tell us about US-China relations

How the world can avoid millions going hungry when supply chains collapse

What is a just war? Inside the war of words between the Trump administration and the Catholic church