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The Conversation

Trump risks falling in to the ‘asymmetric resolve’ trap in Iran − just as presidents before him did elsewhere

The Conversation|Published 20 hours ago

This occurs when a stronger power with less determination to fight starts a military conflict with a far weaker state that has near boundless determination to prevail. ...

Iraq war’s aftermath was a disaster for the US – the Iran war is headed in the same direction

The Conversation|Published 3 weeks ago

The country the US spent $2 trillion and 4,488 American lives to remake is, by any reasonable measure, within the sphere of Iran’s influence.

Cuba has survived years of US embargoes. Will Trump break it now?

The Conversation|Published 1 month ago

Cuba is quickly running out of oil, creating a dire political and economic crisis for the island’s 11 million residents.

Why are new tea towels worse at drying dishes than older ones?

The Conversation|Published 1 month ago

There’s a peculiar ritual in many kitchens: reaching past the crisp, pristine tea towel hanging on the oven door to grab the threadbare, slightly greying one shoved ...

Winter Olympic security tightens as US-European tensions grow

The Conversation|Published 1 month ago

The 2024 Paris games set new benchmarks for security at a mega-event, and now the presence of American security officials in Milan Cortina threatens to darken this ...

Can you really lose weight by cutting gluten from your diet, as Matt Damon claims?

The Conversation|Published 2 months ago

This article explores the realities of gluten-free diets, their potential benefits and risks, and the truth about weight loss.

China’s new condom tax will prove no effective barrier to country’s declining fertility rate

The Conversation|Published 2 months ago

China is now among the many Asian countries struggling with anemic fertility rates. In an attempt to double the country’s rate of 1.0 children per woman, Beijing ...

Getting into university is only the first hurdle for students from rural South Africa. Here’s what comes next

The Conversation|Published 2 months ago

A substantial proportion of these new students come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) is often the only ...

The mad artistic genius doesn’t stand up to scientific scrutiny

The Conversation|Published 2 months ago

Vincent van Gogh sliced off his ear with a knife during a psychotic episode. Ballet dancer Vaslav Nijinsky developed schizophrenia and spent the last 30 years of ...

Iran can’t afford to shut down the internet forever

The Conversation|Published 2 months ago

Global internet monitor Netblocks estimates internet shutdowns cost the Iranian economy more than $37 million a day.

Military force will backfire for Washington

The Conversation|Published 2 months ago

These protests are civic and rooted in social grievances. US military strikes would allow the Iranian state to recast a diverse domestic movement as a foreign-backed ...

Can Venezuela’s civil-military alliance hold? If it breaks, armed groups will be drawn into messy split

The Conversation|Published 2 months ago

In Venezuela the situation is far from stable. Rodríguez represents just one of multiple and competing interests within a Venezuela elite composed of a precarious ...

The price of going home: Christmas boxes and the final return from South Africa to Zimbabwe

The Conversation|Published 3 months ago

Amid the festive return lies a quieter and more solemn south-north movement – that of Zimbabwean migrants who have passed away and are taking their final journey ...

Hustle, muscle and grift: how the manosphere has grown into a money-making machine

The Conversation|Published 3 months ago

The manosphere is big business today. Once a niche network lurking on the margins of the internet, this diverse community of male supremacist cultures has grown ...

From violence to sexism, the manosphere is doing real-world harm

The Conversation|Published 3 months ago

Broadly, the manosphere is centred on anti-feminist, misogynistic and anti-gender equity ideas and beliefs.

The Future of Authorship in the age of AI

The Conversation|Published 4 months ago

AI appears to be most useful when the writing in question is low-stakes and formulaic.

The secret life of baobabs: How bats and moths keep Africa’s giant trees alive

The Conversation|Published 4 months ago

A new study reveals that Africa’s baobabs rely on region-specific partnerships with bats and moths for pollination, with each tree population evolving unique floral ...

South Africa's G20 presidency: Continuing the fight for African debt sustainability

The Conversation|Published 4 months ago

Despite the conclusion of South Africa's G20 presidency, the nation remains committed to advocating for African debt sustainability and addressing the continent's ...

Do you speak cat? Take the quiz

The Conversation|Published 4 months ago

While often miscast as mysterious or hard to understand, cats are actually excellent communicators.

Zohran Mamdani’s last name reflects centuries of intercontinental trade, migration and cultural exchange

The Conversation|Published 4 months ago

By the time Zohran Mamdani became the next mayor-elect of New York City on November 4, 2025, many Americans were familiar with his progressive platform and legislative ...

From Sutherland to the stars: Northern Cape telescope marks 20 years of science and social impact

The Conversation|Published 4 months ago

This article intertwines personal reflection and national pride as Vanessa McBride, who first dreamed of the stars as a rural schoolgirl, looks back on how the Southern ...

Melissa is a warning – violent storms are increasing

The Conversation|Published 5 months ago

Hurricane Melissa is tearing through the Caribbean, bringing record-breaking wind and torrential rain to Jamaica – the island’s first ever category 5 landfall. What ...

Africa’s air links are poor: can the G20 push for more direct flights

The Conversation|Published 5 months ago

In Africa, less than one in five continental airline routes are direct, so getting from one country to another often requires travellers to fly to Europe or the ...

Chimpanzees make good doctors

The Conversation|Published 5 months ago

Chimpanzees use insects to tend to their wounds and sometimes even help others

AI is changing who gets hired

The Conversation|Published 5 months ago

AI is changing who gets hired – what skills will keep you employed?