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- The Conversation (UK) Read
Employment leave for pregnancy loss is a step forward — but support must reflect the diversity of pregnancy endings
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has announced that the UK government is extending statutory bereavement leave entitlements to include early pregnancy endings.
- The Conversation (UK) Read
Social media bans are an attempt to manage harm – but young people can flourish online
In the UK, Australia and many other countries around the world, debates around teenagers’ internet and social media use are focused on risks, problems and harms.
- The Conversation (UK) Read
Water is precious – this Swedish city separates different waste sources to reuse more of it
Extreme temperatures, droughts and wildfires lead to water scarcity and the search for alternative sources of water to secure supplies. With increasing pressures from climate change, Europe’s water stress – not having enough clean freshwater to meet demands – is becoming more intense and more frequent.
- The Conversation (UK) Read
Why the UK’s support for Saudi Arabia also signals a reset of relations with Donald Trump
Tensions in the Middle East have escalated in 2026, with the attacks by the US and Israel against Iran. Renewed attacks by Saudi Arabia against the Houthi rebels in Yemen dialled up hostilities even further. Through attacks on global shipping, this small group has had a strategic impact far greater than its size and capability. Now, the UK has stepped in with an offer of support to its Saudi allies.
- The Conversation (UK) Read
In Youth, Sharon Horgan explores what it means to find happiness in your ‘sixth decade’
In a montage of iconic women from Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Jane Goodall, to Arundhati Roy, a video clip of Margaret Atwood emerges. She looks towards the interviewer and says: “When you’re a teenager, you’re acutely worried of what people think of you, but I think now you can just have more fun.”
- The Conversation (UK) Read
Register to vote for the winner of the Vitae Three Minute Thesis competition 2026 – supported by The Conversation
Three minutes. One big research idea. And a chance to persuade you that they should win. That’s the challenge facing six finalists in the 2026 Vitae Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) competition, sponsored by The Conversation. In just three minutes, the six doctoral researchers must explain their research in a compelling and engaging spoken presentation — making complex ideas accessible to an audience beyond their field.
- The Conversation (UK) Read
Sense and Sensibility: gen Z will relate to the Dashwoods’ complicated relationship with romance and property
As Jane Austen drafted Sense and Sensibility in the late 1790s, Britain was experiencing a huge financial crisis. Despite its publication nearly 215 years ago, the novel’s most recent screen adaptation highlights the surprising relatability for a gen Z audience of the heroines’ economic and romantic struggles.
- The Conversation (UK) Read
Childless women who shape history and culture are still judged on not being mothers
The women I return to most – Elizabeth I, her potential heir Arbella Stuart (and rival to James Charles Stuart, later King James I), Virginia Woolf, Katharine Hepburn, Debbie Harry – never had children. Their reasons were wildly different: some chose it, some were prevented, some never got the chance. The pattern raises two questions. Did their work or their position cost them their choice? And why does it seem to matter, overshadowing the legacy and achievements of great women?
- The Conversation (UK) Read
US attempts to control Ukraine’s attacks on Russia reflect a fundamental strategic disconnect
In a recent phone call, Donald Trump urged Volodymyr Zelensky to stop Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil refineries. Whether a request or a demand, this appears, certainly at first glance, fundamentally different from the Biden administration’s policy of restricting the use of US long-range missiles to hit targets inside Russia.
- The Conversation (UK) Read
Climate disasters are getting worse – risks escalate when authoritarian regimes keep neighbours in the dark
Authoritarian regimes have a history of keeping information about escalating disasters secret, even when it could harm their own citizens.
- The Conversation (UK) Read
High levels of ‘forever chemicals’ found in Lancashire residents’ blood – what I’ve learned from studying exposed communities for over a decade
When residents living near a chemical plant in Thornton-Cleveleys, Lancashire, recently had their blood analysed, many were found to contain high levels of Pfas (so-called “forever chemicals”). So what does this mean for their health?
- The Conversation (UK) Read
Yemen’s Houthis move to control crucial waterway – our research maps the countries most at risk
The advance of the Iran-aligned Houthi rebel group in Yemen has driven more than 130,000 people from their homes since the beginning of September, deepening the humanitarian crisis in an already poor country with a long history of domestic conflict. The Houthis have swept down Yemen’s western coast, seizing the strategic port city of Mocha as well as the town of Dhubab and several islands in the Red Sea. A key aim is to control the Bab al-Mandab Strait, one of the world’s most important maritime chokepoints. This n
- The Conversation (UK) Read
AI companies could learn safety lessons from the history of nuclear weapons
An AI model built by US tech company OpenAI has hacked into the Australian government healthcare portal, Medicare. The news, which emerged on September 23, follows a string of similar incidents reported over the summer by OpenAI and its main rival, Anthropic.
- The Conversation (UK) Read
Devolving real power could lead to regional growth - but Andy Burnham will need to be brave
Andy Burnham says he wants to change how Britain works. Part of his plan involves shifting power out of London to the regions, in the belief that economic growth for the whole country will follow.
- The Conversation (UK) Read
Brain stimulation could reshape how you learn new skills
Whether learning a new piano piece or adapting your tennis serve, acquiring physical skills depends on your brain’s ability to strengthen and refine neural connections. Researchers are exploring whether this process can be accelerated with technology.
- The Conversation (UK) Read
Millions of adults in England have high blood pressure without knowing it – so why are free pharmacy checks not solving the problem?
High blood pressure is easy to detect – it takes only a few minutes and doesn’t require needles or laboratory tests. Relatively cheap, easy-to-use machines let people check their own blood pressure at home, and many high street pharmacies offer free checks. Yet new research suggests many adults in England are still walking around unaware they have it.
- Magazine Read
Trump Promised the Truth About UFOs. These Scientists Are Waiting
The president named a science council to review the government’s data. What's taking so long?
- The Conversation (UK) Read
Arsenal’s Mikel Arteta uses ‘desirable difficulties’ to prepare his players – is this a good coaching strategy?
The former England rugby union coach, Sir Clive Woodward, once shared an anecdote about an unexpectedly delayed diving contest, after an interloper in fancy dress had jumped in the pool.
- The Conversation (UK) Read
BBC climate thriller The Rapture isn’t so far-fetched
We are not wired to deal with the complexity of climate change – but we can tune into relatable stories that emphasise common experiences and values.
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