The Conversation: In-depth analysis, research, news and ideas from leading academics and researchers.

Passengers from a diverted flydubai flight are seen arriving at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv.

Passengers from a diverted flydubai flight are seen arriving at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv.

With a tragedy averted, the Flydubai incident has put cockpit security under new scrutiny

Flydubai attack feeds into Netanyahu’s ‘protector’ narrative with crucial elections approaching

Could a former IDF chief break Benjamin Netanyahu’s grip on power in Israel?

An advertisement featuring Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the opposition leader of the Yashar centrist political party Gadi Eisenkot

An advertisement featuring Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the opposition leader of the Yashar centrist political party Gadi Eisenkot

Are Australians really overtaxed? It depends what you think government should do

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Treasurer Jim Chalmers enter question time.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Treasurer Jim Chalmers enter question time.

Grattan on Friday: Albanese leaves grim domestic scene as he flies to the blue Pacific

Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra

A digital illustration of many chat windows in a data space.

A digital illustration of many chat windows in a data space.

Australia’s proposed laws could help regulate privacy risks from chatbots – if we get the details right

Two Dusky moorhen chicks in a styrofoam box.

Two Dusky moorhen chicks in a styrofoam box.

Birds are building nests with our rubbish. Can we offer them something better?

Friday essay: The Catcher in the Rye is 75 – and every time I meet Holden Caulfield, I see him anew

View from The Hill: how far will the opposition go on industrial relations reform? Probably not too far

Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra

Are right-brained people really more creative? Here’s what the science really tells us

Ahead of the global climate summit, Pacific leaders call on nations to keep 1.5°C within reach

Solomon Islands Prime Minister Matthew Wale opening a conference in Honiara

Solomon Islands Prime Minister Matthew Wale opening a conference in Honiara

Editor's picks

Tragedy stopped Mawson exploring this remote Antarctic region. We must get there to study its melting ice

Antarctic landscape with thin sea ice and ocean patches in the foreground and misty ice cliffs in the background

Antarctic landscape with thin sea ice and ocean patches in the foreground and misty ice cliffs in the background

Our research shows how AI is getting better at exams. Here’s how unis can respond

An aerial view of eight people working at a long table with computers and notebooks in a library.

An aerial view of eight people working at a long table with computers and notebooks in a library.

Is it safe to charge your phone overnight?

A woman at night looking at her phone that's plugged in by her bed.

A woman at night looking at her phone that's plugged in by her bed.

The joy of song: where songbirds came from and why we should listen to them

A male scarlet robin, with its bright red chest feathers, perched on a bare branch.

A male scarlet robin, with its bright red chest feathers, perched on a bare branch.

More news and analysis

Two trucks haul ore or coal from a mine.

Two trucks haul ore or coal from a mine.

NSW’s largest coal mine project is set to expand. Here’s what authorities got wrong about the trade-offs

With a former Wallaby’s ‘cruel’ diagnosis, is there a link between contact sports and MND?

Nathan Charles of the Wallabies is tackled during a game against New Zealand in 2014.

Nathan Charles of the Wallabies is tackled during a game against New Zealand in 2014.

Meta wants people to use ‘AI agents’ to do daily tasks for them. Here’s why that’s a problem

A cute animated creature running on a treadmill

A cute animated creature running on a treadmill

Interest rates have hit their highest level since 2011. The pain will feel different in 2026

A composite image shows a royal wedding, various pieces of consumer technology from 2011, and some singers against a backdrop of houses, tinted purple; the year 2011 is written in a large magazine-collage font.

A composite image shows a royal wedding, various pieces of consumer technology from 2011, and some singers against a backdrop of houses, tinted purple; the year 2011 is written in a large magazine-collage font.

Amid rising support for right-wing minor parties, can David Shoebridge reinvigorate the Greens?

A man with glasses speaks to the media under a tree

A man with glasses speaks to the media under a tree

A sapphic sitcom answer to Heated Rivalry, British spies and premium Aussie drama: what to stream in October

Raygun, Anthony Hopkins, Hugo Weaving, Olivia Coleman on a coloured background

Raygun, Anthony Hopkins, Hugo Weaving, Olivia Coleman on a coloured background

Inflation lifts to 4.0% in August, keeping pressure on the RBA for another rate rise

Signage showing fuel prices at a petrol station in Brisbane

Signage showing fuel prices at a petrol station in Brisbane

Thriving Kids launches today. Here’s what will and won’t change

Speech pathologist talks to a young girl.

Speech pathologist talks to a young girl.

Politics with Michelle Grattan: Tim Wilson says government is borrowing from the future to spend today

A city with high tides spilling over a seawall

A city with high tides spilling over a seawall

Cities across the world are sinking because of groundwater depletion. But the process can be reversed

Why do so many of us sign up to loyalty programs and then never use them?

A colourful purse filled with lots of plastic bank cards and loyalty cards.

A colourful purse filled with lots of plastic bank cards and loyalty cards.

Australian electric car and bus sales soar – but trucks lag far behind

A woman's hand plugs a charger into a port, helped by a child's hand.

A woman's hand plugs a charger into a port, helped by a child's hand.

Can I still get a COVID vaccine? What you need to know about the latest updates

Health professional placing Bandaid over upper arm of woman after vaccination

Health professional placing Bandaid over upper arm of woman after vaccination

Government takes early action to protect ‘legacy’ technology systems against AI breaches

A colourful animated still showing to young women sitting across from each other with mountains and sea in the background.

A colourful animated still showing to young women sitting across from each other with mountains and sea in the background.

DreamWorks’ Forgotten Island is a joyous, painful love letter to the Filipino diaspora

A couple rests between bouts of painting their apartment.

A couple rests between bouts of painting their apartment.

We love TV reno shows. Could they help us build more sustainable homes?

How can the same El Niño cause drought in one part of the world and floods in another?

satellite map of Pacific Ocean

satellite map of Pacific Ocean

After a decade, the UN’s Antonio Guterres is stepping down. His legacy will be mixed, at best

Antonio Guterres speaks during an interview at the United Nations headquarters.

Antonio Guterres speaks during an interview at the United Nations headquarters.

US tech leaders are urgently calling for rules on AI – China already has them

Hangzhou skyline

Hangzhou skyline

The War Games problem: Computer science has long understood what it takes to keep AI under control

a dark room with a set of very large display screens

a dark room with a set of very large display screens

Steam rising from rocky water amid mountains

Steam rising from rocky water amid mountains

How sugar from outer space became one of the backbones of life on Earth

How do I know my child is ready to leave the house on their own?

A mother and daughter spending time outside together.

A mother and daughter spending time outside together.

As El Niño strengthens across the Pacific, Australian farmers could face fierce frosts

A cereal plant covered in frost

A cereal plant covered in frost

RBA lifts rates to highest level in 15 years – risking a sharper slowdown of the economy

RBA Governor Michele Bullock speaks during a CEDA (Committee for Economic Development of Australia) address

RBA Governor Michele Bullock speaks during a CEDA (Committee for Economic Development of Australia) address

Bushfire season is fast approaching. A new satellite tool can help communities better prepare

A man standing in a paddock, watching a bushfire burn in the distance.

A man standing in a paddock, watching a bushfire burn in the distance.

Can governments ever convince women to have more babies? Here’s what other countries can teach us

A young couple sit in front of a window holding a newborn baby

A young couple sit in front of a window holding a newborn baby

We can finally measure the damage each new coal, gas or oil project will do to people and nature

large burst of yellow-orange flame.

large burst of yellow-orange flame.

Why fuel prices may go higher still

A cartoon chart shows a line trending upward, with a figure of a person hanging onto an upward-pointing arrow at the top.

A cartoon chart shows a line trending upward, with a figure of a person hanging onto an upward-pointing arrow at the top.

Australia’s legacy systems were already a cyber risk. AI agents are raising the stakes

Old computers

Old computers

More news + analysis

Data centres

What does a good data centre future look like? And how do we get there?

Stacked 3D blocks with rockets in the background

Stacked 3D blocks with rockets in the background

Unsustainable – or manageable? We don’t yet know how data centres will impact Australia’s environment

Stacked 3D blocks with water and smoke coming out the edges

Stacked 3D blocks with water and smoke coming out the edges

Data centres have existed for decades. So why are they so controversial now?

3D blocks and building cranes on a textured background

3D blocks and building cranes on a textured background

Data centres in Australia: your questions answered

3D blocks and speech bubbles on a textured background.

3D blocks and speech bubbles on a textured background.

Read the whole series

New research

Exercise before surgery improves outcomes and shortens recovery time – new research

A person exercising with weights

A person exercising with weights

Even the best telescopes have blind spots. This fix can help us build better maps of the universe

A dome telescope on top of a hill, the sky above illuminated with stars and yellow, blue and red light.

A dome telescope on top of a hill, the sky above illuminated with stars and yellow, blue and red light.

Heroin used more often, cocaine use up. What new data says about drug use today

Man holding small plastic bag of brown powder.

Man holding small plastic bag of brown powder.

Australia’s vast Nullarbor Plain hides deep caves that can teach us about alien worlds

An orange landscape with a series of holes receding into the distance.

An orange landscape with a series of holes receding into the distance.

More new research

Life

Do calorie-restricted diets work? Or will I just re-gain the weight?

Middle-aged woman chooses apples at a grocery store.

Middle-aged woman chooses apples at a grocery store.

Year 12 students might feel anxious as exams approach. Here’s what can help

Female student leaning on her arm, sitting at a desk and studying under a warm desk lamp in a dark room.

Female student leaning on her arm, sitting at a desk and studying under a warm desk lamp in a dark room.

How smoking makes Australians poorer – and what we can do about it

A close up of a hand holding a smoking cigarette

A close up of a hand holding a smoking cigarette

From ‘disgrace and pollution’ to ‘pride’: how Australians came to embrace their convict family ties

1840s sketch of a convict chain gang

1840s sketch of a convict chain gang

Arts and reviews

Written as a single sentence, Adam Ouston’s Mine is a novel under the influence

A bestselling novel was pulled from a French literary prize after AI accusations – what next?

Stage manager is arguably the most stressful job in live performance. Here’s why

Here are five of Australia’s top library influencers. One is a 72-year-old rare books librarian

World

Ethiopia is sliding back toward war – a look at what is driving the fighting and why it matters

Men in army fatigues walk down the street

Men in army fatigues walk down the street

Privatised aid failed the people of Gaza. The world should learn not to repeat it

A boy carries a box saying GHF on his head as he walks through rubble

A boy carries a box saying GHF on his head as he walks through rubble

US attempts to control Ukraine’s attacks on Russia reflect a fundamental strategic disconnect

Smoke and flames after a Ukrainian drone strike on a Moscow oil refinery, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026.

Smoke and flames after a Ukrainian drone strike on a Moscow oil refinery, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026.

Stripped titles? Compensating rivals? How the Manchester City cheating scandal could play out

Erling Haaland celebrates a goal for Manchester City in the English Premier League in 2025.

Erling Haaland celebrates a goal for Manchester City in the English Premier League in 2025.

Federal politics

Victorian DemosAU poll has Coalition’s two-party lead narrowing, but they remain ahead

A woman stands up in parliament and delivers a speech

A woman stands up in parliament and delivers a speech

Larissa Waters steps down as Greens leader due to health reasons

Grattan on Friday: when rogue AI agent ‘scaled a fence’, it reinforced Albanese’s case for tough guardrails

View from The Hill: behind the cheesy smiles, Albanese and Trump couldn’t be further apart on AI and social media controls

More federal politics

New Zealand

Education Ministry inquiry the latest sign NZ’s Official Information Act isn’t working

Greg Treadwell, Auckland University of Technology

Beehive government and parliament buildings under clouds

Beehive government and parliament buildings under clouds

Low productivity is NZ’s economic elephant in the room. Election pledges mostly avoid it

What do NZ voters really care about? A global comparison reveals some surprises

People walking beside Beehive government building

People walking beside Beehive government building

NZ’s next new MPs face a brutal learning curve. Does it have to be that way?

More New Zealand

Climate

September’s ozone hole was the biggest in 20 years. The warning signs appeared months ago

Sharks often swim across national borders. Our conservation efforts must travel with them

A school of fish follow a large whale shark that's swimming in the ocean.

A school of fish follow a large whale shark that's swimming in the ocean.

Will El Niño send food prices soaring this summer?

produce is seen in the fruit and vegetables section of a supermarket

produce is seen in the fruit and vegetables section of a supermarket

It’s been one year since Australia assessed its national climate risk. But have we listened?

Firefighters put out a grass fire, with a firetruck in the background.

Firefighters put out a grass fire, with a firetruck in the background.

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Podcasts

Government hacks, rogue agents and no transparency: can we ever fully trust AI?

Person with a laptop and illustration of AI with cogs projected in front.

Person with a laptop and illustration of AI with cogs projected in front.

Politics with Michelle Grattan: Jim Chalmers warns rising debt bills are set to hit the budget

Jim Chalmers speaking at a podium

Jim Chalmers speaking at a podium

Australia’s ‘barking mad’ bet on nuclear submarines – the AUKUS deal five years on

People stand aboard a submarine, submerged in the ocean

People stand aboard a submarine, submerged in the ocean

Politics with Michelle Grattan: Matt Canavan on why One Nation is ‘not really compatible’ as a Coalition partner

All episodes of Politics with Michelle Grattan

All episodes of The Conversation Weekly

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