Podcast

Too many digital distractions are eroding our ability to read deeply, and here’s how we can become aware of what’s happening — podcast

Constant distractions affect our ability to concentrate. (Shutterstock) Nehal El-Hadi, The Conversation and Daniel Merino, The Conversation Staying focused on a single task for a long period of time is a growing concern. We are confronted with and have to process incredible amounts of information daily, and our brains are often functioning in overdrive to manage the processing and decision-making …

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The trauma of life in limbo for refugees and asylum seekers in immigration detention – podcast

A protester outside an immigration detention facility in Melbourne, Austraila. FiledIMAGE/Shutterstock Gemma Ware, The Conversation and Justin Bergman, The Conversation The life of limbo for people in immigration detention is often deeply traumatic. In this week’s episode of The Conversation Weekly, we talk to two experts on immigration detention in Australia and the UK about why people are waiting months, …

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South African scientists on the inside story of discovering omicron – and what their experience offers the world about future variants. Podcast

After South African scientists sounded the alarm about the new omicron variant, countries around the world closed their borders. Kim Ludbrook/EPA Gemma Ware, The Conversation and Daniel Merino, The Conversation What is it like to discover a new coronavirus variant? In this episode of The Conversation Weekly podcast, we hear the inside story from one of the South African scientists …

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China’s plans for Xinjiang, and what it means for the region’s persecuted Uyghurs – podcast

Gemma Ware, The Conversation and Daniel Merino, The Conversation When the Beijing Winter Olympics open on February 4, diplomats from a number of countries, including the US, UK, Canada and Australia, will not be there to watch. Their diplomatic boycott hinges on concerns about human rights abuses in China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. In this episode of The Conversation Weekly, …

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mRNA vaccines, asteroid missions and collaborative robots: what to watch in science in 2022 – podcast

mRNA vaccines: not just for COVID. Cryptographer/Shutterstock Daniel Merino, The Conversation and Gemma Ware, The Conversation From new mRNA vaccines to space missions and developments in robotic automation, in this episode of The Conversation Weekly we talk to three experts about some scientific advances they’re watching out for in 2022. And we speak to an economist about trends in global …

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Al-Shabaab: why women join the Islamist militant group – podcast

Lamu in coastal Kenya is an area where women and girls have been recuited by Al-Shabaab. Eric Lafforgue/Alamy Stock Photo Daniel Merino, The Conversation and Gemma Ware, The Conversation The Conversation Weekly podcast is taking a short break in August. For the next few weeks, we’ll be bringing you extended versions of some of our favourite recent interviews. This week, …

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