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The Conversation

A show for curious minds. Join us each week as academic experts tell us about the fascinating discoveries they're making to understand the world, and the big questions they’re still trying to answer. A podcast from The Conversation, hosted by Gemma Ware.

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The Conversation Weekly

Surveys suggest that in many western democracies, political trust is at rock bottom. But is it really such a bad thing for people living in a democracy to distrust their government?

In this episode, we talk to political scientist Grant Duncan, visiting scholar in politics at City St George's, University of London, about why he thinks a certain level of distrust and scepticism of powerful politicians is actually healthy for democracy. And about how populists, like Donald Trump, manage to use people’s distrust in political elites to their advantage.

This episode was written and produced by Gemma Ware, Mend Mariwany and Katie Flood with sound design by Michelle Macklem. Our theme music is by Neeta Sarl. Full credits for this episode are available. Sign up here for a free daily newsletter from The Conversation.

If you like the show, please consider donating to The Conversation, which is an independent, not-for-profit news organisation. And please do rate and review the show wherever you listen.

Further reading Don’t trust politicians? That may not be such a bad thingWhy people vote for politicians they know are liarsTrusting societies are overall happier – a happiness expert explains why 

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Why distrust in powerful politicians is part of a functioning democracy

Zimbabwe is on the cusp of abolishing the death penalty after its Death Penalty Abolition Bill was approved by the senate on December 12. The bill is now sitting on the desk of Zimbabwe’s president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, a known opponent of the death penalty, waiting for his assent.

In this episode, we speak to two experts on the death penalty, Carolyn Hoyle and Parvais Jabbar from the University of Oxford's Death Penalty Research Unit, who explain how Zimbabwe got here and what abolition means for both the country, and the continent. 

This episode was written and produced by Gemma Ware and Mend Mariwany with sound design by Michelle Macklem. Our theme music is by Neeta Sarl. Full credits for this episode are available. Sign up here for a free daily newsletter from The Conversation.

If you like the show, please consider donating to The Conversation, which is an independent, not-for-profit news organisation. And please do rate and review the show wherever you listen.

Further reading Zimbabwe’s likely to abolish the death penalty: how it got here and what it means for the continentKenyan prisoners on death row weren’t deterred by the threat of the death penalty: new research findingsWhy the death penalty is losing favour in sub-Saharan Africa

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How Zimbabwe reached the point of abolishing the death penalty

Introducing The Conversation Weekly, the world explained by experts. Made by the team at The Conversation. Each week we talk to academics to help unpack the context behind the headlines – and hear from scholars carrying out brand new research about how the world works. Hosted by Gemma Ware in London and Dan Merino in San Francisco. 

Produced by Mend Mariwany and Gemma Ware, with sound design by Eloise Stevens and music by Neeta Sarl.

 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Trailer: The Conversation Weekly

Welcome to the first episode of a new podcast from The Conversation, the world explained by experts. This week we’re talking to researchers about Mars – and Belarus.

For the past six months, three different space missions have been on their way to Mars. Now, all three – from the United Arab Emirates, China and the US – are due to arrive at the red planet in February within a few weeks of each other. We talk to three experts, Jim Bell, Professor in the School of Earth and Space Exploration at Arizona State University, Stefania Paladini, Reader in Economics and Global Security at Birmingham City University and Nidhal Guessoum, Professor of Astrophysics at the American University of Sharjah. They explain what these probes and rovers are looking for on Mars – including signs of ancient life – and the politics and symbolism behind the three missions.

In our second story we turn to Belarus, where protests continue more than six months after a disputed election. Félix Krawatzek, Senior Researcher at the Centre for East European and International Studies and Associate Member of Nuffield College, University of Oxford, talks through the initial findings from a recent public opinion survey in Belarus – and why he sees similarities between what's happening in Belarus and the protests currently rocking Russia following the detention of opposition leader Alexei Navalny. 

And Ina Skosana, health and medicine editor at The Conversation in Johannesburg, South Africa, gives us her story recommendations.

The Conversation Weekly is hosted by Gemma Ware and Dan Merino. The show is co-produced by Mend Mariwany and Gemma Ware, with sound design by Eloise Stevens. Our theme music is by Neeta Sarl. Visit The Conversation for full credits. 

Further reading:

Bringing Mars rocks back to Earth – Perseverance Rover lands on Feb. 18, a lead scientist explains the tech and goals • , by Jim Bell, Professor of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University 
How Mars became the prize for the new space race – and why China is hellbent on winning it • , by Stefania Paladini, Reader in Economics and Global Security at Birmingham City University
Belarus protests: why people have been taking to the streets – new data • , by Félix Krawatzek, Senior Researcher at the Centre for East European and International Studies and Associate Member of Nuffield College, University of Oxford and Gwendolyn Sasse, Professor in Comparative Politics, Professorial Fellow, Nuffield College, University of Oxford
Results from Novavax vaccine trials in the UK and South Africa differ: why, and does it matter? • by Shabir Mahdi, Professor of Vaccinology and Director of the SAMRC Vaccines and Infectious Diseases Analytical Research Unit, University of the Witwatersrand
How former president Rawlings pioneered heritage tourism in Ghana – in his own words • , by Rachel Ama Asaa Engmann, Associate Professor & Director, Christiansborg Archaeological Heritage Project & Adjunct Lecturer, University of Massachusetts Amherst 

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Why it's a big month for Mars

Welcome to episode 2 of a new podcast from The Conversation, the world explained by experts. This week we’re talking to researchers about Myanmar – and what it's like looking for COVID-19 in wild animals.

Protests have rocked Myanmar in recent days as people took to the streets demanding the release of Aung San Suu Kyi, the country's de factor leader who was arrested during a military coup on February 1. 

We speak to two academics who study Myanmar, Adam Simpson, Senior Lecturer in International Studies in Justice and Society at the University of South Australia, and DB Subedi, Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of New England in Australia. They explain how the country has changed in the past decade, what events led up to the coup, and what the military's options are now. 

In our second story, we talk to Kaitlin Sawatzki, a virologist at Tufts University who is part of a research project that is searching for the coronavirus in wild animals in the US. She explains how viruses can jump back from humans into wild animals, the times this has happened in the past and the risks – to both people and animals – when it does. 

And Catesby Holmes, international editor at The Conversation in New York gives us some recommended reading on the impeachment trial.

The Conversation Weekly is hosted by Gemma Ware and Dan Merino. The show is co-produced by Mend Mariwany and Gemma Ware, with sound design by Eloise Stevens. Our theme music is by Neeta Sarl. Visit The Conversation for full credits. 

Further reading:

Myanmar's military has used surveillance, draconian laws and fear to stifle dissent before. Will it work again? • by DB Subedi, Postdoctoral research fellow, University of New England and Johanna Garnett, Lecturer in Sociology and Peace Studies, University of New England
Myanmar's military reverts to its old strong-arm behaviour — and the country takes a major step backwards • by Adam Simpson, Senior Lecturer, University of South Australia and Nicholas Farrelly, Professor and Head of Social Sciences, University of Tasmania 
Myanmar coup: how the military has held onto power for 60 years • , by Michael W. Charney, Professor of Asian and Military History, SOAS, University of London
Is COVID-19 infecting wild animals? We're testing species from bats to seals to find out • , by Jonathan Runstadler, Professor of Infectious Disease and Global Health, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Tufts University and Kaitlin Sawatzki, Postdoctoral Infectious Disease Researcher, Tufts University
Impeachment trial: Research spanning decades shows language can incite violence • , by Kurt Braddock, Assistant Professor of Communication, American University School of Communication
Congress could use an arcane section of the 14th Amendment to hold Trump accountable for Capitol attack • , by Gerard Magliocca, Professor of Law, IUPUI 

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Myanmar's collective fury

This week we’re talking to researchers about how COVID-19 vaccines are manufactured – and a battle over the intellectual property rights surrounding them. And we hear from a researcher looking into why China is closing down coal-fired power stations faster in some places than others. Welcome to episode 3 of a new podcast from The Conversation, the world explained by experts. 

While some of the world’s richest countries are racing ahead with large-scale programmes to vaccinate their populations, for much of the developing world, the first doses of the vaccines remain a long way off. For the past few months, a group of countries has been pushing for the intellectual property rules around coronavirus vaccines to be temporarily waived temporarily, arguing this would help expand supply and push down costs. Ronald Labonté, Distinguished Research Chair in Globalization and Health Equity at the School of Epidemiology and Public Health at the University of Ottawa, talks us through the detail. Meanwhile, Mosoka Fallah, Lecturer at the School of Public Health, College of Health Sciences at the University of Liberia tells us what the vaccine situation is like on the ground in West Africa, and Anne Moore, Senior Lecturer in Biochemistry and Cell Biology, at University College Cork in Ireland, explains some of the processes behind making coronavirus vaccines.

In our second story, we talk to Hao Tan, Associate Professor at the University of Newcastle in Australia, on his new research on why – and where – China is decommissioning coal-fired power stations. He explains what this shift means for the wider region, and those countries which export coal to China.

And Clea Chakraverty, politics and society editor at The Conversation in France, gives us some recommended reading on a historic child sex abuse scandal shaking France. 

The Conversation Weekly is hosted by Gemma Ware and Dan Merino. The show is co-produced by Mend Mariwany and Gemma Ware, with sound design by Eloise Stevens. Our theme music is by Neeta Sarl. Visit The Conversation for full credits.

Further reading:

Dummy’s guide to how trade rules affect access to COVID-19 vaccines • , by Ronald Labonté, Distinguished Research Chair in Globalization and Health Equity at the School of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Ottawa, and Brook K. Baker, Professor of Law, Northeastern University
No country is an island: collective approach to COVID-19 vaccines is the only way to go • , by Mosoka Fallah, Part-time lecturer at the Global Health & Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Lecturer at the School of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, University of Liberia
How are COVID-19 vaccines made? An expert explains • , Anne Moore, Senior Lecturer in Biochemistry and Cell Biology, University College Cork
Forget about the trade spat – coal is passé in much of China, and that’s a bigger problem for Australia • , by Hao Tan, Associate Professor with the Newcastle Business School, University of Newcastle and colleagues
Inceste : au-delà du bruit médiatique, entendre la tragique banalité du phénomène • , by Anne-Claude Ambroise-Rendu, Professeur d'histoire contemporaine, Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ) – Université Paris-Saclay 

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Coronavirus vaccines: what’s getting in the way of the global rollout

This week three experts explain why more people are thinking about leaving Hong Kong after China's clampdown on dissent – and the choices they face about where to go. And we hear about a new way to speed up the hunt for one of the universe's most elusive enigmas: dark matter. Welcome to episode 4 of The Conversation Weekly, the world explained by experts.

Since China imposed a new National Security Law on Hong Kong in mid-2020, the situation for protesters has become much more dangerous. Many of those involved in recent pro-democracy protests are being rounded up and arrested. Some Hong Kongers are now thinking about leaving – and in this episode we hear from experts researching what is influencing these decisions. Sui Ting Kong, assistant professor in sociology at Durham University, tells us what her interviews with Hong Kongers is revealing about the different ways they describe their decision to leave. Peter William Walsh, a researcher at the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford, explains the details of a new visa route the UK government has opened up those Hong Kongers who hold British National Overseas status. And Tsungyi Michelle Huang, professor of geography at National Taiwan University, talks about her research on migration from Hong Kong to Taiwan, and how Taiwan has become a more attractive destination. 

In our second story, we're joined by Benjamin Brubaker, a physicist at the University of Colorado, Boulder, who is on the hunt for dark matter. Dark matter is invisible – but it accounts for 85% of the matter in the universe. He explains how he and his colleagues used technology from the quantum computing world to speed up the search. 

And Luthfi Dzulfikar, associate editor at The Conversation in Jakarta, recommends a couple of recent stories by academics in Indonesia. 

The Conversation Weekly is hosted by Gemma Ware and Dan Merino. The show is co-produced by Mend Mariwany and Gemma Ware, with sound design by Eloise Stevens. Our theme music is by Neeta Sarl. Visit The Conversation for full credits.

Further reading:

Hong Kong: China crackdown is likely to boost migration to UK • , by Peter William Walsh, Researcher at the Migration Observatory, University of Oxford
With mass arrests, running for office in Hong Kong is now not only futile, it can be criminal • , by Brendan Clift, Teaching Fellow and PhD Candidate, University of Melbourne
Hong Kong: does British offer of citizenship to Hongkongers violate Thatcher’s deal with China? • by Chi-Kwan Mark, Senior Lecturer in International History, Royal Holloway, University of London 
The search for dark matter gets a speed boost from quantum technology • , by Benjamin Brubaker, Postdoctoral Fellow in Quantum Physics, University of Colorado Boulder
Ignoring aspirations and threatening arrest: these 5 things show that the Jokowi administration does not accept criticism from its citizens • , (in Bahasa Indonesian), by Herlambang P Wiratraman, Lecturer of Constitutional Law at Universitas Airlangga and Juwita Hayyuning Prastiwi, Lecturer in Political Science at Universitas Brawijaya
Single people in Indonesia look for happiness on the internet - but fail to find it, • (in Bahasa Indonesian), by Karel Karsten Himawan, Lecturer of Psychology, Universitas Pelita Harapan 

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Leaving Hong Kong after China's clampdown: where people are going and why

This week, two experts explain how melting ice in the far north is bringing more light to the Arctic Ocean and what this means for the species that live there. And we hear from a team of archaeologists on their new research in Tanzania's Olduvai Gorge that found evidence of just how adaptable early humans were to the changing environment. 

Every summer, the sea ice in the Arctic melts -– but it's melting more and more each year. This dramatic loss is because the Arctic is warming two to three times faster than the rest of the planet. Different scientists are studying what climate change means for the various species that live in the Arctic Ocean. One of the things they’re looking at is light: as the sea ice shrinks, that means more light can get down to the depths, but also more ships can venture into the far north, bringing with them more artificial light. 

We speak to two researchers who study what this increase in light means for the species that live in the Arctic: Karen Filbee-Dexter, Research Fellow in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Western Australia and Jørgen Berge, Vice Dean for Research, Arctic and Marine Biology at the University of Tromsø in Norway. 

In our second story, we head to the warmer climes of the Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania, known as the birthplace of humanity. We speak to a team of researchers, Julio Mercader, Professor of Anthropology and Archaeology at the University of Calgary in Canada, and Pastory Bushozi, Director of Humanities Research Centre and Makarius Peter Itambu, Lecturer in the College of Humanities, both at the University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, about their recent discoveries in the gorge. They found new evidence of just how adaptable early humans were to the changing environment around them around 2 million years ago. 

And Laura Hood, politics editor at The Conversation in London, recommends a couple of recent stories by academics in the UK. 

The Conversation Weekly is hosted by Gemma Ware and Dan Merino. The show is co-produced by Mend Mariwany and Gemma Ware, with sound design by Eloise Stevens. Our theme music is by Neeta Sarl. Visit The Conversation for full credits. If you'd like to sign up for The Conversation's free daily newsletter, please subscribe here. 

Further reading

Arctic Ocean: climate change is flooding the remote north with light – and new species • , by Jørgen Berge, University of Tromsø; Carlos Duarte, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology; Dorte Krause-Jensen, Aarhus University; Karen Filbee-Dexter, Université Laval; Kimberly Howland, Université du Québec à Rimouski (UQAR), and Philippe Archambault, Université Laval
Oceans 21 • : our ongoing series on the state of our oceans featuring academics around the world 
Arctic sea ice is being increasingly melted from below by warming Atlantic water • , by Tom Rippeth, Bangor University
Where does plastic pollution go when it enters the ocean? • , by Bruce Sutherland, University of Alberta; Michelle DiBenedetto, University of Washington and Ton van den Bremer, Delft University of Technology
Finds in Tanzania’s Olduvai Gorge reveal how ancient humans adapted to change • , by Julio Mercader Florin, University of Calgary
Conspiracy theories start to take hold at age 14, study suggests • , by Daniel Jolley, Northumbria University, Newcastle; Karen Douglas, University of Kent, and Yvonne Skipper, University of Glasgow
COVID vaccines: how to make sense of reports on their effectiveness • , by Mark Toshner, University of Cambridge

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How climate change is flooding the Arctic Ocean with light

In this episode of The Conversation Weekly podcast, three experts in global health explain why COVID-19 has been a moment of reckoning for the World Health Organization (WHO), and where it goes from here. And to mark one year since the WHO declared COVID-19 a pandemic, we hear from Conversation editors around the world on the situation where they live right now. 

The WHO had a torrid 2020. Although it declared COVID-19 a public health emergency of international concern in late January, much of the world was slow to react. And it wasn’t until March 11, when the WHO’s director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus described it as a pandemic, that countries began to take the virus seriously and began locking down. 

In this episode, we talk to three experts about where the WHO goes from here. Peter Gluckman, former scientific advisor to the prime minister of New Zealand and Director of Koi Tū, the Center for Informed Futures at the University of Auckland, says world leaders should use this moment as a catalyst for reform. Ana Amaya, Assistant Professor at Pace University and an Associate Research Fellow at the United Nations University Institute on Comparative Regional Integration studies, tells us the current global health system is no longer acceptable to many developing countries in the global south. And Andrew Lakoff, Professor of Sociology at the University of Southern California, explains what process of inquiry the WHO went through after the H1N1 and Ebola epidemics, and why apportioning responsibility for failures is crucial in planning for the future. 

The Conversation Weekly is hosted by Gemma Ware and Dan Merino. The show is co-produced by Mend Mariwany and Gemma Ware, with sound design by Eloise Stevens. Our theme music is by Neeta Sarl. Visit The Conversation for full credits. If you'd like to sign up for The Conversation's free daily newsletter, please subscribe here.

Further reading

You can read a series of articles on The Conversation marking the one-year anniversary of WHO declaring COVID-19 a pandemic here. Meanwhile, here are some of the articles we've mentioned in this episode, plus a few more:

WHO reform: a call for an early-warning protocol for infectious diseases • , by Peter Gluckman, University of Auckland and Andrew Gillespie, University of Waikato
Why the WHO, often under fire, has a tough balance to strike in its efforts to address health emergencies • , by Andrew Lakoff, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
A year of COVID-19 lockdown is putting kids at risk of allergies, asthma and autoimmune diseases • , by Byram W. Bridle, University of Guelph
COVID-19 treatments: what are the most promising leads • , by Dominique Costagliola, Inserm 
(in French)After a year of pain, here’s how the COVID-19 pandemic could play out in 2021 and beyond • , by Michael Toole, Burnet Institute
Coronavirus one year on: two countries that got it right, and three that got it wrong • , by Darren Lilleker, Bournemouth University
One year of the pandemic and we continue to look for answers • , by Ildefonso Hernández Aguado and Blanca Lumbreras Lacarra, Universidad Miguel Hernández (
in Spanish)

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COVID-19: where does the WHO go from here?

In this episode of The Conversation Weekly podcast we drill down into the impact coronavirus lockdowns had on global carbon emissions – and ask what this means for the fight against climate change as governments turn their focus on the recovery. And we hear how the pandemic exacerbated the hardships faced by migrant workers in Canada. 

Corinne Le Quéré, Professor of Climate Change Science at the University of East Anglia, tells globla carbon emissions dropped 7% in 2020 – by 2.6 billion tonnes. While this was the biggest drop ever, everything is relative. She puts the figures into perspective for us about what was happening before the pandemic, and what needs to happen now for the world to reach its targets under the Paris Agreement. Click here to explore a graphic she's made with her team, exploring this history of emissions around the world. 

And we also talk to Steve Westlake, a PhD researcher at Cardiff University, about his research into what influences our behaviour when it comes to reducing carbon emissions -- and why he thinks individual actions still matter.

We’re also joined in this episode by The Conversation’s Vinita Srivastava, host of Don’t Call Me Resilient, a new podcast about race. She introduces a conversation she had with Min Sook Lee, Assistant Professor in Documentary Film at OCAD University in Toronto, on the harsh conditions, isolation and precarious working conditions faced by migrant farm workers in Canada. 

And Wale Fatade from The Conversation in Lagos, Nigeria, gives us some recommended reading. 

The Conversation Weekly is hosted by Gemma Ware and Dan Merino. The show is co-produced by Mend Mariwany and Gemma Ware, with sound design by Eloise Stevens. Our theme music is by Neeta Sarl. Visit The Conversation for full credits. A transcript of this episode is available here. 

If you'd like to sign up for The Conversation's free daily newsletter, please subscribe here. To get in touch, find us on Twitter @TC_Audio or on Instagram at theconversationdotcom. Or you can email us on podcast@theconversation.com 

Further reading

We’ve made progress to curb global emissions. But it’s a fraction of what’s needed • , Pep Canadell, CSIRO; Corinne Le Quéré, University of East Anglia and colleagues.
Climate change: yes, your individual action does make a difference • , Steve Westlake, Cardiff University
Coronavirus lockdown will have ‘negligible’ impact on the climate – new study • , Piers Forster, University of Leeds 
How we treat migrant workers who put food on our tables: Don’t Call Me Resilient • Episode 4, by The Conversation
Migrant worker segregation doesn’t work: COVID-19 lessons from Southeast Asia • by Peter Vandergeest, York University, Canada; Melissa Marschke, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa, and Peter Duker, York University, Canada
Memory practices are not enough to remedy Nigeria-Biafra war injustices • , by Benjamin Maiangwa, Durham University
 • and Chigbo Arthur Anyaduba, University of Winnipeg
Beer, politics and identity – the chequered history behind Namibian brewing success • , by Paul Nugent, University of Edinburgh

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Trailer: The Conversation Weekly

Trailer: The Conversation Weekly

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