The Best of The Conversation

UK’s Astronomer Royal Martin Rees shares his memories of the physicist Stephen Hawking, who has died at the age of 76.

From string theory to observations, the multiverse theory is far from safe.

If you understand how a trampoline works, you’ll be able to understand what gravitational waves are.

The enigma at the centre of our 20-year collaboration was how the Big Bang could have created conditions so perfectly hospitable to life

Things get weird at the quantum level and now we know they can happen really fast when a particle pushes through an almost insurmountable barrier.

Is there ever a satisfactory answer to questions about what motivated a mass shooter? There is, but it’s not what you think.

«at the hands of some real or imagined culprits»

What does secondhand embarrassment say about your own anxieties and biases?

Even in the best of times, managing your finances is hard. We’re told to make sure we are financially literate but what does that mean in practice? Here are seven signs you’ve got the basics.

Automation may not reduce our workloads as much as we’d hoped.

How do different houseplants boost mental health? A new study investigates the psychological responses of 520 people to the appearance of different plants.

Although medication and therapy can be effective treatments for ADHD, they’re not the only way to manage the disorder or its symptoms. Creating a daily routine is critical too.

By adulthood, ADHD symptoms may be more internalised but they can also cause grown up problems.

One enzyme plays a key role in how tumor cells replicate and divide indefinitely. Identifying the genes that give these cells their immortality could provide new drug targets to treat cancer.

Diets high in fat, sugar and processed foods are associated with higher calorie intake, poorer memory and lower cognitive function.

Noise pollution is a serious problem, and cars make a lot of it. But roads are also a factor.

Even if all passenger vehicles sold today were electric, it would take more than ten years for the Australian road fleet to be fully electric.

A new shows there’s no clear evidence that depression is caused by abnormally low levels of serotonin in the brain.

«drug trials show that antidepressants are barely distinguishable from a placebo (dummy pill) when it comes to treating depression.»

A new study found those who reported walking faster were less likely to die prematurely.

«Long term-health benefits aside, a faster pace will get us to our destination faster and free up time for all those other things that can make our daily routines special, such as spending time with loved ones or reading a good book.»

Recent protests on racial justice have also questioned the portrayal of Jesus as a white man. An art historian explains how this image appeared and came to be marketed worldwide.

We may imagine Jesus in long robes with baggy sleeves, but this is far from how he would have dressed.

India’s drug regulation is loose and results in dangerous medicines being sold at home and abroad.

An epigenetic model of cancer that incorporates the concept of stochasticity could also explain why cancer risk increases with age and how biological development can be reversible.

The evolution of reading clearly demonstrates that nature and nurture are intimately linked.

Scientists are learning amazing things about bees’ sensory perception and mental capabilities.

The key to understanding why life is not explainable in current physics may be to reconsider our notions of time and information.

Physics makes a lot of assumptions about time that may be getting in the way of understanding the fourth dimension.

The length of a day has critical impacts on our technologies, navigation, and more.

Artificial intelligence can help us venture further in space.

Understanding and changing the environment in which habits form is a critical step when it comes to breaking unwanted behaviors and forming healthy ones.

«Another path to habit change involves friction: in other words, making it difficult to act on undesirable habits and easy to act on desirable ones.»

The brain’s somatosensory cortex may help enrich our emotional experiences and improve our mental health. Mindfulness and dance movement therapy may be effective ways to activate it.

«Those factors can enhance overall self-awareness, which contributes to improvement of mental health through potential reorganization of the somatosensory cortex.»

Psychologists know babies can form memories soon after birth. So why can’t people remember anything that happened to them before around age 2? A child development expert describes possible reasons.

Here are some reasons for the natural human tendency to avoid or reject new information that runs counter to what you already know – and some tips on how to do better.

«confirmation bias. It’s the natural tendency to seek out information or interpret things in a way that supports your existing beliefs.»

The United States came in 41st worldwide on the UN’s 2022 sustainable development index, down nine spots from last year. A political historian explains the country’s dismal scores.