Happiness mapped: why work is the place we feel the worst
Having a job plays an important role in our overall happiness – yet research also shows most of us are unhappy while we're at work.
Academic rigour, journalistic flair
Happiness
The secret to happiness in later life is simple to discover, but hard to achieve
It's not all about health and wealth.
Analysis and Comment
How the horse can help us answer one of evolution’s biggest questions
Do organisms adapt after they arrive in new environments or are the adaptations what lets them to move to new locations?
Alan Blumlein: the prolific British inventor who gave the world stereophonic sound
Without Alan Blumlein's genius, most things would sound altogether different today.
The lock of love: how leaving padlocks became a modern-day romantic ritual
This universal symbol of love has proven remarkably divisive.
The environmental costs of Trump’s wall
We should be building wildlife bridges on the US-Mexico border – not walls.
Autistic academics give their thoughts on university life
What is it like being an autistic academic?
Beyond the data: five important lessons we can learn from Hans Rosling
Hans Rosling taught us more than just the facts the data presented
Obituary: Professor Sir Peter Mansfield, whose invention of the MRI scanner revolutionised medicine
While Peter Mansfield didn’t have the career as a rocket scientist he craved, his contribution to humanity has been immense.
Girls may be flawed, but its feminist legacy will last
As the series draws to a close, it will leave in its wake controversy and debate.
Four ways Britain could guarantee the right to remain for EU citizens after Brexit
MPs rejected an amendment to the Article 50 Bill that would guarantee the residency of EU citizens in the UK.
How renting can fix the UK’s broken housing market
Renting makes financial sense in a number of circumstances; it's time to move away from the obsession with home ownership.
How anti-nuclear movements can really make a difference
People have been rising up against nuclear weapons ever since the first one was used – and it hasn't been for nothing.
Brand Beckham will weather the email storm
He's one of Britain's biggest brands – it'll take more than a few grumpy messages to spoil that.
Waitrose banks on its middle-class base as supermarkets brace for tough times
The upmarket store is reining in expansion but doubling down on value-added for its core clients.
How devolution makes Brexit even more complicated
Each part of the UK has power over certain international issues. And each is going to want a good deal.
Taboo: working for the East India Company could make you rich … or dead
The East India Company offered men untold travel and riches - if they survived.
Will you feel better after surgery? Now you can find out using this online tool
If you're having a knee or hip replacement this handy tool will be able to tell you about your recovery.
Emmanuel Macron and Twitter: how France’s leading presidential candidate is building a narrative
France’s former finance minister has been building a political narrative beyond the country’s traditional parties.
The story of Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield, America’s first black pop star
In the 19th century, critics and audiences thought blacks were incapable of singing as well as their white, European counterparts. Greenfield forced them to reconcile their ears with their racism.
Robot bees vs real bees – why tiny drones can’t compete with the real thing
Collecting pollen takes a surprising amount of teamwork.
Article 50 vote shows Brexit is about politics, not Britain’s future
Despite pages and pages of proposed amendments, not a single one was passed.
Hans Rosling was an incredibly entertaining presenter of the facts – and he made a huge impact
The world has lost a fantastic statistician at a time when the communication of facts is crucial.
Why do MPs keep resigning?
The past year has seen more parliamentarians take the 'Chiltern Hundreds' than at any time since the 1970s.
Where did the idea of an ‘Islamic bomb’ come from?
A useful avatar for threats both real and perceived, the notion of a pan-Islamic nuclear weapon has little to do with reality.
This new treatment could make pancreatic cancer a manageable disease
It's early days, but hope is on the horizon when it comes to one of the deadliest cancers.
Why so many singers sound American – but British grime artists are bucking the trend
When British singers step up to the microphone many adopt an American accent. Grime is the exception.
Brain scanners allow scientists to ‘read minds’ – could they now enable a ‘Big Brother’ future?
fMRI brain scans are coming frighteningly close to opening a window into our thoughts.
The campaign to eradicate Zika has trampled over women’s rights
Zika is not gender neutral: women’s rights are at stake.
North Korea’s deep sense of national identity is the main obstacle to nuclear negotiations
The country plays by different rules.
Student debt sale gives new generation a first taste of economic slavery
Financially illogical and fuelled by irrational dogma, the creation of a new tranche of private sector debt is a missed opportunity.
You don’t have to be male to be a role model for men
Men are struggling to cope with the pressures of modern life – but they alone cannot solve the problem.
I, Daniel Blake reveals the rich complexity of literacy – and why it matters
Pencil by default: the digital skills demanded by the welfare system may baffle Daniel Blake, but he is resourceful, creative and willing to work.
Why call centre workers love to use your name – and why it’s really annoying
There are a range of linguistic strategies to build rapport with customers, but using their name is always the fall-back – with detrimental results.
West Africa only deserves limited credit for toppling a minnow of a dictator
The end of Yahya Jammeh should be celebrated, but his democratic neighbours had the strongest of hands to play.
How research can lead to some extraordinary (and very unlikely) discoveries
It can take decades, but investigating one thing can revolutionise our understanding of another.
Kristen Stewart co-wrote a paper about AI in filmmaking – here’s what an academic expert thought
The Twilight star used a pioneering technique for turning videos into animations which resemble stylised paintings.
Why cancer rates are increasing disproportionately in women – and what we can do about it
Obesity is one of the factors behind a large rise in cancer rates among women.
From the dungeon to the multiplex – how bondage has gripped the nation
There is a growing mainstream appetite for things that would previously be considered “deviant” pursuits – and businesses are catching on.
Wired-up roads will soon charge your electric car – while you’re driving
Wireless charging means these cars could run off much smaller and cheaper batteries.
Podcasts
The Anthill
We unearth some of the best and brightest research from the world of academia.
Listen to the podcast
Donald Trump
Everything you wanted to know about @realdonaldtrump’s Twitter habit
Is there method behind the US president's seeming social media incontinence?
Accepting only religious minority refugees divides, rather than protects, those in need
Prioritising groups of refugees, such as Syrian Christians, over others will only create further polarisation.
Trump’s travel ban is nothing to do with national security
In a crisis, governments often act just to be seen to be doing something. The difference with what Trump's doing is that there is no crisis.
Films you should watch to counter American anti-migrant rhetoric
Filmmakers sympathetic to the plight of Mexican and Central American migrants are using their films to counter the fug of misinformation.
Brexit
Not long ago, there was a British European identity – so what happened?
Children in the 1940s were brought up believing that European identity was the way forward – so what went wrong?
Brexatom: the UK will now leave Europe’s nuclear energy authority
Euratom is responsible for nuclear non-proliferation, safety, and research.
Why the next British by-election poses such a serious challenge for Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour
Copeland has been Labour for more than 30 years, but these are not normal times and this is no ordinary by-election.
Four ‘green lines’ for Brexit negotiators looking to protect the environment
Why a ‘soft Brexit’ is in the interest of both London and Brussels
Ivan Rogers resignation: in febrile Brexit Britain, it seems even public servants are fair game
What will happen to arms exports under Brexit?
How Eastern Europe is best placed to hit the ground running after a hard Brexit
Never mind Article 50, here’s why Article 127 could be crucial to keeping Britain in the single market
Why Britain’s public finances will suffer if Brexit reduces migration
Europe has never liked borders – and it won’t be confined by them now
UK is heading for ‘soft’ Brexit – support for new EU patent court proves it
Could an end to corporate tax help Britain’s Brexit-burdened finances?
After Brexit, what does democracy mean?
Britain is becoming more diverse, not more segregated
A Brexit strategy that could unite UK’s parliaments – and keep Britain in the single market
Why the media got it so wrong on Trump and Brexit
What happened to integrating immigrants in Britain?
Hard, soft, smooth, rough – we need better words if Brexit is going to work
A hard Brexit and reduced migration won’t benefit UK workers
Food Security
Food security looks very different depending on where you are sitting
There is no one-size-fits-all answer to global food insecurity except that the West needs to learn to consume, and waste, less.
From flask to field: How tiny microbes are revolutionizing big agriculture
Researchers are developing biological tools that can boost crop yields to feed a growing world population without harming human health or the environment.
Research shows how to grow more cassava, one of the world’s key food crops
Cassava is a key food source in tropical countries, but yields have been flat for decades. New genetic research is identifying many options for boosting production of this valuable staple crop.
Famine doesn’t just ‘happen’ – and those who cause it must be held to account
International law should include an offence of 'creating a famine'.
How GM crops can help us to feed a fast-growing world
Many people are suspicious of GM crops, but new techniques could massively increase food production.
Podcast
Research and Expert Database
Editors’ Picks
Childhood
We created a song that makes babies happy
Researchers teamed up with artist Imogen Heap to discover what music makes babies laugh.
Freedom
To what extent are you truly free?
Self-determination, freedom of thought, choice of risk arguably have freed society, but then there's inequality, ill-health and narcissism.
Protest
Five protest poets all demonstrators should read
When the pen is mightier than the sword.
Space
NASA sent a twin to space to study nature versus nurture – and we’re starting to get results
A twin experiment in space can help us prevent diseases on Earth.
Film
Films you should watch to counter American anti-migrant rhetoric
Filmmakers sympathetic to the plight of Mexican and Central American migrants are using their films to counter the fug of misinformation.
NHS
Video: older people don’t choose to take up hospital beds
Our research suggests older people aren't being admitted inappropriately.
Events
More EventsHow we are different
10 reasons
Most Read past week
- Why UPS drivers don’t turn left and you probably shouldn’t either
- We created a song that makes babies happy
- Kristen Stewart co-wrote a paper about AI in filmmaking – here’s what an academic expert thought
- The dangers of being a bridesmaid in China mean some brides now hire professionals
- Is a vegetarian diet really more environmentally friendly than eating meat?
Pitch an idea
Got a news tip or article idea for The Conversation?
Our Audience
The Conversation has a monthly audience of 3.7 million users, and reach of 35 million through Creative Commons republication.
Want to Write?
Write an article and join a growing community of more than 46,000 academics and researchers from 1,930 institutions.
Make a Donation
The Conversation relies on sector, government and reader support. If you would like to help us have even better conversations, then you may like to make a one-off or on-going donation.
