Early visions of Mars: Meet the 19th-century astronomer who used science fiction to imagine the red planet

In the 19th century, astronomers could see Mars through telescopes, but not clearly. Some used their imaginations to fill in what the blurry images couldn’t convey.

Matthew Shindell, Curator, Planetary Science and Exploration, Smithsonian Institution • conversation
June 6, 2025 • ~9 min

Travelling to my ancestral home in China unearthed tragedy tinged by the climate crisis – it inspired me to write Red Pockets

In Chinese folk religious beliefs, neglected ancestors become hungry ghosts, unleashing misfortune and environmental destruction.

Alice Mah, Professor in Urban and Environmental Studies, University of Glasgow • conversation
April 28, 2025 • ~5 min

Translating fiction: how AI could assist humans in expanding access to global literature and culture

Only a small fraction of the world’s literature is ever translated. If AI could increase that, it would broaden access to diverse voices and ideas, enriching the global literary landscape.

Andy Miah, Chair in Science Communication & Future Media, University of Salford • conversation
Jan. 8, 2025 • ~7 min

Infectious diseases killed Victorian children at alarming rates — their novels highlight the fragility of public health today

Between 40% and 50% of children didn’t live past 5 in the US during the 19th century. Popular authors like Charles Dickens documented the common but no less gutting grief of losing a child.

Andrea Kaston Tange, Professor of English, Macalester College • conversation
Dec. 11, 2024 • ~9 min

To better understand addiction, students in this course take a close look at liquor in literature

This course beckons students to examine how alcoholic beverages are portrayed in books by American authors.

Debra J. Rosenthal, Professor of English, John Carroll University • conversation
Oct. 26, 2023 • ~5 min

The missing ingredient to fight the climate crisis: positive fictional role models

If characters on TV consumed less, research has found it can have an impact on the environmental behaviour of audiences

Denise Baden, Professor of Sustainable Practice, University of Southampton • conversation
Feb. 23, 2022 • ~6 min

Explaining the 2021 Nobel prizes: how touch works, a better way to make medicine and the fiction of Abdulrazak Gurnah – podcast

Listen to The Conversation Weekly as we delve into the achievements behind three of the latest Nobel prizes.

Daniel Merino, Assistant Science Editor & Co-Host of The Conversation Weekly Podcast • conversation
Oct. 14, 2021 • ~4 min

Sea-level rise: writers imagined drowned worlds for centuries – what they tell us about the future

Cultures worldwide are awash with tales of great floods. What can they tell us about the reality of a wetter world?

Chelsea Haith, DPhil Candidate in Contemporary English Literature, University of Oxford • conversation
Jan. 28, 2021 • ~7 min

Five must-read novels on the environment and climate crisis

Eco-fiction to help you rethink your role in the climate crisis.

Ti-han Chang, Lecturer in Asia-Pacific Studies, University of Central Lancashire • conversation
July 9, 2020 • ~7 min

What 'Walden' can tell us about social distancing and focusing on life's essentials

'Walden,' published in 1854, is a manual for solitude with a purpose.

Robert M. Thorson, Professor of Geology, University of Connecticut • conversation
March 26, 2020 • ~8 min

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