The Conversation Weekly

By: The Conversation
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  • Summary

  • 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.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
    Licenced as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
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Politics & Government Science
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Episodes
  • 50 years since the discovery of ancient hominin fossil Lucy in Ethiopia, calls grow to decolonize paleoanthropology

    50 years since the discovery of ancient hominin fossil Lucy in Ethiopia, calls grow to decolonize paleoanthropology
    Nov 21 2024

    It's been 50 years since the American paleoanthropologist Donald Johanson discovered the fossil of ancient hominin 'Lucy' in the Afar region of Ethiopia. The find took the story of human evolution back beyond 3 million years for the first time. Yet, despite largely centring on the African continent as the "cradle of mankind", the narrative of hominin fossil discovery is striking for its lack of African scientists.


    In this week's episode, Yohannes Haile-Selassie, director of the Institute of Human Origins at Arizona State University in the US, explains why the story of ancient human origins is so western-centric, and why he's calling for the decolonisation of paleoanthropology.


    This episode was produced by Mend Mariwany with sound design by Michelle Macklem and 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:

    • Lucy, discovered 50 years ago in Ethiopia, stood just 3.5 feet tall − but she still towers over our understanding of human origins
    • Meet 3-million-year-old Lucy – she’ll tell you a lot about modern African heritage

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    28 mins
  • The controversy over cod fishing in Canada

    The controversy over cod fishing in Canada
    Nov 14 2024

    For generations, cod fishing was a way of life in Newfoundland and Labrador, the easternmost province in Canada. But in 1992, after cod stocks in the north Atlantic plummeted, the federal government imposed a moratorium on cod fishing. It was to last for 32 years until June 2024, when the government lifted the ban in a controversial decision.


    In this episode we speak to Tyler Eddy, a research scientist in fisheries science at Memorial University of Newfoundland, to shed light on what’s happened. It's a story that offers a cautionary tale for those politicians trying to balance the complex demands of protecting ecosystems that also support substantial economies.


    This episode was produced by Katie Flood and Gemma Ware. Sound design was by Michelle Macklem and 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:

    • The federal government has lifted the moratorium on Northern cod fishing after 32 years
    • The Atlantic: The driving force behind ocean circulation and our taste for cod
    • Tiny oceanic plankton adapted to warming during the last ice age, but probably won’t survive future climate change – new study



    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    26 mins
  • Gangsters who leave their gang behind for something new

    Gangsters who leave their gang behind for something new
    Nov 7 2024

    What happens when a gangster leaves their life on the street? How do they transition to something new? We find out through the life stories of two people who joined them as young men and came out the other side.


    Featuring an interview with Gaz, a former gang member in Sierra Leone, and Dennis Rodgers, a research professor at the Graduate Institute in Geneva, Switzerland who leads a global research project on gangs.


    This episode was produced by Mend Mariwany and Gemma Ware. Sound design was by Michelle Macklem and 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:

    • Gangs’stories: The Sierra Leonian gangster who gave up violence and drugs for poetry
    • Gangs’stories : A glimpse of hard lives around the world
    • From dealing drugs to selling tortillas: the surprising future of former gang members




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

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