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 qu...
As the Trump administration ratchets up its threat to slap tariffs on allies and economic rivals alike, the world is bracing for another wave of costly economic disruption. This protectionist shift is all the more remarkable given how the US championed trade liberalisation for decades. So what does it actually take for a country to use protectionism to grow its economy? Some developing countries have successfully used tariffs to do so, while others have struggled. In this episode, we talk to Jostein Hauge, a development economist at the University of Cambridge in the UK, about who wins and who loses from tariffs and protectionism. This episode of The Conversation Weekly was written and produced by Mend Mariwany with assistance from Katie Flood and Gemma Ware. Sound design was by Michelle Macklem, and theme music 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, an independent, not-for-profit news organisation.Further reading:How protectionism can help developing countries unlock their economic potentialTariffs are back in the spotlight, but skepticism of free trade has deep roots in American historyTrump’s tariff gambit: As allies prepare to strike back, a costly trade war loomsWill Trump’s tariffs boost the US economy? Don’t count on itMentioned in this episode:Scam compounds coming soon
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30:12
How does decentralised social media work?
Since Elon Musk's acquisition of Twitter in 2022, many users have looked for alternatives, fuelling a wave of online migration from the social media platform. How do alternative platforms such as Mastodon or Bluesky differ from traditional social media, and what does the future hold for these online spaces? In this episode, we speak to Robert Gehl, Ontario Research Chair of Digital Governance at York University, Canada, about the evolving landscape of decentralised social media. This episode of The Conversation Weekly was written and produced by Mend Mariwany with assistance from Katie Flood and Gemma Ware, Sound design was by Michelle Macklem, and theme music 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, an independent, not-for-profit news organisation.Further reading:Bluesky isn’t the ‘new Twitter,’ but its resemblance to the old one is drawing millions of new usersDecline of X is an opportunity to do social media differently – but combining ‘safe’ and ‘profitable’ will still be a challenge
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27:17
Where support for Germany’s far-right AFD is growing and why
As Germany heads towards elections on February 23, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AFD) is polling in second place on 20% of the national vote. The AFD's roots are in nationalistic and racist movements. It continues to take an ultra anti-immigration stance and is calling for "demigration" – effectively the deportation of migrants. In this episode, Rolf Frankenberger, an expert on right-wing extremism at the University of Tübingen in Germany, talks to Laura Hood, senior politics editor at The Conversation, about where the AFD draws its support from and what type of Germany it wants to return to.This episode was Mend Mariwany and Gemma Ware with sound design by Michelle Macklem. Our theme music is by Neeta Sarl. Full credits for this episode are available. Sign up for The Conversation Europe's newsletter to get the best from our European scholars in a weekly digest.If you like the show, please consider donating to The Conversation, which is an independent, not-for-profit news organisation.Further reading:What happened in the German parliament and why is the far right hailing it as a ‘historic’ moment?The far-right is rising at a crucial time in Germany, boosted by Elon MuskAfD: how Germany’s constitution was designed with the threat of extremism in mindMentioned in this episode:Scam compounds coming soon
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37:03
How close are quantum computers to being really useful?
Quantum computers have the potential to solve big scientific problems that are beyond the reach of today’s most powerful supercomputers, such as discovering new antibiotics or developing new materials. But to achieve these breakthroughs, quantum computers will need to perform better than today’s best classical computers at solving real-world problems. And they’re not quite there yet. So what is still holding quantum computing back from becoming useful?We speak to quantum computing expert Daniel Lidar at the University of Southern California in the US about what problems scientists are still wrestling with when it comes to scaling up quantum computing, and how close they are to overcoming them.This episode was written and produced by Gemma Ware and Katie Flood with production assistance from Mend Mariwany and 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:What is quantum advantage? A quantum computing scientist explains an approaching milestone marking the arrival of extremely powerful computersWe’re getting closer to having practical quantum computers – here’s what they will be used forQuantum computers are like kaleidoscopes − why unusual metaphors help illustrate science and technology
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30:09
A wildfire warning from California's Ice Age past
Firefighters in Los Angeles continue to battle devastating wildfires that have killed at least 27 people and left thousands of homes destroyed. Today, we’re revisiting an interview we ran in late 2023 with Emily Lindsey, a paleoecologist who works at the La Brea tar pits archaeological site in Los Angeles, about a wildfire warning from southern California’s ice age history.The interview originally aired in November 2023. This episode was written and produced by Katie Flood. Sound design was by Eloise Stevens and Michelle Macklem. 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:Human use of fire has produced an era of uncontrolled burning: Welcome to the PyroceneA changing climate, growing human populations and widespread fires contributed to the last major extinction event − can we prevent another?How Santa Ana winds fueled the deadly fires in Southern California
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 fromhttps://theconversation.com/ ( The Conversation), hosted by Gemma Ware.
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