Wildfires that swept through Sequoia National Forest in California in September 2021 were so severe they killed ancient trees that had adapted to survive fires.
AP Photo/Noah Berger
Fortnite was the most outstanding and unexpected success of 2018, hitting 78.3 million players in August, and bumping developer Epic Games to a US$15 billion dollar valuation.
Social researcher Hugh Mackay and The Conversation’s FactCheck Editor Lucinda Beaman.
Sunanda Creagh, The Conversation et Lucinda Beaman, The Conversation
Speaking with: Hugh Mackay on 2017, ‘a really disturbing year’
CC BY-ND81,5 Mo(download)
Author and social researcher Hugh Mackay says fragmentation was among the key themes of 2017 – but he has some concrete suggestions on how we can do better in 2018.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump stands during a service at the International Church of Las Vegas in Las Vegas in Oct. 2016.
AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File
Trump embraced evangelicals in his first year as president. Here, scholars provide historical context to how the religious right has shaped American politics over the past decades.
To mark its 30th anniversary in business, the national PetSmart chain is donating enough food to serve animals in need an estimated 60 million meals.
Sandy Huffaker/AP Images for PetSmart
President Trump’s first year was a rough one for scientists and others who value truth and expertise. Many rallied to the cause, while others used research to make the case for the value of science.
Even pocket parks in cities (Duane Park in Lower Manhattan, pictured here) can shelter wildlife. Read below for ideas about urban biodiversity and other green innovations.
Aude
Trump administration rollbacks dominated news about the environment in 2017 – but beyond Washington D.C., many researchers are developing innovative visions for a greener future.
Where we’ve been in 2017.
rawpixel.com/shutterstock.com
How do diverse movies fare in the international box office? What time do trolls like to post their comments? We look back on some of this year’s most intriguing graphs and maps.
Who’s sharing your secrets?
Antonio Guillem/Shutterstock
With studies from the past year exploring the relationship between smartphone use and mental health, sleep, learning and romance, a more nuanced portrait of the device has emerged.
Happy holidays, and thanks to all our readers in 2017.
Marcella Cheng/The Conversation
Michael Lund, The Conversation; Sarah Keenihan, The Conversation et Shelley Hepworth, The Conversation
The year is up, the numbers are in and we’re about to go on summer holidays. Here’s a snapshot of the Science and Technology articles you enjoyed the most in 2017, month by month.
A very bad year for the Great Barrier Reef.
AAP Image/XL Catlin Seaview Survey
In a year of coral bleaching, power blackouts, electricity arguments and Donald Trump, 2016 made the previous year’s climate of environmental optimism rather difficult to maintain.
The Conversation published 29 FactChecks over the eight week federal election campaign.
Mick Tsikas/AAP
Sunanda Creagh, The Conversation et Lucinda Beaman, The Conversation
Bald-faced lies are fairly rare in Australian politics but, in 2016, weasel-words and cherry-picking were common. Politicians and public figures are experts at disguising opinion and ideology as fact.
Who got their facts right in 2016?
Chris Zissiadis, urbanlight photography
The year 2015 escalated many of the tensions that have existed on university and college campuses for a long time. It will be remembered as the year of student activism.
It’s time to look back on a year of art and culture.
Blake Danger Bentley. Melbourne street art
Paul Dalgarno, The Conversation et Madeleine De Gabriele, The Conversation
It’s another year in Arts + Culture, so in case you missed it we’ve collected all the best coverage of screen, theatre, music, books and culture in one place.
A snapshot of 2015: health reviews, Health Check series, thalidomide series, Medicare versus private health insurance.
AAP; Shutterstock; Julian Smith/; Dave Hunt/AAP
This was the year of the health review – mental health care, Medicare, private health insurance, the pharmacy industry … and the list goes on. But how much movement was there on policy?
From California’s drought and fracking in the US to the pope’s encyclical and the post-Paris future of climate change, environment and energy stories rose to global importance this year.