Expert Request – Friday 13 June
If you are interested in writing an article for a request below, please email the contact listed in the request to find out more. Please note, article requests are fulfilled on a first-come, first-served basis. You can pitch an article directly to The Conversation via the detail listed here.
Arts + Culture: The Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction was awarded to Rachel Clarke, for her inspiring, profoundly moving and insightful, The Story of a Heart: a clear-sighted, vital exploration into the human experience behind organ donation. We are looking for an expert in organ donation to review the book for us.
Timescale: ASAP | Contact: Naomi Joseph
Science + Technology: Next week a pink diamond once belonging to Marie Antoinette is set to fetch more than US$3 million at auction. We’d like a gemstones expert to write a short piece discussing the enduring mysteries around how pink diamonds form (along with any other interesting snippets about coloured diamonds).
Timescale: Monday AM | Contact: Steven Vass
Science + Technology: We’re looking for a plant expert to write about how the summer solstice may serve as an important cue for plant growth and reproduction.
Timescale: next week | Contact: Jenna Hutber
Health + Medicine: With the weather warming up, we’re looking for an expert to write an explainer article talking about what you should do if you get sunburnt.
Timescale: next week | Contact: Heather Kroeker
Science + Technology: We’re looking for a fungi expert to write about mysterious “dark taxa” (species only known by their DNA) following a new studyshowing 83% of mycorrhizal fungi may be dark taxa.
Timescale: next week | Contact: Jenna Hutber
Health + Medicine: We’re looking for an expert to explain what the MIND diet is, and whether there is good evidence it can keep the brain healthy.
Timescale: next week | Contact: Heather Kroeker
Health + Medicine: Is there any evidence that intermittent fasting is bad for women? We’re looking for an expert to dive into this claim that has been circulating on social media.
Timescale: next week | Contact: Heather Kroeke
Environment + Energy: How do you close a country? Linked to the BBC series Families Like Ours (in which Denmark evacuates all citizens due to climate-induced flood risk), we’re looking for an expert in adaptation to share insight on how realistic this is.
Timescale: June | Contact: Anna Turns
Environment + Energy: Urban parks seem to have more unmown meadows, “overgrown” ponds, wild thickets and so on these days. Is this a deliberate move away from more manicured lawns, or have I just happened to wander into some particularly wild parks recently? And is there any evidence on how these patches of wilder parkland have affected biodiversity? We’re looking for an expert to assess.
Timescale: late July | Contact: Will de Freitas
Environment + Energy: Should we name heatwaves like we name storms? And what would count as a name-worthy heatwave? We’re looking for an expert to outline the pros and cons and assess any relevant evidence.
Timescale: late July | Contact: Will de Freitas