When I moved to Denmark earlier this year, like many newcomers I expected politics here to be calm, pragmatic and consensus-driven. So I was struck by how unexpectedly heated the debate has become over the return of wolves to the country after a number crossed the border from Germany. There are now only around 40 of the animals in Denmark, yet their arrival has sparked fierce discussions about safety, farming and what kind of wildlife the country should have.

Curious to understand why, I commissioned two Danish political scientists, Kristian Kongshøj and Troels Fage Hedegaard, to explore the issue. They explain how the debate straddles divdes in age and voting patterns. But attitudes toward wolves also reveal deeper questions about coexistence, identity and the future of nature in a small country where there is little room for truly wild ecosystems.

Many people are betting on cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin being the future of money. And the lack of central control over them has the potential to upend the international financial system. But, as The Conversation’s latest Insights long read explains, governments and their central banks are looking to a different form of digital currency as a way to reassert their control – but one which could be just as disruptive and usher in a new age of surveillance.

Plus a new study reveals that when you use digital devices may matter more for your mental health than how much screen time you rack up.