The Conversation

St. Brigid, the compassionate, sensible female patron saint of Ireland, gets a lot less recognition than St. Patrick

Written by Lisa Bitel, Professor of History & Religion, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

St. Brigid of Kildare's shrine in Faughart, County Louth, Ireland.(Photo by RDImages/Epics/ Hulton Archive via Getty Images

On March 17, the world celebrates the feast day of St. Patrick, a zealous British bishop of the fifth century who became famous for spreading Christianity in Ireland. Patrick is Ireland’s main patron saint.

But as a medie...

Oil price shocks have a long history, but today's situation may be the most complex ever

Written by Scott L. Montgomery, Lecturer, Jackson School of International Studies, University of Washington

Gas prices at a Mobil gas station in West Hollywood, Calif., on March 8, 2022.AP Photo/Jae C. Hong

The world is in the grip of an oil price shock. In just a few months, prices have risen from US$65 a barrel to over $130, causing fuel costs to surge, inflationary pressure to rise and consumer tempers to flare. Even before Russia’s invasion of...

Ukraine war and anti-Russia sanctions on top of COVID-19 mean even worse trouble lies ahead for global supply chains

Written by Tinglong Dai, Professor of Operations Management & Business Analytics, Carey Business School, Johns Hopkins University

Supply chains were already in disarray thanks to overcongested ports, as in Los Angeles.AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes

Francis Fukuyama, the American political scientist who once described the collapse of the Soviet Union as the “end of history,” suggested that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine might be called “the end of the end of...

Humanitarian corridors could help civilians safely leave Ukraine – but Russia has a history of not respecting these pathways

Written by Kirsten Gelsdorf, Professor of Practice and Director of Global Humanitarian Policy, Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy, University of Virginia, University of Virginia

As Russia continues to target houses, apartment buildings, hospitals and civilians in Ukraine, there are mounting calls from international aid groups to safely evacuate and protect Ukrainians caught in the war.

Simultaneously, rising numbers of people still in Ukraine are in desperate need of food, medical supplies, water and other lifesaving...

The American founders could teach Putin a lesson: Provoking an unnecessary war is not how to prove your masculinity

Written by Maurizio Valsania, Professor of American History, Università di Torino

There are lots of official photos of Russian President Vladimir Putin shirtless, including this one from August 2017.Alexey Nikolsky/SPUTNIK/AFP via Getty Images

President Vladimir Putin of Russia loves shows of machismo. He constantly pumps up his swagger. He is wont to disparage women. And he has repeatedly appeared on the public stage bare-cheste...

Organs from genetically engineered pigs may help shorten the transplant wait list

Written by David Kaczorowski, Associate Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery, University of Pittsburgh Health Sciences

Xenotransplantation has made significant strides over the past few decades.BSIP/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Demand for life-saving organ transplantation is at an all-time high. In 2021, a record 41,000-plus organ transplants were performed in the U.S., with top numbers for kidney, liver and heart transplants. But a limited supply of...

Guns, not roses – here's the true story of penicillin’s first patient

Written by Bill Sullivan, Professor of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Indiana University School of Medicine

Penicillin ushered in the antibiotics revolution, with amazing results during war and peace.Science & Society Picture Library/SSPL via Getty Images

Albert Alexander was dying. World War II was raging, and this police officer of the county of Oxford, England, had developed a severe case of sepsis after a cut on his face became badly infected....

Why most teachers who say they plan to leave the profession probably won't do so anytime soon

Written by Christopher Redding, Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership, University of Florida

Teachers across the U.S. have been under stress throughout the pandemic.Jon Cherry/Getty Images

Every spring, school and district leaders ask teachers about their plans to return to teaching in the fall. They need to know how many teachers to begin recruiting for the next school year.

These career conversations are currently taking place under the...

Endurance captain Frank Worsley, Shackleton's gifted navigator, knew how to stay the course

Written by Daniella McCahey, Assistant Professor of History, Texas Tech University

Navigator Frank Worsley, left, works with scientist Reginald James to take an observation by the stern of the Endurance.Frank Hurley/Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge/Getty Images

When the wreck of Ernest Shackleton’s ship Endurance was found nearly 10,000 feet below the surface of Antarctica’s Weddell Sea in March...

Why stagflation is an economic nightmare – and could become a real headache for Biden and the Fed if it emerges in the US

Written by Veronika Dolar, Assistant Professor of Economics, SUNY Old Westbury

The price of gas is soaring across the U.S.AP Photo/Ashley Landis

Inflation hit a fresh 40-year high in February as the Consumer Price Index surged to 7.9%, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on March 10, 2022. The continuing surge in inflation comes amid growing fears that the recovering U.S. economy might suffer significantly from the...