The Conversation

Waves of strikes rippling across the US seem big, but the total number of Americans walking off the job remains historically low

Written by Judith Stepan-Norris, Professor Emerita of Sociology, University of California, Irvine

Striking members of the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union in New York City in 1958.AP Photo

More than 323,000 workers – including nurses, actors, screenwriters, hotel cleaners and restaurant servers – walked off their jobs during the first eight months of 2023. Hundreds of thousands of the employees of delivery giant UPS would...

8 GOP candidates debate funding to Ukraine, Trump's future and -- covertly, with dog whistles -- race

Written by Jordan Tama, Associate Professor of International Relations, American University School of International Service

Eight GOP candidates for president after they entered the debate hall in Milwaukee on Aug. 23, 2023.Scott Olson/Getty Images

After weeks of speculation over who was going to participate, eight Republican candidates seeking their party’s presidential nomination appeared on stage together in Milwaukee on Aug. 23, 2023, for the first debate of...

Wagner group's Yevgeny Prigozhin reportedly died in private jet crash – if confirmed, it wouldn't be first time someone who crossed Putin met a suspicious demise

Written by Gregory F. Treverton, Professor of Practice in International Relations, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

Wagner group founder Yevgeny Prigozhin, photographed on June 24, 2023, in Russia.Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Russian mercenary leader Yevgeny V. Prigozhin, the founder of the Wagner Group, reportedly died when a private jet he was said to be on crashed on Aug. 23, 2023, killing all 10 people on board.

The Russian Federal Air Transport Agency...

Secrets of the Octopus Garden: Moms nest at thermal springs to give their young the best chance for survival

Written by Amanda Kahn, Assistant Professor of Invertebrate Ecology at Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, San José State University

Two miles below the ocean surface off Monterey, California, warm water percolates from the seafloor at the base of an underwater mountain. It’s a magical place, especially if you’re an octopus.

In 2018, one of us, Amanda Kahn, was aboard the...

Living with wildfire: How to protect more homes as fire risk rises in a warming climate

Written by Justin Angle, Professor of Marketing, University of Montana

Homeowners and local governments can take steps to help protect homes from fires.AP Photo/Keith D. Cullom

Humans have learned to fear wildfire. It can destroy communities, torch pristine forests and choke even faraway cities with toxic smoke.

Wildfire is scary for good reason, and over a century of fire suppression efforts has conditioned people to...

First Republican debate set to kick off without Trump – but with the potential to direct the GOP's foreign policy stance

Written by Jordan Tama, Provost Associate Professor of International Relations, American University School of International Service

GOP candidates will likely debate whether the US should continue to pour support into Ukraine's effort to defeat Russia.Scott Peterson/Getty Images

When Republican presidential hopefuls take the stage in Milwaukee on Aug. 23, 2023, for the first debate of the 2024 campaign season, attention will center on how the candidates position themselves vis-&...

Cameras in the court: Why most Trump trials won’t be televised

Written by David Cuillier, Director of the Brechner Freedom of Information Project, College of Journalism and Communications, University of Florida

Not inside: News cameras set up outside the E. Barrett Prettyman U.S. Federal Courthouse, where former President Donald Trump was due in court on Aug. 2, 2023. AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais

Americans will have few opportunities to binge-watch the Donald J. Trump trials.

It is unlikely the four court proceedings facing the former president will...

This university class uses color and emotion to explore the end of life

Written by Marcia Brennan, Professor of Religion and Art History, Rice University

An imaginative watercolor drawing by Madison Zhao inviting students to enter the 'Schools of Color.' Madison Zhao/Courtesy of Marcia Brennan, Author provided

Uncommon Courses is an occasional series from The Conversation U.S. highlighting unconventional approaches to teaching.

Title of course:

“The Colors of Life and the End of Life”

What...

Want to help Maui's animals after the wildfires? Send cash, not kibble

Written by Sarah DeYoung, Disaster Researcher and Associate Professor of Sociology and Criminal Justice, University of Delaware

Thousands of Maui's cats, dogs and other companion animals went missing or were injured.Maui Humane Society, CC BY-ND

An estimated 3,000 pets were still missing more than a week after deadly wildfires ripped through Maui in August 2023 and left thousands of people – many of whom had companion animals – homeless. The Conversation asked...

Geoengineering sounds like a quick climate fix, but without more research and guardrails, it's a costly gamble − with potentially harmful results

Written by David Kitchen, Associate Professor of Geology, University of Richmond

Geoengineering includes techniques to reflect solar energy.Elvis Tam/500px via Getty Images

When soaring temperatures, extreme weather and catastrophic wildfires hit the headlines, people start asking for quick fixes to climate change. The U.S. government just announced the first awards from a US$3.5 billion fund for projects that promise to pull...