The Conversation

Meet Russia’s oligarchs, a group of men who won't be toppling Putin anytime soon

Written by Stanislav Markus, Associate Professor of International Business, University of South Carolina

Putin has kept most oligarchs at a distance – literally and figuratively.Alexey Nikolsky/Sputnik/AFP via Getty Images

U.S. President Joe Biden and other world leaders are setting their sights on Russia’s oligarchs as they seek new ways to punish Vladimir Putin – and those who have enabled him and profited from his reign –...

Economic sanctions may deal fatal blow to Russia's already-weak domestic opposition

Written by Brian Grodsky, Professor of Political Science, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

Russian police have detained thousands of Russians who have taken to the streets to protest the invasion of Ukraine. AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky

The West has responded to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine by imposing harsh economic sanctions.

Most consequentially, key Russian banks have been cut out of the SWIFT payments messaging system, making...

How Zelenskyy emerged as the antithesis of Putin and proved you don't need to be a strongman to be a great leader

Written by Michael Blake, Professor of Philosophy, Public Policy and Governance, University of Washington

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been lauded for his resistance to the Russian invasionPhoto by Laurent Van der Stockt for Le Monde/Getty Images

Whatever happens in the coming weeks, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will go down as the face of Ukrainian resilience during the Russian invasion of his country.

His response to the Russian invasion of his country...

Hambruna, subyugación y desastre nuclear: cómo la experiencia soviética sembró el resentimiento de los ucranianos hacia Rusia

Written by Emily Channell-Justice, Director of the Temerty Contemporary Ukraine Program, Harvard University

Una estátua conmemora la hambruna en la que murieron millones de ucranianos.A statue of a girl during the Ukrainian famine, in which someone has placed wheat and flowers.

Ucrania y Rusia comparten una gran cantidad de historia y cultura; de hecho, durante largos periodos, los países vecinos formaron parte de imperios más...

How to responsibly donate to Ukrainian causes

Written by Beth Gazley, Professor of Public and Environmental Affairs, O'Neill School, Indiana University

These charity leaders teamed up to fundraise on March 3, 2022, for refugees fleeing Ukraine.Stefan Rousseau/PA Images via Getty Images

When Russia invaded Ukraine, I responded like many Americans: by making charitable donations.

I was able to make my gift with confidence because I’m a scholar of nonprofits who has studied giving during...

Indiana, Iowa and Texas advance anti-transgender agendas – part of a longtime strategy by conservatives to rally their base

Written by Alison Gash, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Oregon

Conservatives see anti-transgender bills as fair game.AP Photo/Michael Conroy

Transgender girls in Iowa will no longer be allowed to compete in girls’ sports – the latest in a rash of anti-trans initiatives sweeping across the United States.

On March 3, 2022, Gov. Kim Reynolds signed into law legislation that affects transgender girls...

The sex of your cells matters when it comes to heart disease

Written by Brian Aguado, Assistant Professor, University of California San Diego

How many X chromosomes you have can affect your health.John M Lund Photography Inc/Digital Vision via Getty Images

Most mammals, including humans, have two sex chromosomes, X and Y. One sex chromosome is usually inherited from each parent, and they pair up as either XX or XY in every cell of the body. People with XX chromosomes typically identify...

Women's History Month: 5 groundbreaking researchers who mapped the ocean floor, tested atomic theories, vanquished malaria and more

Written by Maggie Villiger, Senior Science + Technology Editor

Tu Youyou shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2015.Claudio Bresciani/AFP via Getty Images

Behind some of the most fascinating scientific discoveries and innovations are women whose names might not be familiar but whose stories are worth knowing.

Of course, there are far too many to all fit on one list.

But here are five profiles from...

Clarifying the CDC's COVID-19 quarantine and isolation guidelines – an infectious disease doc looks at the latest research

Written by William Petri, Professor of Medicine, University of Virginia

The CDC's new recommendations have caused consternation among the public, the media and even among doctors.Justin Paget/DigitalVision via Getty Images

In December 2021, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its guidelines for how long people should isolate following a COVID-19 infection. The agency shortened the isolation from...

Your chances of getting rid of student loan debt depend on who you are

Written by Kelsey Lynne Hess, Ph.D. Candidate in Legal Psychology, Florida International University

Single mothers are more likely than single fathers to have their debts discharged in court. Heide Benser/Getty Images

To get rid of student loan debt through bankruptcy, you must prove to the court that paying back your student loans would cause an “undue hardship.” But in our peer-reviewed study of nearly 700 student loan discharge...