The Conversation

How Lourdes became a byword for hope

Written by Dorian Llywelyn, President, Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

Apparitions of the Virgin Mary have inspired pilgrimages – and souvenirs – in Lourdes, France, for more than a century.Culture Club/Hulton Archive via Getty Images

Thousands of apparitions of the Virgin Mary have been reported by Christians across the world, from fourth-century Asia Minor, which is now Turkey, to contemporary California....

The 50 biggest US donors gave or pledged nearly $28 billion in 2021 – Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates account for $15 billion of that total

Written by David Campbell, Associate Professor of Public Administration, Binghamton University, State University of New York

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and his ex-wife, Melinda French Gates, gave their foundation $15 billion right before their divorce became final. Ludovic Marin/AFP via Getty ImagesLudovic Marin/AFP via Getty Images

The 50 Americans who gave or pledged the most to charity in 2021 committed to giving a total of US$27.7 billion to hospitals,...

Olympic skiers and snowboarders are competing on 100% fake snow – the science of how it's made and how it affects performance

Written by Peter Veals, Professor of Atmospheric Science, University of Utah

Snowmaking machines blow cold water, which freezes before it hits the ground.Alexander Uhrin/iStock via Getty Images

The winter Olympics conjure up images of snowy mountain ranges, frozen ice rinks and athletes in cold-weather gear. And for good reason. Winter Olympic venues have often been in places that receive an average snowfall of 300 inches...

What is 'legitimate political discourse,' and does it include the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol?

Written by Jennifer Mercieca, Professor of Communication, Texas A&M University

When persuasion stops and violence begins, that's the line between 'legitimate political discourse' and something very different, scholars explain.AP Photo/John Minchillo

When the governing body of the Republican Party called the events of Jan. 6, 2021, “legitimate public discourse,” it renewed a sometimes-furious debate about what are,...

Midlife isn't a crisis, but sleep, stress and happiness feel a little different after 35 – or whenever middle age actually begins

Written by Soomi Lee, Assistant Professor of Aging Studies, University of South Florida

When midlife begins can vary from person to person.Flashpop/Digitalvision via Getty Images

Fewer than one-fifth of Americans say they actually experienced a midlife crisis. And yet there are still some common misunderstandings people have about midlife.

I study midlife, and especially how people in this stage of life experience sleep and stress. In...

Whoopi Goldberg awkwardly demonstrates how the idea of race varies by place and changes over time

Written by Robyn Autry, Associate Professor of Sociology, Wesleyan University

On "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert," Whoopi Goldberg said, "I don't want to make a fake apology."Youtube

Whoopi Goldberg, co-host of ABC’s “The View,” set off a firestorm when she insisted on Jan. 31, 2022 that the Holocaust was “not about race.” Hands outstretched, she went on to describe the genocide as a...

Why are some Roman Catholic saints called doctors of the church?

Written by Joanne M. Pierce, Professor Emerita of Religious Studies, College of the Holy Cross

Bearers carry the relic and the statue in honor of St. Anthony of Padua during a procession in Rome, Italy. St. Anthony of Padua was proclaimed a doctor of the church in 1946.Stefano Montesi - Corbis/Getty Images Europe via Getty Images

In January 2022, Pope Francis bestowed the title doctor of the church on St. Irenaeus of Lyons, a Christian...

Students are suspended less when their teacher has the same race or ethnicity

Written by Matthew Shirrell, Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership and Administration, George Washington University

Black and Latino students are suspended at higher rates than their white peers. FG Trade/E+ via Getty Images

The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work.

The big idea

Black, Latino and Asian American students are less likely to be suspended from school when they have more teachers who share their racial or ethnic background....

The fastest population growth in the West's wildland fringes is in ecosystems most vulnerable to wildfires

Written by Krishna Rao, Ph.D. candidate in Earth System Science, Stanford University

Homes overlook a forest in the wildland-urban interface in Arizona.Marius von Essen

The view from the foothills of the Sierra Nevada in Southern California can be beautiful – pine forests and chaparral spill across an often rugged landscape. But as more people build homes in this area, where development gets into wild land, they’re...

The fastest population growth in the West's wildland-urban interface is in areas most vulnerable to wildfires

Written by Krishna Rao, Ph.D. candidate in Earth System Science, Stanford University

Homes overlook a forest in the wildland-urban interface in Arizona.Marius von Essen

The view from the foothills of the Sierra Nevada in California can be beautiful – pine forests and chaparral spill across an often rugged landscape. But as more people build homes in this area, where development gets into wild land, they’re facing some...