Robert Perkins
Robert Perkins is a former USC media relations specialist.
Stories by Robert Perkins:
Arieh Warshel’s vision led to the future of biochemistry — and a Nobel Prize
The chemistry professor figured that the dawning computer revolution in the late ’60s and ’70s might push biochemistry beyond the limits of the lab. It led him on a trail to the Nobel Prize, awarded five years ago Monday.
USC scientists follow the bouncing metallic glass
The revolutionary material is incredibly hard but also elastic, making it potentially useful for things from drill bits to body armor to meteor-resistant casings for satellites.
USC Viterbi’s Alan Willner receives national science and engineering fellowship
The five-year award is considered the largest single-investigator basic research grant program offered by the Department of Defense.
Microorganisms battle it out within algal blooms
Looking closer, researchers discover that algal blooms in the ocean encompass microscopic battles, with the front lines shifting on a daily basis.
Here’s a way to produce nanomaterials on a larger scale
Researchers create a system that can hike production of the smallest — but among the most useful — materials of this century.
Some aging treatments shown to have opposite effects on males and females
Research in flies and mice supports USC researcher’s theory that the sexes age differently.
Postdoc sheds light on brain disease and cancer with help of fruit flies
One of 11 new postdoctoral fellows receives support from USC and Mexico’s equivalent of the National Science Foundation.
The next generation of chess is here, and it involves quantum mechanics
There’s a new way to play the classic board game, but you don’t have to be Stephen Hawking to understand it.
Turning air into fuel: USC scientists convert carbon dioxide into methanol
The research could one day create a sustainable fuel source from greenhouse gas emissions.
USC Hyperloop team optimistic as SpaceX competition nears
The students hopes to be among those chosen to build their design for a revolutionary, high-speed transportation system.
USC Science Film Competition unites scientists and artists
Annual contest urges students to connect with pop culture, leading to stronger communication of science in film.
Belief in core values triggers a ‘default-mode network’ in the brain
Scientists want to know why the brain devotes a huge amount of energy to whatever the network is doing.
USC archaeologist discovers Maya royal burial site
Tom Garrison, lead investigator at the El Zotz site in Guatemala, encourages USC students to go with him when he returns next field season.
USC Trustee Andrew J. Viterbi to receive prestigious engineering award
The Charles Draper Prize for Engineering recognizes Viterbi’s development of the algorithm that makes clear telecommunications possible.
USC’s Mark Humayun to receive National Medal of Technology and Innovation
President Obama to present the nation’s top technology honor to the inventor of a device that helps blind people see.
Why is that so sour? New mechanism for tasting discovered
Vinegar shouldn’t taste as sour as it does. And if sour taste is caused by acidity, why do some weaker acids taste more sour than stronger ones?
Three USC researchers elected to National Academy of Inventors
The professors are recognized for their creation of outstanding inventions that have served society.
Current climate models misrepresent El Niño
Clues to the fundamental physics of the irregular climate pattern come from millennia-old corals and clams.
Sticks and stones: Words can deceive — tone of voice cannot
Researchers analyze therapy sessions to accurately predict whether relationships will improve.
Quantum Computing Center at USC in line for a big upgrade
Can the facility’s third processor in four years be capable of solving problems faster than a traditional computer?
Twitter reacts positively to upbeat emotions, study finds
Some people are more susceptible to emotional influence than others, researchers say.
Newly discovered fossil is the oldest of its kind
The sea urchin fossil found by a USC team had been buried in a rock formation that dates back nearly 270 million years.
Nuclear membrane repairs the ‘dark matter’ of DNA
Once thought of as a barrier to keep DNA inside the nucleus of a cell, the membrane actually helps to fix catastrophically broken DNA strands.
Brain prosthesis aims to provide breakthrough for people struggling with memory loss
The device, designed at USC, builds on research involving electrical signals that travel across regions of the brain’s memory center.