A new weapon in the battle to protect endangered animals: predictive AI
In tandem with nine animal conservation groups, a USC research team’s AI software is being deployed in wildlife parks worldwide to thwart poachers and protect species at risk.
Video: How AI can protect the world’s most endangered animals
Find out how new AI software from the USC Center for Artificial Intelligence in Society will help stop poachers in nearly 600 wildlife parks across 55 countries.
USC professor envisions a cheaper, fairer marketplace for digital goods
What is the future of e-commerce? Bhaskar Krishnamachari believes he has the answer: a system using “smart contracts” and game theory that benefit both buyers and sellers.
Science enthusiast finds many outlets for her passions at USC
Rather than worrying about finding a career path right away, Bethany Chen is taking advantage of her time as an undergrad to explore her diverse interests.
Award-winning doctoral student plans to explore the molecular unknown
After graduating from USC Dornsife with a level of scholarly productivity that her faculty advisor called ‘breathtaking,’ Pragya Goel is ready to further transform neuroscience.
In memoriam: Nobel Prize-winning physicist Murray Gell-Mann, 89
The pioneering scientist who won the Nobel Prize in 1969 is known for his creative insights into the particles that comprise the universe.
Battle for the thermostat: USC study finds women are more productive at warmer temperatures
The study also found that men perform slightly better at a lower temperature, suggesting that gender and temperature are linked in more ways than one.
USC undergrad lab shatters world altitude record for student rockets
The USC Rocket Propulsion Laboratory says this is the first entirely student-designed-and-built rocket to pass the Kármán line into outer space.
What can Pokémon character names teach us about language?
With Pikachu back on the big screen, USC researchers are taking a serious look at the linguistics of the Pokémon universe to better grasp how the brain processes language.
Plan to recycle aircraft scrap wins USC Wrigley Sustainability Prize
This USC-grown research team has built a prize-winning chemical process to extract and resell in-demand carbon fibers from airplane carcasses.
Social media entrepreneurs: Community leaders or corporate sellouts?
USC Annenberg’s David Craig delves into the fragile distinction between leading an online community and being a corporate-backed influencer.
Why do certain innovative ideas succeed? The answer may be hidden in millions of documents
A two-year project, funded by the National Science Foundation, brings USC and Stanford researchers together to comb through mountains of text data and determine what fuels new concepts that last.
How intelligent workstations will use AI to improve health and happiness
Do you want to be warm or cold? Is it time to stand rather than sit? An interdisciplinary team — made up of designers and USC professors — is using AI to create tech-savvy desks with health and well-being in mind.
How autonomous ships can lead to safer waterways
To remove the human error that causes so many marine collisions, USC researchers are exploring driverless ships that rely on data analytics and artificial intelligence.
To make self-driving cars safer, researchers test what they ‘see’
A new USC study looks to soothe fears over self-driving cars by identifying errors in their perception algorithms before they hit the road.
Unpacking the mysteries of beatboxing: Linguists and engineers team up
Beatboxers expertly manipulate their vocal tracts to make sounds unknown in any language. Through the use of cutting-edge MRIs, USC researchers plan to find out how they do it.
This Tiny Fish Could Unlock Mysteries About Growing Old
The killifish are coming to USC, and they might just have the answers to holding back aging.
For Alzheimer’s and dementia patients, thoughtful design can have big impact
New research from a USC professor reinforces the value of designing to maximize natural light, especially for aging adults with a variety of health issues.
How tobacco companies use social media to hook a new generation of smokers
USC’s Robert Kozinets documents how Big Tobacco is crafting creative Facebook and Instagram advertising campaigns — with dubious motives.
Childhood love of chemistry leads to large-scale energy research and coveted Sloan Fellowship
After being inspired by science as a child in Romania, Smaranda Marinescu draws inspiration from nature to develop efficient and inexpensive catalysts for harnessing energy from renewable sources.
Using artificial intelligence tools to identify levels of violence in movies
A new AI tool, developed by PhD students at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering, can assess the amount of violence in movies and help producers, screenwriters and studios predict MPAA ratings.
USC researchers find new evidence of deep groundwater on Mars
The scientists’ new study suggests the deep groundwater could still be active, and in a broader geographical area than previously considered.
Satellite built by USC students ready for launch
It’s the third time USC has built and delivered a miniature satellite, or CubeSat, for space.
How wastewater treatment plants spread antibiotic resistance — with potentially dire consequences
USC researchers find that even low concentrations of a single type of antibiotic leads to resistance to multiple classes of antibiotics. What will happen if antibiotics are no longer effective?