How robots can help in the fight against toxic algae
USC computer scientists and biologists have developed a way for autonomous robots to find prime sample spot locations for the algae long before a scientist is onsite.
Photographing an invisible frog and what it reveals about blood flow
USC Viterbi engineers harness ultrasonic waves to capture extraordinary images of glass frogs, which dodge predators by making themselves transparent.
New honeybee vaccine offers hope for protecting more than just bees
A bee expert discusses the recently approved vaccine to protect honeybees from a bacterial scourge, and gives tips for helping these ecologically crucial species survive.
Exactly how many senses do we really have?
If we think of our senses as limited to only five, we might be missing out.
The power of scent: Turns out, the nose knows quite a lot
From aiding romance to communicating with God, scent has long been attributed near mystical abilities.
Sophisticated math and computing — and a healthy dose of collaboration — tackle questions about genetics
Scientists in USC Dornsife’s new Quantitative and Computational Biology Department discuss the mysteries within and moral issues surrounding our DNA.
Embryo selection aimed at ensuring health and intelligence of children scrutinized
Economist Patrick Turley of USC Dornsife and a multinational group of researchers issue a special report that examines the benefits, risks and ethics of selecting embryos to ensure healthier, smarter children.
Shift to online learning allows Trojan to balance biology studies with a ballet career
Gabriella Schultze has been dancing with a company in Salt Lake City by day while pursuing her USC Dornsife studies at night.
Studying tiny worms could unlock new insights into human life
Two USC studies on diet and sperm quality in C. elegans illustrate how changes in the worm species could lay the groundwork for further research on human lifespan and reproduction.
First-gen Trojan aims to serve, whether by mentoring USC students or identifying unknown bodies
Angelina Crittenden is already making a difference through the First Generation Student Leadership Program she helped create. Her long-term plan: becoming a medical examiner.
USC scientists unlock the evolutionary history of the pituitary gland
New research into the key gland’s development shatters a scientific hypothesis that had been held for decades.
USC biological imaging innovator Scott Fraser elected to National Academy of Medicine
Provost Professor Fraser is recognized for developing technology that provides “unprecedented views of … live organisms, from embryonic development to old age.”
Study underscores the gut-brain connection and shows hunger hormone impacts memory
USC researchers tested the ghrelin hormone in rats and found that impairing their memory led to an increased frequency of eating.
From L.A. to Taiwan, students hunt down insects to better understand ecology
The pandemic didn’t stop the Trojans in Julie Hopper’s ecology class from catching and studying insects from yards and fields all around the world.
USC alum Saud Siddiqui wants to revolutionize how future doctors learn
After a Trojan tenure that mixed biology and entrepreneurship, Saud Siddiqui helped develop the educational software SketchyMedical.
New study traces the evolution of gill covers
USC stem cell scientists have identified the gene that is responsible for the formation and diversification of gill covers in fish and beyond.
A Mars Colony in Hawaii? A Microbiologist Experiences Life Beyond Earth
On a remote volcano slope, Adriana Blachowicz PhD ’19 studied how fungi — and humans — might fare on other planets.
Climate change could make toxic algal blooms even more deadly
Research funded by USC Sea Grant has found that these increasingly toxic blooms can poison marine mammals and contaminate seafood.
USC Dornsife alumna races to save Africa’s most endangered primate
Laura Loyola, now with USC Dornsife’s Spatial Sciences Institute, is using geographic information science to help preserve the habitat of the critically endangered Tana River colobus monkey.
Lizards’ immune systems are not only for fighting germs, but also for regrowing severed tails
Researchers from USC and colleagues describe how immune cells help lizards accomplish this incredible feat of regeneration.
Cellular mechanism for preventing genetic damage might make matters worse
The new lab study finds an unexpected glitch in a gene that supervises mitosis, one that has important implications for cancer treatment.
A day in the COVID-19 life of a working mom and USC’s biology lab manager
Gorjana Bezmalinovic has to balance three classes, 20 teaching assistants, 800 students and a loving family. Somehow, she gets it all done.
USC-educated immunobiologist receives prestigious Soros Fellowship
Eric Hoyeon Song, who graduated from USC Dornsife with a bachelor’s in biochemistry, is one of 30 academics to receive the 2020 Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans.
Disease detectives investigate how COVID-19 spread from animals to humans
The coronavirus may have started with bats, but scientists at USC and beyond are researching how it ended up infecting humans.