Rare DNA from ocean water leads to microbiology breakthrough
USC grad student brings back dynamic data from one of the world’s most sophisticated research vessels, allowing scientists to grow organisms that have never been found in nature.
What we think about death and funerals is changing
Dying inspires USC Price Professor David Sloane, a planner who comes from a long line of cemetery superintendents.
Want to use solar, but you rent an apartment? You can still go green
The first step is to go after the “low-hanging” fruit of carbon reduction: energy efficiency.
Is it hard to breathe in your corner of Los Angeles County?
Neighborhood by neighborhood, a USC project pinpoints areas with cleaner or more-polluted air.
How cellphones are killing gorillas, and other threats you didn’t know were endangering great apes
USC researchers such as primate expert Craig Stanford are working to understand how to better protect these animals, who could be gone in just 100 years.
Plant-inspired material could help clean up oil spills
USC scientists seek solutions to man-made disasters that have devastating environmental and economic consequences.
Who should be held responsible for the Aliso Canyon gas leak?
SoCalGas’s corporate dysfunction and a lack of oversight for underground gas storage facilities are responsible for the largest methane gas leak in American history, USC-led study finds.
USC wins Pac-12 Zero Waste Competition for second year
The competition recognizes the university that diverted the most waste from the landfill at select games, as well as innovation in sustainability education.
As L.A. soaks, USC Village puts stormwater collection system to use
Hardly a drop is wasted as elaborate system gathers runoff, removing debris and contaminants in the process.
Badly behaved teens? Air pollution could be to blame
Tiny, toxic particles creep into developing brains, cause inflammation and may damage brain pathways responsible for emotion and decisions, USC researcher finds.
The robot that detects underground water leaks
USC researchers develop an inexpensive device that uses sensors to collect data meters below the ground.
Is underground transit bad for your health?
USC researchers measure particulate matter along popular L.A. routes, finding that some exposed passengers to greater concentrations of carcinogens.
Hiking class gets USC college students to tap benefits of ‘forest bathing’
In an age of smartphones and sedentary living, students aim to appreciate stillness, reconnect with the outdoors, get fit and learn to hike — only a few miles from urban Los Angeles.
Recent grad turns food waste into big opportunity for sustainable business
Trips to trendy juice bars help Mork Family Scholar realize how fruit and veggies end up in the trash.
Environmental activist at USC heads a global group focusing on climate change
Kayla Soren’s International Student Environmental Coalition includes young people from 30 countries who raise awareness about our planet.
Two huge storms in two weeks — but are they entirely ‘natural disasters’?
People didn’t cause Harvey or Irma directly, but where and how we live affects the level of devastation left behind.
Rusting pyrite — ‘fool’s gold’ — in glaciers a sign of increased carbon
Widely varying CO2 levels are nature’s way of self-regulating against future runaway glaciation, USC researchers say.
What are our social and psychological responses to environmental disasters?
Experts take part in a Grand Challenges initiative and examine situations on a much larger scale.
In memoriam: Alfred Fischer, 96, prominent geologist
Professor emeritus became a world leader in sedimentary geology and a devoted teacher whose 1952 book on paleontology endured for more than six decades.
Secrets of undersea chemical reaction revealed; could they reduce CO2 in the atmosphere?
Scientists speed up a natural process that occurs deep in the ocean, raising the possibility that humans could help the Earth cope with greenhouse gases.
As temps soar, USC experts have hot ideas on what it means for us
Sweltering conditions can have an effect on flights, pollution and your health.
Where have the trees gone? L.A. area’s green cover down dramatically in just 10 years
USC Dornsife researchers say mass-produced dwellings and home expansion have reduced residential green cover as much as 55 percent.
With Earth Day, USC experts consider climate change and pro-EPA protests
Environmentalists, scientists and citizens concerned about the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will take to the streets in the #MarchForScience.
Air pollution linked to heightened risk of Type 2 diabetes in obese Latino children
High levels of pollution may make insulin-creating cells become less efficient, increasing the risk for Type 2 diabetes, USC researchers say.