Los Angeles Times
There’s a loneliness crisis on college campuses
In an op-ed, USC’s Varun Soni notes that students used to ask “How should I live?” Now they are more likely to ask “Why should I live?”
Los Angeles Times
Nearly all of California’s crises are worse in its Latino communities, new report says
A study by USC’s Mindy Romero notes that while things have improved in the state, they have improved less for Latinos than for almost everyone else.
The Washington Post
How gay rights went mainstream — and what it cost
In an op-ed, USC’s Diane Winston notes that Pride Month has gone mainstream. “With each win, the gay community merges further into mainstream America, which is how Pride Month found fans from Taylor Swift to Target,” she writes. “But it came at a cost.”
KCBS-TV/KCAL-TV
Study: Crime, domestic violence in L.A. soars nearly 6% on hotter days
The USC study found that crime jumped on days that were hotter than 85 degrees, especially in low-income neighborhoods.
Fast Company
How scientists are fighting the coming deepfake onslaught
Researchers at the USC Information Sciences Institute have created software that uses AI to quickly detect deepfake video — deliberately faked videos that look astonishingly real — with 96% accuracy.
The Daily Beast
Inside the battle to get LGBTQ Americans counted in the Census
A new campaign from USC’s Annenberg Innovation Lab encourages queer and transgender Americans to participate in the 2020 Census — even though no questions about sexual orientation and gender identity are asked in it.
KABC-TV
Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles ranked best in the west
The USC-affiliated hospital is ranked No. 5 in the nation in U.S. News & World Report’s newly released annual list of Best Children’s Hospitals.
San Francisco Chronicle
Why lawmakers need to fix the distorted economics of ride hailing
In an op-ed, USC’s Zakhary Mallett argues that the financial models of gig companies like Lyft, Uber and GrubHub are unsustainable because customers don’t pay the full cost of the service. Those subsidies harm industries that are self-sufficient and exploit workers, too.
The Hill
A way to control drug costs while spurring innovation
In an op-ed, USC’s Dana Goldman argues that a revived federal Office of Technology Assessment could provide a sharp focus on medical innovation and advise lawmakers on appropriating pricing for new technologies.
KNBC-TV
Lung cancer screen program could be key to survival
Keck Medicine of USC hopes to save lives with early lung cancer detection. “We really need to educate peopleL If you catch lung cancer early, it’s not a death sentence,” said USC’s Christopher Lee.
PC Magazine
Is that your fingerprint or a fake? This AI can tell
These days, downloading a CTO’s headshot to create a 3D replica and break into a secret lab is not just the stuff of espionage movies; it could happen. But USC’s Wael Abd-Almageed is working on artificial intelligence that will protect your biometric security.
Los Angeles Times
Say goodbye to your local precinct: Voting in California is about to change dramatically
In an op-ed, USC’s Mindy Romero and colleagues describe California’s new election plan, which shifts voters to voting by mail or at centralized vote centers rather than at polls in every neighborhood. The plan starts in L.A. and Orange counties in 2020.
Los Angeles Times
The good that can come when we stop seeing cancer as a battle to win or lose
In an op-ed, USC’s Sunita Puri notes many patients find it empowering to describe themselves as “fighting” and “beating” cancer. But others say that very language divides the sick into winners and losers, and can allow patients to hide some deeply felt emotions.
Variety
USC’s Middle East media program sparks industry change
The Middle East Media Initiative, a Hollywood training and mentorship program, launched in 2018 at USC School of Cinematic Arts to boost the careers of Arabic TV writers and producers from Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia.
Entertainment Weekly
USC physicist’s superpower: Mastering the Marvel universe
USC’s Clifford Johnson explains his behind-the-scene advisory role in hit films like Avengers; Endgame: “My job is to help them tell the best story and give them the means to do so in a way that keeps you in the movie.”
Wired
Strong evidence: Air pollution seems to cause dementia
Research by USC’s Caleb Finch indicates that air pollution can lead to systemic inflammation in the body, which in turn can lead to the formation of Alzheimer’s disease plaques in the brain
Fortune
Married women do more housework than single moms, study finds
USC researchers and colleagues found that the married moms were more likely to “perform gender” in their relationships: working to meet expectations about home-cooked meals, clean clothes and well-kept houses, for instance.
Los Angeles Times
The first MaltinFest at the Egyptian draws Leonard Maltin and family even closer
The longtime film critic, who has taught at USC for more than two decades, curated the films featured in the three-day festival that begins Friday.
The Conversation
Harsh punishments under Sharia are modern interpretations of an ancient tradition
After Brunei introduced death by stoning for gays under its Islamic law, USC’s Jessica Marglin wondered if that law was an accurate reflection of Sharia. Marglin, who studies law and religion, argues that Sharia is not one thing, but a complex tradition with multiple interpretations.
U.S. News & World Report
Testosterone supplements not all they’re cracked up to be
In a study of 50 supplements, USC’s Mary Samplaski found that in the vast majority of cases there was no evidence to show that any of the ingredients in them were effective in any way.
LAist
It’s not just you: L.A.’s freeways have gotten slower since 2015
USC’s Crosstown data project found that the average weekday rush-hour speeds had slowed on 31 of 52 key freeway segments studied — some by 5 mph or more.
NBC News
How to boost Latino participation in organ donations, clinical trials
The reasons why few Latinos enroll in clinical trials, USC’s Maria Aranda says, may include a low level of health literacy about certain disorders, a shortage of bilingual health providers and fear of being treated as “guinea pigs.”
KNSD-TV
Nation’s first thirdhand smoke research center opens
The joint effort by USC and San Diego State will study items contaminated after smoking has stopped, like a shirt that smells of smoke.
PBS’ Frontline
How technology helps preserve the testimony of Holocaust survivors
“Dimensions in Testimony,” the joint project between USC Shoah Foundation and the USC Institute for Creative Technologies of interactive Holocaust witness testimonies, has a permanent home at the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center.