University of Southern California

Study reveals why some colorectal cancers respond better to immunotherapy

The USC U.S.-China Institute invites K-12 educators to a special professional development program at the LA County Museum of Art (LACMA) on Thursday, July 30, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., centered on the exhibition Fashioning Chinese Women: Empire to Modernity.

When Kristopher Acevedo learned that he had been academically dismissed from UC Riverside, he found himself in his counselor’s office, hearing a sentence that would stay with him for years: “Maybe college isn’t for people like you.” Growing up in San Diego, the oldest son of six children, the word “college” was not a part of Acevedo’s vocabulary. As a standout shooting guard for Hemet High School’s varsity basketball team, it was through basketball that college became an aspiration.

USC SSI student Juan Sebastian Cortes won the student prize in Esri’s StoryMaps Competition for “From Ashes to Action,” a project documenting Altadena’s water infrastructure recovery after the Eaton Fire and connecting residents to FEMA and state funding resources.

Why is Venus the hottest planet, whereas Mercury is closer to the Sun? – Sejal M., age 7, Bangalore, India When the solar system had just formed, 4.5 billion years ago, Venus was probably a tropical paradise. Oceans of water likely covered its surface, and puffy clouds dotted its skies. At that time, Mercury, the planet closest to the Sun, was undoubtedly the hottest planet in the solar system.

The surface of Venus, as reconstructed from radar data collected by NASA’s Magellan mission. (NASA/JPL, CC BY-NC-SA) A runaway greenhouse effect has made the surface temperature of Venus hot enough to melt lead. When the solar system had just formed, 4.5 billion years ago, Venus was probably a tropical paradise. Oceans of water likely covered its surface, and puffy clouds dotted its skies. At that time, Mercury, the planet closest to the Sun, was undoubtedly the hottest planet in the solar system.

A major, USC-led study of more than 214,000 older adults across 14 countries and regions finds that the most common controllable risk factors for dementia — such as low education, high blood pressure and smoking — vary widely from country to country, meaning a one-size-fits-all approach to prevention won’t work everywhere. The findings appeared Sunday in the journal The Lancet Healthy Longevity.

The USC-developed technology could help communities make smarter, targeted investments in urban forests as extreme heat becomes more common. (Photo/iStock) Using free aerial imagery and artificial intelligence, the tool gives cities an affordable way to target tree planting, expand shade and make smarter investments in climate resilience.

ADHD medication misuse declines among U.S. adults, study finds

The Academy in the Public Square Beyond the laboratories, research centers and classrooms, USC Dornsife serves as a dynamic intellectual resource that is woven into the fabric of our communities.