{"id":3060,"date":"2025-06-18T10:33:08","date_gmt":"2025-06-18T17:33:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/magazine\/?p=3060"},"modified":"2025-06-19T11:00:20","modified_gmt":"2025-06-19T18:00:20","slug":"deans-message-spring-summer-2025-the-mystery-that-drives-us","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/magazine\/deans-message-spring-summer-2025-the-mystery-that-drives-us\/","title":{"rendered":"Deans Message &#8211; Spring &#8211; Summer 2025 &#8211; The Mystery that Drives Us"},"content":{"rendered":"  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--article-intro \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--article-intro\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n  \n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--rich-text \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--rich-text\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n      \n<div class=\"f--field f--wysiwyg\">\n\n    \n  <h1>The Mystery that Drives Us<\/h1>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-2404 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/12\/Moh_El-Naggar-240x300.png\" alt=\"A portrait of Moh El-Naggar\" width=\"240\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/12\/Moh_El-Naggar-240x300.png 240w, https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/12\/Moh_El-Naggar.png 260w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 240px) 100vw, 240px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Life, in all its forms, has fascinated us from the beginning. We ponder it, measure it, even try to replicate it. Yet, for all our efforts, much of life remains a mystery. Our relentless curiosity has driven inquiry across centuries &#8212; not to pin life down, but to follow where it leads.<\/p>\n<p>At USC Dornsife, this pursuit takes us everywhere.<\/p>\n<p>It takes us to extreme environments that reveal life&#8217;s resilience in places once thought uninhabitable. Our natural scientists, for example, explore the depths of the ocean, where they&#8217;ve discovered microbes thriving in deep-sea hydrothermal vents. Others search for life beyond our planet; USC Dornsife astrobiologists helped develop <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/mars-rover-perseverance-sherloc-developed-at-usc-dornsife\/\">technology<\/a> on NASA&#8217;s Perseverance rover to detect signatures of ancient microbial life on Mars.<\/p>\n<p>It takes us to new ways of thinking about the structures that affect how we as a society live together. Our <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/econ\/\">economists<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/poir\/\">political scientists<\/a> study the &#8220;rules of the game,&#8221; which can determine, by our own creation, who gets to flourish and who is left fighting to survive. Their research reminds us that life is about more than biology; it&#8217;s about opportunity, circumstance and the institutions we build around it.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;Life is about more than biology; it&#8217;s about opportunity, circumstance, and the institutions we build around it.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>And this pursuit provides fresh perspective on the human experience. Our <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/hist\/\">historians<\/a>, for example, explore patterns in human behavior &#8211; from conflict and cooperation to innovation and decline. Similarly, our <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/cwphd\/\">creative writers<\/a> delve into the complex narratives that influence how we think about identity and culture as well as the stories that shape lives long after we are gone.<\/p>\n<p>No matter the approach, USC Dornsife experts are driven by the mystery of it all. What is life? Where does it begin? How does it persist? And, most importantly, how do we make the most of it while we&#8217;re here? We may never find all the answers &#8211; but that&#8217;s the point. It is the not knowing that keeps us searching, reflecting and imagining what is possible.<\/p>\n<p>Well, that, and the eternal debate over where to find the best tacos in L.A.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Moh El-Naggar<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Interim Dean<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--signup-form dark\"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--signup-form\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n<div class=\"text-image-container\">\n  <div class=\"text-container\">\n\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--section-title\">\n\n    \n  <h2>\n          USC Dornsife Magazine\n      <\/h2>\n\n\n<\/div>\n    \n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--description\">\n\n    \n  <h2 style=\"color: white;\">Spring \/ Summer 2025<\/h2>\n<h1 style=\"color: white;\">The Life Issue<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n    \n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--link\">\n\n    \n    \n  \n<a \n  class=\"link\"\n  href= https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/magazine\/the-life-issue\/\n    aria-label=\"Read more about Back to Issue\"  \n>\n    Back to Issue \n  <svg version=\"1.1\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" xmlns:xlink=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\" x=\"0px\" y=\"0px\" viewBox=\"0 0 35 35\" enable-background=\"new 0 0 35 35\" width=\"25\" height=\"25\" xml:space=\"preserve\"><polygon fill-rule=\"evenodd\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\" fill=\"#000\" points=\"19.3,27.5 29.3,17.5,19.3,7.5 16.3,10.4 21.4,15.4 6.7,15.4 6.7,19.6 21.4,19.6 16.3,24.6 \"\/><\/svg>\n<\/a>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n      <\/div>\n\n      <div class=\"image-container\">\n          \n<div class=\"f--field f--image\">\n\n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n              \n      <img\n                            data-src=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/06\/LandingPage_Hero-900x600.jpg\"\n          data-srcset=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/06\/LandingPage_Hero-1200x800.jpg 1200w,https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/06\/LandingPage_Hero-900x600.jpg 900w\"          data-sizes=\"(min-width:1024px) 50vw, (min-width:768px) 100vw, 100vw\"          class=\"lazyload\"\n        \n                  role=\"none\"\n        \n        \n                                      \/>\n\n    \n    \n  \n  \n\n<\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  \n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3060","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-message-from-dean"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.1.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Deans Message - Spring - Summer 2025 - The Mystery that Drives Us<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/magazine\/deans-message-spring-summer-2025-the-mystery-that-drives-us\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"USC Dornsife Magazine - Dean&#039;s Message Fall 2024 \/ Spring 2025\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/magazine\/deans-message-spring-summer-2025-the-mystery-that-drives-us\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"USC Dornsife Magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-06-18T17:33:08+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-06-19T18:00:20+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Michael Liu\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/magazine\/deans-message-spring-summer-2025-the-mystery-that-drives-us\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/magazine\/deans-message-spring-summer-2025-the-mystery-that-drives-us\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Michael Liu\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/magazine\/#\/schema\/person\/d03084ed5319ed7575c96017879a7447\"},\"headline\":\"Deans Message &#8211; 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