USC Dornsife News

From cradle to grave, touch brings us comfort, pleasure and sometimes pain, reminding us of our countless connections to the world and to humanity — including our own.

From aiding romance to communicating with God, scent has long been attributed near mystical abilities.

From sautéed grasshoppers to fusion food, USC Dornsife scholars use taste as a passport to explore diverse cultures, histories and identities.

Whether it takes the form of a rousing rock concert, a friendly greeting or the lulling buzz of cicadas on a summer evening, sound holds the power to energize us, to cheer us, to soothe us and — above all — to connect us.

From Inuit hunters in their endless snowy landscape who have no concept of what it means to be lost to profound leaps in microscopy that enable scientists to watch an eye as it forms — sight allows us to explore our world, to orient ourselves within it and to find joy in its myriad manifestations of beauty and wonder.

From the earliest years of Christianity, some people have been recognized as having lived exceptionally holy lives. But what is the process the Catholic Church go through to formally recognized someone as being “Blessed.”

One hundred years ago, the excavation of King Tut’s tomb famously brought us a mummy with a “pharaoh’s curse.” Our fascination with mummies goes back much farther, however. USC Dornsife scholars explain why we’re still so wrapped up in these eerie remains.

Ghosts, ghouls and skeletons have become synonymous with Halloween. A USC Dornsife scholar and folklorist explains how Halloween continues an ancient Celtic tradition of the celebration of the dead.

A range of films spanning different eras confronts viewers with the same question: ‘What if all that hard work isn’t really worth it?’