{"id":18898,"date":"2024-03-15T10:12:12","date_gmt":"2024-03-15T17:12:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/?p=18898"},"modified":"2024-06-12T09:55:47","modified_gmt":"2024-06-12T16:55:47","slug":"how-dune-became-beacon-for-environmental-movement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/how-dune-became-beacon-for-environmental-movement\/","title":{"rendered":"How &#8216;Dune&#8217; became a beacon for the fledgling environmental movement \u2212 and a rallying cry for the new science of ecology"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n    \n                                \n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--article-hero \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--article-hero\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n<div class=\"inner-wrapper\">\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\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/03\/Dune_Environmentalism_Top-768x432.png\"\n          data-srcset=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/03\/Dune_Environmentalism_Top-1920x1080.png 1920w,https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/03\/Dune_Environmentalism_Top-1280x720.png 1280w,https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/03\/Dune_Environmentalism_Top-768x432.png 768w\"          data-sizes=\"(min-width:1200px) 75vw, (min-width:768px) 83vw, 100vw\"          class=\"lazyload\"\n        \n                  role=\"none\"\n        \n        \n                                      \/>\n\n    \n    \n  \n  \n\n<\/div>\n  \n      <div class=\"image-caption\">\n          \n<div class=\"f--field f--description\">\n\n    \n  Oregon&#8217;s Umpqua Dunes inspired the desert planet Arrakis in Frank Herbert&#8217;s &#8216;Dune.&#8217; (Photo: Flickr\/Michael Renfrow.)\n\n\n<\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  \n  <div class=\"text-wrapper\">\n          <nav aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\" class=\"breadcrumbs\">\n        <ul>\n                      <li><a href=\"\/news\/stories\/\">News<\/a><\/li>\n                      <li><a href=\"\/news\/stories\/\/?category=arts-and-culture\">Arts and Culture<\/a><\/li>\n                  <\/ul>\n      <\/nav>\n    \n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--page-title\">\n\n    \n  <h1>How &#8216;Dune&#8217; became a beacon for the fledgling environmental movement \u2212 and a rallying cry for the new science of ecology<\/h1>\n\n\n<\/div>\n    \n          <div class=\"subtitle\">\n            \n<div class=\"f--field f--description\">\n\n    \n  When Frank Herbert sat down in 1963 to start writing \u2018Dune,\u2019 he wasn\u2019t thinking about how to leave Earth behind. He was thinking about how to save it.\n\n\n<\/div>\n      <\/div>\n    \n           <strong class=\"author-field\"><span >By<\/span><a href=\"mailto:communication@dornsife.usc.edu\">Devin Griffiths<\/a><\/strong>\n    \n          <span class=\"post-date-field\">March 15, 2024<\/span>\n      <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--social-share \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--social-share\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n  <div class=\"content-wrapper\">\n    <span class=\"a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_32 addtoany_list\" style=\"line-height: 32px;\">\n      <span class=\"title\">\n        Share\n      <\/span>\n                        <a class=\"a2a_button_copy_link\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/#copy_link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" title=\"Link\">\n            <span class=\"a2a_svg a2a_s__default a2a_s_copy_link\">\n              <svg height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 19 19\" width=\"19\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"m7.43475275 9.52380952-2.17490843 2.26076008c-1.08745421 1.058837-1.68841575 2.518315-1.68841575 4.0350275 0 1.5167124.60096154 2.9475732 1.68841575 4.0350274 1.058837 1.0874543 2.51831502 1.6884158 4.03502747 1.6884158 1.44087681 0 2.80427251-.5423678 3.86936601-1.5289606l.1656615-.1594552 2.2321428-2.2321428-1.6311813-1.6311813-2.2321429 2.26076c-.6581959.658196-1.5167124 1.0016026-2.43246332 1.0016026s-1.7742674-.3434066-2.43246337-1.0016026c-.65819597-.6581959-1.00160257-1.5167124-1.00160257-2.4324633 0-.8547009.2991453-1.6595442.87416905-2.2981957l.12743352-.1342677 2.23214286-2.2321429zm6.88661855-.40736607-5.26116068 5.26116075 1.61881868 1.6188186 5.2611607-5.2611607zm1.3837569-5.54501488c-1.4408768 0-2.8042725.54236779-3.869366 1.52896062l-.1656615.15945513-2.23214282 2.23214286 1.63118132 1.63118132 2.2321429-2.23214286c.6581959-.65819597 1.5167124-1.00160256 2.4324633-1.00160256s1.7742674.34340659 2.4324634 1.00160256 1.0016026 1.51671246 1.0016026 2.43246337c0 .85470089-.2991453 1.65954419-.8741691 2.29819559l-.1274335.1342678-2.2321429 2.2321428 1.5739469 1.5739469 2.2321429-2.2321428c1.0874542-1.058837 1.6884157-2.5183151 1.6884157-4.03502751 0-1.51671245-.6009615-2.94757326-1.6884157-4.03502747-1.058837-1.08745421-2.518315-1.68841575-4.0350275-1.68841575z\" transform=\"translate(-3 -3)\"\/><\/svg>\n            <\/span>\n            <span class=\"a2a_label visually-hidden\">Copy Link<\/span>\n          <\/a>\n                                <a class=\"a2a_button_facebook\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/#facebook\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" title=\"Facebook\">\n            <span class=\"a2a_svg a2a_s__default a2a_s_facebook\">\n              <svg height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 19 19\" width=\"19\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"m23.9512 6h-16.9024c-.57923625 0-1.0488.46956375-1.0488 1.0488v16.9024c0 .5792362.46956375 1.0488 1.0488 1.0488h9.10024v-7.34768h-2.46772v-2.87584h2.46772v-2.11508c0-2.45404 1.49872-3.79012 3.68828-3.79012.7389668-.00263323 1.4775241.03516995 2.21236.11324v2.56348h-1.51392c-1.18788 0-1.4174.56544-1.4174 1.39612v1.8316h2.84772l-.37088 2.87584h-2.47684v7.34844h4.83284c.5792362 0 1.0488-.4695638 1.0488-1.0488v-16.9024c0-.57923625-.4695638-1.0488-1.0488-1.0488z\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" transform=\"translate(-6 -6)\"\/><\/svg>\n            <\/span>\n            <span class=\"a2a_label visually-hidden\">Facebook<\/span>\n          <\/a>\n                                <a class=\"a2a_button_twitter\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/#twitter\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" title=\"X\">\n            <span class=\"a2a_svg a2a_s__default a2a_s_twitter\">\n              <svg version=\"1.1\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" xmlns:xlink=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\" x=\"0px\"\n\t y=\"0px\" viewBox=\"0 0 30 30\" enable-background=\"new 0 0 30 30\" xml:space=\"preserve\" width=\"19\" height=\"19\">\n<path fill=\"#000\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"M14.5,16.2l-0.8-1.1l-6.3-9h2.7l5.1,7.3l0.8,1.1\n\tl6.6,9.4h-2.7L14.5,16.2L14.5,16.2z M16.9,13.4l7.4-8.7h-1.8l-6.5,7.5L11,4.8H5l7.8,11.4L5,25.2h1.8l6.8-7.9l5.5,7.9h6L16.9,13.4\n\tL16.9,13.4z\"\/>\n<\/svg>\n\n            <\/span>\n            <span class=\"a2a_label visually-hidden\">X<\/span>\n          <\/a>\n                                <a class=\"a2a_button_linkedin\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/#linkedin\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" title=\"Linkedin\">\n            <span class=\"a2a_svg a2a_s__default a2a_s_linkedin\">\n              <svg height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 19 19\" width=\"19\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"m25 21.4220779c0 1.974026-1.6038961 3.5779221-3.5779221 3.5779221h-11.84415582c-1.97402598 0-3.57792208-1.6038961-3.57792208-3.5779221v-11.84415582c0-1.97402598 1.6038961-3.57792208 3.57792208-3.57792208h11.84415582c1.974026 0 3.5779221 1.6038961 3.5779221 3.57792208zm-14.5584416-12.21428569c-.98701295 0-1.60389606.61688311-1.60389606 1.48051949-.12337663.8636364.49350649 1.4805195 1.48051946 1.4805195.987013 0 1.6038961-.6168831 1.6038961-1.4805195 0-.86363638-.6168831-1.48051949-1.4805195-1.48051949zm1.3571429 12.70779219v-8.6363636h-2.83766234v8.6363636zm10.2402597 0v-4.9350649c0-2.5909091-1.3571428-3.8246753-3.3311688-3.8246753-1.4805195 0-2.0974026.8636363-2.4675325 1.4805194v-1.2337662h-2.8376623v8.6363636h2.8376623v-4.9350649c0-.2467532 0-.4935065.1233767-.7402597.1233766-.4935065.6168831-.987013 1.4805194-.987013.987013 0 1.4805195.7402597 1.4805195 1.974026v4.564935z\" transform=\"translate(-6 -6)\"\/><\/svg>\n            <\/span>\n            <span class=\"a2a_label visually-hidden\">LinkedIn<\/span>\n          <\/a>\n                                <a class=\"a2a_button_bluesky\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/#bluesky\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" title=\"Bluesky\">\n            <span class=\"a2a_svg a2a_s__default a2a_s_bluesky\">\n              <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"50px\" height=\"50px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\">\n                <path fill=\"#00000\" d=\"M12 10.8c-1.087-2.114-4.046-6.053-6.798-7.995C2.566.944 1.561 1.266.902 1.565C.139 1.908 0 3.08 0 3.768c0 .69.378 5.65.624 6.479c.815 2.736 3.713 3.66 6.383 3.364c.136-.02.275-.039.415-.056c-.138.022-.276.04-.415.056c-3.912.58-7.387 2.005-2.83 7.078c5.013 5.19 6.87-1.113 7.823-4.308c.953 3.195 2.05 9.271 7.733 4.308c4.267-4.308 1.172-6.498-2.74-7.078a8.741 8.741 0 0 1-.415-.056c.14.017.279.036.415.056c2.67.297 5.568-.628 6.383-3.364c.246-.828.624-5.79.624-6.478c0-.69-.139-1.861-.902-2.206c-.659-.298-1.664-.62-4.3 1.24C16.046 4.748 13.087 8.687 12 10.8\"  fill-rule=\"evenodd\" \/>\n              <\/svg>\n            <\/span>\n            <span class=\"a2a_label visually-hidden\">Bluesky<\/span>\n          <\/a>\n                                <a class=\"a2a_button_email\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/#email\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" title=\"E-mail\">\n            <span class=\"a2a_svg a2a_s__default a2a_s_print\">\n              <svg height=\"12\" viewBox=\"0 0 18 12\" width=\"18\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"m8.14285714 9.42857143c-.17142857 0-.34285714 0-.51428571.08571428l7.28571427 6.34285719c.3428572.2571428.6857143.2571428.9428572 0l7.2857142-6.34285719c-.0857142-.08571428-.2571428-.08571428-.4285714-.08571428zm-1.28571428 1.11428567v.1714286 8.5714286c0 .6857143.6 1.2857143 1.28571428 1.2857143h14.57142856c.6857143 0 1.2857143-.6 1.2857143-1.2857143v-8.5714286c0-.0857143 0-.0857143 0-.1714286l-7.2 6.3428572c-.7714286.6857143-1.8857143.6857143-2.6571429 0z\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" transform=\"translate(-6 -9)\"\/><\/svg>\n            <\/span>\n            <span class=\"a2a_label visually-hidden\">Email<\/span>\n          <\/a>\n                  <\/span>\n  <\/div>\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  <p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.penguinrandomhouse.com\/series\/AU8\/dune\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>Dune<\/em><\/a>, widely considered one of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esquire.com\/entertainment\/books\/g39358054\/best-sci-fi-books\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">best sci-fi novels of all time<\/a>, continues to influence how writers, artists and inventors envision the future.<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/sustainability.usc.edu\/assignment-earth\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-thumbnail wp-image-16067\" src=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/07\/AE_News-Rubric-150x150.png\" alt=\"On a gold background, &quot;Asgmt Earth&quot; appears inside a black circle and &quot;USC&quot; inside a small, white circle that slightly overlaps the black circle.\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" srcset=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/07\/AE_News-Rubric-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/07\/AE_News-Rubric-500x500.png 500w, https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/07\/AE_News-Rubric-1024x1024.png 1024w, https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/07\/AE_News-Rubric-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/07\/AE_News-Rubric-320x320.png 320w, https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/07\/AE_News-Rubric.png 1250w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Of course, there are Denis Villeneuve\u2019s visually stunning films, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt1160419\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>Dune: Part One<\/em><\/a> (2021) and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt15239678\/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_3_tt_7_nm_1_q_dune\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>Dune: Part Two<\/em><\/a> (2024).<\/p>\n<p>But Frank Herbert\u2019s masterpiece also helped Afrofuturist novelist <a href=\"https:\/\/www.salon.com\/2015\/08\/13\/dune_climate_fiction_pioneer_the_ecological_lessons_of_frank_herberts_sci_fi_masterpiece_were_ahead_of_its_time\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Octavia Butler<\/a> imagine a future of conflict amid environmental catastrophe; it inspired <a href=\"https:\/\/www.inverse.com\/article\/46547-elon-musk-is-running-tesla-spacex-like-the-plot-of-dune\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Elon Musk<\/a> to build SpaceX and Tesla and push humanity toward the stars and a greener future; and it\u2019s hard not to see parallels in <a href=\"https:\/\/screenrant.com\/star-wars-dune-story-concepts-ideas-lucas-copy\/#people-survive-the-desert-the-same-way\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">George Lucas\u2019<\/a> <em>Star Wars<\/em> franchise, especially their fascination with desert planets and giant worms.<\/p>\n<p>And yet when Herbert sat down in 1963 to start writing <em>Dune<\/em>, he wasn\u2019t thinking about how to leave Earth behind. He was thinking about how to save it.<\/p>\n<p>Herbert wanted to tell a story about the environmental crisis on our own planet, a world driven to the edge of ecological catastrophe. Technologies that had been inconceivable just 50 years prior had put the world at the edge of nuclear war and the environment on the brink of collapse; massive industries were sucking wealth from the ground and spewing toxic fumes into the sky.<\/p>\n<p>When the book was published, these themes were front and center for readers, too. After all, they were living in the wake of both the Cuban missile crisis and the publication of <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nrdc.org\/stories\/story-silent-spring\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Silent Spring<\/a><\/em>, conservationist Rachel Carson\u2019s landmark study of pollution and its threat to the environment and human health.<\/p>\n<p><em>Dune<\/em> soon became a beacon for the fledgling environmental movement and a rallying flag for the new science of ecology.<\/p>\n<h2>Indigenous wisdoms<\/h2>\n<p>Though the term \u201cecology\u201d had been coined almost a century earlier, the first textbook on ecology was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bioexplorer.net\/history_of_biology\/ecology\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">not written until 1953<\/a>, and the field was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/search?dropmab=false&amp;endDate=1966-01-01&amp;query=ecology&amp;sort=best&amp;startDate=1963-01-01\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">rarely mentioned<\/a> in newspapers or magazines at the time. Few readers had heard of the emerging science, and even fewer knew what it suggested about the future of our planet.<\/p>\n<p>While studying <em>Dune<\/em> for a book I\u2019m writing on the history of ecology, I was surprised to learn that Herbert didn\u2019t learn about ecology as a student or as a journalist.<\/p>\n<p>Instead, he was inspired to explore ecology by the conservation practices of the tribes of the Pacific Northwest. He learned about them from two friends in particular.<\/p>\n<p>The first was <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Wilbur_Ternyik\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Wilbur Ternyik<\/a>, a descendant of Chief Coboway, the Clatsop leader who welcomed explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark when <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/event\/Lewis-and-Clark-Expedition\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">their expedition<\/a> reached the West Coast in 1805. The second, <a href=\"https:\/\/funerals.coop\/obituaries\/2018-obituaries\/july-2018\/howard-hansen.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Howard Hansen<\/a>, was an art teacher and oral historian of the Quileute tribe.<\/p>\n<p>Ternyik, who was also an expert field ecologist, took Herbert on a tour of Oregon\u2019s dunes in 1958. There, he explained his work to build massive dunes of sand using beach grasses and other deep-rooted plants in order to prevent the sands from blowing into the nearby town of Florence \u2013 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.earth.com\/earthpedia-articles\/terraforming\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a terraforming technology<\/a> described at length in <em>Dune<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>As Ternyik explains he wrote for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, his work in Oregon was part of an effort to heal landscapes scarred by European colonization, especially the large river jetties built by early settlers.<\/p>\n<p>These structures disturbed coastal currents and created vast expanses of sand, turning stretches of the lush Pacific Northwest landscape into desert. This scenario is echoed in <em>Dune<\/em>, where the novel\u2019s setting, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencenews.org\/article\/dune-planet-climate-plausible-science-sandworms\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the planet Arrakis<\/a>, was similarly laid to waste by its first colonizers.<\/p>\n<p>Hansen, who became the godfather to Herbert\u2019s son, had closely studied the equally drastic impact logging had on the homelands of the <a href=\"https:\/\/quileutenation.org\/history\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Quileute people<\/a> in coastal Washington. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2021\/10\/23\/opinion\/culture\/dune-frank-herbert-native-americans.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">He encouraged Herbert<\/a> to examine ecology carefully, giving him a copy of Paul B. Sears\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.org\/details\/wherethereislife0000paul\/page\/n7\/mode\/2up\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>Where There is Life<\/em><\/a>, from which <a href=\"https:\/\/www.oreilly.com\/tim\/herbert\/ch03.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Herbert gathered<\/a> one of his favorite quotes: \u201cThe highest function of science is to give us an understanding of consequences.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/screenrant.com\/dune-movie-2021-fremen-origin-explained\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Fremen<\/a> of <em>Dune<\/em>, who live in the deserts of Arrakis and carefully manage its ecosystem and wildlife, embody these teachings. In the fight to save their world, they expertly blend ecological science and Indigenous practices.<\/p>\n<h2>Treasures hidden in the sand<\/h2>\n<p>But the work that had the most profound impact on <em>Dune<\/em> was Leslie Reid\u2019s 1962 ecological study \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/books.google.com\/books\/about\/The_Sociology_of_Nature.html?id=Ag22AAAAIAAJ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Sociology of Nature<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In this landmark work, Reid explained ecology and ecosystem science for a popular audience, illustrating the complex interdependence of all creatures within the environment.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe more deeply ecology is studied,\u201d Reid writes, \u201cthe clearer does it become that mutual dependence is a governing principle, that animals are bound to one another by unbreakable ties of dependence.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In the pages of Reid\u2019s book, Herbert found a model for the ecosystem of Arrakis in a surprising place: the guano islands of Peru. As Reid explains, the accumulated bird droppings found on these islands was an ideal fertilizer. Home to mountains of manure described as a new \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/scholarsbank.uoregon.edu\/xmlui\/handle\/1794\/27727\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">white gold<\/a>\u201d and one of the most valuable substances on Earth, the guano islands became in the late 1800s ground zero for a series of resource wars between Spain and several of its former colonies, including Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Ecuador.<\/p>\n<p>At the heart of the plot of <em>Dune<\/em> is a battle for control of the \u201cspice,\u201d a priceless resource. Harvested from the sands of the desert planet, it\u2019s both a luxurious flavoring for food and a hallucinogenic drug that allows some people to bend space, making interstellar travel possible.<\/p>\n<p>There is some irony in the fact that Herbert cooked up the idea of spice from bird droppings. But he was fascinated by Reid\u2019s careful account of the unique and efficient ecosystem that produced a valuable \u2013 albeit noxious \u2013 commodity.<\/p>\n<p>As the ecologist explains, frigid currents in the Pacific Ocean push nutrients to the surface of nearby waters, helping photosynthetic plankton thrive. These support an astounding population of fish that feed hordes of birds, along with whales.<\/p>\n<p>In early drafts of <em>Dune<\/em>, Herbert combined all of these stages into the life cycle of the giant sandworms, football field-sized monsters that prowl the desert sands and devour everything in their path.<\/p>\n<p>Herbert imagines each of these terrifying creatures beginning as small, photosynthetic plants that grow into larger \u201csand trout.\u201d Eventually, they become immense sandworms that churn the desert sands, spewing spice onto the surface.<\/p>\n<p>In both the book and <em>Dune: Part One<\/em>, soldier Gurney Halleck recites a cryptic verse that comments on this inversion of marine life and arid regimes of extraction: \u201cFor they shall suck of the abundance of the seas and of the treasure hid in the sand.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2><em>Dune<\/em> revolutions<\/h2>\n<p>After <em>Dune<\/em> was published in 1965, the environmental movement eagerly embraced it.<\/p>\n<p>Herbert spoke at Philadelphia\u2019s first Earth Day in 1970, and in the first edition of the <a href=\"https:\/\/wholeearth.info\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Whole Earth Catalog<\/a> \u2013 a famous DIY manual and bulletin for environmental activists \u2013 <em>Dune<\/em> was advertised with the tagline: \u201cThe metaphor is ecology. The theme revolution.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In the opening of Denis Villeneuve\u2019s first adaptation, <em>Dune<\/em>, Chani, an indigenous Fremen played by Zendaya, asks a question that anticipates the violent conclusion of the second film: \u201cWho will our next oppressors be?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The immediate cut to a sleeping Paul Atreides, the white protagonist who\u2019s played by Timoth\u00e9e Chalamet, drives the pointed anti-colonial message home like a knife. In fact, both of Villeneuve\u2019s movies expertly elaborate upon the anti-colonial themes of Herbert\u2019s novels.<\/p>\n<p>Unfortunately, the edge of their environmental critique is blunted. But Villeneuve has <a href=\"https:\/\/theplaylist.net\/dune-messiah-denis-villeneuve-says-florence-pugh-anya-taylor-joy-give-him-the-will-do-another-one-20240311\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">suggested that<\/a> he might also adapt <a href=\"https:\/\/prhinternationalsales.com\/book\/?isbn=9780593098233\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>Dune Messiah<\/em><\/a> for his next film in the series \u2013 a novel in which the ecological damage to Arrakis is glaringly obvious.<\/p>\n<p>I hope Herbert\u2019s prescient ecological warning, which resonated so powerfully with readers back in the 1960s, will be unsheathed in <em>Dune 3<\/em>.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;\" src=\"https:\/\/counter.theconversation.com\/content\/225156\/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic\" alt=\"The Conversation\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" \/><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https:\/\/theconversation.com\/republishing-guidelines --><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/profiles\/devin-griffiths-1517116\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Devin Griffiths<\/a>, Associate Professor of English and Comparative Literature, <em><a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/institutions\/usc-dornsife-college-of-letters-arts-and-sciences-2669\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p>This article is republished from <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/how-dune-became-a-beacon-for-the-fledgling-environmental-movement-and-a-rallying-cry-for-the-new-science-of-ecology-225156\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">original article<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n  \n        \n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--article-related-stories \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--article-related-stories\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n  <div class=\"inner-wrapper\">\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--section-title\">\n\n    \n  <h2>\n          Related Articles\n      <\/h2>\n\n\n<\/div>\n    \n                  <article>\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--cta-title\">\n\n    \n  <h3>\n          <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/beyond-disney-a-1616-portrait-of-pocahontas-shows-how-english-colonizers-saw-indigenous-americans\/\" \n                        class=\"\" \n      >Beyond Disney: A 1616 portrait of Pocahontas shows how English colonizers saw Indigenous Americans<\/a>\n      <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n        <\/article>\n              <article>\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--cta-title\">\n\n    \n  <h3>\n          <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/is-ai-really-writing-ancient-authors-would-have-said-no\/\" \n                        class=\"\" \n      >Is AI really \u2018writing\u2019? From a priestess to philosophers, ancient authors would have said\u00a0\u2018no\u2019<\/a>\n      <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n        <\/article>\n              <article>\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--cta-title\">\n\n    \n  <h3>\n          <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/high-school-yearbooks-focus-on-student-fun-but-obscure-pain\/\" \n                        class=\"\" \n      >High school yearbooks focus on the fun students had, obscuring the pain people also\u00a0experienced<\/a>\n      <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n        <\/article>\n            <\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When Frank Herbert sat down in 1963 to start writing \u2018Dune,\u2019 he wasn\u2019t thinking about how to leave Earth behind. He was thinking about how to save it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":18899,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[241,462,87,83],"class_list":["post-18898","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts-and-culture","tag-earth-day","tag-ecology","tag-expert-viewpoint","tag-the-conversation"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.1.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>How &#039;Dune&#039; became a beacon for the fledgling environmental movement \u2212 and a rallying cry for the new science of ecology<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"When Frank Herbert sat down in 1963 to start writing \u2018Dune,\u2019 he wasn\u2019t thinking about how to leave Earth behind. He was thinking about how to save it.\" \/>\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\/news\/stories\/how-dune-became-beacon-for-environmental-movement\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How &#039;Dune&#039; became a beacon for the fledgling environmental movement \u2212 and a rallying cry for the new science of ecology\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"When Frank Herbert sat down in 1963 to start writing \u2018Dune,\u2019 he wasn\u2019t thinking about how to leave Earth behind. He was thinking about how to save it.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/how-dune-became-beacon-for-environmental-movement\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"USC Dornsife News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/uscdornsife\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-03-15T17:12:12+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-06-12T16:55:47+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/03\/Dune_Environmentalism_Top-1024x589.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"589\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Michael Liu\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@uscdornsife\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@uscdornsife\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/how-dune-became-beacon-for-environmental-movement\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/how-dune-became-beacon-for-environmental-movement\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Michael Liu\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/d03084ed5319ed7575c96017879a7447\"},\"headline\":\"How &#8216;Dune&#8217; became a beacon for the fledgling environmental movement \u2212 and a rallying cry for the new science of ecology\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-03-15T17:12:12+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-06-12T16:55:47+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/how-dune-became-beacon-for-environmental-movement\/\"},\"wordCount\":20,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/how-dune-became-beacon-for-environmental-movement\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/03\/Dune_Environmentalism_Top.png\",\"keywords\":[\"earth day\",\"ecology\",\"expert viewpoint\",\"the conversation\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Arts and Culture\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/how-dune-became-beacon-for-environmental-movement\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/how-dune-became-beacon-for-environmental-movement\/\",\"name\":\"How 'Dune' became a beacon for the fledgling environmental movement \u2212 and a rallying cry for the new science of ecology\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/how-dune-became-beacon-for-environmental-movement\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/how-dune-became-beacon-for-environmental-movement\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/03\/Dune_Environmentalism_Top.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-03-15T17:12:12+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-06-12T16:55:47+00:00\",\"description\":\"When Frank Herbert sat down in 1963 to start writing \u2018Dune,\u2019 he wasn\u2019t thinking about how to leave Earth behind. He was thinking about how to save it.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/how-dune-became-beacon-for-environmental-movement\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/how-dune-became-beacon-for-environmental-movement\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/how-dune-became-beacon-for-environmental-movement\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/03\/Dune_Environmentalism_Top.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/03\/Dune_Environmentalism_Top.png\",\"width\":2000,\"height\":1150},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/how-dune-became-beacon-for-environmental-movement\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"How &#8216;Dune&#8217; became a beacon for the fledgling environmental movement \u2212 and a rallying cry for the new science of ecology\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/\",\"name\":\"USC Dornsife News\",\"description\":\"USC Dornsife news and events\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/#organization\",\"name\":\"USC Dornsife News\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/01\/USC-Dornsife-Cardinal-Black-on-White-RGB.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/01\/USC-Dornsife-Cardinal-Black-on-White-RGB.jpg\",\"width\":1000,\"height\":330,\"caption\":\"USC Dornsife News\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/uscdornsife\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/uscdornsife\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/uscdornsife\/\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/USCCollege\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/school\/uscdornsife\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/d03084ed5319ed7575c96017879a7447\",\"name\":\"Michael Liu\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/16962c8d3900280cb2e47f931ab45f9c2432ea07c167e9c00a6c2f8a0ec3d61f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/16962c8d3900280cb2e47f931ab45f9c2432ea07c167e9c00a6c2f8a0ec3d61f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Michael Liu\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/author\/liumk\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How 'Dune' became a beacon for the fledgling environmental movement \u2212 and a rallying cry for the new science of ecology","description":"When Frank Herbert sat down in 1963 to start writing \u2018Dune,\u2019 he wasn\u2019t thinking about how to leave Earth behind. He was thinking about how to save it.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/how-dune-became-beacon-for-environmental-movement\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"How 'Dune' became a beacon for the fledgling environmental movement \u2212 and a rallying cry for the new science of ecology","og_description":"When Frank Herbert sat down in 1963 to start writing \u2018Dune,\u2019 he wasn\u2019t thinking about how to leave Earth behind. He was thinking about how to save it.","og_url":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/how-dune-became-beacon-for-environmental-movement\/","og_site_name":"USC Dornsife News","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/uscdornsife","article_published_time":"2024-03-15T17:12:12+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-06-12T16:55:47+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1024,"height":589,"url":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/03\/Dune_Environmentalism_Top-1024x589.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Michael Liu","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@uscdornsife","twitter_site":"@uscdornsife","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/how-dune-became-beacon-for-environmental-movement\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/how-dune-became-beacon-for-environmental-movement\/"},"author":{"name":"Michael Liu","@id":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/d03084ed5319ed7575c96017879a7447"},"headline":"How &#8216;Dune&#8217; became a beacon for the fledgling environmental movement \u2212 and a rallying cry for the new science of ecology","datePublished":"2024-03-15T17:12:12+00:00","dateModified":"2024-06-12T16:55:47+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/how-dune-became-beacon-for-environmental-movement\/"},"wordCount":20,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/how-dune-became-beacon-for-environmental-movement\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/03\/Dune_Environmentalism_Top.png","keywords":["earth day","ecology","expert viewpoint","the conversation"],"articleSection":["Arts and Culture"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/how-dune-became-beacon-for-environmental-movement\/","url":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/how-dune-became-beacon-for-environmental-movement\/","name":"How 'Dune' became a beacon for the fledgling environmental movement \u2212 and a rallying cry for the new science of ecology","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/how-dune-became-beacon-for-environmental-movement\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/how-dune-became-beacon-for-environmental-movement\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/03\/Dune_Environmentalism_Top.png","datePublished":"2024-03-15T17:12:12+00:00","dateModified":"2024-06-12T16:55:47+00:00","description":"When Frank Herbert sat down in 1963 to start writing \u2018Dune,\u2019 he wasn\u2019t thinking about how to leave Earth behind. He was thinking about how to save it.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/how-dune-became-beacon-for-environmental-movement\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/how-dune-became-beacon-for-environmental-movement\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/how-dune-became-beacon-for-environmental-movement\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/03\/Dune_Environmentalism_Top.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/03\/Dune_Environmentalism_Top.png","width":2000,"height":1150},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/how-dune-became-beacon-for-environmental-movement\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"How &#8216;Dune&#8217; became a beacon for the fledgling environmental movement \u2212 and a rallying cry for the new science of ecology"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/#website","url":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/","name":"USC Dornsife News","description":"USC Dornsife news and events","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/#organization","name":"USC Dornsife News","url":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/01\/USC-Dornsife-Cardinal-Black-on-White-RGB.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/01\/USC-Dornsife-Cardinal-Black-on-White-RGB.jpg","width":1000,"height":330,"caption":"USC Dornsife News"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/uscdornsife","https:\/\/x.com\/uscdornsife","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/uscdornsife\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/USCCollege","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/school\/uscdornsife"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/d03084ed5319ed7575c96017879a7447","name":"Michael Liu","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/16962c8d3900280cb2e47f931ab45f9c2432ea07c167e9c00a6c2f8a0ec3d61f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/16962c8d3900280cb2e47f931ab45f9c2432ea07c167e9c00a6c2f8a0ec3d61f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Michael Liu"},"url":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/author\/liumk\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18898","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18898"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18898\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20360,"href":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18898\/revisions\/20360"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18899"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18898"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18898"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18898"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}