Orthorexia: When Healthy Eating Becomes Toxic
Divya Nelakonda and Nicole Ong
May 24, 2018
In a media culture where various diet trends and exercise regimens are easily accessible, orthorexia, defined as an obsession with proper or “healthy” eating, has become increasingly prevalent and dangerous. What can so easily begin as well-intentioned efforts to be healthier and develop more mindful eating ha...
DNA genetic testing poses privacy concerns
May 24, 2018
After more than 40 years of arduous investigations, the notorious Golden State Killer — a serial killer, rapist and burglar who terrorized California in the 1970s and 1980s — was finally caught in late April through DNA matching on a public genealogy database. Although celebrated as a success by scie...
Vaping: an alternate take on cigarettes
April 26, 2018
Growing up, senior Miles Wong* often felt alone. His best friend passed away in front of him when he was nine years old. That same day, his mom was diagnosed with cancer, and his parents spent much of their time in the hospital. Wong had to raise himself. During his sophomore year, he started smokin...
Vaping: A Q&A with a health professional
April 26, 2018
Filed under In-Depth, Web Exclusive
In this Q&A, Nick Goldenson, a doctoral student in the USC Health, Behavior and Addiction Laboratory (USC-HEAL) discusses vaping based on the existing scientific literature, particularly the 2018 National Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine’s (NASEM) report on the Public Health Con...
Inside the classification of gaming disorder
April 26, 2018
After contentious debate over whether or not excessive gaming should be deemed a mental illness, the World Health Organization (WHO) has decided to include “gaming disorder” in its International Classification of Diseases, the global reference used to identify diseases and health conditions. This dec...
Changing the face of Western masculinity
Michyla Lin and Divya Nelakonda
April 26, 2018
It is 10 p.m. on a Friday night. A boy shrugs off his backpack, exhausted after a long session at the gym with his friends, during which they competed to see who could bench the most weight. Slipping off his shoes, he turns on the TV, ready to unwind with a quick round of “Battlefield” when he se...
When words cut: verbal abuse at Lynbrook
Arul Gnanasivam and Patricia Wei
March 29, 2018
Junior Katherine Patel* knows the impact words have. For the past few years, she’s felt the effects of verbal abuse: low self-esteem, self-doubt and loss of trust. One year ago, Patel’s friend told her something so hurtful that it has remained etched in her memories to this day. “A friend cal...
Social media: the new platform for advertising
Justine Chen and Medha Upadhyay
March 29, 2018
A viewer watches her favorite YouTuber apply foundation on her face, swatch each color of an eyeshadow palette and compliment the quality of the two products. After discovering the words “this video is sponsored by” in the video’s description box, the viewer frowns in confusion, wondering if the ...
A step into the digitized Amazon Go store
March 1, 2018
It’s been a busy day, but before you get home, you need to go grocery shopping for dinner; luckily, there’s an Amazon Go store right around the corner. As you enter, dozens of cameras, the genius behind it all, lay hidden in the rafters monitoring the store below as customers browse the products. ...
Uncovering the positive role of therapy animals
Justine Chen and Diana Xu
March 1, 2018
A 400-pound llama guided by an animal trainer walks through the sliding doors of a hospital. Puzzled onlookers turn their heads and stare as a nine-year-old diagnosed with autism tentatively walks up to the llama with a carrot in hand, which it eats eagerly. The girl smiles, stroking the animal’s soft fu...
Feminism from the 1900s to the modern day
Jocy He and Ashley Song
March 1, 2018
Feminism, a movement that has often resurfaced throughout history, has been steadily gaining momentum, especially in recent years. By definition, feminism is the advocacy of women's rights on the basis of having equality of the sexes. Under this ideology, people have banded together for centuries to promo...
Voice of majority ignored
January 25, 2018
The FCC’s recent repeal of net neutrality was alarming for a number of reasons, not just because our access to the full extent of the internet has become compromised. Although 80 percent of Americans, myself included, believed in the importance of having unrestricted access to every corner of the i...
