A Sampling of Clips for Nov. 4, 2010

* UCSD faculty and staff may obtain a copy of an article by e-mailing the University Communications Office

Study: Politics is in the Genes
CNN, Nov. 3 – Researchers from UC San Diego find a link between liberal political ideology and the DRD4 gene. More

Similar story on
PBS

$100 Oil Looms for JPMorgan, Merrill After Fed Stimulus
Bloomberg, Nov. 4 -- Oil may return to $100 a barrel for the first time since the 2008 financial crisis as the U.S. Federal Reserve’s stimulus measures weaken the dollar, drawing investors to raw materials. (Quotes James D. Hamilton, a UC San Diego economist and former visiting scholar at the Fed board and the New York and Atlanta district banks) More

Similar story in
BusinessWeek

Genomics: DNA's Master Craftsmen
Nature, Nov. 3 -- Behind the walls of the J. Craig Venter Institute in San Diego, Ham Smith and Clyde Hutchison quietly worked to bring a synthetic cell to life. Venter is a UC San Diego alumnus. More

Science Closes In On Perfect Lens
BBC News, Nov. 4 -- New designer materials could eventually lead to "perfect lenses" for optical devices, able to focus on features smaller than the wavelength of light. The new composites are constructed using nanotechnology to build tiny circuits on a plate made of quartz. Details of the work are outlined in the latest issue of the journal Science. Dr Willie Padilla of UC San Diego is a co-author. More

Is Reality Digital or Analog?
Scientific American, Nov 1 -- The Foundational Questions Institute announced this week its latest essay contest, "Is Reality Digital or Analog?", and if it's anything like the past two contests, we're in for a real treat: the contest should draw entrants from some of the deepest thinkers of our time. This time around, Scientific American has joined the institute as a co-sponsor of the contest. The article we published in June on the nature of time, written by philosopher of physics Craig Callender, grew out of FQXi's first essay contest. Callender is on the UC San Diego faculty. More

Fed to Buy $600 Billion in Treasury Bonds
NPR, Nov. 3 -- Federal Reserve policymakers announced a plan Wednesday to pump more money into the economy with a policy known as "quantitative easing." The Fed will buy $600 billion of Treasury bonds over through next June. (Quotes UC San Diego economist James Hamilton) More

Similar story in
The Sydney Morning Herald

Barbara Boxer Overcame Several Hurdles
to Defeat Carly Fiorina in Senate Race
Los Angeles Times, Nov. 4 -- In spite of her perennially weak approval ratings, a political climate that favored Republicans and what she called the "toughest and roughest campaign" of her lifetime, Sen. Barbara Boxer pulled out yet another victory, trouncing former Hewlett-Packard Chief Executive Carly Fiorina 52% to 42.6%, with some ballots still to be counted. (Quotes UC San Diego political scientist Thad Kousser) More

Massive Dose of Caffeine Kills British Man
KBOI, Boise, Idaho, Nov. 4 -- A 23-year-old British man died from what the coroner said was a dangerous dose of caffeine, according to British media reports. (Quotes Dr. Richard Clark, director of medical toxicology at UC San Diego Medical Center in San Diego) More

Scripps Plays Role in National Research of Sea Trash
San Diego Union-Tribune, Nov. 3 -- Researchers at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla will count plastic particles that were collected during an October voyage by scientists studying the impact of debris on marine creatures and humans. More

CHP Campaign Cuts DUI Crashes Around UCSD
San Diego Union-Tribune, Nov. 3 -- In a yearlong campaign to reduce drunk driving accidents around UC San Diego, the California Highway Patrol is claiming unequivocal success. “Anytime a program results in lives saved it’s a success in my book,” said Captain Rich Stewart, commander of the CHP’s San Diego Area office, in a prepared statement. More

Supercomputer Center Celebrates 25th Year
La Jolla Light, Nov. 3 -- The San Diego Supercomputer Center has marked its 25th year, highlighting several scientific and technological accomplishments that include assisting researchers in developing new drugs for AIDS and cancer, predicting the impact of earthquakes, and determining the structures of key enzymes to increase the world’s food supply. More

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