A Sampling of Clips for Oct. 12, 2010

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

Building a More Resilient Brain
The Wall Street Journal, Oct. 11 -- A lifetime of speaking two or more languages appears to pay off in old age, with recent research showing the symptoms of dementia can be delayed by an average of four years in bilingual people. (Quotes Tamar Gollan, a researcher on bilingualism at UC San Diego and at the university's Alzheimer's Disease Research Center) More

Why You Should Name Your Baby Arianna
The Huffington Post, Oct. 11 -- Names that start with the letter A have become the most widely used in the U.S., given to more than 10 percent of all babies, more than double the number of children who were given A names in the 1950s. But there's evidence that A names may be beneficial for your child in more substantial ways. A study by researchers at Yale and UC San Diego found that students whose names begin with the letters A and B earn better grade point averages than those whose names start with C or D. And law school students named Anna and Andrew tend to go to top-ranked universities like Stanford than those called Chris and Drew. More

The Arrow of Time and the Multiverse on Philosophy TV
Discover Magazine, Oct. 9 -- Craig Callender is a philosopher of science at UC San Diego, who has written a lot about the nature of time, including a fun illustrated book. He’s more than a bit skeptical of the multiverse idea, and somewhat contrarian about the low-entropy nature of the early universe: he thinks it’s just a fact we should observe and accept (”nomological”), rather than a feature that cries out for a better explanation. Here we’re having a chat on the recently launched Philosophy TV, sort of Bloggingheads for philosophers. More

Exploring a New Take on Quakes
San Diego Union-Tribune, Oct. 11 -- It’s an insightful moment; many of us have stood around guessing the size of a quake rather than taking cover. Such behavior is odd, because seismologists like Debi Kilb will tell you that scientists only have a rudimentary understanding of quakes. Kilb works at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, where she studies the basic nature of earthquakes, particularly aftershocks. She also studies how a quake can trigger another shaker at a distant location. Kilb told us what scientists have been learning during a recent series of interviews. More

Teens on Pathway to Medical Jobs
San Diego Union-Tribune, Oct. 11 -- Just 17, Alexis Garcia is one of a growing number of high school students enrolled in four-year medical programs aimed at giving teens a leg up on the competition as they explore a career in health care. Alexis’ UC San Diego medical internship pays $300 for some 180 hours of job shadowing. More

An Answer to the Mysterious Honeybee Die-Off
Voice of San Diego, Oct. 11 -- Scientists think they're closer to figuring out what's causing the mysterious mass die-off of honeybees. I wrote about a UC San Diego team late last year that is also studying colony collapse. After reading The Times story, I spoke with principal investigator James Nieh. He said the new findings fill in one piece of the puzzle. More

Medical Device Maker Delivers Wake-Up Call
San Diego Business Journal, Oct. 11 — As health officials continue to monitor the physical and monetary toll sleep disorders exact in the U.S., treating various conditions brought on by sleep problems has transformed snoozing into a sound business for a San Diego-based medical device manufacturer. (Quotes Dr. Brad Schnierow, assistant clinical professor at the UC San Diego School of Medicine. At the school, he has directed all the sleep disorder programs required for medical students since 1999.) More

La Jolla Resident Donates Historic Map to UCSD
La Jolla Light, Oct. 11 -- Longtime La Jolla resident Alfonso de Bourbon recently donated a historical map entitled “The Spanish Heritage and Contribution to the American Independence 1512-1823” — signed by Alejandro de Luis — to UC San Diego in celebration of the university’s 50th Anniversary. The in-kind gift was made in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month and Columbus Day, which was celebrated on Monday. More

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