A Sampling of Clips for Sept. 14, 2010

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

Fertility Rites
Atlantic Monthly, September 2010 – Pascal Gagneux, a researcher at UC San Diego and one of the few laboratory scientists who has studied wild chimpanzees, is a walking encyclopedia of chimpanzee/human differences. Ever since scientists began studying chimpanzees, they have emphasized our similarities, which are striking. But today, neither Darwinists nor conservationists need such similarities to further their respective causes: abundant genomic evidence supports Darwinian evolution, and laws and regulations are in place to protect all endangered species, regardless of whether they are cute enough to excite human sympathy. This has paved the way for chimp researchers like Gagneux to focus on what separates us from chimps. Their goal is to sharpen our understanding of what makes a human human. More

Earth's Penguins are Skating on Thin Ice
MSNBC, Sept. 13 -- Of the 18 penguin species on Earth, 13 are considered either threatened or endangered, with some species on the brink of extinction. Experts gathered last week to discuss the situation at the International Penguin Conference at the New England Aquarium in Boston. (Quotes Gerry Kooyman, a biologist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego who studies emperor penguins) More

Whitman Exaggerates Brown Spending
BusinessWeek, Sept. 13 -- Among the attacks Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman repeatedly levels against Democrat Jerry Brown is that he oversaw an irresponsible growth in spending during his previous tenure in the governor's office. (Quotes Thad Kousser, an assistant political science professor at UC San Diego) More

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Young Conservatives vs. Young Liberals
The Washington Post, Sept. 13 -- Who says conservatism is an old folks' game? Certainly not Jonah Goldberg or the 22 young conservative writers who have contributed to “Proud to Be Right: Voices of the Next Conservative Generation,” published next month by Harper and edited by Goldberg. (Mentions “Conservative Critics and Conservative College Students: Variations in Discourses of Exclusion” by sociologists Amy Binder and Kate Wood at UC San Diego) More

Proposition 23: Would It Worsen Gas-price Shocks?
Los Angeles Times, Sept. 13 -- Titled “Shock Proofing Society: How California’s Global Warming Solutions Act (AB 32) Reduces the Economic Pain of Energy Price Shocks,” the study is aimed at countering a November ballot initiative, Proposition 23, which would delay implementation of the global-warming law. Its analysis is based on projections for 2020 and conservatively assumes only a doubling of crude-oil and natural-gas prices. (Mentions UC San Diego) More

Attack of the Killer Gadgets
PC World, Sept. 13 -- According to 2010 statistics from the Consumer Electronics Association, the average household now hosts 14 distinct consumer electronics products, from TVs to game consoles to laptops to smartphones. (Mentions research at UC San Diego) More

Study Finds Why Fish Oils Fight Diabetes
Business & Health, Sept. 13 -- Fish oils have many health benefits, including lowering triglycerides, blood pressure, and regulating abnormal heart rhythms. It can also reduce the risk of death from heart attack and strokes, and slows plaque buildup in the arteries. Now researchers from UC San Diego School of Medicine have identified the molecular mechanism that makes omega-3 fatty acids such a great health benefit, particularly in reducing chronic inflammation and insulin resistance. More

Earth's Measurers Say U.S. Needs More Tools for Task
Our Amazing Planet, Sept. 13 -- Geodesy (pronounced gee-ODD-uh-see) is the science that measures the Earth's changing shape, gravity field, and orientation in space. It also pinpoints positions on the planet's surface in relationship with each other. Scientists use geodesy to make more-accurate earthquake predictions, better understand sea-level changes, and gain insight into a range of other natural phenomena. First glimpse of an imperfect planet. Geodesy has made vast leaps forward in just a few decades, said J. Bernard Minster, chairman of the independent committee that conducted the study and a UC San Diego researcher. More

Preliminary Council OK on Marijuana Measure
San Diego Union-Tribune, Sept. 13 -- Some medical marijuana dispensaries moved closer to becoming legal in San Diego on Monday after the City Council took a step toward create zoning laws for their use. (Mentions UC San Diego) More

Job Seekers Help UCSD Set an Enrollment Record
San Diego 6, Sept. 13 -- UC San Diego set a record last year with an enrollment of nearly 55,600 in extended studies classes, a 2 percent increase from the year before, and an 11 percent jump over the past three years, the school announced Monday. More

State Energy Law Can Save Average Home $670
San Diego Union-Tribune, Sept. 13 -- California’s clean energy laws could help blunt the impact of gas and oil price spikes, according to a new study released today by economists from three environmental groups. (Quotes UC San Diego economist Richard Carson) More

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