A Sampling of Clips for 
April 6, 2006

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

Beauty and the Fattened Wallet
The New York Times, April 6 -- Economists have long recognized that physical beauty affects wages, even in occupations where appearance does not seem relevant to job performance. It seems that attractive men and women are paid more than ordinary people for the same work. The question is why. (Cites research by economist James Andreoni of UCSD.) More

Orcas’ Habitat Polluted by Noise
Seattle Post-Intelligencer, April 6 -- Imagine someone coming to your neighborhood and repeatedly tooting his horn -- for half an hour or more. That's pretty much what it sounded like Wednesday when scientists meeting in Seattle to explore threats to orcas played underwater recordings of a cargo ship's passage by an orca hangout. It wasn't quite as irritating as a car alarm -- but close. (Quotes John Hildebrand, a Scripps Institution of Oceanography scientist.) More

Tea May Fight Ovarian, Breast Cancers
WebMD, April 5 -- Potent chemicals found in tea can help ward off ovarian and breast cancers, new research suggests. Broccoli and kale are also rich sources of cancer-fighting flavonoids, says Margaret Gates, a doctoral candidate at the Harvard School of Public Health who has been studying their link to ovarian cancer. Flavonoids are believed to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity. Her research suggests that women who increase their consumption of kaempferol, a type of flavonoid, can lower their risk of ovarian cancer by nearly 40%. (Quotes Cedric Garland, doctor of pharmacy and preventive medicine specialist at UCSD.) More

Finding a Better Way
to Quiet Noisy Environments
PhysOrg.Com, April 6 -- Researchers at UCSD report in the April 4 issue of the Journal of Sound and Vibration a new mathematical algorithm designed to dramatically improve noise-cancellation technologies that are used to quiet everything from airplane cabins to commercial air conditioning systems. The new technique improves the ability to achieve destructive interference, the generation of anti-noise signals that combine with and destroy unwanted sounds. (Quotes Raymond de Callafon, co-author of the paper and a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at UCSD’s Jacobs School of Engineering.) More

Alzheimer’s Trial Update
Science Central, April 6 -- Like the rest of the eighteen million Alzheimer's sufferers worldwide, Lola Crosswhite must battle the disease using everyday tactics — the help of medications, written reminders, and assistance from family members, like her daughter Diana Shaw. However, unlike most Alzheimer's patients, Crosswhite also had access to something extra — an experimental gene therapy that she says delayed her decline from Alzheimer's for two years. (Quotes study leader Mark Tuszynski, a neuroscience professor at UCSD.) More