A Sampling of Clips for August 10^th, 2009

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

Extinction Hits 'Whole Families'
BBC News, Aug. 7 - Whole "chunks of life" are lost in extinction events, as related species vanish together, say UCSD scientists. A study in the journal Science shows that extinctions tend to "cluster" on evolutionary lineages - wiping out species with a common ancestor. More

Similar stories in
Science

Gym Shooter a Classic Mass Murderer, Experts Say
CNN, Aug. 7 -- George Sodini, the man who killed three women and wounded nine others before killing himself Tuesday at a Pennsylvania fitness center, showed in his writings typical characteristics of a mass murderer, experts say. (Quotes Dr. J. Reid Meloy, a forensic psychologist and clinical professor of psychiatry at UCSD) More

Rodent of the Week: Reconnecting Axons in Spinal Cord Injuries
Los Angeles Times, Aug. 7 -- For many years, researchers have toiled to find ways to heal the kinds of spinal cord injuries that lead to paralysis. In another step toward that goal, scientists at UCSD have demonstrated that regenerated axons -- the part of nerves needed to transmit signals -- can be guided to their correct targets to re-form neural connections. More

‘New’ Faults Pose Possible Threat to O.C.
Orange County Register, Aug 10 -- The Scripps Institution of Oceanography has discovered at least a dozen faults beneath the Salton Sea, many of which appear capable of producing earthquakes measuring at least 6.0 in magnitude. More

Clinical Trial of Alzheimer's Gene Therapy Moves Forward
San Diego Union-Tribune, Aug. 10 -- Researchers at UCSD will soon launch the second-phase clinical trial of a promising gene therapy for Alzheimer's disease, one that attempts to boost the survival and functioning of brain cells. More

Andrew Wright; UCSD Literature
Department Co-Founder Also was Bookbinder
San Diego Union-Tribune, Aug. 8 -- Andrew Wright may have been the only university professor who could not only write an authoritative book on the structure of Jane Austen's novels, but also was capable of fashioning the tome itself using his skills as an accomplished bookbinder. Dr. Wright, a Harvard graduate with advanced degrees in literature, arrived in La Jolla in 1963 to help start a literature department for the newest University of California campus. He went on to play a role in developing UCSD's library and campus diversity. More

Irvine Teen Heads to Law School
The Orange County Register, Aug. 7 -- She skipped six grades, enrolled in community college at age 12 and graduated from UCSD at 17. Only one class in her entire academic career has been challenging, she says – Calculus II, at age 13 – and now she's headed to Northwestern University this fall for law school. More

Similar stories in
The Wall Street Journal

Energizer Money
San Diego Union-Tribune, Aug. 10 -- This summer, the Obama administration plans to announce how it will distribute some $2 billion in stimulus grants to companies that make such advanced batteries for hybrid or all-electric vehicles and related components. International Battery is vying for a modest chunk of it. (Mentions UCSD) More

Commander of Navy Region Southwest Retires
KPBS, Aug. 10 -- The Commander of the Navy in San Diego, Admiral Len Hering, retires this week. Hering has been in charge of all naval operations in the Southwest for the past four years. He has a lot to say about the need for the military to promote sustainability and to become a better employer. (Mentions UCSD) More

Niki de Saint Phalle’s Art in San Diego
San Diego News Network, Aug. 7 -- San Diego has been called home by many great human beings, including Jonas Salk, Roger and Ellen Revelle, Joan Kroc, and of course, Dr. Seuss. One person who isn’t always included in this list is the mercurial and extremely talented artist, Niki de Saint Phalle. (Mentions UCSD) More

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