A Sampling of Clips for August 28^th, 2008

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

Snapshot: Olympic Observers
Nature, Aug. 28 -- In effect, the Olympics organizers performed a tantalizing experiment, reducing regional emissions of soot and other aerosol pollutants on a scale that only climate modellers could dream of before now. On August 9, scientists from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UCSD began launching small unmanned planes (pictured) that will monitor the results of this experiment through the end of September. More

Desalination Closer to Reality in California
Discovery Channel, Aug. 27 -- California is closer to hosting the largest desalination plant in the country, but not everybody thinks it's a good idea. (Quotes Jeffrey Graham, a marine biologist at Scripps Institution of Oceanography) More

Why Climate-Change Denial Persists
Irish Times, Aug. 28 – Nearly one third of Americans still believe there is no solid scientific evidence for climate change. And half of those believe that scientists are still debating the issue. This confusion, according to a US historian, is no accident and comes is a direct result of campaigning by special interest groups to confuse the public and sow doubts about the reality of changing climate. The nature of this campaign will be revealed in a public lecture in Dublin next week by Prof. Naomi Oreskes, history professor at UCSD. More

Magmatically Triggered Slow
EarthquakeDiscovered at Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii
Hawaii Reporter, Aug. 29 -- From June 17-19th 2007, Kilauea experienced a new dike intrusion, where magma rapidly moved from a storage reservoir beneath the summit into the east rift zone and extended the rift zone by as much as 1 meter. Researchers from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UCSD, and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Hawaiian Volcano Observatory have now discovered that the 2007 dike intrusion was not the only action going on. More

Speech a Landmark Moment in History and Race Relations
San Diego Union-Tribune, Aug. 29 -- Promising a break from the “worn-out ideas and politics of the past,” Sen. Barack Obama's address last night was a celebration of Democratic unity, an invitation to wary independents and a stinging rebuke of Republican Sen. John McCain, whose recent momentum was likely blunted by an effective convention. (Quotes UCSD political scientist Sam Popkin) More

Wolfgang Puck Opens Asian Restaurant Jai at La Jolla Playhouse
North County Times, Aug. 28 -- In Thai, the word jai means "heart," and in China, it refers to a good-luck dish. But there's another reason superstar chef Wolfgang Puck chose Jai (pronounced "Jay") as the name for his new restaurant on the La Jolla Playhouse campus at UCSD. It's a play on the monogram for Joan and Irwin Jacobs, the La Jolla philanthropists whose multimillion-dollar donation to the Playhouse helped make the restaurant possible. More

UCSD Researchers ID Gene Linked To Macular Degeneration
10News, Aug. 28 -- Dr. Kang Zhang of UCSD is part of a joint team of U.S. and Chinese researchers that have identified a gene linked to a disease that effects millions of senior citizens. More

Turning Back the Clock With Cosmetic Acupuncture
News8, Aug. 28 -- Every year, Americans spend billions of dollars to look younger, trying everything from Botox to plastic surgery. But an ancient form of eastern medicine called "cosmetic acupuncture" offers a less costly alternative. (Quotes Dr. James Chao of UCSD) More

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