A Sampling of Clips for
August 30th, 2007
* UCSD faculty and staff may obtain a copy of an article by e-mailing the University Communications Office
Is Perfect Pitch All in the Genes?
The Washington Post, Aug. 30 -- A Web-based do-it-yourself study has found evidence for a possible genetic basis for absolute pitch, the rare ability to identify the pitch of a musical note without other notes as reference, researchers report. (Quotes Diana Deutsch, a professor of psychology at UCSD) More
Similar story in
Forbes
Atlanta Journal Constitution
A Polarizing Bush Despite a New Cast
The New York Times, Aug. 30 -- Alberto R. Gonzales, the polarizing attorney general, is going, and Karl Rove, the polarizing political adviser, is on the way out. Now, supposedly, the political temperature can finally cool in Washington. The two parties can settle into a more productive relationship, and President Bush can manage a few more accomplishments in his final 16 months in office. (Quotes UCSD political scientist Gary Jacobson) More
Ancient Microbes Repair DNA
The Scientist, Bacteria frozen in permafrost for hundreds of thousands of years slowly respirate and repair their DNA, according to a report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences this week. The strategy may explain how life persists over geologic time scales, the authors say. (Quotes Jeffrey Bada of UCSD, who has developed probes for frozen Martian life for NASA) More
Tipping Points
San Diego Union-Tribune, Aug. 30 -- Most climatologists believe a rise in global temperatures has been going on for more than a century. But the warming trend has occurred against a backdrop of other fluctuations. Every few decades, the Earth's climate appears to undergo a major shift. (Quotes Alexander Gershunov, a researcher at the Climate Research Division of UCSD’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography) More
San Diego's Nobel Prize Winners
San Diego Magazine, Aug. 2007 -- Over the years, a lot of San Diegans have brought home a Nobel Prize. Here’s the list of our laureates (grouped by institution affiliation), along with the years and fields for which they won. (Lists 11 Nobel Prize winners at UCSD) More
Shark Attacks Surfer off NorCal Beach
NBC San Diego, Aug. 28 -- A surfer is in critical condition Tuesday after being attacked by a shark at Marina State Beach in Monterey County. (Quotes Robert Burhans of Birch Aquarium at Scripps) More
Similar story on
Fox 6 San Diego
Former UCSD Player Signs
San Diego Union-Tribune, Aug. 30 -- Rafael Bergstrom, who played at UCSD from 2001-04, became the first player to sign a pro baseball contract in the U.S. out of the Israel Baseball League. More
Television
North County Times, Aug. 30 -- UCSD-TV features excellent foreign films on Saturday nights, and it's gathered some of those films for two tributes to legendary directors. Films by Swedish director Ingmar Bergman ---- "Wild Strawberries, " "The Silence," "Through a Glass Darkly," "The Virgin Spring" and "Persona" ---- will air from 4 p.m. to midnight Saturday. The following week, Sept. 8, the films of Italian director Michelangelo Antonioni ---- "Le Amiche," "Il Grido," "Red Desert" and "L'Eclisse" ---- will air from 4 p.m. to midnight. More