A Sampling of Clips for December 4^th, 2009

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

Uncovering Secrets of Human Memory
CBS News, Dec. 3 -- Today, at the UCSD Brain Observatory, scientists are shaving hair-fine slices from a frozen and very special brain, seeking to uncover the source of human memory, reports CBS News correspondent Bill Whitaker. "The goal of the lab is to paint a picture of what the brain is like and how that picture is different and makes us who we are," said Jacopo Annese, the director of the Observatory. More

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Loneliness Spreads in Social Networks
CNN International, Dec. 4 -- Have you ever felt cut off from other people, even if there are plenty around you? Maybe you felt all alone in the world, but you were making other people feel lonely without even realizing it. New research suggests loneliness can actually travel from person to person, spreading up to three degrees of separation. That means if your neighbor's cousin's friend is lonely, you may have a good chance of being lonely, too. The results, published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, were also mentioned in the recent book "Connected" by Dr. Nicholas Christakis at Harvard University and James Fowler at UCSD. More

A Burning Issue in the Climate Change Fight
Financial Times, Dec. 4 -- Agnes Nyanzira lives in a camp for internal refugees just outside Goma, eastern Congo, has seven children to care for, has a problem with one of her feet, and feels she spends all day collecting firewood.
That should soon change. On the uneven volcanic ground where she has pitched her tiny tent, Ms Nyanzira is showing off her new, fuel-efficient cooking stove. It is a potent, if modest, weapon against climate change. By burning wood more completely, it will roughly halve the amount of fuel she uses. (Quotes Veerabhadran Ramanathan, a leading climate change scientist at UCSD) More

Hype Vs. Fact In Science News
KPBS, Dec. 2 -- How accurate is the reporting of scientific discoveries in the media today? We'll look at the role of the media in reporting important stories like global warming and stem cell research to the public. (Features interview with Kim McDonald Director of Science Communications at UCSD) More

Tasty Morsels: New Branches
of Old Restaurants and More
San Diego Union-Tribune, Dec. 3 -- The Cohn Restaurant Group's newest venture, La Jolla Strip Club: A Steak Place, opened Tuesday in the Costa Verde Center across from UTC. It is modeled after its older sibling, the Gaslamp Strip Club, and will be a do-it-yourself steak joint and vodka lounge. (Mentions the Zanzibar café at The Loft on UCSD’s campus) More

Kudos to Local People Making Headlines
La Jolla Light, Dec. 2 -- The UCSD Foster Youth Workgroup partnered with Soroptimist International of La Jolla for the first Home for the Holidays campaign, which collected items for 18-year-old foster teens beginning life on their own. The "Just in Time for Foster Youth Donation Drive" was held Nov. 9-20 with collection points across campus. Donated items included pots, pans, small kitchen appliances, desk lamps, laundry baskets and bedding. More

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