A Sampling of Clips for December 12^th, 2008

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

The Happiness Effect
TIME Magazine, Dec. 11 – Public-health experts are beginning to wonder whether certain health-related behaviors are just as contagious as microbes. And what if not only behaviors but also moods and mental states work the same way? Can you catch a case of happy? Increasingly, the answer seems to be yes. That's the intriguing conclusion from a body of work by Harvard social scientist Dr. Nicholas Christakis and his political-science colleague James Fowler at UCSD. More

Stations in the Seas: Permanent Underwater Observatories
Scientific American, December 2008 -- To study the oceans, scientists rely on a network of orbiting satellites and surface vessels. But space-borne instruments cannot penetrate the inky surface, and ship time remains expensive and scarce. These frustrations, compounded by the growing need to understand global changes, have spurred researchers to design the Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI)—a $330-million project that promises to herald the next generation of oceanographic study. (Quotes Uwe Send, a physical oceanographer at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and John Orcutt, a Scripps geophysicist) More

In China, Anger Rises as Economy Falls
Los Angeles Times, Dec. 12 -- The signs of discontent are small but unnerving in an authoritarian country where public demonstrations are not permitted. (Quotes Susan Shirk, a professor at UCSD) More

Meddling in Kenya's Elections
The Nation, Dec. 10 -- In the past few weeks, I've talked with a lot of Kenyans about what they think Barack Obama's victory means for them personally and for the country. (Mentions UCSD) More

Reef Record Suggests Impending Sumatra Quakes
Science News, Dec. 11 -- The magnitude-8.4 and -7.9 quakes that slammed the Mentawai Islands southwest of Sumatra in September 2007 are likely just the first in a series of major temblors that will strike that region in the coming decades, new analyses of the archipelago’s coral reefs suggest. (Quotes Yehuda Bock, a geophysicist at Scripps Institution of Oceanography) More

Hope for Change in Public Debate?
San Diego Union-Tribune, Opinion, Dec. 12 -- One of the main stances that set Barack Obama's candidacy apart from those of his opponents was his early opposition to the Iraq war. This anti-war view, expressed most famously in an October 2002 speech in Chicago, undoubtedly helped the junior senator from Illinois in the fierce primary contest against Sen. Hillary Clinton. (Written by Thomas Medvetz, an authority on think tanks and intellectuals, and a faculty member of the Department of Sociology at the UCSD) More

UCSD Receives Grant to Fund New Study
10News, Dec. 11 -- A $7.6 million grant by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will fund a UCSD study on challenges faced by low-income youth who want to enter the job market or college, it was announced Thursday.  More

Experts on Sleep Discuss Insomnia, Napping, Irregular Sleep Schedules
KPBS, Dec. 11 -- One of the problems with analyzing our sleep is we don't really know what a normal sleep schedule ought to be. Is eight hours of uninterrupted sleep every night, with no naps during the day, really the best approach? It's what our culture expects of us. But is it the best thing for our bodies? These Days host Tom Fudge discusses the topic with guests, including Dr. Sara Mednick, professor at UCSD, and author of “Take a Nap! Change your Life.” More

Life Technologies, Novocell Receive Stem Cell Agency Grants
San Diego Business Journal, Dec. 11 -- A governing board for the state stem cell agency voted Dec. 10 to approve more than $19 million in funding for a new round of grants intended to accelerate stem cell research. The Scripps Research Institute also won two grants and UCSD took another. More

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