A Sampling of Clips for 
February 08 - 09, 2005

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

Focus Narrows in Search for Autism's Cause
New York Times, Feb. 8-There comes a point in every great mystery when a confusing set of clues begins to narrow. For scientists who study autism, that moment may be near, thanks to a combination of new tools for examining brain anatomy and of old-fashioned keen observation. (Refers to research conducted by Dr. Eric Courchesne, a neuroscientist at UCSD.) More

New Diagnosis for Overweight; Major
Risk Factors Add Up to 'Metabolic Syndrome'
Washington Post, Feb. 8-A growing number of Americans are being told they have "metabolic syndrome," a diagnosis that has become alarmingly common, primarily because of the obesity epidemic. A syndrome is a collection of symptoms that make someone prone to disease. (Quote by Daniel Einhorn of UCSD.) More

Same article appeared in:
MSNBC, Feb. 8

Is it Possible to Achieve Perfect Pitch?
ABC Channel 7, San Francisco, Feb. 8-Absolute perfect pitch is something you're born with, but new research by UCSD psychology professor Diana Deutsch finds some people can learn a form of perfect pitch. More

Similar article appeared in:
APA Monitor, Feb. 5

Wiley Announces Publication of Databasing the Brain
Medical News Today, Feb. 8-A new book co-authored by Shankar Subramaniam, Ph.D., the Director of the Bioinformatics Graduate Program at UCSD, examines the exciting new field of neuroinformatics. More

Seismic Network Could Improve Disaster Response
Innovations Report, Feb. 8-While nothing can undo the devastation from the massive tsunami that recently struck in Southeast Asia, lives can be saved in the future if scientists can rapidly characterize the earthquakes that cause tsunami. The quick response of the Global Seismographic Network, co-operated by UCSD, to the 26 December 2004 Sumatra- Andaman earthquake offers clear opportunities to reduce the amount of time before an emergency response and assistance could be dispatched to a similarly afflicted area in the future. More

Starting Lines
San Diego Union-Tribune, Feb. 9-Before stem cell therapies ever cure anything, there will first need to be a lot more stem cells. (Refers to research by UCSD.) More

Researchers Study Birth of New Language in Bedouin Village
San Diego Union-Tribune, Feb. 9- Linguists studying a signing system that spontaneously developed in an isolated Bedouin village say they have captured a new language being generated from scratch, according to a new study co-authored by Carol Padden of UCSD. More

Similar articles appeared in:
Die Welt, Germany, Feb. 9
Deccan Herald, India, Feb. 9

Officials: Hospital's Departure Spells Health Care Doom
NBC San Diego, Feb. 7-Congressman Bob Filner and other South Bay community leaders gathered Monday to express their concerns about the recent proposal by the UCSD Medical Center to move their facility. UCSD Medical Center Executive Chief Richard Liekweg strongly refuted any concerns suggesting that UCSD Medical Center is in any way considering reducing health care services for any patients, in the South Bay or in any other part of the county. More

Similar article appeared in:
San Diego Union-Tribune, Feb. 7

UCSD Officials Push for Hospital
Consolidation; Opponents Vow Fight
San Diego Daily Transcript, Feb. 7-Despite concerns by some that UCSD's vision to consolidate its two hospital facilities and regionalize its outpatient resources will harm the underserved, university officials believe the plan will only enhance their commitment to the community. More

A Date to Remember
San Diego Union-Tribune, Diane Bell, Feb. 8-UCSD Chancellor Marye Anne Fox arrived in town last summer. And she is already turning heads with her appearance as a calendar girl - "Miss October," to be precise. More

Schools Bracing for Bush's Budget Cuts
San Diego Union-Tribune, Feb. 9-California's schools are bracing for a funding hit, outlined this week in President Bush's proposed budget that would eliminate 48 education programs and shift more money toward the national effort to raise student achievement and improve test scores. (Quote by Rafael Hernandez who helps run academic preparation programs at UCSD.) More

Trolley gets OK to Pursue U.S. Funding
San Diego Union-Tribune, Feb. 9-The U.S. Department of Transportation has selected the proposed extension of the San Diego Trolley to UCSD and University City for possible startup funding in fiscal 2006. More

Citizen Naturalists Flock Together
San Diego Union-Tribune, Richard Louv, Feb. 8- In recent decades, basic natural history has faded from our schools, from science, and from daily life. But, just in time, a citizen naturalist movement may yet revive natural history - and with it, the idea that we cannot value what we cannot name. (Quote by Paul Dayton, an oceanographer at Scripps Institution of Oceanography.) More