A Sampling of Clips for 
February 17, 2006

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

Cancer, Healthy Cells ‘Talk’ to Each Other
United Press International, Feb. 17 -- Cancer cells and their neighboring healthy cells communicate with one another, researchers said Friday. Scientists at UCSD said their discovery may help unlock the mystery of why cancer cells metastasize, or spread, in some of the body's organs and not others. The findings may cause researchers to rethink the best way to attack cancer, deciding to block or hinder the cancer cells' target organ, rather than directly targeting the cancer cells themselves. More

Guest Editorial:
Battling the Childhood Obesity Epidemic
San Diego Union-Tribune, Feb. 17 -- If you are like many, you have heard of this growing health crisis, but probably think it is something for health care providers and individuals to handle. Just eat properly and get more exercise, right? It is easy to state this individual goal, but it is very complex to alter the environment, which has in large part led to the epidemic. Obesity is due to many things including genetics, education, eating habits, activity levels, amount of TV and computer time. But many factors operate in the environment to thwart the best intentions of families and individuals. (Guest editorial by Philip R. Nader, research professor in pediatrics at UCSD’s Medical School.) More

UCSD Receives $10,000
for Spinal Cord Research
San Diego Daily Transcript, Feb. 16 -- Life Rolls On, a San Diego-based non-profit foundation that advocates on behalf of young people with sustained spinal cord injuries, will donate $10,000 to the UCSD Center for Neural Repair. Lead by Dr. Mark Tuszynski and his UCSD Translational Spinal Cord Regeneration Research Program, the Center for Neural Repair will use the donation for research into spinal cord regeneration by conducting experiments of growth factor therapy to enhance the growth of spared or regenerating nerve fibers. More

Leveling Off Seen for Housing Appreciation
San Diego Union-Tribune, Feb. 17 -- Today's home buyers may be making a soft landing on a plateau. The senior economist for UCLA's widely watched Anderson Forecast said yesterday that people buying a house should expect little or no appreciation in prices over the next five or six years as the state's real estate market cools off from its five-year boom. (Event sponsored by UCSD’s Economics Roundtable held at the campus faculty club.) More

Nature Encourages
Diversity in Tropical Forests
Happy News.Com, Feb. 17 -- An analysis of seven tropical forests around the world has found that nature encourages species diversity by selecting for less common trees as the trees mature. The landmark study, which was conducted by 33 ecologists from 12 countries and published in this week's issue of the journal Science, conclusively demonstrates that diversity matters and has ecological importance to tropical forests. (Quotes study leader Christopher Wills, a biologist at UCSD). More