A Sampling of Clips for 
February 22 - 25, 2003

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

A REVOLUTION AT 50
New York Times, Feb. 25 – In the future, years or maybe decades from now, the nascent genetic revolution will play out in ways that will transform the world. But perhaps because it is in the genes of scientists to disagree, there is no consensus on how soon or how great the changes will be. (Quotes Dr. Michael M. Kaback, a geneticist at the University of California at San Diego).
* No link available online.

Cash-Poor UCLA Hospitals Hire Advisors
Los Angeles Times, Feb. 25 - UCLA's hospital system, whose recent financial performance has lagged far behind its four University of California counterparts, has hardly any cash in the bank and is looking to turnaround specialists to lift its income. The largest medical system in the UC chain, UCLA Healthcare reported lower net income than its sister campuses last fiscal year and as of Dec. 31 had only $20,000 cash. (Quotes Dr. Stephen Wasserman, past chairman of the medicine department at the UC San Diego School of Medicine).
* No link available online.

Challenging the brain's canon
Los Angeles Times, Book Review, Feb. 23 – Authors Peggy La Cerra, a graduate in evolutionary psychology from UC Santa Barbara, and Roger Bingham, at the Center for Brain and Cognition at UC San Diego, were outspoken advocates of the evolutionary psychology paradigm for many years. They challenge the canon and reveal that they have become evolutionary psychology revisionists in their book.
* No link available online.

Internet helps researchers share brain images, data
San Diego Union-Tribune, Feb. 23 – Modern maps of the brain, increasingly intricate and complex, are creating a cascade of images and data that scientists are finding hard to manage. Several university labs are making their research available to neuroscientists on the Web. The University of California San Diego is coordinating a national computer network that could become a model for how scientific research is shared. (Quotes Mark Ellisman, a UCSD neuroscientist).
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/uniontrib/sun/metro/news_1m23brain.html

Ride: Dream big and work hard
San Diego Union-Tribune, Feb. 23 – About 350 fifth- through eighth-grade girls packed into the San Diego Aerospace Museum in Balboa Park yesterday to hear Sally Ride, America’s first female astronaut and physics professor at the University of California, San Diego, talk about space and the career trajectory she took to get there. (Quotes Karen Flammer, a physics professor at UCSD).
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20030223-9999_1m23ride.html

Savings plans would help -- and take away
San Diego Union-Tribune, Feb. 23 – Three new saving plans proposed by the Bush administration would allow most Americans to save more money than ever, up to $30,000 a year, in tax-advantaged accounts -- though not necessarily with that critical tax-deduction kick that encourages contributions. (Quotes Ross M. Starr, professor of economics at the University of California San Diego).
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/uniontrib/sun/business/news_mz1b23perry.html

UCSD dog labs do have value
San Diego Union-Tribune, OPINION, Feb. 21 – Critics have urged the UCSD School of Medicine to eliminate dog labs demonstrating basic principles of physiology and pharmacology to medical students. Barbara A. Horwitz, the president of a learned society whose members are researchers and educators in the field of physiology, respectfully disagree. The American Physiological Society believes that animal labs make an important contribution to the education of students. Furthermore, the reasons most schools discontinued them have little to do with their educational value. http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/uniontrib/fri/opinion/news_mz1e21horowt.html

Students could pay dearly in aid deals
San Diego Union-Tribune, Feb. 23 – Students have signed up for the newest form of financial aid where they will have to pay back the loan with a percentage of their earnings after graduation. Each contract is different and based on many elements, including the student's grades, age, major and projected salary. The contracts are just one example of the rapidly growing field of alternative and private loans, which are filling the gap between growing college costs and lagging federal and state financial aid. (Quotes Vincent De Anda, director of UCSD's financial aid).
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/education/20030223-9999_1m23aid.html

Medical students' practices unsettling
San Diego Union-Tribune, Feb. 22 – Many medical students routinely perform pelvic exams on anesthetized women without their consent, according to an article published Saturday in an obstetrics journal. The examinations of their sexual organs occur when patients have gone into operating rooms for other procedures, reports the lead author of the paper in The American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. (Mentions UCSD).
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/uniontrib/sat/news/news_1n22exams.html

Sea's medicinal muck combed for a cure-all
Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Feb. 23 – Bill Fenical, director of The Scripps Center for Marine Biotechnology and Biomedicine, and his team of researchers scour the ocean bottoms in search for new substances to fight disease, including cancer. They have found that microbes at the ocean’s floor, created from centuries of decaying marine life, have the same medicinal qualities as microbes taken from terrestrial sources. The muck represents an untapped source for potentially hundreds of new drugs.
* No link available online.

Head off colds and flu during contagious times
Copley News Service, Feb. 24 – Dr. Leland Rickman, head of UCSD Medical Center’s epidemiology unit, offers advice on how to stay healthy during cold and flu season by preventing the spread of germs through vigorous hand-washing.
* No link available online.

Some say financial reform no magic bullet
United Press International, Feb. 21 – Corporate malfeasances and shaken confidence in financial markets over the past two years have increased the call for sweeping reform in the U.S. financial services sector. But some economists said Friday that restructuring the system won't necessarily improve transparency nor protect consumers any more than under the current system. (Quotes Takeo Hoshi, a professor at UCSD).
* No link available online.

Using science to perfect the world a tough proposition
Rocky Mountain News, OPINION, Feb. 22 – Linda Seebach writes on political issues that have at their core a scientific question. (Quotes Naomi Oreskes, a geologist who is a member of the history department at the University of California at San Diego).
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/news_columnists/article/0,1299,DRMN_86_1762281,00.html