A Sampling of Clips for February 10^th, 2009

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

Statins Cut Risk of Dying--Even if You Don't Have Heart Disease
Scientific American, Feb. 10 -- Cholesterol-lowering statins are the best-selling class of drugs in the country. But as their pool of takers has expanded, critics have complained that the meds, while effective in reducing heart attacks and strokes, haven’t been proven to save lives. (Quotes Beatrice Golomb, an associate professor of medicine at UCSD who's leading another study of statin side effects) More

Einstein Robot Head Dazzles Tech Conference
FOX News, Feb. 10 -- Albert Einstein looked around, made eye contact and smiled. Of course, the renowned scientist has been dead for more than 50 years, but he was reincarnated last week in the form of a so-called "empathetic robot" that pushes the boundaries of automation by being able to interact with people using emotional nuances. Einstein got his personality three weeks ago when it was married to software from the Institute for Neural Computation at UCSD. More

Giant Snakes Ahead
The Washington Post, Feb. 10 -- According to a new paper in the journal Nature, because of global warming, we're all going to die from giant snakes. Perhaps this panic is a bit overheated, since according to the article, the gargantuan snakes actually lived during a warm period about 58 to 60 million years ago, following the extinction of the dinosaurs, and there is no evidence of their existence today. (Mentions research by Veerabhadran Ramanathan and William Collins of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography) More

Businesses Going Bankrupt
Inc.com, Feb. 10 -- There were more bankruptcies in 2008 than at any time since 2005, when federal law made it tougher to file for bankruptcy. (Quotes Michelle White, a UCSD economist) More

Imperial Beach Pollution Experiment Focus of Public Meeting
San Diego Union-Tribune, Feb. 10 — Scientists from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography during a public meeting tomorrow will explain a pollution experiment they are planning for the waters off Imperial Beach. In September and October, the La Jolla-based researchers will study the movement and dilution of contaminants along the shoreline. More

UC San Diego Fencers are Used to Toiling in Obscurity
North County Times, Feb. 10 -- Despite the toughest schedule on campus, a nationally renowned coach and plenty of homegrown talent, the UCSD fencing team is probably the school's most obscure athletic program. More

Is Politician Helping Insurance Companies Raise Rates?
10News, Feb. 10 -- The year was 1988. A David and Goliath battled raged between California consumers and big business over Proposition 103, which was meant to keep insurance companies from price gouging. (Quotes UCSD political scientist Thad Kousser) More

Portion of Research Grant Benefits Cystinosis Research
Del Mar Times, Feb 9 -- A portion of $425,528 in Cystinosis Research Foundation grants to work on treatments and a cure for the rare and deadly metabolic disorder will fund a research position at UCSD for three years, the Irvine-based foundation announced Monday. More

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