A Sampling of Clips for 
December 23, 2004 - January 03, 2005

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

Waterborne Debris Could Devastate Region's Coral
Los Angeles Times, Dec. 31-The reefs are vital to the marine ecosystem and the tourist industry. Many reefs were already threatened, making recovery less likely. (Quote by Jeremy Jackson, a professor at Scripps Institution of Oceanography.) More

All Things Considered
National Public Radio, Dec. 30-Scientists who detected the earthquake that caused the deadly Indian Ocean tsunami could do little to warn people in the path of the wave. (Q & A with UCSD seismologist Peter Davis.) More

Drug Approved For Lung Disease
New York Times, Dec. 30-CoTherix, a biopharmaceutical development company, said yesterday that the Food and Drug Administration had approved its inhaled drug solution Ventavis for the treatment of a pulmonary disease. (Quote by Dr. Lewis J. Rubin, director of the pulmonary hypertension program at UCSD.) More

Similar article appeared in:
CNN, Dec. 30

Sun, Sand and a Sea of Municipal Headaches
New York Times, Jan. 2-This city never was the seaside nirvana its promoters sold, but its residents were blithely content to believe the myth, as long as the sun kept shining, the snowbirds kept spending and the real estate values kept rising. (Quote by Steven Erie, a professor of political science at UCSD.) More

City's Woes Carry into 2005
Los Angeles Times, Jan. 2-To a degree unthinkable just a year ago, San Diego enters the new year with its financial future in the grip of outside agencies and the city's much-praised "quality of life" imperiled by a fiscal debacle. (Quote by Steve Erie, political science professor at UCSD.) More

Out of the Blue
Los Angeles Times, Jan. 2-It's whale watching made easy in the waters of the north Pacific, where the ocean's superstars put on quite a show. And now, visitors can have a ringside seat. (Quote by Shelley Glenn Lee of Scripps Institution of Oceanography.) More

Riverside Sees Arts as Key to a Vital Core
Los Angeles Times, Jan. 3-Riverside leaders are staking downtown's revival on the creation of a cultural and nightlife hotspot for the booming Inland Empire; a place where people in Riverside and San Bernardino counties can go for a night on the town without driving to Los Angeles or Orange County. (Quote by Steven Erie, director of the Urban Studies and Planning Program at UCSD.) More

Encore Presentation: A Look at Limits of Human Endurance
CNN, House Call with DR. Sanjay Gupta, Dec. 26-Q & A with Dr. Brownie Schoene, a professor of medicine at UCSD. More

Bickering Heights
CNN, Dec. 28-Think of them as kids squabbling in the backseat on a long car ride. In the case of Congress, there doesn't seem to be much hope that they'll quiet down and cooperate. (Quote by Keith T. Poole, a professor at UCSD.) More

Undeniable Global Warming
Washington Post, Dec. 26-Many people have the impression that there is significant scientific disagreement about global climate change. It's time to lay that misapprehension to rest. (Article written by Naomi Oreskes, an associate history professor and science-studies program director at UCSD.) More

2004: The Year Global Warming Got Respect
National Geographic News, Dec. 29-In 2004, global warming made the covers of National Geographic and Business Week magazines, was the subject of a blockbuster movie, and was a theme in a Michael Crichton's best-selling novel State of Fear-all signs that the issue has captured widespread media attention. (Quote by Naomi Oreskes, an associate history professor and science-studies program director at UCSD.) More

What do you Believe When Drug Messages Conflict?
USA Today, Dec. 27-The back and forth on Crestor is dizzying. The newest and most-powerful cholesterol drug on the market is safe, insists its maker. No, it's not, some consumer advocates argue. (Quote by Jay Cohen, an associate professor of family and preventive medicine at UCSD.) More

Fear and Fear Mongering
San Francisco Chronicle, Column, Jan. 2-When asked Monday if climate change -- global warming -- was behind the deadly Asian tsunami, the United Nation's Jan Egeland -- he of "stingy" aid fame -- said no, the tsunami was a "geologically caused" disaster. (Refers to research by UCSD.) More

Geologists: Tsunamis Little Threat Here
San Diego Union-Tribune, Dec. 28-San Diego County cannot be struck by the type of massive earthquake that shook South Asia on Sunday, and the region's sea-floor ridges, canyons and islands would rob an incoming tsunami of its destructive power, geologists said. (Quote by Jean-Bernard Minster, a geophysicist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography.) More

Post-Tsunami Health Concerns in Devastated Areas
KFMB, Dec. 29-The number of people who have died in the Asian tsunamis is incomprehensible to most of us. However, the worst may still be yet to come because of the serious health consequences. (Q & A with Joseph Vinetz, a professor of infectious diseases at UCSD.) More

Study Says Protein p53 Weeds Out Mutations
San Diego Union-Tribune, Dec. 27-UCSD scientists have identified a protein in embryonic stem cells that helps weed out mutations as the cells proliferate. Its action may protect a developing embryo from DNA damage that could lead to cancer later in life. (Quote by Yang Xu, an associate professor of biology at UCSD who led the study.) More

Similar articles appeared in:
Innovations Report, Dec. 27
News-Medical, Dec. 26
Bloomberg, Dec. 26

Tobacco Industry Research Grants Spur Debate
San Francisco Chronicle, Dec. 27-Nearly four years ago, the University of California's Board of Regents smothered a controversy by barring the university from investing in tobacco, primarily due to health risks associated with smoking. But the university takes millions of dollars each year from the tobacco industry to fund research. More

Parents and Teachers Walk Door-to-Door to Fulfill a Dream
San Diego Union-Tribune, Jan. 1-Bands of parents and teachers are walking door-to-door in southeastern San Diego circulating petitions in hopes of transforming two failing neighborhood schools into high-achieving charter schools, like the Preuss School at UCSD. More

Highlights from 366 Days of Local News Events
San Diego Union-Tribune, Jan. 1-North Carolina State University Chancellor Marye Anne Fox took over at UCSD after Robert Dynes left the job to lead the 10-campus UC system. More

Homeowners Say UCSD Dragging Feet on Erosion
San Diego Union-Tribune, Dec. 29-Some Scripps Ranch homeowners look out their back doors and see a hillside of sliding earth, and they blame UCSD for not being a good neighbor. More

White Tongue Bumps are Usually Harmless
San Diego Union-Tribune, Dec. 28-Q & A with William Norcross, M.D., medical professor and chief of family medicine at UCSD. More

Taking Pains
San Diego Union-Tribune, Dec. 28-As if the pain of sore and swollen joints isn't bad enough, now arthritis sufferers have to endure the confusion and frustration of having some of their most effective pain relievers declared risky. (Quote by Dr. Gary Firestein, director of UCSD's division of rheumatology, allergy and immunology.) More

New Yorker Hits Town, Dancing as Fast as She Can
San Diego Union-Tribune, Dec. 26-Times are tough for all the arts, all over the country, but dance in San Diego is especially vulnerable because there are so few financially stable local institutions to support the creation and presentation of this most human art form. Into this breach stepped Allyson Green, a New Yorker and current UCSD instructor. More

Indian Veterans Honored in Display
San Diego Union-Tribune, Dec. 26-It's not a huge display by conventional standards -- just a small room in a modest museum in an out-of-the-way glade in Balboa Park. (Quote by exhibit curator Abe Shragge, a history professor at UCSD.) More

North Coastal Athlete of the Week: Carolyn Rainey
San Diego Union-Tribune, Dec. 30-Fitness profile of Carolyn Rainey, who has worked in the archives department at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography for the last 23 years. More

Questions Answered
San Diego Union-Tribune, Dec. 29-Q & A column by Sherry Seethaler, a UCSD science writer and educator who answers science questions submitted by San Diego Union-Tribune readers. More