A Sampling of Clips for June 20^th, 2008

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

Greenland Ice Shows Rapid Climate Flips, Study Says
National Geographic, June 20 -- Violent swings in weather patterns occurred after Earth's climate crossed "tipping points" thousands of years ago, a new study argues. In as little as three years, patterns in the atmosphere have suddenly shifted and flipped into a new state, apparently contributing to rapid warming of the Northern Hemisphere, according to the new analysis of an ice core from northern Greenland. (Quotes Jeffrey Severinghaus, a geoscientist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography)  More

Doctors Not Telling Women About Plan B
CBS News, June 20 -- Despite widespread misinformation about emergency contraception — the so-called morning-after pill — only 3 percent of women's doctors discuss Plan B with them. The finding comes from data collected during face-to-face interviews with 7,643 women aged 15 to 44. (Quotes David M. Plourd, MD, clinical instructor at UCSD). More

Predicting Success, Preventing Failure
San Francisco Chronicle, Opinion, June 20 -- After the sounds of "Pomp and Circumstance" have faded, Californians will find out just how many high school seniors actually graduated this year. A significant number will be denied diplomas because they failed the California High School Exit Exam. (Written by Julian Betts professor of economics at UCSD and Andrew Zau, a senior statistician in the economics department at UCSD) More

Wonder Drugs That Can Kill
Discover Magazine, June 20 --  Ken Johnson, senior vice president of Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, says that FDA drug approval procedures are “the gold standard of the world” and that the United States has “one of the strongest drug safety records.” (Quotes Beatrice Golomb, associate professor of medicine at the UCSD School of Medicine) More

Empty Oceans
Christian Science Monitor, June 20 Conservationists have long lobbied for regulating international waters. In recent years, the effort has borne fruit in the form of nonbinding agreements. But some, doubting the efficacy of nonenforceable pacts, think high fuel costs are the high seas’ best hope. (Quotes Tony Koslow, a deep-sea ecologist at Scripps Institution of Oceanography) More

Brokers Threatened by Run on Shadow Bank System
CBS MarketWatch, June 19 -- A network of lenders, brokers and opaque financing vehicles outside traditional banking that ballooned during the bull market now is under siege as regulators threaten a crackdown on the so-called shadow banking system. (Quotes UCSD economics professor James Hamilton) More

Dr. Andrew Lowy, UCSD Chief Oncologist
KUSI, June 19 – Moores UCSD Cancer Center has been named one of the 40 comprehensive cancer centers in the nation. KUSI interviews Dr. Andrew Lowy, UCSD chief oncologist, about the new cancer treatments offered at the center. More