A Sampling of Clips for June 23^rd, 2008

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

New Source of Heart Stem Cells Found
Forbes, June 22 -- Researchers in the United States have discovered a new group of stem cells that can give rise to heart muscle cells, known as cardiomyocytes, according to a study published Sunday. The results were independently verified by another team of scientists at UCSD, whose research was published in the same issue of Nature. More

Similar story on
CNBC
Sydney Morning Herald

Barbara Kruger Goes Back to School
Los Angeles Times, June 23 -- As your eyes plot the final few steps down the central staircase in UCSD’s new student center, they land on a red terrazzo text panel that reads: "Perfect order is the forerunner of perfect horror." Not exactly a soft landing but certainly an interesting one. Not far from that Carlos Fuentes quote is one in charcoal tones from Franz Kafka: "The meaning of life is that it stops." More

McCain Could Have a Conflict Brewing
Los Angeles Times, June 23 – Hensley & Co., one of the nation's major beer wholesalers, has brought the family of Cindy McCain wealth, prestige and influence in Phoenix, but it could also create conflicts for her husband, Sen. John McCain, if he is elected president in November. (Quotes UCSD political scientist Samuel L. Popkin) More

Similar story in
Seattle Times

Blue Whale Song is Getting Deeper
Daily Telegraphy, U.K., June 21 -- The haunting song of the world's biggest animal, the blue whale, is getting deeper, researchers at Scripps Institution of Oceanography have discovered. Underwater recordings of the giant endangered mammals have revealed that the tone of their rhythmic pulses and moans has become steadily lower as their population have slowly recovered after nearly being wiped out by whaling. More

Brain Games
MIT Technology Review, July 2008 -- In the hands of neurologists, electroencephalography can be a powerful tool for, say, identifying the source of seizures in epilepsy patients. But game developers want to use EEG to let players control virtual environments with their minds.  (Quotes UCSD neuroscientist Scott Makeig) More

As Guard Wraps Up, Debate Revs Up on Border
Chicago Tribune, June 22 -- The National Guard's two-year mission is now wrapping up, to end by mid-July, but there's controversy about its withdrawal as there was about its deployment, which some initially criticized as excessive militarization of the nation's southern boundary. This time, the dispute is about extending their stay. (Quotes Wayne Cornelius, director of the Center for Comparative Immigration Studies at UCSD) More

L.A. May Flush Old Fears of Toilet to Tap
Los Angeles Daily News, June 21 -- Eight years after Los Angeles leaders killed a multimillion-dollar water-recycling project amid vitriolic debate over politics and safety, the dubiously dubbed "toilet to tap" plan is back.  (Quotes UCSD political scientist Steve Erie) More

Next Chapter in Life Starts with Graduation
San Diego Union-Tribune, June 23 – Annie Chen was one of about 900 students participating in the Muir graduation at UCSD’s La Jolla campus. Throughout the day, 1,600 more students participated in three separate ceremonies for the International Relations/Pacific Studies Graduate School, Thurgood Marshall College and Sixth College. More

Global Woes Send Wall St. into Tailspin
San Diego Union-Tribune, June 21 – Concerns about skyrocketing oil prices, the deteriorating state of banking balance sheets and the growingly fragility of the global economy shook Wall Street yesterday, pushing the stock market to one of its lowest points this year. (Quotes Allan Timmerman, professor of finance at UCSD) More

More and Bigger Jellyfish Could be Spotted at Beaches
San Diego Union-Tribune, June 21 – Purple-striped jellyfish are a sign of summer, as regular a visitor to San Diego as tourists from Iowa. In recent years, though, local sightings have risen dramatically, and exotic jellyfish species such as the black sea nettle have appeared in greater numbers. (Quotes Vincent Levesque, an aquarist at the Birch Aquarium at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography) More

Local Scientists Find Worm-Like
CreatureProviding Clues About Human Evolution
KPBS, June 23 -- A worm-like marine animal is providing fresh clues about human evolution. KPBS Reporter Ed Joyce has more on the research by scientists at UCSD’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography. More

Similar story in
Scientist Live, U.K.

Conrad Prebys Awards Additional $3 Million to UCSD Music Dept.
San Diego Business Journal, June 23 -- The UCSD Department of Music received a $3 million gift from Conrad Prebys to establish the Conrad Prebys Music Endowment. A concert hall will be named the Conrad Prebys Concert Hall in recognition of Prebys’ gift, which comes one year after Prebys gave $6 million to continue construction of its music center. “UCSD’s Music Department is already doing incredible work with contemporary music and has the potential to become even greater,” said Prebys. More