A Sampling of Clips for May 1^st, 2009

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

Are Cigarettes More Hazardous Than Ever?
CBS News, April 30 -- A new study presented today suggests that the risk of getting lung cancer from smoking has increased over time due to changes in cigarette design. Up to one half of current lung cancer occurrence could be attributable to cigarette design, according to David Burns and Christy Anderson of the UCSD School of Medicine. More

High and Dry
Nature, April 30 -- Tim Barnett and David Pierce of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego, California, assessed the ability of the Colorado River to meet the demand from scheduled future water deliveries under different climate change scenarios. The authors found that under a conservative scenario of 10 per cent less runoff, expected water deliveries will fall short by 2040, and that with 20 per cent less runoff, water supplies will be inadequate to meet demand by 2025. More

San Diego, Silicon Valley of Algae Innovation?
The New York Times, April 30 -- Does the San Diego region have what it takes to become the Silicon Valley of algae innovation? San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders, along with scientists and administrators from UCSD and the local Scripps Research Institute, seem to think so. More

UC Researchers Isolate
Drought-Fighting Plant Gene
San Diego Union-Tribune, April 30 — University of California researchers on Thursday announced a key finding that could someday produce a new generation of food crops that can grow with less water. Researchers were able to isolate a gene that helps plants cope with drought conditions. The team from UCSD and UC Riverside has just published its work in Thursday's edition of the on-line journal Science Express. More

Similar story in
Del Mar Times

UCSD Stem Cell
Researcher Awarded Major Grant
San Diego 6, April 30 - A stem cell researcher at UCSD has been awarded a $5.16 million grant from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, it was announced Thursday. More

Similar stories in
San Diego Business Journal

Sorting Through Swine Flu
KPBS, April 30 – Here at home, we've heard conflicting reports on the number of people sick, how those people got the flu, who is at greatest risk and how much of a threat this new virus really is.  Dr. Francesca Torriani, from the Infectious Diseases Division of UCSD School of Medicine discusses some of these issues on KPBS’s These Days. More
 
UCSD Scientists Say
Climate Change Altering Ocean
KPBS, April 30 -- A UCSD study shows that climate change is altering the ocean ecosystem. In the first broad study of its kind, scientists at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography say climate-induced changes are altering fish migration patterns and shifting populations. More

Do You Have a Creative Fix for Our Country?
KPBS, April 30 – With all that's on President Obama's plate (recession, wars, swine flu!), what if Obama added people like Philip Roth, W.S. Merwin, Yo-Yo Ma, or Barbara Kruger to his advisory team?  Would these artists come up with a different approach to solving our country's problems? Would they provide unique insight?  Sheryl Oring, an MFA student at UCSD and former journalist, thinks they just might and she's created an art project called Creative Fix to prove it. More

Dancing Parrots Could
Help Explain Evolution of Rhythm
New Scientist, May 1 -- It was previously thought that the human brain had evolved a special capacity for music, since other animals aren't commonly seen moving in time to sounds in the wild. But now researchers think that moving to a beat is linked the ability to mimic. This supports the theory of Aniruddh Patel's group from the UCSD, that brain circuitry for complex vocal learning is necessary to follow a beat. More

Brick's Picks: Amir ElSaffar,
Kyle Eastwood, Dot Org at Eagle Rock Center
LA Weekly, April 29 -- When we first heard Amir ElSaffar’s Two Rivers, we freaked. This was a couple of years ago, and tucked away in the culturally conservative Los Angeles jazz scene — which, as a rule, never mixes nothing with nothing if it ain’t been mixed before — well, the crazy mesh of American and Arabic music was a revelation. (Mentions UCSD bassist Mark Dresser) More

UCSD Hosting Climate Change
Program for Businesses May 7-8
San Diego Daily Transcript, April 30 -- Sixteen climate change experts are joining forces May 7-8 at UCSD to present an innovative executive development program on climate change and its impact on business. More

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