A Sampling of Clips for May 2^nd, 2008

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

Oxygen-Poor Ocean Zones are Growing
Los Angeles Times, May 2 -- Oxygen-starved waters are expanding in the Pacific and Atlantic as ocean temperatures increase with global warming, threatening fisheries and other marine life, according to a study published today in Science co-authored by Janet Sprintall, a scientist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. More

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Widow In Poison Case Wants to Change Husband's Death Certificate
Newsweek, May 2 -- Cynthia Sommer has a death certificate for her Marine husband that lists homicide as his cause of death. Forensic experts said Todd Sommer was poisoned with arsenic. But the lab results underpinning that finding were discredited two weeks ago, leading prosecutors to release the widow from jail more than two years after she was incarcerated for the supposed crime. Now, Cynthia Sommer wants the death certificate rewritten to show her husband wasn't murdered. (Mentions UCSD) More

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Salk Study Links Diabetes To Alzheimer's
KNSD, May 1 -- A new study from researchers at the Salk Institute and UCSD may have figured out why diabetics are up to 65 percent more likely than non-diabetics to get Alzheimer's. According to the study published in the journal Neurobiology of Aging, the brains of diabetic mice were unable to process insulin effectively, leading to swelling of the brain and faster death of brain and nerve cells. More

Buying Its Way Onto the Program?
Inside Higher Ed, May 2 -- At this year’s meeting of the Conference on College Composition and Communication, plagiarism was a hot topic, with many panelists talking about ways to teach students about academic integrity. Generally, panelists spoke of the importance of not relying on plagiarism-detection software, which they said may scare but doesn’t necessarily instruct. (Quotes Steven Epstein, director of the Science Studies Program at UCSD) More

Scripps Oceanography Research Pegs ID of Red Tide Killer
Huliq.com, May 2 -- Researchers at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UCSD have identified a potential “red tide killer.” Red tides and related phenomena in which microscopic algae accumulate rapidly in dense concentrations have been on the rise in recent years, causing hundreds of millions of dollars in worldwide losses to fisheries and beach tourism activities. More

Suicide Magnet - Part II: No Barrier to Despair
Voice of San Diego, May 2 -- Back in the 1980s, the San Diego-Coronado Bay Bridge had a problem: People kept jumping to their deaths, 16 in one year alone. The California Department of Transportation, which operates the bridge, asked local mental-health advocates for help. Drew Leavens, the chief of suicide prevention for the county at the time, told Caltrans to install a barrier. (Mentions UCSD) More

Questions Answered
San Diego Union-Tribune, May 1 -- Question: How do you extract or create vitamins to put into pills or supplements? Answer: The first vitamin discovered, thiamin, was isolated at the beginning of the 20th century by soaking brown rice in water and separating the compound that dissolved. (Written by Sherry Seethaler, a UCSD science writer and educator) More

Surf Contest Raising Money for Literacy
SD News, May 1 -- UCSD’s Pi Beta Phi is encouraging surfers to hit the waves this Sunday for a good cause. On Sunday, the sorority is holding its fifth-annual surf competition. The competition will take place at the foot of Felspar Street from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. All proceeds from the event will benefit Pi Beta Phi’s philanthropy, Links to Literacy. The sorority’s goal is to raise at least $6000. More