A Sampling of Clips for November 7^th, 2008

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

Researchers Hijack Storm Worm to Track Profits
The Washington Post, Nov. 7 -- Over a period of about a month in the Spring of 2008, researchers at UCSD and UC Berkeley sought to measure the conversion rate of spam by quietly infiltrating the Storm worm botnet, a vast collection of compromised computers once responsible for sending an estimated 20 percent of all spam. More

Potential Breakthrough for Lung Cancer
ABC7, Los Angeles, Calif., Nov. 7 -- Lung cancer kills more people than any other kind of cancer. Drugs currently available only extend survival by a few months. Now a new weapon shows promise in helping patients fight for survival. (Quotes Dr. Lyudmila Bazhenova, a medical oncologist and hematologist at the UCSD Moores Cancer Center) More

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WPT, West Palm Beach, Fla.

Earthquake Flattens L.A. (Theoretically)
USA Today, Nov. 6 -- A magnitude 7.8 earthquake on the San Andreas fault could cause of some of the tall buildings in downtown L.A. to collapse, says U.S. Geological Survey scientist Ken Hudnut. His team used a stunning array of computing power -- the combined might of the Pittsburg Supercomputing Center, San Diego Supercomputer Center, and USC and CalTech computer departments -- to figure out what might happen when the next big one hits L.A. More

Oakland High School Students Learn Genetic Engineering Firsthand
Oakland Tribune, Nov. 6 – Bacteria don’t normally glow fluorescent green. But on Wednesday, a group of ninth-grade biology students at Oakland Technical High School clustered around a small petri dish and stared at the neon dots that had appeared overnight. The genetic maneuver conducted by the accelerated biology class, with the help of instructors, isn't found in most high school science textbooks. It was based on discoveries made by Roger Tsien, the UCSD scientist who won a 2008 Nobel Prize in chemistry. More

Twin Disorders
The Scientist, U.K., November 2008 -- When you meet identical four-year old twins Addi and Cassi Hempel, you might notice something about the way they walk. They used to run around like other toddlers, but now they are more wobbly, more uncertain, and walk with their legs somewhat wide apart, as if aboard a boat. They can sway in any direction, losing their balance. They fall more often than they should. (Quotes Lawrence Goldstein, who uses stem cells to study Alzheimer's at UCSD) More

Prop. 8 Leaves Gay Marriages in Limbo
Ventura County Star, Nov. 6 -- In a high-stakes election so close it wasn't called until Wednesday morning, Californians passed Proposition 8's gay marriage ban and defined marriage in the state constitution as involving only a man and woman. (Quotes John Evans, a UCSD sociology professor who studies religion and politics) More

Local Family Doctor Wins Humanitarian Award
San Diego Union-Tribune, Nov. 7-- A San Diego family doctor who has spent most of her career caring for the homeless and other underserved patients was named the 2008 Physician-Humanitarian by the state Medical Board. Dr. Margaret E. McCahill, founding director of the University of California San Diego's Combined Family Medicine and Psychiatry Residency Program, has instructed hundreds of young doctors on caring for homeless people with complex mental and physical problems. More

Planning Commission Rejects Hillel Plan
La Jolla Light, Nov. 6 -- After lengthy debate, the city Planning Commission voted 4-1, with one member absent, Thursday against recommending approval of the controversial Hillel proposal. The plans call for a 12,100-square-foot Jewish student center on a small triangular lot, Site 653, across from La Jolla Village Drive and UCSD adjacent to a single-family neighborhood.  More

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