A Sampling of Clips for
February 12th, 2007
* UCSD faculty and staff may obtain a copy of an article by e-mailing the University Communications Office
Cracking a Real-Life Da Vinci Code
Time Magazine, Feb. 12 -- Maurizio Seracini is a serious man, with a seriously square jaw and dark tweed jacket. And he is being taken more seriously than ever now that Italy's Culture Ministry has committed the nation to a full-fledged pursuit of the so-called Lost Leonardo. Seracini is trying to prove that The Battle of Anghiari lies buried in Florence's Palazzo Vecchio, behind a wall covered by a mural. To accomplish that, he's using an instrument he developed in collaboration with UCSD and Emory University to capture chemical clues of any paint colors that may be present behind the wall. More
Similar story in
The New York Times
Vitamin D Studies Show Promise for Reducing Cancers
The Washington Post, Feb. 12 -- Certain amounts of vitamin D may be able to prevent up to half of breast cancer cases and two-thirds of colorectal cancer cases in the United States, according to two studies by researchers at the Moores Cancer Center at UCSD and colleagues at other centers. More
Similar story in
Forbes
Leon Thal, Pioneering Alzheimer's Researcher
Newsday, Feb. 7 -- A passion for soaring heights, both in private and public, describes the trajectory of Dr. Leon Thal's life. A world leader in the development and study of new therapies for Alzheimer's disease, and a lifelong flying enthusiast, Thal died during the weekend when his single-engine plane went down in the mountains near his home in La Jolla, Calif. He was 62. Thal was director of the UCSD Shiley-Marcos Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center. More
Ecuador May Rejoin Oil Cartel
Los Angeles Times, Feb. 12 — Tiny oil producer Ecuador is considering rejoining the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries in a political move even though the cartel's quota system may stymie the poor South American nation's own industry. (Quotes UCSD political scientist David Mares) More
In Study, Bilingual Brains Stay Sharp Longer
Contra Costa Times, Feb. 11 -- A team of Canadian researchers who studied people being treated for dementia found that those who regularly used two languages reported their first symptoms of a fading mind about four years later than those who used only one language. (Quotes Tamar Gollan, a UCSD psychiatry professor who studies bilingualism) More
Fee Hike Lets UCSD Get Head Above Water
San Diego Union-Tribune, Feb. 11 – Fiercely proud of its academic standing, rightfully leery of the lure of big-time sports, and committed to scope (23 varsity teams) rather than scale, UCSD will be the last of the NCAA's Div. II schools to award athletic scholarships. It will do so only because university undergraduates have agreed to further subsidize the school's sports programs with an additional $78 in quarterly fees. More
Choosing to Go Charter Revives Inner-city School
San Diego Union-Tribune, Feb. 11 -- For years, Gompers Middle School was a place parents avoided sending their children, and teachers couldn't wait to leave. A year and a half into an extreme makeover, the turnaround has begun. There are hundreds of inner-city schools like Gompers throughout the country. What sets it apart is the intensity of the effort to remake the sixth-to-ninth-grade campus into a college-preparatory school. With help from UCSD and grants from foundations, instruction has been revamped. More
Local Hospital Halts Transplant Program
10News, Feb. 12 -- The UCSD Medical Center hasn't performed enough transplants in recent years to meet federal requirements. It needs to perform at least 12 a year to get federal reimbursement. More
Similar story in
San Diego Union-Tribune
Los Angeles Times
San Diegans Ink
San Diego Union-Tribune, Feb. 10 – Among eight young trailblazers from around the world being honored by the National Geographic Society is Enric Sala, a Spanish researcher who lives in San Diego. An associate professor of marine ecology and conservation at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UCSD, Sala has been designated an “Emerging Explorer” by the society for his leadership in conservation, especially in the Gulf of California and Belize. He'll receive a $10,000 research award. More
Brothers Engineer Chocolate Company
North County Times, Feb. 9 -- With Valentine's Day just around the corner, the owners of Chuao Chocolatier have prepared for the single busiest day of their year by offering a unique assortment of romantic gifts such as a jewelry box filled with gourmet chocolate bonbons and truffles. UCSD alumni Michael and Richard Antonorsi established the company in 2002 in Encinitas. More
Experts: More Smokers Getting Hooked On Hookah
10News, Feb. 9 -- Some experts said the growing fad of smoking tobacco through a water pipe, sometimes known as a hookah, could lead to new addictions with nicotine and other health dangers. (Quotes UCSD tobacco researcher Dr. David Burns) More
Risks and Benefits of Statin Drugs
ABC 7, San Francisco, Feb. 11 -- About 11 million Americans take cholesterol-lowering drugs known as Statins. They're the most widely-sold drugs in this country. Some doctors say they're over-prescribed while others say they're not prescribed enough. (Quotes UCSD Internist Dr. Beatrice Golomb) More