A Sampling of Clips for
February 26th, 2007
* UCSD faculty and staff may obtain a copy of an article by e-mailing the University Communications Office
2-Year Study of Polar Changes Set to Begin
The New York Times, Feb. 26 -- Scientists from more than 60 countries are preparing to fan out around the North and South Poles in an ambitious two-year effort to understand the vital, shifting dynamics of ice, oceans and life at the ends of the earth. (Quotes Walter Munk, an emeritus professor of geophysics at UCSD) More
Stem Cell Study Flawed,
University and Researcher Find
Contra Costa Times, Feb. 26 -- Five years ago, a groundbreaking University of Minnesota study found that a type of adult stem cell in mice could have as much potential to treat disease as those taken from embryos. The research made headlines around the world. But now both the university and the lead scientist, Dr. Catherine Verfaillie, acknowledge that part of the study was flawed. (Quotes Lawrence Goldstein, director of the stem cell program at UCSD) More
Warming Oceans Contain
Less Oxygen for Fish, Conference Told
Vancouver Sun, Feb. 25 – As the temperature of the world's oceans increases due to global warming, there may be more and more areas where oxygen in the water is either limited or absent, and that could have a deadly effect on huge numbers of marine species. Lisa Levin, who works at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UCSD, told an audience at the University of Victoria that most so-called "dead zones" are caused by excessive levels of nitrogen being dumped into the oceans. More
Vitamin D: Cheap Wonder Drug?
Contra Costa Times, Feb. 23 -- A flurry of research in the last few years suggests that low levels of vitamin D, a fairly common occurrence in those who live in northern locales much of the year, may be partly to blame for much of the ill health of many Americans. (Quotes Cedric Garland, a professor of family and preventive medicine at UCSD) More
New Sub Dives Crushing Depths
Wired, Feb. 26 -- Scientists at the University of Washington have developed an autonomous underwater vehicle that can stay out to sea for up to a year and dive to depths of nearly 9,000 feet -- nearly three times deeper than the deepest-diving military submarines. (Quotes Russ Davis, a research oceanographer at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UCSD) More
You Can Be a More Productive
Worker by Napping on the Job
Salt Lake Tribune, Feb. 26 -- We've all had those moments. Usually sometime after lunch, we start to feel lethargic. Our limbs grow heavy and our thinking becomes fuzzy. The sounds around us grow muted, and the e-mail we're trying to read doesn't make much sense. According to sleep studies, we'd be a whole lot better off - and so would our employers - if we simply curled up somewhere and went to sleep for a while. (Quotes Sara Mednick, a UCSD researcher and a nap guru) More
Road to Obsession Is Paved with Stress
The Orange County Register, Feb. 26 -- In this crazy thing called love, there's also a dark side – called obsession. Most of us think of mentally ill people who fixate on celebrities. But obsession can strike people who, outwardly at least, seem well integrated into society. (Quotes Reid Meloy, a forensic psychology professor at UCSD) More