A Sampling of Clips for
January 25th, 2007
* UCSD faculty and staff may obtain a copy of an article by e-mailing the University Communications Office
Weighing the Universe
The Economist, Jan. 25 -- Familiar as it may seem, gravity remains a mystery to modern physics. Despite several decades of trying, scientists have failed to fit Einstein's general theory of relativity, which describes how gravity holds big objects together, with the quantum mechanics he pioneered, which describes the tiny fundamental particles of which matter consists and the forces by which they interact. Recent discoveries have highlighted further problems. (Profiles research by UCSD physicist Tom Murphy) More
California Dreaming, to Stop an Environmental Nightmare
The Sydney Morning Herald, Jan. 25 – Dr. Tony Haymet was the chief of marine and atmospheric science at CSIRO until September when he received an offer to head UCSD’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography, one of America's foremost research institutes. More
Water at Risk as State Warms
San Jose Mercury News, Jan. 25 -- Without water and the ability to move it efficiently over hundreds of miles -- to cities, suburbs, farms and factories -- California would be unrecognizable as the fertile, vibrant state it is today. Already, scientists say, there are clear signs that global warming will put that vital flow in jeopardy. (Quotes Daniel Cayan, a researcher at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UCSD) More
Scripps Scientist Calls Bush's Alternative
Fuel Proposal a Small Step Forward
KPBS, Jan. 24 -- President Bush wants Americans to cut back on using gasoline. He proposes cutting gas consumption by up to 20 percent. Bush says one way to reach that goal is by using alternative fuels. UCSD’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography Professor Richard Somerville calls the Bush proposal a small step in the effort to reverse greenhouse gas emissions. More
China's Military and Technological Rise
San Diego Union-Tribune, Opinion, Jan. 25 – Except for a brief acknowledgment earlier this week, China has been noticeably silent in explaining the reasons behind its audacious test of an anti-satellite weapon in mid-January that has provoked fierce international criticism. (Written by Tai Ming Cheung, a research scholar at the Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation, UCSD) More
UC Eclipses Application Record
San Diego Union-Tribune, Jan. 25 -- A record number of students applied to the University of California's nine undergraduate campuses for fall 2007, including more African-American students, whose drop in enrollment at some campuses recently prompted student rallies and community outcry. The number of black freshman applicants rose 3.7 percent, or 52 additional applicants, at UCSD, and 12 percent, or 271 applicants, at UCLA, according to the campuses. More
Cultural Revolution
San Diego Union-Tribune, Jan. 25 -- Before 1877, scientists exploring the nature and mechanics of microscopic life had a real problem. Bacteria used for study were typically cultured or grown in bottles or bowls of broth. German physician Robert Koch greatly improved the situation by developing ways to grow microbes in gel, which allowed researchers to separate and investigate individual types of bacteria. (Quotes Moselio Schaecter, a microbiologist and adjunct professor at UCSD) More
Get out, Rock out
San Diego Union-Tribune, Jan. 25 -- The most intriguing concert of the week is likely tonight's collaboration at UCSD's intriguingly named Black Box Theater by Raz Mesinai and UCSD Music Professor Mark Dresser. Dresser is one of the greatest contrabassists in the world, and a master of improvised music, who often sounds like several musicians performing simultaneously. More