A Sampling of Clips for
July 6, 2006
* UCSD faculty and staff may obtain a copy of an article by e-mailing the University Communications Office
Wildfires May Be Linked to Global Warming
Washington Post, July 6 — The increase in the number of large western wildfires in recent years may be a result of global warming, researchers say. An analysis of data going back to 1970 indicates the fires increased "suddenly and dramatically" in the 1980s and the wildfire season grew longer, according to scientists in Arizona and California. "The increase in large wildfires appears to be another part of a chain of reactions to climate warming," said Dan Cayan, a co-author of the paper and director of the climate research division at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. More
Similar stories in:
The New York Times
CBS News
ABC News
Fox News
The Grim Neurology of Teenage Drinking
The New York Times, July 4 -- Mounting research suggests that alcohol causes more damage to the developing brains of teenagers than was previously thought, injuring them significantly more than it does adult brains. The findings, though preliminary, have demolished the assumption that people can drink heavily for years before causing themselves significant neurological injury. And the research even suggests that early heavy drinking may undermine the precise neurological capacities needed to protect oneself from alcoholism. (Quotes Susan Tapert, a clinical psychologist at UCSD, mentions research Tapert conducted with UCSD psychologist Sandra Brown and quotes UCSD alumnus Toren Volkmann, co-author of "From Binge to Blackout: A Mother and Son Struggle With Teen Drinking") More
Tweaking Genes in the Basement
Wired News, July 6 -- In the 1970s, before the PC era, there were computer hobbyists. A group of them formed the Homebrew Computer Club in a Menlo Park garage in 1975 to trade integrated circuits and swap tips on assembling rudimentary computers. As the tools of biotechnology become accessible (and affordable) to a wider public for the first time, hobbyists are recapturing that collaborative ethos and applying it to tinkering with the building blocks of life. (Quotes Natalie Jeremijenko, an artist and professor of Visual Arts at UCSD) More
Holmes and Swain
Head to Singapore's Biopolis
Nature, July 5 -- When physician-scientists Judith Swain and Ed Holmes take up their posts in Singapore later this year, they will join a star-studded community at one of the world's most rapidly developing biomedical research centres. The appointment of the married couple aroused a flurry of press, as they are the latest of many Western scientists who have headed for the impressive facilities of the tiny city state. (Holmes is Vice Chancellor for Health Sciences at UCSD and Swain is Dean for Translational Medicine at UCSD’s School of Medicine) More
Cameras to Focus on Lawbreakers
Dallas Morning News, July 5 -- Like many border cities these days, Eagle Pass is turning to cameras to watch for lawbreakers crossing from Mexico.The Police Department in the South Texas city of Eagle Pass is installing three cameras with special capabilities to catch drug smugglers and thieves and isn't interested in the immigration status of suspects. New software, developed by engineers at UCSD with federal grants of about $1 million, will alert officers monitoring the high-resolution video to any suspicious activity. More
Similar story in
Houston Chronicle
Barnstorming on Immigration
San Diego Union-Tribune, July 6 -- Congressional Republicans meeting in San Diego County yesterday said tough border controls were vital for national security as House and Senate committees sought to build public support for rival approaches to immigration reform at dueling bicoastal hearings. (Quotes Gary Jacobson, a political science professor at UCSD) More
The Politics of Education
Voice of San Diego, Opinion, July 5 -- The acronyms DINO and RINO bring to mind extinct or endangered creatures and thus are appropriate designations -- Democrat In Name Only and Republican In Name Only. Nonpartisan races, where party affiliations are not supposed to matter, should now be called NINOs, for Nonpartisan In Name Only, as more and more nonpartisan races are ruled by party politics. (Quotes Thad Kousser, assistant professor of political science at UCSD) More
Diversification, Partnerships Names of the Game for General Lock
San Diego Daily Transcript, July 6 -- Not often can a company count some of its competitors as critical business partners. But San Diego-based General Lock, the world's largest private security hardware company, has managed to carve out multiple niches in a market stacked with larger companies. (Mentions Athena, a UCSD-sponsored organization aimed at helping women be successful in the marketplace) More
