National Park Service director gets firsthand look at the Rim fire

The National Park Service's Jon Jarvis says the massive blaze is a taste of things to come in forests across the West.



GROVELAND, Calif. — As the Rim fire has burned into Yosemite National Park and into the record books, it has been watched around the world. From Washington, D.C., National Park Service Director Jon Jarvis said he monitored the blaze's progress daily as flames threatened Sierra Nevada communities, ancient sequoia groves and the reservoir that holds San Francisco's water supply.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/JPhSZPauZs4/la-me-yosemite-fire-20130901,0,843842.story

'Tobacco wars' senators take aim at energy drinks

Three Democratic senators who led the fight against tobacco companies aim to limit minors' access to energy drinks.



WASHINGTON — They are all "veterans of the tobacco wars," as Sen. Richard J. Durbin of Illinois put it. Over the years, they have sponsored legislation to ban smoking on airplanes, led efforts to remove depictions of tobacco use in films and successfully sued the tobacco industry for misleading the public about the dangers of smoking.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/EURw1mV207I/la-na-energy-drinks-20130901,0,5056547.story

Poverty can sap brainpower, research shows

Burdens of poverty can lower IQ scores, a study finds, undercutting assumptions that people become poor because they're lazy or lack intelligence.



Whether you're a New Jersey mall rat or a farmer in India, being poor can sap your smarts. In fact, the mental energy required to make do with scarce resources taxes the brain so much that it can perpetuate the cycle of poverty, new research shows.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/CbNPUK412a0/la-sci-poverty-iq-20130831,0,2261441.story

Let it burn? Yosemite park officials won't say that, but it's policy

Unless a naturally occurring fire threatens lives or structures, Yosemite and other national parks are likely to let nature run its course.



GROVELAND, Calif. — As the massive Rim fire roared out of the Stanislaus National Forest and deeper into Yosemite National Park this week, public attention rose sharply.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/Gswyy_n6_qI/la-me-0830-fire-tactics-20130830,0,3126047.story

Ovarian cancer 'biomarker' screening works to find disease early

A two-step process that begins by looking for a sudden change in a cancer marker may hold the key to detecting ovarian cancer earlier in its development, when this often-lethal cancer is easier to treat successfully, says a new study published in the journal Cancer.



via L.A. Times - Health http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/features/health/~3/sBjjBtOKilk/la-sci-ovarian-cancer-screening-20130826,0,7314817.story

For black women, weight maintenance may be the best goal

News flash: Some overweight and obese women work harder to get healthy when they're not ordered to lose weight, but told their current body shape is fine and that maintaining it is an acceptable goal.



via L.A. Times - Health http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/features/health/~3/cWP6xf3DkSg/la-sci-black-women-obesity-20130826,0,7593061.story

Women told they have breast 'cancer' more likely to want surgery

Women were more likely to want surgery when they were told they had a type of breast cancer than when the diagnosis was a breast lesion or a group of abnormal cells — even though all three scenarios described the same disease. The findings, reported Monday in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine, offer a new way to gauge the power of the word “cancer.”



via L.A. Times - Health http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/features/health/~3/4deCK0IwzPE/la-sci-sn-breast-cancer-dcis-surgery-20130826,0,7973654.story

Bruce C. Murray dies at 81; former director of JPL

Bruce C. Murray's push to study the images of planetary surfaces played a major role in keeping NASA's exploration program alive.



Although most of his fellow space scientists scoffed at the idea, Jet Propulsion Laboratory scientist Bruce C. Murray insisted that a picture of a planet's surface was worth a thousand words — or at least as much as the measurements of magnetic fields and particle concentrations that his colleagues favored in the early days of planetary exploration in the 1960s.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/xa9_6t69gPs/la-me-bruce-murray-20130830,0,2788053.story

Trojan asteroid in Uranus' orbit: Planets are 'playing ball' with it

Planetary scientists have detected a Trojan -- an asteroid-like object that shares a planet's orbit -- circling the sun ahead of Uranus.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/on2DOMw7mZA/la-sci-sn-uranus-trojan-20130829,0,837069.story

Planet-hunting Kepler reveals secret code hidden in starlight

Using data from the planet-hunting Kepler space telescope, astronomers have discovered a telltale "flicker" pattern in a distant star’s light -- an interstellar Morse code that reveals hidden but crucial information about its mass and volume.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/WMCJa3v-j_M/la-sci-sn-kepler-star-flicker-light-size-exoplanet-tess-20130827,0,1097734.story

Concussion settlement highlights difficulty of proving brain damage

Thursday's $765-million settlement between the National Football League and 4,500 retired NFL players underscores two key facts about traumatic brain injury: that it is difficult to prove and measure -- especially many years after the fact -- and that its link to neurocognitive problems that appear years later remains an enigma.



via L.A. Times - Health http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/features/health/~3/k-CDKpvP4C0/la-sci-concussion-settlement-brain-damage-20130829,0,3759738.story

Coalition asks Gov. Jerry Brown to halt fracking in California

More than 100 environmental and political activist groups denounce oil fracking legislation as too weak and call on Gov. Brown to order a halt to the practice.



SACRAMENTO — A coalition of more than 100 environmental and political activist groups is denouncing oil fracking legislation as too weak and calling on Gov. Jerry Brown to order an immediate halt to the controversial drilling practice.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/pp9YaGtyzUE/la-fi-brown-fracking-20130829,0,7325042.story

Robert Kraemer dies at 84; former NASA head of planetary exploration

The son of a citrus rancher, the Caltech alumnus was also an expert in rocket engines.



Robert S. Kraemer, NASA's former director of planetary exploration who was also an expert in rocket engines, died Aug. 20 at an assisted living home in Catonsville, Md., of complications from a fall, his family said. He was 84.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/3T59ja_pdko/la-me-robert-kraemer-20130829,0,6529419.story

Study shows men just as likely to be depressed as women

When researchers expand the symptoms list to include aggression, substance abuse and risk-taking behavior, depression is no longer just a 'woman's disease.'



Depression can look very different in men and women. And many of its hallmarks — rage, risk-taking, substance abuse and even workaholism — can hide in plain sight.



via L.A. Times - Health http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/features/health/~3/04fMEkdGWzM/la-sci-depression-men-20130829,0,1989047.story

Study shows men just as likely to be depressed as women

When researchers expand the symptoms list to include aggression, substance abuse and risk-taking behavior, depression is no longer just a 'woman's disease.'



Depression can look very different in men and women. And many of its hallmarks — rage, risk-taking, substance abuse and even workaholism — can hide in plain sight.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/xwKpCt6wdu0/la-sci-depression-men-20130829,0,2605342.story

Scientists grow tiny brain 'organoids' for study

The blobs mimic the anatomy of developing human brains, allowing researchers to study a 3-D model.



Scientists have figured out how to grow human stem cells into "cerebral organoids" — blobs of tissue that mimic the anatomy of the developing brain.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/H9Es248K8-Q/la-sci-brain-organoid-20130829,0,994519.story

Exide to begin testing for dangerous metals buildup in neighborhood

Responding to Exide neighbors' health concerns, California ordered Vernon battery plant to test for toxic substances in soil and dust.



State officials have ordered a Vernon battery recycler to begin testing dust and soil in the neighborhood around its plant to determine whether dangerous metals have accumulated and are posing a health risk to the community.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/zCEixRN7CYE/la-me-exide-20130828,0,3159231.story

The Rim fire and the folly of sequestration

The blaze threatening Yosemite shows just how foolish lawmakers were to include the U.S. Forest Service's firefighting budget in budget cuts.



Even as the Rim fire in and around Yosemite National Park rages on, the U.S. Forest Service already has exhausted its firefighting budget for the year, which had been reduced by sequestration cuts. Not that the agency will stop fighting wildfires, but overtime and hiring will be trimmed. This isn't a sane fire policy for an era of climate change, which is predicted to cause drier conditions in the Western United States and already has expanded the length of the fire season.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/dMoodpcd5zU/la-ed-yosemite-rim-fire-20130827,0,3341200.story

Reform of CEQA requires compromise

A bill to update the California Environmental Quality Act, which often hampers development in the state, has passed the Senate and is being debated in the Assembly.



SACRAMENTO — California's economy is crawling back, but the state still suffers from a national reputation for being anti-business.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/iVRRXc7jvgY/la-me-cap-environment-20130826,0,3615985.column

Air board will start monitoring pollution next to SoCal freeways

Under EPA requirements, monitors will be installed at four sites, providing data about what the 1 million Southern Californians who live within 300 feet of a freeway are breathing.



Air quality regulators will begin monitoring pollution levels near major Southern California traffic corridors next year, for the first time providing data important to nearly 1 million Southern Californians who are at greater risk of respiratory illness because they live within 300 feet of a freeway.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/T2yXWirn-9E/la-me-freeway-pollution-20130826,0,6646815.story

Rim fire taking ecological toll over thousands of acres

The Rim fire is incinerating large patches of forest, wiping out habitat for spotted owls and goshawks, and probably claiming old-growth trees, experts say.



Standing on ridges miles away from the Rim fire, John Buckley has traced the path of the huge Sierra Nevada blaze by watching fire clouds billowing above the Stanislaus National Forest.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/Emi8jVgVbqk/la-me-rim-effects-20130827,0,1848648.story

Raising money to ensure women have access to abortions

As more states pass laws to restrict the procedure, nonprofit organizations step in to help people who can't afford multiple clinic visits or long trips.



WASHINGTON — Sarah Tuttle led her bowling team to a fourth-place finish in a nationwide tournament this April that raised $553,133 to help low-income women seeking abortions.



via L.A. Times - Health http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/features/health/~3/u2T32WYBykM/la-na-abortion-funds-20130826,0,7284782.story

For nearly 1 in 5 Americans, BMI may tell the wrong story

Obese is bad and lean is good. End of story, right?



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/dtPMH4PaNM4/la-sci-obesity-predicting-health-20130822,0,5155610.story

L.A., conservationists reach agreement to repair Mono Lake damage

Settlement over alkaline Mono Lake calls for water flows that are intended to restore the ecosystem harmed by stream diversion.



Ending decades of bitter disputes over fragile Mono Lake, Los Angeles and conservationists on Friday announced an agreement to heal the environmental damage caused by diverting the lake's eastern Sierra tributary streams into the city's World War II-era aqueduct.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/mAsVBtwFUMM/la-me-mono-20130824,0,5511592.story

A blood test for suicide? Biomarkers may identify people at risk

A blood test can tell you if you’ve got HIV, high cholesterol or certain kinds of cancer. Now scientists are trying to create a blood test that would reveal whether someone was about to commit suicide.



via L.A. Times - Health http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/features/health/~3/KoKo8-6sLHY/la-sci-suicide-blood-test-biomarker-20130820,0,2821605.story

For nearly 1 in 5 Americans, BMI may tell the wrong story

Obese is bad and lean is good. End of story, right?



via L.A. Times - Health http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/features/health/~3/8M-28JsAcG4/la-sci-obesity-predicting-health-20130822,0,4449652.story

Baby boys in Western states less likely to be circumcised in hospital

A baby boy born in Chicago or St. Louis is about 77% more likely to be circumcised in a hospital in his first days of life compared with an infant born in San Francisco or Seattle, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.



via L.A. Times - Health http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/features/health/~3/ex-IqPv9KEk/la-sci-sn-circumcision-us-rates-cdc-20130822,0,4141486.story

Atomic clock achieves record stability, holds promise for tech

Atomic clocks built at the official U.S. timekeeping laboratory tick with record-breaking regularity, scientists said — marking an advance that may someday allow researchers to perform new tests of the laws of physics and engineers to perfect technologies such as GPS systems.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/iOI7YxyEuV4/la-sci-sn-atomic-clock-stability-nist-20130822,0,6184649.story

C. Gordon Fullerton dies at 76; space shuttle astronaut, test pilot

An astronaut on the Challenger and Columbia space shuttles, Gordon Fullerton flew cutting-edge aircraft until he was 70.



C. Gordon Fullerton waited years for his chance to go into space but less than six minutes after the space shuttle Challenger took off in 1985, he was starting to rethink it.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/qvf55Izbb3g/la-me-gordon-fullerton-20130823,0,4733583.story

Language diversity in California linked to ecological diversity

Anthropologists have puzzled for decades over why a complex patchwork of languages emerged in California thousands of years ago, but not in other parts of North America. New research now traces California’s linguistic diversity to its ecological diversity.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/Hn-B4lbapV0/la-sci-sn-language-ecological-diversity-california-20130819,0,1401416.story

Copper may play key role in Alzheimer's disease

New research finds that copper in amounts readily found in our drinking water, the foods we eat and the vitamin supplements we take likely plays a key role in initiating and fueling the abnormal protein build-up and brain inflammation that are hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease.



via L.A. Times - Health http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/features/health/~3/SulLJ-_PNAU/la-sci-copper-alzheimers-disease-20130819,0,2689385.story

Critics say California relies on outdated approach to fire prevention

Some experts say the 'mosaic model,' which calls for cutting down old-growth plants, isn't workable for Southern California's chaparral-fueled fire areas.



All his life, Thom Porter has seen the devastating effects of Southern California's particular brand of wildfire, whooshing across canyons fanned by the dreaded Santa Ana winds.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/1K2yhSKyxsU/la-me-chaparral-fires-20130821,0,7688380.story

Legislature may decide soon if Coastal Commission can levy fines

Backers say the bill, already OKd by the Assembly and nearing a vote in the Senate, would provide an important tool to help the commission to protect California's coast.



The state Legislature is nearing a decision on whether to give the California Coastal Commission an enforcement tool it has coveted for four decades — the power to impose fines.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/U1ng7QWgp7o/la-me-adv-coastal-commision-fines-20130819,0,6538756.story

California visitor's rare find: A star-shaped piece of benitoite

An Austrian will go home with a five-pointed souvenir from the only site where the state gemstone is mined.



Forget the Hollywood Walk of Fame refrigerator magnet, the Mickey Mouse ears beanie and the postcards of the Golden Gate Bridge.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/IZESvCy9wAE/la-me-rare-gem-20130818,0,3801948.story

Oil-drilling project under Whittier nature preserve rankles opponents

City and conservation group agree to allow controversial oil-drilling project. Royalties will help pay for preservation elsewhere.



The city of Whittier and a conservation group have reached an agreement to allow a controversial oil-drilling project under a nature preserve, a proposal that immediately drew fire from opponents.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/0STuW3lFibc/la-me-0817-oil-20130817,0,5629903.story

No Martian chronicle, just a declassified report: Area 51 does exist

For decades, it was the government's Cold War-era secret. Now, documents acknowledge the mysterious test site in central Nevada.



LAS VEGAS — For decades, it was the U.S. government's Cold War-era secret that hid in plain sight, the 1000-pound elephant in the Nevada desert that Washington continually denied — "What test site?" — and the rest of the country turned into a breeding ground for conspiracy theories.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/tQaFUrGTRh8/la-na-area-51-20130817,0,2179581.story

NASA ends work to restore planet hunter Kepler to full function

NASA scientists said Thursday that the agency will no longer attempt to restore full function to the exoplanet-hunting Kepler space telescope , which has been hobbled since the spring.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/Rj8brg0fKW4/la-sci-sn-kepler-recovery-over-20130815,0,761221.story

Obesity's death toll could be higher than believed, study says

Researchers find that 18.2% of premature deaths in the U.S. are associated with excessive body mass. The figure is almost four times higher than other estimates.



The death toll of the nation's obesity epidemic may be close to four times higher than has been widely believed, and all that excess weight could reverse the steady trend of lengthening life spans for a generation of younger Americans, new research warns.



via L.A. Times - Health http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/features/health/~3/UTbyuAc0pUE/la-sci-obesity-20130816,0,7048888.story

As healthcare overhaul nears, many consumers still in the dark

With health insurance enrollment set to begin soon, consumers want to know how the overhaul will affect them personally. So far, there have been far more questions than answers.



Like many Californians, Scott and Danielle Nelson of Orange County are anxious about what President Obama's healthcare law will mean for them.



via L.A. Times - Health http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/features/health/~3/IgDKJ_P1hnU/la-fi-health-consumer-anxiety-20130816,0,7115911.story

Angelenos' vision of their river is created from a made-up memory

Historically, the river has been dry for most of the year. Now, it flows continually, but most of the water in the channel is industrial and residential discharge.



There's been a lot written on improving the concrete, channelized, litter-strewn Los Angeles River. No doubt the river could use some improving, but there's also a lot of misplaced nostalgia.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/_760iVo7G1M/la-me-smith-river-20130816,0,7330702.story

California is re-routing delta tunnel system to land preserve

The preserve is a winter home for the greater sandhill crane and other migratory birds. The realignment is designed to lessen project's effects on north delta residents.



The state is moving the route of a proposed tunnel system in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta away from north delta communities to a land preserve that is an important winter home for the greater sandhill crane and other migratory birds in the Pacific Flyway.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/RqPzVIIiYcc/la-me-delta-tunnels-20130816,0,1452073.story

Study refuels debate over whether Voyager 1 has left solar system

New research says NASA misinterpreted magnetic field data and that, in fact, Voyager 1 entered interstellar space July 27, 2012. Even some previous skeptics are intrigued.



Voyager 1, where are you?



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/PJZV1y98Lyk/la-sci-voyager-20130816,0,7950330.story

Obesity's death toll could be higher than believed, study says

Researchers find that 18.2% of premature deaths in the U.S. are associated with excessive body mass. The figure is almost four times higher than other estimates.



The death toll of the nation's obesity epidemic may be close to four times higher than has been widely believed, and all that excess weight could reverse the steady trend of lengthening life spans for a generation of younger Americans, new research warns.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/NppvZJ3gvnA/la-sci-obesity-20130816,0,1789948.story

Prostate cancer tumors' aggressiveness may be inherently fixed

A study published in Cancer Research suggests that many small, slow-growing prostate tumors can be left untreated.



A new study of prostate cancer suggests that a tumor's aggressiveness is inherently fixed at the time of its appearance, although diet, lifestyle and environmental factors may trigger progression of the disease in low-level cases.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/l_t8zluun5Q/la-sci-prostate-cancer-20130814,0,3429836.story

Scientists plan new, potentially controversial bird flu research

Flu researchers Yoshihiro Kawaoka and Ron Fouchier found themselves in the middle of a firestorm when, in 2011, they reported how, in separate experiments, they had created mutant strains of the H5N1 bird flu that were able to pass easily between ferrets -- mammals often studied to understand how flu passes between people.



via L.A. Times - Health http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/features/health/~3/LsQ8RPJQO1M/la-sci-sn-flu-research-h7n9-20130807,0,1317593.story

OxyContin maker closely guards its list of suspect doctors

Purdue Pharma has privately identified about 1,800 doctors who may have recklessly prescribed the painkiller to addicts and dealers, yet it has done little to alert authorities.



Over the last decade, the maker of the potent painkiller OxyContin has compiled a database of hundreds of doctors suspected of recklessly prescribing its pills to addicts and drug dealers, but has done little to alert law enforcement or medical authorities.



via L.A. Times - Health http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/features/health/~3/yoUtunxyJDM/la-me-rx-purdue-20130811,0,5946281.story

Schools can administer insulin without licensed nurses, court says

California Supreme Court says the law allows trained school employees to give insulin injections. A nurses' group calls the ruling 'a disturbing precedent.'



SAN FRANCISCO — California schools may give students insulin injections and other medications without having to call in licensed nurses, the state's highest court ruled Monday.



via L.A. Times - Health http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/features/health/~3/GU22uAvZjXI/la-me-school-nurses-20130813,0,2320119.story

Power grid increasingly vulnerable to severe weather, report says

Americans can expect more major power outages because of severe weather driven by climate change, a federal report says.



WASHINGTON — A decade after a vast power outage shut down the Northeast, the electricity grid remains "highly vulnerable" to blackouts because of extreme weather fueled by climate change, a report by the White House and the Energy Department concludes.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/hQZK-BaTXSs/la-na-electricity-grid-20130813,0,2001839.story

The Hyperloop: L.A. to S.F. in 30 minutes?

Elon Musk, the head of Tesla and SpaceX, unveils a bold idea for fast transit — the Hyperloop.



Imagine paying $20 and sitting down inside a Space Age capsule in Los Angeles. About half an hour later, you're in sight of the Golden Gate Bridge.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/xHZNS_Gw1d4/la-fi-musk-hyperloop-20130813,0,4396769.story

Schools can administer insulin without licensed nurses, court says

California Supreme Court says the law allows trained school employees to give insulin injections. A nurses' group calls the ruling 'a disturbing precedent.'



SAN FRANCISCO — California schools may give students insulin injections and other medications without having to call in licensed nurses, the state's highest court ruled Monday.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/fDVeAByRHSg/la-me-school-nurses-20130813,0,2881355.story