California drought could force key water system to cut deliveries

Although most districts that get supplies from the State Water Project can turn to reserves and groundwater, officials say the cut underscores the severity of the water crisis.



Officials Friday said that for the first time ever, the State Water Project that helps supply a majority of Californians may be unable to make any deliveries except to maintain public health and safety.



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California flu deaths for those under 65 running far ahead of last year

State health officials report 147 deaths in the under-65 age group so far this flu season, compared with just 14 a year ago.



Influenza-related illness has killed 147 Californians under age 65 this season, including 17 people in Los Angeles County and one in Long Beach, state health officials have confirmed.



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New therapies offer bright hope against the darkness of depression

Certain medications and brain stimulators show promising results among some patients who do not respond to current common therapies.



The numbers are staggering: Almost 7% of the U.S. adult population — about 17.6 million people — is diagnosed with depression, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. The national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that depression costs 200 million lost workdays each year at a cost to employers of $17 billion to $44 billion.



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California snowpack hits record low

Underscoring the severity of a statewide drought, snowpack measurements hit a record low as Gov. Jerry Brown meets with water leaders.



Even with the first significant storm in nearly two months dropping snow on the Sierra Nevada, Thursday's mountain snowpack measurements were the lowest for the date in more than a half-century of record keeping.



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Neanderthal DNA lives on in modern humans, research shows

Some of the DNA acquired by human ancestors who mated with Neanderthals is found in some people today, including genes that control the development of skin and hair, studies find.



The ancestors of most modern humans mated with Neanderthals and made off with important swaths of DNA that helped them adapt to new environments, scientists reported Wednesday.



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Much of old Irvine air base is removed from list of hazardous sites

More than 1,900 acres of the retired Marine Corps Air Station El Toro in Irvine have been cleaned up, the EPA announces.



More than 1,900 acres of the retired Marine Corps Air Station El Toro in Irvine have been cleaned up and removed from the list of the nation's most hazardous sites after more than two decades, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced Monday.



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Suit alleges U.S. ignored 'best available science' in sonar ruling

An environmental group is suing the National Marine Fisheries Service alleging that it downplayed harm to ocean wildlife during military exercises.



The National Marine Fisheries Service violated federal law when it authorized the Navy's use of sonar in training exercises off Hawaii and California through 2018, an environmental group said in a lawsuit filed Monday.



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Restrictions on fishing in marine sanctuaries appear to be working

The sanctuaries in Southern California coastal waters were created to curb steep declines in fish and other sea creatures.



Two years after the creation of marine sanctuaries in more than 350 square miles of Southern California coastal waters, state wildlife officials and environmental groups say the restrictions on fishing are largely being obeyed.



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Microbeads a major problem in L.A. River

The tiny plastic beads, common in personal care products and not biodegradable, are an emerging concern among scientists and environmentalists.



Scientist Marcus Eriksen stood ankle deep in the murky Los Angeles River on Friday and dipped a net into the water, looking for a problem.



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L.A. hospitals gird for rise in flu cases

With statewide deaths outpacing last year's and being blamed in part on a 'swine flu' strain, L.A. facilities worry about its spread.



Despite a statewide drop in reported influenza cases, Los Angeles hospitals are preparing for this year's season to worsen in the coming weeks, fearful of the deadly H1N1 "swine flu" virus strain that is to blame for most of this year's flu deaths.



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For a trail with pleasing flow, hit Paradise Falls in Thousand Oaks

Head to Thousand Oaks' Wildwood Park, where the moderately difficult trail to Paradise Falls leads to a robust waterfall.



This unexpectedly pleasant waterfall destination will seem a little off the map for some Angelenos, but I found it well worth the drive to Thousand Oaks and very much worth the walk. Note: It includes a short water crossing that in damp weather could involve some slippery stepping stones.



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Dramatic rise in flu deaths reported by California health officials

State health officials reported Friday that California influenza deaths this flu season have doubled to 95, with an additional 51 cases likely to be confirmed next week.



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10-year-old Opportunity rover finds old 'drinking water' on Mars

Old rovers can indeed learn new tricks. Rolling into its 10th anniversary on the Red Planet, Opportunity has discovered clay minerals showing that life-friendly water flowed on Mars in the earliest epoch of its history.



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UC's new investment chief's compensation could top $1 million

The hiring of Canadian investment fund exec Jagdeep S. Bachher and his pay package trigger little discussion, but two regents oppose paying new Berkeley provost $450,000 a year.



SAN FRANCISCO — The UC regents on Thursday hired an executive of a Canadian investment fund to be the chief manager of the university system's $82 billion in endowment and pension investments and will pay him more than $1 million a year if he achieves good returns.



via L.A. Times - Science http://ift.tt/1mAqS1S

One-third in state still live where air does not meet U.S. standards

Overall, California has seen a big improvement in air quality in the last decade, according to a state evaluation of smog and soot levels.



Air pollution in California has dropped significantly over the last decade, yet about one-third of the population lives in communities where the air does not meet federal health standards, state officials reported Thursday.



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Conditions could give Seahawks a leg up in Super Bowl

Both East Rutherford, N.J., home to MetLife Stadium, and Seattle are approximately at sea level, where the air is denser than in Denver, and kicking could be an issue in the NFL championship game.



The East Rutherford Seahawks?



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California's higher education leaders pledge more cooperation

The heads of three systems tell UC regents they want to break through some of the walls set up by the state's 1960 Master Plan for Higher Education.



SAN FRANCISCO — The leaders of California's three public higher education systems Wednesday pledged more cooperation, particularly in transferring students, while Gov. Jerry Brown urged them to develop more innovative collaborations.



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Study takes new look at gun access and risk of homicide, suicide

An analysis of previous studies finds that those with a firearm at hand are almost twice as likely to be killed and three times as likely to kill themselves.



People who have ready access to a firearm are almost twice as likely to be killed and three times likelier to commit suicide than those without a gun available in the home or from a neighbor or friend, a new study has concluded.



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Exceptional dryness brings the hazy days of winter

A high-pressure zone that has been warding off rain for months has worsened air pollution across California and the Southwest.



California's exceptionally dry winter is having a visible consequence: bad air.



via L.A. Times - Science http://ift.tt/1mt7I0S

California declares drought emergency

Gov. Jerry Brown's decree urges residents to cut water use by 20% and takes steps to ease shortage's effects on farms and wildlife.



Gov. Jerry Brown officially declared a drought emergency in the state Friday, urging residents to cut water use by 20% and directing state agencies to take a range of steps to ease the effects of water shortages on agriculture, communities and fish and wildlife.



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Middle-aged skateboarders defy family skeptics, and falls

Folks in their 50s are shredding old-school, even pulling rad moves, as a growing number of grayhairs take up skateboards.



Scott Hostert has heard it all: You're too old. You're nuts. You don't want to live the rest of your life being fed through a tube, do you?



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Rocking exercise can bring out-of-control kids to calmer seas

The side-to-side move called rock the boat releases tension and is soothing. Perfect for kids or adults after a trying day.



When someone or something has rocked your boat, here's a great way to calm the upset and feel more in control.



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NASA gets some funding for Mars 2020 rover in federal spending bill

Congressional negotiators released a $1.1-trillion omnibus spending bill for the 2014 fiscal year that’s more generous to NASA’s scientific endeavors than the White House’s proposal, but it may be too soon to celebrate, officials said this week.



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Jury is out on health effects of e-cigarettes

Health experts disagree whether electronic cigarettes help fight smoking or threaten to get more people hooked, including teenagers. The answer is probably years away.



Electronic cigarettes are either a potent weapon in the war against tobacco, or they are an insidious menace that threatens to get kids hooked on nicotine and make smoking socially acceptable again.



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BNSF Railway to pay $140,000 over chemical spill near Port of L.A.

BNSF Railway, which failed to report the June 2012 spill when it occurred, pleads no contest to criminal charges. The agreement includes paying a port police officer's medical expenses.



BNSF Railway has pleaded no contest to criminal charges and agreed to pay $140,000 in penalties, medical expenses and emergency response costs stemming from a 2012 spill of hazardous chemicals near the Port of Los Angeles, the city attorney announced this week.



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EPA accuses oil firm of endangering health of nearby residents

Allenco Energy Inc. is cited for violations. The probe was launched when residents of the South L.A. neighborhood complained about respiratory ailments and nosebleeds.



The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency formally accused a South Los Angeles oil operation of putting the health and safety of nearby residents at risk by failing to maintain safe operations or take steps to prevent accidental releases of hazardous substances.



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California areas brace for water rationing as reservoir levels fall

Residents in some Northern California communities are being asked to cut back on water consumption. In one area, marijuana growers are among the biggest users.



Officials of the small Mendocino County town of Willits looked at their two municipal reservoirs last week, did some calculating and realized they had enough water to last only 100 days. It was time to adopt the toughest rationing measures they could.



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Rare tortoises are branded to make them unattractive to poachers

In an effort to curb trade in rare species, a turtle sanctuary in Ventura County aims to mark each of the 360 ploughshare tortoises in captivity and 300 in the wild.



The booming illegal international wildlife trade forced conservationists to do the unthinkable Tuesday: Brand the golden domes of two of the rarest tortoises on Earth to reduce their black market value by making it easier for authorities to trace them if stolen.



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West Coast radiation from Fukushima disaster poses no risk, experts say

Scientists trying to quell an outburst of concern say radiation from the 2011 tsunami that hit the Japanese nuclear power plant has dropped.



Radiation detected off the U.S. West Coast from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in Japan has declined since the 2011 tsunami disaster and never approached levels that could pose a risk to human health, seafood or wildlife, scientists say.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/5Nl6alNBGMM/la-me-west-coast-radiation-20140113,0,4048380.story

How to visit the UCLA Meteorite Gallery

WHERE: The museum is in Room 3697 of the Geology Building on the UCLA campus in Westwood. The address is 595 Charles E. Young Dr. East.



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UCLA meteorite collection finally reaches the public

UCLA's Meteorite Gallery, which houses the largest collection in California and fifth-largest in the country, is officially open. The modest museum space packs a wealth of information.



The track lighting has been installed, the pamphlets have been printed, and the 357-pound metal space rock that crashed to Earth 50,000 years ago has been bolted to its small display table.



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Exercise boost — keys to keeping with the program

You started exercising? Great! Now comes the hard (yet fun) part: keeping at it. Four fitness gurus — Harley Pasternak, Lacey Stone, Jason Wimberly and Amen Iseghohi — share tips.



How are those new 2014 workouts going? Need a little inspiration boost? We talked to four prominent trainers and fitness personalities in hopes of finding keys to helping you work out — successfully — for years to come.



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Step by step, a way to health, happiness and friendship

Climbing the city's little-known public staircases helped him sidestep surgery and kick-started a movement among urban explorers.



I was having a period of bad health — quite a long period. I had a hip replacement, and another, and a hand surgery. Then a broken leg. Then a spinal surgery. Then another spinal surgery. I was falling apart faster than the doctors could put me back together.



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Bill Nye tests the benefits of swing dancing

Bill Nye, the Emmy-winning 'Science Guy' and author, says the proof of swing dancing's benefits is in the exercise, the music and, well, the physical contact.



Bill Nye might rightly be called a swing-dancing fanatic. So he sounded none too pleased at having to leave the floor after a stint on "Dancing With the Stars" left him with a painful tear to his quadriceps tendon.



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Virgin Galactic spaceship reaches new heights in supersonic flight

MOJAVE, Calif. -- Virgin Galactic, British billionaire Richard Branson’s commercial space venture, reached its highest altitude yet Friday in a supersonic rocket plane that’s set to carry paying customers into sub-orbit later this year.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/eTSBiPTD6Cw/la-fi-mo-virgin-galactic-spaceship-20140110,0,6270852.story

NASA wins White House approval to extend life of space station

NASA plans to announce that the U.S. will keep the International Space Station going through 2024.



WASHINGTON — The world's most expensive science project — the $100-billion-plus International Space Station — is poised to get four more years in orbit. According to documents obtained by the Orlando Sentinel, NASA plans to announce this week that it has White House approval to extend the station's operations through 2024.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/udaWzkSXddg/la-na-space-station-20140108,0,2832917.story

Hubble harnesses gravity to find dim, ancient galaxies near big bang

If you’re a giant space telescope squinting into the far reaches of the cosmos, gravity is your best friend. Using the magnifying powers of massive galaxy clusters, three of NASA’s Great Observatories – the Hubble, Spitzer and Chandra space telescopes – are joining forces to discover some of the earliest galaxies in the universe.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/0SUAQXPMTpU/la-sci-sn-hubble-distant-galaxy-early-universe-spitzer-nasa-20140108,0,2448498.story

L.A. storms to grow more destructive as sea level rises, study says

The effect of global warming on sea level will worsen coastal flooding and erosion as major storms produce higher tides and bigger waves and storm surges, a city-commissioned study finds.



Major storms will be more destructive to coastal areas of Los Angeles as sea level rise accelerates over the century, according to a new study the city of Los Angeles commissioned to help it adjust to climate change.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/-caoAf7gdqs/la-me-sea-level-20140108,0,3069596.story

Bright ancient galaxies offer rare glimpse of early universe

Four galaxies examined by the Hubble telescope date to a mere 500 million years after the big bang, but are so bright they offer scientists a new window into that early stage of the universe.



A quartet of galaxies spied with NASA's Hubble Space Telescope are among the oldest yet discovered — more than 13 billion years old, born just 500 million years after the big bang. They're also incredibly bright, so luminous that they offer a new peek into the early universe.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/0KYQtNvJv2w/la-sci-hubble-galaxies-20140108,0,763435.story

Smoking prevalence remains high worldwide

Although smoking rates in the last three decades have declined drastically in the U.S. and more moderately worldwide, there are still more smokers today than ever, researchers find.



Despite a steep drop in the number of smokers in the United States over the last three decades, researchers say that cigarettes remain a growth industry for the rest of the world because of expanding population.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/CsEyA2gs_IQ/la-sci-smoking-20140108,0,1986544.story

Mediterranean diet linked to lower risk of Type 2 diabetes

Minimizing red meat and sweets while incorporating plant-based fats may be more effective than a low-fat diet, a study suggests.



Even without weight loss, adhering to a diet rich in fresh produce, chicken, fish and olive oil is 40% more effective in heading off the development of Type 2 diabetes than following a low-fat diet, a new study has found.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/KTsfQ7PKyaA/la-sci-diabetes-diet-20140107,0,710475.story

West Coast sardine crash could radiate throughout ecosystem

If sardine populations don't recover soon, experts warn, the West Coast's marine mammals, seabirds and fishermen could suffer for years.



The sardine fishing boat Eileen motored slowly through moonlit waters from San Pedro to Santa Catalina Island, its weary-eyed captain growing more desperate as the night wore on. After 12 hours and $1,000 worth of fuel, Corbin Hanson and his crew returned to port without a single fish.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/QjslwO1r4tA/la-me-sardine-crash-20140106,0,3689464.story

Extensive salvage logging proposed for Rim fire area

The U.S. Forest Service project would be one of the largest federal salvage efforts in California in years. Not everyone approves.



The U.S. Forest Service is proposing an extensive salvage operation to log dead trees on about 46 square miles of timberland charred in last year's massive Rim fire in the Sierra Nevada.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/BM3SKWvYKz8/la-me-rim-salvage-20140105,0,2040648.story

Intermittent fasting, or IF, gains ground as a dieting tool

Intermittent fasting gains favor as a way to lose weight and see health benefits. But some call for better studies before jumping on the IF bandwagon.



It's a real heavyweight on the diet scene these days: intermittent fasting, a.k.a. IF (having ascended to heights where mere initials are enough). True, a fasting diet may not sound as appealing as, say, a cookie diet or a chocolate diet or a beer diet, but IF has been getting some jaw-droppingly good word of mouth from proponents who boast that it won't just make you thinner, it will make you healthier too.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/zYGZ51sM4xg/la-he-intermittent-fasting-20140104,0,7260839.story

Kellan Lutz works hard to get that Hercules 'pop'

Kellan Lutz, star of the upcoming 'The Legend of Hercules,' talks about his bodybuilding routine.



The skinny guy doesn't get cast as Hercules. Conversely, you can't just go down to the Gold's Gym in Venice Beach and hire some muscle head to play the lead in a big-budget 3-D movie. Acting chops to go with the bulging biceps and rippling midsection are required.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/4PzKgNTkNdA/la-he-five-questions-lutz-20140104,0,3553998.story

Reality check for your fitness resolution from a reality show trainer

If your 2014 resolution is to lose weight and get in shape, Bob Harper from 'The Biggest Loser' can help with a reality check to combat unrealistic expectations.



If you're like many Americans, you made a resolution to lose weight and get in shape in 2014. And, if you're like many Americans, you'll step on the scale a few days into your new diet and throw your hands up in discouragement at the lack of "The Biggest Loser"-worthy numbers.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/nsr9RrrctDs/la-he-0104-bob-harper-20140104,0,7669791.story

Single-leg pulse works lower body

A twist on the lunge, the single-leg pulse is a good lower-body workout and gets the heart rate up too.



Looking for a new lower-body challenge? Try adding the single-leg pulse to your repertoire. This move will sculpt your backside, get your heart rate up and challenge different muscles than a regular lunge, says fitness expert Lacey Stone, who uses it on her Extreme Bootcamp app for iPhone and iPad.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/SLH6ee6BadQ/la-he-try-this-stone-pulse-20140104,0,116213.story

DNA sequencer raises doctors' hopes for personalized medicine

The device could accelerate the use of genetic information in everyday medical care, physicians hope, improving diagnoses and treatments.



Among the many stents, surgical clamps, pumps and other medical devices that have recently come before the Food and Drug Administration for clearance, none has excited the widespread hopes of physicians and researchers like a machine called the Illumina MiSeqDx.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/ZJX7KqasN7E/la-sci-personalized-medicine-20140104,0,436970.story

Stinky-breath caterpillar has healthy addiction to nicotine

So you think tobacco is bad for your health? Try telling that to a tobacco hornworm: His stinky nicotine breath is the only thing keeping him off the evening dinner menu, scientists say.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/cgr57OvnFKA/la-sci-sn-caterpillar-scares-off-predators-with-toxic-bad-breath-20131230,0,4226905.story