Bariatric surgery found to ease Type 2 diabetes symptoms

In overweight patients, even those who are not severely obese, surgical procedures are more helpful than drug treatment alone, a study says.



Bariatric surgery did more to improve symptoms of diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol after three years than intensive treatment with drugs alone, according to new results from a closely watched clinical trial involving patients who were overweight or obese.



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'Nanobionics' aims to give plants superpowers

MIT scientists create bionic plants with increased photosynthetic activity and the ability to detect pollutants in the air.



Plants are an engineering marvel of nature. Fueled by sunlight, they recycle our carbon dioxide waste into fresh oxygen for us to breathe. Plus, they make the world prettier. But, with a little help from us humans, can they be coaxed to do even more?



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Advantages of glass bottles over plastic become clear

Longevity, taste, ease of cleaning and no chemical leaching are among reasons consumers are switching.



There's a reason wine and spirits are stored in glass: purity of taste. Plastic (and, to a lesser degree, metal) can impart various "flavors" into the liquids it comes into contact with. But that's just one reason that glass is an increasingly popular alternative to plastic and aluminum or stainless steel sport-style bottles.



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Filtered water pitchers that can grace a dinner party table

Gadgets: Soma's water filter pitcher looks elegant enough for a dinner party table. CamelBak also has a new filter pitcher.



The big guy in the water pitcher-filter market has practically become a common name, like Kleenex. But even Brita's most ardent fans might agree that those plastic containers aren't dinner party elegant.



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Some alternatives to plastic or metal water bottles

If you're in the market for an alternative to plastic or metal water bottles, here are a few options:



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Head of L.A. County public health department retires

One of highest-paid L.A. County department heads, Jonathan Fielding announces he will retire after 8 years leading public health agency.



The head of Los Angeles County's public health department — one of the largest agencies of its kind in the nation — announced he is retiring, now that a controversial campaign to break apart his agency has been abandoned.



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In a first, scientists find an asteroid with rings

Chariklo, an asteroid-comet hybrid known as a centaur, is the first object besides our solar system's giant gas planets found to have rings.



In a first, scientists have detected rings encircling an M&M-shaped asteroid known as Chariklo.



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Discovery of new dwarf planet hints at other objects in solar system

The movements of a newly discovered dwarf planet beyond Pluto's orbit, dubbed 2012 VP113, suggest that a mysterious frontier of the solar system may include a planet much larger than Earth.



Planet-hunters scouring the heavens have found thousands of distant worlds around other stars, but astronomers may have overlooked one lurking much closer to home.



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Catalina's Avalon is getting an ambitious overhaul

Santa Catalina's cozy harbor town is trying to restore its luster as a tourist hub. A museum leads the list of ambitious projects.



AVALON, Santa Catalina Island — Trying to restore its luster as a tourist destination, this cozy harbor town is undergoing its most ambitious overhaul since chewing gum magnate William Wrigley Jr. built the town's signature feature in 1929: Avalon Casino.



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Drying up the delta: 19th century policies underlie today's crises

Because they got there first, irrigation districts most Californians have never heard of have dibs on vast amounts of water upstream from the delta— even in times of drought.



HAMILTON CITY, Calif. — A shallow inland sea spreads across more than 160 square miles, speckled with egrets poking for crayfish among jewel-green rice shoots.



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Court clears way for Newhall Ranch project to proceed

A panel of a California appellate court finds that an environmental impact report adequately analyzed the project's potential effect on flora and fauna.



A state appellate court on Thursday cleared away a legal obstacle standing in the way of plans to build a community of 60,000 residents about 35 miles north of Los Angeles.



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UC will take part in Hawaii telescope project with Caltech

UC regents approve the university's participation in the construction and operation of the $1.4-billion Thirty Meter Telescope in Hawaii.



SAN FRANCISCO — The University of California took a big step Thursday toward what astronomers predict will be vastly improved exploration of the solar system and universe.



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Quarter of UC population had bad experiences on campus, survey finds

Officials say they're pleased that about 73% of undergraduates reported feeling 'comfortable' or 'very comfortable,' but express concern about reports of discrimination and isolation.



SAN FRANCISCO — About a quarter of UC students, faculty and staff reported that they had experienced some exclusionary, intimidating or offensive situations on campus and 9% said that had interfered with their abilities to study or work, according to a survey by the university system released Wednesday.



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Scientists warn of global warming's abrupt changes

A report by American Assn. for the Advancement of Science lays out in plain language the potential for harmful consequences should governments delay action.



A group of scientists warned Tuesday that world leaders must act more swiftly to slow greenhouse gas emissions or risk "abrupt, unpredictable and potentially irreversible changes" from climate change.



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February rains ease drought restrictions slightly

Officials are relaxing tight restrictions on water deliveries, but Central Valley irrigation districts will be the main beneficiaries, with little effect in the rest of the state.



Thanks to February storms, state officials are slightly easing drought restrictions on water deliveries, but the changes won't make a difference to most of the state.



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Evidence of young universe's growth spurt is discovered

Researchers focusing on gravitational waves find the first direct evidence for the theory of cosmic inflation, a faster-than-light expansion just after the big bang.



Scientists staring at the faint afterglow from the universe's birth 13.8 billion years ago have discovered the first direct evidence for the theory of cosmic inflation — the mysterious and violent expansion after the big bang.



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Did rainy climate aid Genghis Khan?

Scientists ask whether a period of unusual weather — suggested by ancient trees — helped the Mongol conqueror expand his power.



In the rings of ancient and gnarled trees, scientists have found evidence of a period of an unusual stretch of warmth and wetness in Mongolia between the years 1211 and 1225 — the exact time that Genghis Khan was in power.



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Government approves medical marijuana research

A University of Arizona study, which still requires DEA approval, would examine whether pot can help veterans cope with post-traumatic stress. The green light may clear the way for broader studies.



WASHINGTON — The Obama administration handed backers of medical marijuana a significant victory Friday, opening the way for a University of Arizona researcher to examine whether pot can help veterans cope with post-traumatic stress, a move that could lead to broader studies into potential benefits of the drug.



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Federal appeals court upholds delta smelt protections

A panel of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals concludes that a number of disputed environmental provisions were in fact justified.



In a big win for a little fish, a federal appeals court Thursday upheld delta smelt protections that have cut deliveries of Northern California water to the Southland and the San Joaquin Valley.



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A potent threat of major earthquake off California's northern coast

Risk of a monster quake and tsunami off California's North Coast is greater than researchers once thought.



If a 9.0 earthquake were to strike along California's sparsely populated North Coast, it would have a catastrophic ripple effect.



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Biologists move 500 red-legged frog eggs to mountain wetlands

The move from a San Fernando Valley stream to the Santa Monica mountains is the first attempt to expand the threatened species' range.



Federal biologists clad in waders and armed with long-handled nets this week moved hundreds of red-legged frog eggs from a San Fernando Valley stream to carefully selected wetlands 10 miles away in the first attempt to expand the threatened species' range in Southern California.



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Letters: Ignorance amplified

Re "Sowing doubt about science," Column, March 9



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Giant virus revived from deep freeze in Siberian tundra

A 30,000-year-old giant virus has been revived from the frozen Siberian tundra, sparking concern that increased mining and oil drilling in rapidly warming northern latitudes could disturb dormant microbial life that could one day prove harmful to man.



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Newhall Ranch project faces new hurdles with environmentalists' suit

Several environmental groups claim two federal agencies improperly assessed the environmental impact of troubled Newhall Ranch.



Environmentalists took a new step Tuesday in a decades-long dispute by filing a lawsuit against federal agencies that gave permission for construction of a community of 60,000 residents along the last wild river in Southern California.



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U.S. issues alert for El Niño watch

Forecasters detect ocean warming and say there is a 50% chance of an El Niño by summer or fall, which would bring wetter weather to California next winter.



U.S. government forecasters say odds are increasing that El Niño, an ocean-warming pattern that alters weather across the globe, will develop later this year.



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State failed to analyze effects of water bank, judge rules

The findings are the latest development in a long legal fight over a facility that has helped Stewart Resnick, owner of Fiji Water and POM Wonderful.



A court ruling issued Wednesday could throw up obstacles to operation of a Kern County groundwater bank that has helped billionaire Stewart Resnick build a nut empire in the southern San Joaquin Valley.



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SAT overhaul to make essay optional, end penalty for wrong answers

Changes in the college entrance exam will also seek to lessen the impact of tutoring on scores.



In a major overhaul of the SAT college entrance exam, students starting in 2016 will no longer be required to write an essay, will not be penalized for wrong answers and will not be able to freely use calculators.



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Drought linked to polluted winter air

Lack of rainfall, along with low winds and stagnant conditions that trapped pollution near the ground, contributed to increase in soot, officials say.



California's parched winter brought a big surge in air pollution, pushing the number of bad air days one-third higher than the previous winter and posing a serious health threat, state air quality officials said Tuesday.



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El Niño may return late this year, experts say

Scientists say their observations and computer models show signs of El Niño's return, which could mean more rain for California. Or not.



El Niño, nature's most powerful influence on weather around the globe, has been in a lull for two years. But indications suggest that could change as early as fall.



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