My fingers went numb writing science stories this year. There was so much to cover. Some items were real “talkers.” Others were important or simply interesting. I’ll start with 3 talkers and move on.
The "Yorba Linda trend" fault produced July's Chino Hills quake
EARTHQUAKE!: A magnitude 5.4 earthquake jolted Orange County hard on July 29th and was quickly named the Chino Hills quake after its apparent epicenter. But Caltech seismologist Egill Haukkson later told us the quake was produced by the little known Yorba Linda trend, a small fault system that begins in northeast Yorba Linda. (Story)
The quake compelled thousands of people to participate in the Great Southern California ShakeOut, the largest earthquake drill in American history. The drill, held Nov. 13, included an estimated 820,000 participants in Orange County. (Animation of quake hitting O.C.)
Winging it to California
Honey, we’re home: The space shuttle Endeavour was diverted to Edwards Air Force Base on Nov. 29 because weather conditions weren’t right for a landing at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA told us before touchdown that people in Orange County wouldn’t hear the shuttle’s twin sonic booms because Endeavour was entering California close to Santa Barbara. NASA was wrong. I was inundated with email and phone calls from readers across Orange County — and other parts of Southern California — who heard the booms, which were created when the shuttle was nearing lovely Oxnard. (Story, reader comments)
Several readers didn't like McPherson's turtleneck sweaters.
Sex? No thank you: I received tons of emails (metaphorically speaking) after I reported on Nov. 12th that Alexander McPherson, a prominent UC Irvine molecular biologist who supervises others, was refusing to take a state-mandated class in how to recognize and prevent sexual harassment.
“I have consistently refused to take such training on the grounds that the adoption of the requirement was a naked political act by the state that offended my sensibilities, violated my rights as a tenured professor, impugned my character and cast a shadow of suspicion on my reputation and career,” McPherson told us. (Story, campus emails).
“I consider my refusal an act of civil disobedience. I even offered to go to jail if the university persisted in persecuting me for my refusal. We Scots are very stubborn in matters of this sort.”
At last report (story), McPherson hadn’t taken the course and he was accusing the campus of trying to get his grant money transferred to other researchers. Campus officials were mum.
Oddly, several readers wrote to say home much they disliked McPherson’s turtleneck sweaters.
Right place, right time: On Oct. 5, Fullerton naturalist Hugh Ryono took video footage (play) of wayward sea lions swimming in the San Gabriel River in Seal Beach, three miles from the ocean. He captured the rare footage not long after videotaping a green sea turtle swimming in an area where scientists believe a small turtle colony exists. And early in the year, Ryono videotaped bobcats at play in an Irvine park. Hugh and his wife Pam were simply out for a walk at the time.
In an unrelated story, Fullerton College marine biologist Sean Chamberlin took close-up video off Dana Point in August. Go to video.
Oh, yeah, like you could do this ...
The Comeback Kidz: Five years ago, Santa Ana’s Discovery Science Center was a critical failure and was operating in the red. But it celebrated its 10th anniversary on Dec. 20 in great health, attracting critical acclaim and a record 440,000 visitors this year. DSC also unofficially set a new Guinness World Record when more than 90 people solved the Rubik’s Cube in less than one hour. Story. I served as the official witness of the event, which put me in ear shot of some funny exchanges. One frustrated young competitor asked Justin “Stryker” Langdon, a contest official, if he could start over. Corona said, “Only if an alien came down and stole your Cube.” Justin asked me not to mention his age because the event was, well, a geek-fest. For the record, Justin is 38.
People in O.C. whined when the temperature fell into the 30s over Christmas. John Wood handled minus 30 degree temperatures with good cheer. Said another way, we're weenies.
Deep freeze: John Wood, who teaches sixth grade at Talbert Middle School in Huntington Beach, traveled to Ross Island, Antarctica, to help scientists perform a “CT-scan” on Mt. Erebus, an active volcano.He lived in a tent for several weeks while helping with the research and writing a journal that was published online. Wood also did a q-and-a with us. (Click here to read it.) Among other things, we asked Wood what it’s like to sleep in a tent, on the side of a volcano, far, far away.
“Sleeping in the tent is great,” he told us. “Once you’re in the bag! The wind is a constant reminder of the cold. The sun is always up so sleeping for some is difficult. In the morning the ring of frost around your face reminds you not to move too quickly.”
Who is really playing games here?
Playing games: Readers were deeply impressed by Wood’s trip to the Antarctic. But they were divided by a story earlier in the year in which we reported that UCI researcher Bonnie Nardi received a $100,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to study why Americans go to greater lengths than the Chinese to modify “World of Warcraft,” a hugely popular game made by Blizzard of Irvine. (Story) In fact, people are still talking about the grant. As our Teri Sforza reported, Republican Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma has called the grant an “egregious example of wasteful spending.” (Story) Coburn also belittled the fact that other scientists had collectively been given $9.4 million to search for life on other planets. Seems like an unreasonable position considering that there are markings on Saturn that look exactly like the 405 Freeway.
ALSO WORTH NOTING:
