LA Times Science Files for 2007/06/07

These are items compiled by staff of the LA Times.

• STEM CELLS
  Ordinary cells reprogrammed to mirror stem cells
  

  Scientists have succeeded in reprogramming ordinary cells from the tips of mouse tails and rewinding their developmental clocks so they are virtually indistinguishable from embryonic stem cells, according to studies published today. By Karen Kaplan, Times Staff Writer.

• PHARMACEUTICALS
  FDA seeks stronger warnings for pair of diabetes drugs
  

  WASHINGTON — The government is seeking its strongest safety warning for Avandia and Actos — two drugs widely used to treat Type 2 diabetes — amid heightened concern that heart failure risks associated with the medications are poorly understood, officials said Wednesday. By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, Times Staff Writer.

• PHARMACEUTICALS
  Amgen bets on risky field of diabetes
  

  New warnings were slapped on two of the nation’s most popular diabetes drugs Wednesday as Thousand Oaks biotech giant Amgen Inc. jumped into the booming market. By Daniel Costello, Times Staff Writer.

• INFECTIOUS DISEASES
  TB case raises concerns about terror vulnerability
  

  About 300 drivers of the dirtiest and oldest trucks serving the Los Angeles-Long Beach port complex gathered in Wilmington on Tuesday to support a program that would impose stricter pollution standards on harbor vehicles. By Johanna Neuman and Joel Havemann, Times Staff Writers.

• GLOBAL WARMING
  Bush seeks to mediate on climate change
  

  ROSTOCK, GERMANY – President Bush presented himself Wednesday as caught in the middle of the international climate debate, fending off allies’ calls for mandatory steps to reverse global warming while encouraging major developing nations to join eventual climate negotiations. By James Gerstenzang, Times Staff Writer.

• GLOBAL WARMING
  Hurricane surge may be nothing new, study says
  

  A surge in major Atlantic hurricanes over the last decade – often cited as evidence of increasing global warming – may not be a surge at all but a return to normal storm patterns, according to a new study. By Alan Zarembo, Times Staff Writer.

• ENVIRONMENT
  L.A. urges conserving water in dry spell
  

  Los Angeles officials urged residents Wednesday to reduce water consumption by 10% as weather forecasters predicted the region’s historic dry spell will combine with a summer of record-setting temperatures. By Hector Becerra and David Pierson, Times Staff Writers.