NCTimes.com Blogs

Here’s the complete list I just got from AeA San Diego:

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Sean Carroll, expert on evolutionary developmental biology, talks to PLoS Genetics in a wide-ranging interview about his life and work.

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* The Dow ended Friday at 9, 325, up 1.57 percent for the day. Click on the link below for the entire story.

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Shares closed at 35 cents per share, up 17 cents for the day.

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Fruit fly genetics have been of great use in shedding light on human characteristics such as embryology. The degree is startling, since scientific evidence indicates the last common ancestor of humans and fruit flies lived hundreds of millions of years ago.

The similarity extends to genes governing weight and could provide new targets for obesity drugs, according to a paper recently published in BioMed Central Genetics.

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Expect more renters and fewer homeowners as San Diego County condominiums transform into apartments at a rapid clip.

Already, 4,000 condo units throughout the county are no longer for sale, with most reverting to rental units, said Russ Valone, president of MarketPointe Realty Advisors, a San Diego consultancy firm.

Click here for the complete story from business reporter Zach Fox.

The free market-oriented San Diego Institute for Policy Research has released a report (PDF) suggesting 36 possible deficit-cutting steps for the cash-strapped City of San Diego to consider.

The suggestions include eliminating all city-owned cell phones and providing a cell phone allowance instead; shifting the cost of routine street tree maintenance to property owners; and massive police department cuts.

Not all these steps taken by other cities may be appropriate to San Diego, the Institute says, but they’re worth considering as the city wrestles with a $43 million deficit.

Click on the link below to read all the suggestions:

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Biotech companies and others that depend heavily on patents also including those with software patents, will be especially interested in this federal appeals court decision limiting business-method patents.

Court limits ‘business method’ patents
BY DANIEL WAGNER
AP Business Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal appeals court on Thursday ruled against a man trying to patent a business idea, a decision with far-ranging implications for the financial services and high-tech industries, which have major players on both sides of the issue.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled against Bernard Bilski who wanted to patent a method for hedging against weather-related effects on businesses. Because his process did not involve a particular machine and did not physically transform anything, the court said, the process was not eligible for a patent.

Click here to read the entire story.