MISSING GIRLS: China has a preference for boys over girls, and that preference is starting to show up in its demographics. A New York Times story outlined the situation, calling the imbalance in China “alarming.” William Lavely, an international studies professor, was quoted: “The census data suggest that the infant mortality rate for girls relative to boys worsened in the 1990s. People are treating girl babies differently than boy babies,” he said, “and in some cases taking very active steps to end their lives.”

HARMFUL ANTENNAS? A plan to install antennas on a church steeple in San Francisco has the neighbors up in arms, and the controversy was reported on in the San Francisco Examiner. The antennas are desired as a means of sending signals to cellular phones, and Bioengineering Professor Henry Lai was contacted for a comment. Said Lai, “The cell phone is such a new phenomenon. It’s very difficult at this point to tell its effects. If an antenna is close to your house, I can’t say if it’s safe or not. If you ask me if it’s completely safe, I would say one cannot say at this point.”

FAT & HEART DISEASE: A new study showing that a moderate decrease in fat in the diet is better than a drastic one got a lot of attention, including a widely disseminated AP story. The story quoted the study’s lead author, Professor of Medicine Robert Knopp, who said “It’s become a very popular notion that the less fat a person eats, the better off they are, as far as heart disease risk is concerned.” But, Knopp said, the study shows that extreme fat restrictions do not help and may be harmful.

MILLENIUM BUG: The computer glitch that is going to turn all our machines to pumpkins after midnight, when the year 2000 is rung in, will affect more than computers. Talking to a reporter from the Orlando Sentinel, Technical Communication Professor Mark Haselkorn said, “It is not a far reach to say that anything with (date sensitive) electronics in it is potentially at risk.” That might include watches, security systems, temperature control devices and electronic telephones. “If people have any question about an item, they need to ask the manufacturer what to do about it,” Haselkorn said.

EATING FISH: A study comparing inhabitants of two villages in Tanzania based on their fish consumption was widely reported because it pointed to the importance of fish consumption in lowering cholesterol. Santica Marco-vina, research professor of medicine and the study’s author, was quoted in the Orlando Sentinel: “To evaluate people eating fish with other people is very difficult because there are so many other differences.” But she said the inhabitants of the two villages were ethnically the same, and except for fish consumption, had similar lifestyles. ¶

Newsmakers is a periodic column reporting on the coverage of the University of Washington by the national press and broadcasting services.