Defuse quakes? Nice try

Question: News is that scientists have learned how to switch earthquakes "off" and "on." So why not switch off the fault that might bring the Big One to San Francisco?

Answer: The largest recorded quake was in Chile in 1960, where a slab of rock 800 x 200 kms slipped 21 meters past the adjacent rock, magnitude 9.5, says Nigel Calder in "Magic Universe." Micro-earthquakes, with rock slippage or "creep" measured in mms, rank at magnitude 2 — undetectable by people or distant seismometers. But the little ones can grow into big ones, reasoned Hiroo Kanamori, at Tokyo University and Caltech. Since there are 100,000 times more quakes of magnitude 2 than 7, predicting the big ones is bound to be uncertain, as when forecasters failed to warn of the deadly Kobe earthquake in Japan in 1995.

Scientists can now switch earthquakes on by using water under pressure pumped in through boreholes close to fault lines, raising the possibility of "stage-managing" a lot of small quakes to relieve the San Andreas fault strain buildup, thus saving San Francisco. Some 500 boreholes 4,000 meters deep might be needed to do this. An intriguing idea, yes, but politically explosive, says Calder. "Every earthquake in California would be blamed on this, whether it was really responsible or not, litigation against the government would continue for centuries."

And who knows? The little ones just might backfire and trigger the dreaded Big One. Kanamori's caution: "Better not pull the tiger's tail."

Question: "People who need people are the luckiest people in the world," the old song says. Might your doctor agree?

Answer: If she's up on the research, she would. While close relationships can be stressors in life, causing some of our greatest heartaches, more often they provide us with our greatest joys, contributing to our health and overall happiness, says David G. Myers in "Social Psychology."

People are good for us! In 80-plus studies, social support has been linked with healthier hearts and immune systems. People in close relationships eat better, exercise more, smoke and drink less. Moreover, in one five-year study of 423 elderly married couples, those who GAVE the most social support (running errands for friends, emotionally supporting their spouse, etc.) enjoyed the greatest longevity.

On the other hand, lonely people have been shown to sleep less well, experience more stress, and fall into depressions. "With few social ties with friends, kin or other members of close-knit religious or community groups, all of us are more likely to die prematurely."