HEALTH AND SCIENCE HIGHLIGHTS

August 8, 2017 (San Diego's East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

• Opioid Commission tells Trump to declare state of emergency (CNN)
• Lyme disease’s worst enemy? It might be foxes (New York Times)
• Salk Scientists Contribute to First Gene Editing of Human Embryos in US (KPBS)
• How Smartphones Ae Making Kids Unhappy (NPR)
• Why these parents want their kids to have an 'old-fashioned summer’ (CS Monitor)

SCIENCE AND TECH

• Telemarketers just got harder to stop (AARP)
• U.S. federal department is censoring use of ‘climate change’, emails show (Guardian)
• That divisive Google engineer's diversity memo? Read it first. (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• With genetic morph, a weird type of anthrax has emerged—and it’s on a rampage (Arstechnia)
• The Gulf of Mexico's Dead Zone is the Biggest Ever Seen (NPR)

For excerpts and links to full stories, click “read more” and scroll down.

HEALTH

Opioid Commission tells Trump to declare state of emergency (CNN)

…Citing the fact that 142 Americans die from drug overdoses every day, the commission said, "America is enduring a death toll equal to September 11th every three weeks."

Lyme disease’s worst enemy? It might be foxes (New York Times)

… A new study suggests that the rise in tick-borne disease may be tied to a dearth of traditional mouse predators, whose presence might otherwise send mice scurrying into their burrows. If mice were scarcer, larval ticks, which are always born uninfected, might feed on other mammals and bird species that do not carry germs harmful to humans. Or they could simply fail to find that first meal.

Salk Scientists Contribute to First Gene Editing of Human Embryos in US (KPBS)

Salk scientists were involved in a new study that raises the possibility of curing certain genetic diseases in future generations. But the prospect of editing a child's DNA before they are born remains very controversial…/ The Salk scientists and their colleagues say they never intended to implant any of the embryos used in their research, much less to bring any of those embryos to term. Their work was largely funded by private donations and university money.

How Smartphones Are Making Kids Unhappy (NPR)

Psychologist Jean Twenge has observed dramatic shifts in behavior among children who go through adolescence with smartphones. They're spending less time with friends and reporting greater anxiety.

Why these parents want their kids to have an 'old-fashioned summer’ (CS Monitor)

Days spent playing outside with friends used to be a hallmark of summer – and some parents are trying bring back unstructured, unsupervised play as child development experts warn about the harm caused by overprotective parenting.

SCIENCE AND TECH

Telemarketers just got harder to stop (AARP)

New technology allows users to leave voicemail without phone ever ringing.

U.S. federal department is censoring use of ‘climate change’, emails show (Guardian)

Exclusive: series of emails show staff at Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service advised to reference ‘weather extremes’ instead.

That divisive Google engineer's diversity memo? Read it first. (San Diego Union-Tribune)

A Google employee's 10-page document went viral for suggesting women don't get ahead in tech jobs because of biological differences.

With genetic morph, a weird type of anthrax has emerged—and it’s on a rampage (Arstechnia)

It’s killing wildlife in African rainforests and may wipe out some chimp populations.

The Gulf of Mexico's Dead Zone is the Biggest Ever Seen (NPR)

A record-setting "dead zone," where water doesn't have enough oxygen for fish to survive, has appeared this summer. One major cause is pollution from farms.