HEALTH AND SCIENCE HIGHLIGHTS

September 9, 2015 (San Diego's East County)-- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

• Bill Giving Dying Patients Easier Access To Experimental Drugs Heads To Governor's Desk (KPBS)
• Check Out Life Spans Around The World — And Likely Years Of Ill Health (NPR)
• Test shows how old your body really is (BBC)
• Weight loss surgery 'cures diabetes' (BBC)
• An upstart in the certification of doctors (APM)

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

• DNA cracks puzzle of Basque origins (BBC)
• Why did 60,000 Antelopes die in 4 days? (CS Monitor)
• Restless nights? Smart devices may help ease you through the twilight hours (Reuters)
• In California's Protected Waters, Counting Fish Without Getting Wet (NPR)
• Why Are Women Less Likely To Become Entrepreneurs Than Men? (NPR)

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

HEALTH

Bill Giving Dying Patients Easier Access To Experimental Drugs Heads To Governor's Desk (KPBS)

A bill designed to make it easier for dying patients to get unapproved treatments is awaiting a decision by Governor Jerry Brown.

Check Out Life Spans Around The World — And Likely Years Of Ill Health (NPR)

It's one of those good news/bad news stories. A study in the medical journal The Lancet found that people around the world — in countries rich, poor and in the middle — are living longer. But here's the rub. You can't count on living those extra years in good health.

Test shows how old your body really is (BBC)

Scientists say they have developed a way of testing how well, or badly, your body is ageing.

Weight loss surgery 'cures diabetes' (BBC)

Weight loss surgery cures half of patients with type-2 diabetes, for at least five years, a study suggests.

An upstart in the certification of doctors (APM)

Board certification of physicians has grown into a big business. What was once a one-time exam has slowly expanded to an ongoing and time-consuming process that includes recertification exams every decade and a near continuous stream of online learning modules.  It’s also gradually become a multi-million dollar industry that includes fees, study materials and prep courses. Many doctors claim it’s an expensive waste of time, and now some of them are challenging the business of board certification. 

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

DNA cracks puzzle of Basque origins (BBC)

DNA from ancient remains appears to have solved the puzzle of one of Europe's most enigmatic peoples: the Basques.

Why did 60,000 Antelopes die in 4 days? (CS Monitor)

Researchers have clues that might explain why thousands of saiga, an endangered antelope, died suddenly.

Restless nights? Smart devices may help ease you through the twilight hours (Reuters)

Insomniacs, light sleepers and others who blink bleary eyes every morning could be the next target of technology companies looking to come up with ideas to improve any given aspect of consumers' lives.

In California's Protected Waters, Counting Fish Without Getting Wet (NPR)

Using divers to monitor whether life is returning to the 100 or so marine protected areas is pricey. Now, advances in DNA sequencing mean scientists just need a seawater sample to do a marine census.

Why Are Women Less Likely To Become Entrepreneurs Than Men? (NPR)

Analysis finds women are less likely to be arrogant about mistakes and more likely to be humble about their achievements. Men are more likely to disregard market signals that their ideas are flawed.