HEALTH AND SCIENCE HIGHLIGHTS

April 9, 2016 (San Diego's East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting-edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

• WHO: Zika causes microcephaly and Guillain Barre syndrome(CNN)
• Facing Zika fears: Raising kids with microcephaly
• Amid sweeping clinic closures, FDA loosens reins on abortion pill (CS Monitor)
• Sterile Box Is Solar-Powered To Make Surgeries Safer In Remote Areas (Ubergizmo)
• Bat disease jumps to US west coast (BBC)
• Five things to know about colorectal cancer (Miami Herald)
• Could a low-risk surgery help your chronic heartburn? (Salon Republic)
• Only One Country Offers Universal Health Care To All Migrants (NPR)
• 'Cancer gene' twice as likely to be defective in children with autism (ScienceDaily)
• Multiple Reasons Attributed To Lower Ear Infection Rates In Babies
• New No-Surgery Weight Loss Procedure Shows Promise (NBC News)
• How can red wine help the gut microbiome to prevent heart disease? (Medical News Today)
• The rate of diabetes has more than doubled in Africa and no one is ready for it (Quartz)
• Sleep Deprived: We're Recharging Our Phones, But Not Ourselves (NPR)

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

• Millions at risk of manmade quakes. How can fracking states lessen tremors? (CS Monitor)
• Saving Half the Planet for Nature Isn't As Crazy As It Seems (National Geographic)
• Why Whole Foods Wants A Slower-Growing Chicken  (NPR)
• Artificial intelligence steals money from banking customers (Science Magazine)
• Conservation communities grow in popularity (USA Today)
• Why China won’t listen to Western scientists about genetically modifying the human embryo (QZ)
• Scientists may have discovered what caused these mysterious giant holes in Siberia  (Business Insider)

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

HEALTH

WHO: Zika causes microcephaly and Guillain Barre syndrome (CNN)

…"Based on a growing body of preliminary research, there is scientific consensus that Zika virus is a cause of microcephaly and Guillain-Barre syndrome," the World Health Organization said in its weekly Zika virus situation report Thursday.

Facing Zika fears: Raising kids with microcephaly

Previously, the agency said there was not yet enough scientific evidence to say the virus caused these conditions, although it was likely.

Amid sweeping clinic closures, FDA loosens reins on abortion pill (CS Monitor)

The FDA has lifted regulations on an abortion pill, overriding laws in several states and adding a fresh layer to the national abortion debate.

Sterile Box Is Solar-Powered To Make Surgeries Safer In Remote Areas (Ubergizmo)

Public policy professor Douglas Schuler at Rice University, alongside his bunch of graduate students, have managed to figure out a method of ensuring that out of reach areas will still have a method to sterilize the surgical instruments even when there is no electricity supply in the vicinity.

Bat disease jumps to US west coast (BBC)

Wildlife officials express concern as white-nose syndrome, which has killed millions of bats in eastern US, is detected on the country's west coast.

Five things to know about colorectal cancer (Miami Herald)

Roughly 140,000 people are diagnosed with colorectal cancer in the United States each year. It is the third most common cancer and No. 2 cause of cancer-related deaths among men and women. Colorectal surgeon Heidi Nelson, M.D., chair of surgery at Mayo Clinic, shares five things to know about colorectal cancer.

Could a low-risk surgery help your chronic heartburn? (Salon Republic)

A minimally invasive surgery to treat chronic heartburn is safer than generally believed, and could be a desirable alternative to long-term use of acid reflux medications, new research indicates.

Only One Country Offers Universal Health Care To All Migrants (NPR)

Migrants often have trouble getting medical care in the country where they've resettled — especially if they're in the country illegally. But not in Thailand.

'Cancer gene' twice as likely to be defective in children with autism (ScienceDaily)

A gene whose role is to suppress cellular damage from environmental stressors is nearly twice as likely to be defective in children with autism spectrum disorder, researchers report, adding that the deficit is also present in their fathers.

Multiple Reasons Attributed To Lower Ear Infection Rates In Babies

A new study from the University of Texas has some good news for infants and their parents: ear infections in babies are on the decline.

New No-Surgery Weight Loss Procedure Shows Promise (NBC News)

Interventional radiologists have recently developed a new weapon against obesity.

How can red wine help the gut microbiome to prevent heart disease? (Medical News Today)

Atherosclerosis is a common health problem around the world, but new research suggests that resveratrol, found in red wine, could help prevent it by changing the gut microbiome.

The rate of diabetes has more than doubled in Africa and no one is ready for it (Quartz)

There are now four times as many people in the world living with diabetes today than in 1980 and poor diet and a lack of exercise are largely blamed, according to a report by the World Health Organization. In Africa, the prevalence of diabetes has more than doubled in that time, which may be due to better personal incomes versus poor public spending.

Sleep Deprived: We're Recharging Our Phones, But Not Ourselves (NPR)

Arianna Huffington says we're in the midst of a sleep deprivation crisis and that Donald Trump really shouldn't be bragging about needing only four hours of sleep a night.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Millions at risk of manmade quakes. How can fracking states lessen tremors? (CS Monitor)

Nearly 8 million people live in areas vulnerable to manmade earthquakes, which have been attributed to wastewater disposal from oil and gas drilling.

Saving Half the Planet for Nature Isn't As Crazy As It Seems (National Geographic)

“It’s a practical possibility,” says biologist E.O. Wilson, and it could save 80 to 90 percent of all species on Earth.

Why Whole Foods Wants A Slower-Growing Chicken  (NPR)

A modern broiler, or meat chicken, grows incredibly fast. The bird suffers as a result, and some critics say its flavor does too. Now Whole Foods wants its suppliers to shift to slower-growing breeds.

Artificial intelligence steals money from banking customers (Science Magazine)

An automated banking system that runs on Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been caught embezzling money from customers. Sadly for AI, which has had a very good year, the news is a setback in efforts by researchers to incorporate AI into everyday technology.

Conservation communities grow in popularity (USA Today)

Agrihoods connect residents to farms, gardens and ranches.

Why China won’t listen to Western scientists about genetically modifying the human embryo (QZ)

…In March, a group of US scientists requested scientists around the world to not genetically modify human embryos. They argue that the technology is not ready yet, but, less than a month later, a group of researchers in China did just that.

Scientists may have discovered what caused these mysterious giant holes in Siberia  (Business Insider)

In the summer of 2014 a giant crater was spotted in an area sometimes referred to as the "end of the world." Now, 2 years later, scientists finally think they know what caused these massive holes.