SCIENCE AND HEALTH HIGHLIGHTS

April 15, 2015 (San Diego’s East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

• Earthquake warning on your smartphone? There may be an app for that (CS Monitor)
• The dystopian lake filled by the world’s tech lust (BBC)
• Academics rate women job applicants higher than identical men: study (Reuters)
• One man's dream: a tornado machine (Marketplace.org)
• A year after its exposure, Heartbleed bug remains a serious threat (CS Monitor)

HEALTH

• Dementia ‘halted in mice brains’ (BBC)
• Trading insurance discounts for health data (APM Marketplace)

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

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Earthquake warning on your smartphone? There may be an app for that (CS Monitor)

The GPS in smartphones could detect earthquakes and trigger warnings seconds before the strongest waves from the quake begin, researchers say.

The dystopian lake filled by the world’s tech lust (BBC)

Hidden in an unknown corner of Inner Mongolia is a toxic, nightmarish lake created by our thirst for smartphones, consumer gadgets and green tech.

Academics rate women job applicants higher than identical men: study (Reuters)

When hundreds of U.S. college faculty members rated junior scientists based on scholarly record, job interview performance and other information with an eye toward which should be hired, they preferred women over identically qualified men two-to-one, scientists reported on Monday. 

One man's dream: a tornado machine (Marketplace.org)

You’ve heard of wind and solar. But what about harnessing other forces of nature for energy? That's Louis Michaud's idea. Michaud worked an engineer in the petroleum industry, but on the side, he nurtured a radical green energy idea, a new renewable energy source he thinks could cover all of our power needs.

A year after its exposure, Heartbleed bug remains a serious threat (CS Monitor)

A new study shows that most large corporations haven't done enough to protect themselves against the flaw that can give hackers access to sensitive data.

HEALTH

Dementia ‘halted in mice brains’ (BBC)

Tweaking the brain's immune system with a drug has prevented mice developing dementia, a study shows.

Trading insurance discounts for health data (APM Marketplace)

Could 15 minutes of exercise could save you 15 percent on your life insurance? John Hancock Financial is the first insurer in the U.S. to offer discounts to policyholders who wear wireless fitness trackers. Sign up for a new life policy today, and the company will send you a Fitbit, one of those bracelets that tracks your steps. The more exercise you get, the bigger discount you get on your insurance premium, up to 15 percent.