HEALTH AND SCIENCE HIGHLIGHTS

February 7, 2019 (San Diego's East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

• Trump administration fires all members of HIV/AIDS advisory council (Washington Post)
• How your health information is sold and turned into ‘risk scores’ (Politico)
• Federal Appeals Court Blocks San Francisco Law On Ad Warnings For Sugary Drinks (NPR)

SCIENCE & TECH

• As mysterious BMW fires continue, calls for investigation into possible causes grow (ABC News)
• The doorbells have eyes: The privacy battle brewing over home security cameras (Washington Post)
• Why Is the Cold Weather So Extreme if the Earth Is Warming? (New York Times)
  

HEALTH

Trump administration fires all members of HIV/AIDS advisory council (Washington Post)

The remaining members of the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS were fired en masse this week. Months after a half-dozen members resigned in protest of the Trump administration's position on health policies, the White House dismissed the rest through a form letter.

How your health information is sold and turned into ‘risk scores’ (Politico)

Companies are starting to sell “risk scores” to doctors, insurers and hospitals to identify patients at risk of opioid addiction or overdose, without patient consent and with little regulation of the kinds of personal information used to create the scores.

Federal Appeals Court Blocks San Francisco Law On Ad Warnings For Sugary Drinks (NPR)

A federal appeals panel has blocked a San Francisco law requiring the beverage industry to post health warnings on advertisements for soda and other sugar-sweetened drinks. - In a unanimous ruling, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the law, approved by San Francisco voters in June 2015, is an unconstitutional infringement on commercial speech.

SCIENCE & TECH

As mysterious BMW fires continue, calls for investigation into possible causes grow (ABC News)

Despite continued reports of parked BMWs bursting into flames, the government watchdog for automotive safety does not have an active investigation into possible causes.  Consumers have filed more than 90 complaints about the issue to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, including 30 since ABC News first brought the problem to the public's attention, prompting critics to call for a federal probe.

The doorbells have eyes: The privacy battle brewing over home security cameras (Washington Post)

Police want to register — and even subsidize — private security cameras. That’s just the start of the ethical challenges ahead.

Why Is the Cold Weather So Extreme if the Earth Is Warming? (New York Times)

As climate change heats up the planet, winters are warming faster than summers. But during periods of extremely cold weather, many people wonder, “If the Earth is getting warmer, how can winter still be so cold?”… There’s growing evidence to suggest that the polar vortex is appearing outside the Arctic more frequently, because of changes in the jet stream that are attributed to the warming atmosphere.

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

HEALTH

Trump administration fires all members of HIV/AIDS advisory council (Washington Post)

The remaining members of the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS were fired en masse this week. Months after a half-dozen members resigned in protest of the Trump administration's position on health policies, the White House dismissed the rest through a form letter.

How your health information is sold and turned into ‘risk scores’ (Politico)

Companies are starting to sell “risk scores” to doctors, insurers and hospitals to identify patients at risk of opioid addiction or overdose, without patient consent and with little regulation of the kinds of personal information used to create the scores.

Federal Appeals Court Blocks San Francisco Law On Ad Warnings For Sugary Drinks (NPR)

A federal appeals panel has blocked a San Francisco law requiring the beverage industry to post health warnings on advertisements for soda and other sugar-sweetened drinks. - In a unanimous ruling, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the law, approved by San Francisco voters in June 2015, is an unconstitutional infringement on commercial speech.

SCIENCE & TECH

As mysterious BMW fires continue, calls for investigation into possible causes grow (ABC News)

Despite continued reports of parked BMWs bursting into flames, the government watchdog for automotive safety does not have an active investigation into possible causes.  Consumers have filed more than 90 complaints about the issue to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, including 30 since ABC News first brought the problem to the public's attention, prompting critics to call for a federal probe.

The doorbells have eyes: The privacy battle brewing over home security cameras (Washington Post)

Police want to register — and even subsidize — private security cameras. That’s just the start of the ethical challenges ahead.

Why Is the Cold Weather So Extreme if the Earth Is Warming? (New York Times)

As climate change heats up the planet, winters are warming faster than summers. But during periods of extremely cold weather, many people wonder, “If the Earth is getting warmer, how can winter still be so cold?”… There’s growing evidence to suggest that the polar vortex is appearing outside the Arctic more frequently, because of changes in the jet stream that are attributed to the warming atmosphere.