HEALTH AND SCIENCE HIGHLIGHTS

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June 12, 2019 (San Diego's East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

SCIENCE AND TECH

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

HEALTH

Researchers stem vaccine they hope could stem Alzheimer’s (CBS News)

Researchers at University of New Mexico researchers are working on a vaccine they hope could prevent Alzheimer's disease, reports CBS Albuquerque affiliate KRQE-TV. The mice were then given a series of maze-like tests. The mice that received the vaccine performed a lot better than those that hadn't.  However, drugs that seem to work in mice do not always have the same effect in humans. A clinical trial involving people will be required to see if the drug helps in real life, and that's a difficult and expensive undertaking — with no guarantee of success.

Is your loved one in a nursing home? Here’s why you should be alarmed. (Los Angeles Times)

All Americans should be deeply troubled by news that hundreds of nursing homes with a “persistent record of poor care” were kept secret by government authorities. They should be equally alarmed that, although the Trump administration says it really cares about this issue, the reality is that it has relaxed oversight of the industry, potentially placing seniors in jeopardy.

Ebola outbreak spreads outside the Congo, WHO says (CNN)

The Ebola outbreak that has infected more than 2,000 people in the Democratic Republic of Congo has now spread outside the country, the World Health Organization announced Tuesday. A 5-year-old Congolese boy was diagnosed with the virus in Uganda, the country's Ministry of Health and WHO said.

Number of measles cases surpasses 1,000 in U.S. for the first time since eradication (ABC)

ABC - The ongoing measles outbreak hit a new high, and involved some new states.

SCIENCE AND TECH

Wild bees are building their homes from plastic — and scientists aren’t sure why (National Geographic)

When tasked with making their unique nests, Argentina’s solitary bees are now choosing plastic.

It’s the middle of the night. Do you know who your iPhone is talking to? (Washington Post)

We’ve got a giant blind spot when it comes to the data companies probing our phones.

Germany wants access to citizens' data. That's sparked fears of a sinister past (CNN)

A hidden audio recorder built to fit inside a bedroom door. A tiny camera stashed in a garden birdhouse….These are just some of the ingenious devices used by the East German State Security Police -- better known as the Stasi.... Yet these devices pale in comparison to the smartphone in your pocket or the virtual assistant in your home that is collecting data on your daily habits.  Now, Germany's national police -- like many law enforcement services -- wants access, not only to phone data, but also information collected by digital assistants such as Google Home and Amazon Echo.

We Drink Basically The Same Wine As Ancient Romans — And That's Not So Great (NPR)

… As the environment changes around these wine varietals, they remain the same — genetically frozen in the past. This renders them susceptible to ever-evolving pests, pathogens and extreme weather. 

Choosing chicken over beef cuts our carbon footprints a surprising amount (National Geographic)

Food production accounts for about a quarter of total carbon emissions; there’s something easy we can do to help fix that.


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