HEALTH AND SCIENCE HIGHLIGHTS

May 9, 2024 (San Diego's East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

• California dog owners warned of lethal river parasite (Newsweek)
• 6 ways the Biden administration is lowering healthcare costs for seniors (Washington Post)
• RFK Jr. says he suffered from a parasitic brain worm and mercury poisoning (CBS)
• Texas man files legal action to probe ex-partner’s out-of-state abortion (Washington Post)
• Uptick in sick and emaciated pelicans across Southern California  (CBS 8)

SCIENCE AND TECH

• Biden just signed a potential Tik-Tok ban into law.  Here’s what happens next (CNN)
• Hurricanes, heatwaves and rising seas: The impacts of record ocean heat (BBC)
• These hungry insects chomp on plastic as food   (BBC)

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

HEALTH

California dog owners warned of lethal river parasite (Newsweek)

A parasite that could potentially kill your pet dog has been discovered lurking in a section of the Colorado River that runs through Southern California. This parasite is a flatworm named Heterobilharzia americana, also known as a liver fluke, and has previously only been found in Texas and other states on the Gulf Coast....When it infects dogs, it can cause a condition known as schistosomiasis, which can damage a dog's liver and intestines and potentially be fatal.

6 ways the Biden administration is lowering healthcare costs for seniors (Washington Post)

Thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act, one of President Biden’s signature achievements, prescription drugs are set to become substantially more affordable for seniors. Yet many Americans seem unaware of just how monumental these changes will be. Here are six things to look for...

Politics

RFK Jr. says he suffered from a parasitic brain worm and mercury poisoning (CBS)

The campaign of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the independent running for president, confirmed Wednesday that he contracted a parasite in his brain over a decade ago.  His campaign's comment came after The New York Times reported he said in a 2012 deposition that a parasitic worm "ate a portion" of his brain and may have caused cognitive issues. 

Texas man files legal action to probe ex-partner’s out-of-state abortion (Washington Post)

The previously unreported petition reflects a potential new antiabortion strategy to block women from ending their pregnancies in states where abortion is legal.

Uptick in sick and emaciated pelicans across Southern California  (CBS 8)

SeaWorld has experienced a sharp increase of calls lately, rescuing 20 pelicans over the past two weeks…The problem is widespread across Southern California and even as far north as Santa Cruz.

SCIENCE AND TECH

Biden just signed a potential Tik-Tok ban into law.  Here’s what happens next (CNN)

... Congress had passed the bill this week as part of a wide-ranging foreign aid package meant to support Israel and Ukraine. It was approved by the House on Saturday, and by the Senate on Tuesday. The legislation poses the most serious risk to TikTok since US officials began raising concerns about the app in 2020. Under what is now US law, TikTok is forced to find a new owner within months or be banned from the United States entirely.

Hurricanes, heatwaves and rising seas: The impacts of record ocean heat (BBC)

Record ocean temperatures suggest the seas are warming faster than expected, and the impacts will be felt from polar ice shelves to coastal cities across the globe... cean warming is already having damaging effects on people and ecosystems alike. In summer 2023, buoys off the coast of Florida recorded temperatures that were warmer than a hot tub. Coral reefs are currently undergoing their fourth planet-wide bleaching event, set to be the most extensive yet.

These hungry insects chomp on plastic as food   (BBC)

Wriggling critters armed with enzymes can break down plastics that would otherwise take decades, or even centuries to degrade.