HEALTH AND SCIENCE HIGHLIGHTS

June 10, 2015 (San Diego’s East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

• Baby from ovary frozen in childhood (BBC)
• Wet wipes 'spread superbugs' (BBC)
• Abortions declining in nearly all states, survey finds (Fox)
• Amazon, Google race to get your DNA into the cloud (Reuters)
• 'Lab on a card' can spot poor quality drugs (BBC)
• Viral Superspreader? How One Man Triggered A Deadly MERS Outbreak (NPR)
• This blood test can tell you every virus you’ve ever had (Washington Post)
• Lung cancer therapy is 'milestone' (BBC)
• In Virtual Reality, San Diego Scientist Sees Tool To Help The Visually Impaired (KPBS)
• Sleeping cancer cells can 'wake up' (BBC)
• Who's Addicted To What? The First Worldwide Guide (NPR)
• With new US law, more funding to protect women who have children after rape
• Study finds new path to HIV vaccines (U-T)

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

• Could this new technology put a stop to drunk driving? (CS Monitor)
• Online Health Searches Aren't Always Confidential (NPR)
•  Solar Sail Unfurls In Space
• VIDEO: The drone that can climb walls
• EPA Finds No Widespread Drinking Water Pollution From Fracking (NPR)
• PayPal users face robot cold calls (BBC)
• How Google seeks to 'take the mystery out of privacy'
• Facebook introduces new encryption features (APM Marketplace)
• The Promises and Perils of Synthetic Biology (Newsweek)

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

HEALTH

Baby from ovary frozen in childhood (BBC)

A woman in Belgium is the first in the world to give birth to a baby using transplanted ovarian tissue frozen when she was still a child, doctors say. / The 27-year-old had an ovary removed at age 13, just before she began invasive treatment for sickle cell anaemia.

Wet wipes 'spread superbugs' (BBC)

Researchers at Cardiff University say clinical detergent wet wipes can spread superbugs in hospitals.

Abortions declining in nearly all states, survey finds (Fox)

Abortions have declined in states where new laws make it harder to have them - but they've also waned in states where abortion rights are protected, an Associated Press survey finds. Nearly everywhere, in red states and blue, abortions are down since 2010.

Amazon, Google race to get your DNA into the cloud (Reuters)

Amazon.com Inc is in a race against Google Inc to store data on human DNA, seeking both bragging rights in helping scientists make new medical discoveries and market share in a business that may be worth $1 billion a year by 2018.

'Lab on a card' can spot poor quality drugs (BBC)

Tackling the scourge of fake and substandard drugs

Viral Superspreader? How One Man Triggered A Deadly MERS Outbreak (NPR)

In the past week, South Korea's confirmed cases of the Middle East respiratory syndrome have more than tripled to 41, with at least three deaths. About 1,600 people are quarantined and more than 1,000 schools are closed.

This blood test can tell you every virus you’ve ever had (Washington Post)

Curious how many viruses have invaded your body over the course of your life? Now you can know. Researchers have developed a DNA-based blood test that can determine a person's viral history, a development they hope could lead to early detection of conditions, such as hepatitis C, and eventually help explain what triggers certain autoimmune diseases and cancers.

Lung cancer therapy is 'milestone' (BBC)

A lung cancer therapy can more than double life expectancy in some patients, a major trial shows.

In Virtual Reality, San Diego Scientist Sees Tool To Help The Visually Impaired (KPBS)

Virtual reality can be more than just fun and games, according to a UC San Diego doctor using a cheap new headset with patients in mind.

Sleeping cancer cells can 'wake up' (BBC)

Scientists say they may be able to explain why some cancers return, many years after they appear to have been cured.

Who's Addicted To What? The First Worldwide Guide (NPR)

Researchers have put together a comprehensive look at alcohol, tobacco and illegal drug use — and broken down the data by region.

With new US law, more funding to protect women who have children after rape

The Rape Survivor Child Custody Act boosts funding for states that allow women to petition for the termination of parental rights based on clear and convincing evidence that a child was conceived through rape....  Studies estimate that 25,000 to 32,000 pregnancies in the United States each year are the result of rape, and one third or more of the women opt to raise the child. 

Study finds new path to HIV vaccines (U-T)

Immune system can be more fully activated against HIV, Sanford-Burnham led study finds.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Could this new technology put a stop to drunk driving? (CS Monitor)

NHTSA has revealed a new alcohol detection system that could prevent drunk driving. 

Online Health Searches Aren't Always Confidential (NPR)

Searching a medical issue on the Internet seems harmless enough, but one researcher found that online medical searches may be seen by hidden parties, and the data even sold for profit. " 

Solar Sail Unfurls In Space

A nonprofit has successfully tested technology that could one day be used to explore the solar system on a budget.

VIDEO: The drone that can climb walls

How a drone that can climb walls could be used to inspect difficult to reach places like wind turbines.

EPA Finds No Widespread Drinking Water Pollution From Fracking (NPR)

The report says there are few incidents of tainted water given the number of wells. Energy companies agree. Environmentalists accuse the industry of undue influence over the study.

PayPal users face robot cold calls (BBC)

PayPal is updating its user agreement in July to force customers to accept automated cold calls from it and its affiliates.

How Google seeks to 'take the mystery out of privacy'

Google's streamlined approach to privacy came out on Monday, putting all privacy controls in one place and launching a check-up feature and a new Q&A site.

Facebook introduces new encryption features (APM Marketplace)

Facebook says it is rolling out an experimental new feature that increases access to encryption technology for its users. A new setting on the social networking site allows users to encrypt emails between them and Facebook, such as messages for resetting passwords.

The Promises and Perils of Synthetic Biology (Newsweek)

A mile from the Mexican border, on a patch of scrubland where the Chihuahuan Desert meets the low-slung mountains of New Mexico, lies $104 million worth of government investment in the form of 78 dirt-packed, plastic-lined pits.