HEALTH AND SCIENCE HIGHLIGHTS

East County News Service

November 1, 2016 (San Diego’s East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting-edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

• Zika shrinks mice testicles, damaging fertility (CNN)
• Exclusive: EpiPen price hikes add millions to Pentagon costs(Reuters)
• An Alternative To The EpiPen Is Coming Back To Drugstores (NPR)
• A hormone injection for men has been shown to be 96% effective as contraception.(BBC)
• Can Poverty Lead To Mental Illness? (NPR)
• 'Super-parenting' improves children's autism (BBC)\   

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

• Report Declares Global Wildlife Populations Are Plunging. But It's Complicated(NPR)
• China's Xiongmai to recall up to 10,000 webcams after U.S. hack (Reuters)
• It Ain't Me, Babe: Researchers Find Flaws In Police Facial Recognition Technology(NPR)
• Apple finds security flaw in its operating system (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• NASA's New 'Intruder Alert' System Spots An Incoming Asteroid (NPR)
• FCC Vote Means Internet Providers Need Permission To Share Your Data (NPR)
• Flaws in connected cameras, recorders broader than bad passwords(CS Monitor)
• Nations Agree To Establish World's Largest Marine Reserve In Antarctica (NPR)
• Sweden bans cameras on drones(BBC)

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

HEALTH

Zika shrinks mice testicles, damaging fertility (CNN)

If you're a guy mouse, the news about Zika's effect on your sex life couldn't be worse. Not only did male mice infected with the Zika virus have a tougher time getting females pregnant, their levels of sex hormones crashed, and their testicles shrunk by 90%, possibly permanently, according to new research by the Washington  University School of Medicine in St.Louis.

Exclusive: EpiPen price hikes add millions to Pentagon costs(Reuters)

Mylan NV's price hikes on EpiPens have added millions to U.S. Department of Defense spending since 2008 as the agency covered more prescriptions for the lifesaving allergy shot at near retail prices, government data provided to Reuters shows.

An Alternative To The EpiPen Is Coming Back To Drugstores (NPR)

The Auvi-Q epinephrine injector was pulled from the market in 2015 because of quality concerns. Now, the drug's maker says the problems have been solved and Auvi-Q will be available again in 2017.

A hormone injection for men has been shown to be 96% effective as contraception.(BBC)

A hormone injection for men has been shown to be a safe and effective method of contraception, but some users in trials reported side effects.

Can Poverty Lead To Mental Illness? (NPR)

That's a question that is fairly new to science. Researchers are now looking at the possible links.

'Super-parenting' improves children's autism (BBC)

Training mums and dads as "super parents" can dramatically improve a child's autism, a study shows.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Report Declares Global Wildlife Populations Are Plunging. But It's Complicated(NPR)

The WWF report asserts that wildlife populations have dropped by a startling percentage since 1970. The details and extent of that decline, however, are more complex than any one number can capture.

China's Xiongmai to recall up to 10,000 webcams after U.S. hack (Reuters)

A recall of webcams linked to a major cyber attack in the United States last week will involve up to 10,000 of the compromised devices, Chinese manufacturer Hangzhou Xiongmai Technology Co told Reuters on Tuesday. 

It Ain't Me, Babe: Researchers Find Flaws In Police Facial Recognition Technology(NPR)

Nearly half of American adults have been entered into law enforcement facial recognition databases, a new report shows. But problems with the accuracy of the technology could affect innocent people.

Apple finds security flaw in its operating system (San Diego Union-Tribune)

The U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team says that Apple has found vulnerabilities in its operating system that “may allow a remote attacker to take control of an affected system.” The team advises that “users and administrators review the Apple security page for iOS and apply the necessary update.”

NASA's New 'Intruder Alert' System Spots An Incoming Asteroid (NPR)

A space rock zips by earth Sunday night. Astronomers know it doesn't pose a threat, in part thanks to a new automated warning program called Scout.

FCC Vote Means Internet Providers Need Permission To Share Your Data (NPR)

Internet service providers will have to ask consumers before collecting and selling their data. However, the new rules do not apply to Google, Facebook and other tech giants.

Flaws in connected cameras, recorders broader than bad passwords(CS Monitor)

After last week's cyberattack leveraged insecure internet-connected devices to wage a denial of service attack, many experts urged consumers to change passwords. But that alone won't solve the problem. 

Nations Agree To Establish World's Largest Marine Reserve In Antarctica (NPR)

At 600,000 square miles, the sanctuary covers an area twice the size of Texas and is known as polar "Garden of Eden." This unanimous agreement is the result of years of negotiations.

Sweden bans cameras on drones(BBC)

The use of camera drones has been made illegal in Sweden unless they are granted a special surveillance permit.