HEALTH AND SCIENCE HIGHLIGHTS

East County News Service

November 10, 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 therapy 'works in the womb' (BBC)
• Drug-resistant TB rates in west Africa much higher than previously thought (Guardian)
• Food Pantries Try Nutritional Nudging to Encourage Good Food Choices (NPR)
• Middle school suicides double in past decade: What can be done? (CS Monitor)
• Male Birth Control Study Killed After Men Report Side Effects (NPR)
• Laughing Gas Gives Women Another Option to Manage Labor Pain (NPR)
• Warning over non-lump breast cancers (BBC)

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

• Rise in atmospheric CO2 slowed by green vegetation (BBC)
• Mount St. Helens surprise: There's no magma in the volcano's peak (Christian Science Monitor)
• Thousands of baby turtles released into Peruvian Amazon (BBC)
• San Diego Scientists Create Electronics Material That Can Heal Itself (KPBS)
• An Experiment Shows How Quickly the Internet of Things Can Be Hacked (NPR)
• Adobe Voco 'Photoshop-for-voice' causes concern (BBC)
• U.S., 35 states to boost electric vehicle charging stations (Reuters)
• Google Chrome is going to crack the whip on unprotected websites (Marketplace)
• Deutsche Telekom to launch drone defense system: report (Reuters)
• Smart motorways catch more than 1,000 speeding drivers a week (BBC)
• Polish minister accuses Facebook of censorship over right-wing symbol (Reuters)
• Facebook Lets Advertisers Exclude Users by Race (ProPublica)

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

HEALTH

Zika therapy 'works in the womb' (BBC)

Scientists say they may have found a way to protect babies in the womb from the harmful effects of Zika.

Drug-resistant TB rates in west Africa much higher than previously thought (Guardian)

The WHO had estimated that up to 2% of new TB infections in west Africa were resistant to drugs, but the researchers found the true rate was 6%.  The rate among people who had already been treated for TB was much higher: the WHO had estimated 17% of these infections in west Africa were resistant to drugs, but the network has found the average is 35%.…

Food Pantries Try Nutritional Nudging to Encourage Good Food Choices (NPR)

Simply shuffling the shelves may be a powerful way to help those living in poverty choose healthier options, a nationwide study of food banks suggests.

Middle school suicides double in past decade: What can be done? (CS Monitor)

As middle school suicides supersede car accidents as the leading cause of death in that age group for the first time, some suicide prevention programs may provide a glimmer of hope.

Male Birth Control Study Killed After Men Report Side Effects (NPR)

Science has failed yet again to come up with hormonal birth control for men. The most recent study was stopped because the men reported problems with side effects like mood swings and acne.

Laughing Gas Gives Women Another Option to Manage Labor Pain (NPR)

Move over, epidurals, here comes nitrous oxide. After enjoying popularity in the U.S. for managing labor pain until the mid-20th century, it was dropped in favor of anesthesia. Now it's back.

Warning over non-lump breast cancers(BBC)

Around one in six cases of breast cancer begins with symptoms other than a suspect lump, experts advise.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Rise in atmospheric CO2 slowed by green vegetation(BBC)

The growth in CO2 in the atmosphere has been slowed by the increased ability of plants to soak up the gas.

Mount St. Helens surprise: There's no magma in the volcano's peak (Christian Science Monitor)

In a new study, researchers suggest that the volcano actually siphons magma from a distant source.

Thousands of baby turtles released into Peruvian Amazon (BBC)

Thousands of baby Taricaya turtles have been released into the Peruvian Amazon as part of an effort to save them from extinction.

San Diego Scientists Create Electronics Material That Can Heal Itself (KPBS)

A team of researchers at UC San Diego says its self-healing material could be useful in designing new kinds of wearable electronic devices.

An Experiment Shows How Quickly the Internet of Things Can Be Hacked (NPR)

Reporter Andrew McGill set up a fake Internet-connected toaster to see how long it would take hackers to find it. He thought it would take days, but to his surprise it was under attack within minutes.

Adobe Voco 'Photoshop-for-voice' causes concern (BBC)

A new tool that makes it possible for computers to mimic a specific person's voice causes alarm.

U.S., 35 states to boost electric vehicle charging stations (Reuters)

The White House said on Thursday it will establish 48 national electric-vehicle (EV) charging networks on nearly 25,000 miles of highways in 35 U.S. states.

Google Chrome is going to crack the whip on unprotected websites (Marketplace)

The Google Chrome security team is getting tough on websites that are not encrypted. Those are the ones without the HTTPS at the beginning of its URL. Anyone looking at what you’re doing online on that site can capture all of your information, including important user names and passwords.… Come January, Google will put a clear “Not Secure” warning next to thousands of popular online sites that use unencrypted HTTP connections

Deutsche Telekom to launch drone defense system: report (Reuters)

 The increasing use of drones for commercial and leisure purposes has led to a rise in the number of near-misses with aircraft and infringements into no-fly zones, prompting companies and public institutions to seek ways to fend them off.

Smart motorways catch more than 1,000 speeding drivers a week (BBC)

More than 1,000 motorists a week are caught speeding on England's smart motorways, figures suggest.

Polish minister accuses Facebook of censorship over right-wing symbol (Reuters)

 Poland's digital economy minister accused Facebook of censorship on Monday after the company suspended some users' profiles for using a little-known far-right symbol. 

Facebook Lets Advertisers Exclude Users by Race (ProPublica)

Facebook’s system allows advertisers to exclude black, Hispanic, and other “ethnic affinities” from seeing ads.