HEALTH AND SCIENCE HIGHLIGHTS

June 5, 2019 (San Diego's East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

• Safe Or Scary? The Shifting Reputation Of Glyphosate, AKA Roundup (NPR)
• Soaring syphilis rates making workload unmanageable and affecting quality of care, say nurses (CBC)
• Many teens sleep with their phones, survey finds — just like their parents (Washington Post)
• As CBD Oils Become More Popular, The FDA Considers Whether To Set New Rules (NPR)
• What's Doctor Burnout Costing America? (NPR)
• America too dependent on China for its medicine, experts warn (Fox)

SCIENCE & TECH

• Earth's carbon dioxide has jumped to the highest level in human history (Axios)
• Feds to investigate spike in gray whale deaths on West Coast (10 News)
• First gene-edited babies may be at risk of early death, study finds (National Geographic)
• Astronomers Worry New SpaceX Satellite Constellation Could Impact Research (Smithsonian)
• Former pet parrots breeding and thriving in 23 U.S. states (National Geographic)

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

HEALTH

Safe Or Scary? The Shifting Reputation Of Glyphosate, AKA Roundup (NPR)

Farmers have been using this chemical, often under the trade name Roundup, for about four decades now.  But now it's under fierce attack, accused of causing cancer. In three civil cases so far, U.S. juries have ordered Roundup's inventor, Monsanto, now owned by Bayer, to pay enormous damages to cancer survivors. Thousands more lawsuits have been filed. For this chemical, and for Monsanto, it's a stunning change in fortunes.

Soaring syphilis rates making workload unmanageable and affecting quality of care, say nurses (CBC)

The ongoing syphilis outbreak in Winnipeg is becoming a serious cause for concern for public health nurses who are dealing with a 1,000% increase in infections since 2013.

Many teens sleep with their phones, survey finds — just like their parents (Washington Post)

Four out of five teenagers with mobile devices keep them in their rooms overnight — and nearly a third of those bring them into their beds while sleeping — according a study Wednesday that offered new evidence that mobile devices undermine the rest necessary for peak health.

As CBD Oils Become More Popular, The FDA Considers Whether To Set New Rules (NPR)

The marijuana and hemp extract has been touted as a way to ease anxiety and inflammation, despite limited science. Now, the FDA is holding its first public hearing on cannabidiol.

What's Doctor Burnout Costing America? (NPR)

Doctor burnout is costing the U.S. health care system a lot — roughly $4.6 billion a year, according to a study published this week in the Annals of Internal Medicine….  Dyrbye says research shows that doctors find meaning in helping patients but are taxed by systemic burdens they consider tangential to patient care.

America too dependent on China for its medicine, experts warn (Fox)

Experts are warning America has become too dependent on China for its medicine -- everything from painkillers, to antibiotics, and even aspirin can all be sourced back to a country the Department of Defense considers an adversary.

SCIENCE & TECH

Earth's carbon dioxide has jumped to the highest level in human history (Axios)

The monthly peak amount of carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere in 2019 jumped by a near-record amount to reach 414.8 parts per million (ppm) in May, which is the highest level in human history and likely the highest level in the past 3 million years.

Feds to investigate spike in gray whale deaths on West Coast (10 News)

U.S. scientists said Friday they will investigate why an unusual number of gray whales are washing up dead on West Coast beaches. About 70 whales have been found dead so far this year on the coasts of California, Oregon, Washington and Alaska, the most since 2000.

First gene-edited babies may be at risk of early death, study finds (National Geographic)

In 2018, a Chinese researcher shocked the world by announcing the birth of two gene-edited babies. The mutations may have hurt, not helped.

Astronomers Worry New SpaceX Satellite Constellation Could Impact Research (Smithsonian)

The first of SpaceX's 12,000 Starlink broadband satellites launched last week, raising fears they could interfere with ground-based telescopes.

Former pet parrots breeding and thriving in 23 U.S. states (National Geographic)

The monk parakeet is one of 25 tropical parrot species that have gone from pet to wild animal across 23 U.S. states.