HEALTH AND SCIENCE HIGHLIGHTS

December 22, 2015 (San Diego's East County)-- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

• Department Of Veterans Affairs To Pay For Robotic Legs (NPR)
• Be Kind, Unwind: How Helping Others Can Help Keep Stress In Check (NPR)
• Learning Soft Skills In Childhood Can Prevent Harder Problems Later (NPR)

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

• SpaceX successfully lands rocket after launch (New York Times)
• Should driverless vehicles break the law to increase safety? (CS Monitor)
• Privacy Advocates Sound Alarm On Cybersecurity Provision In Spending Bill (NPR)
• Why are Earth's lakes heating up so quickly? (CS Monitor)
  

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

HEALTH

Department Of Veterans Affairs To Pay For Robotic Legs (NPR)

The exoskeleton's $77,000 price tag has been too expensive for many injured veterans. But after a major shift in VA policy, eligible veterans with spinal cord injuries may soon be able to walk again.

Be Kind, Unwind: How Helping Others Can Help Keep Stress In Check (NPR)

If the impending holidays have you stressed out, an act of kindness could help. Researchers tracked people and found that stress levels dropped when they went out of their way to help others.

Learning Soft Skills In Childhood Can Prevent Harder Problems Later (NPR)

There's more to learn at school than reading and math. Teaching kids to control their emotions, solve problems and work well with others can help them succeed as teens and adults.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

SpaceX successfully lands rocket after launch (New York Times)

People living along the central Atlantic coast of Florida have for decades enjoyed the spectacle of rockets headed for space. On Monday night, they were treated to a new sight that may become common: a rocket coming back down to a gentle landing.

Should driverless vehicles break the law to increase safety? (CS Monitor)

The cars are twice as likely to get in an accident, in part because they drive the speed limit.

Privacy Advocates Sound Alarm On Cybersecurity Provision In Spending Bill (NPR)

One of the provisions attached to the $1.1 trillion spending bill allows companies to share their customers' data with other companies and the government. Backers of the measure say it will help fight cyber attacks. But privacy advocates argue it will give the government easy access to Americans' personal information and does little to stop cyber crimes.

Why are Earth's lakes heating up so quickly? (CS Monitor)

In the first study of its kind, scientists compared 25-years of data for over half the Earth's lakes and found some disturbing trends that will affect humans around the world.