HEALTH AND SCIENCE HIGHLIGHTS

March 13, 2016 (San Diego's East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

• Are you pre-diabetic? 46 percent of Californians are, UCLA finds (Los Angeles Times)
• Zika virus implicated in brain infection in results: study (Business Standard)
• 2 studies strengthen link between Zika virus and serious birth defects (New York Times)
• San Diego researchers discover new way of curbing cancer cell growth (KPBS)
• Men who get breast cancer aren’t getting the right treatment (Daily Mail)

SCIENCE AND TECH

• The feds want to keep your broadband provider’s nose out of your online life (CNet)
• Supreme Court Denies Apple's Appeal On E-Books, Triggering Millions In Payments (NPR)
• How you move your mouse could help others track you (Motherboard)
• Marijuana helped preserve ancient Indian cave paintings (Lonely Planet Travel)
• We now have algorithms to predict police misconduct: Will police use them? (Fivethirtyeight)
• For U.S. Tech Firms Abroad And Data In The Cloud, Whose Laws Apply? (NPR)
• A Massive Volcanic Eruption May Have Tipped Mars Over (IFL Science)
• U.S. proposes lifting protections for Yellowstone-area grizzlies (Reuters)

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

HEALTH

Are you pre-diabetic? 46 percent of Californians are, UCLA finds (Los Angeles Times)

Experts already knew that about 9% of people in the state have diabetes. But previous estimates had put the rate of pre-diabetes at about 33%, lower than the 46% calculated by UCLA researchers…Rates of diabetes have increased more than 175% nationally since 1980, according to federal data. It's now the seventh-leading cause of death in California.

Zika virus implicated in brain infection in results: study (Business Standard)

The Zika virus, already linked to brain damage in babies, can also cause a serious brain infection in adult victims, French researchers have warned.

2 studies strengthen link between Zika virus and serious birth defects (New York Times)

The Zika virus damages many fetuses carried by infected and symptomatic mothers, regardless of when in pregnancy the infection occurs, according to a small but frightening study released on Friday by Brazilian and American researchers .In a separate report published on Friday, other scientists suggested a mechanism for the damage, showing in laboratory experiments that the virus targets and destroys fetal cells that eventually form the brain’s cortex… 29 percent of women who had ultrasound examinations after testing positive for infection with the Zika virus had fetuses that suffered “grave outcomes.” They included fetal death, tiny heads, shrunken placentas and nerve damage that suggested blindness.

San Diego researchers discover new way of curbing cancer cell growth (KPBS)

The Scripps Research Institute Monday announced the discovery of a molecule that helps retard the growth of certain types of cancer.

Men who get breast cancer aren’t getting the right treatment (Daily Mail)

Scientists discover major differences in male and female tumours.

SCIENCE AND TECH

The feds want to keep your broadband provider’s nose out of your online life (CNet)

Is that pop-up ad on your phone for a diaper discount annoying or helpful when you walk into the grocery store? That may be what's at stake as the US government looks to make online privacy its next priority.

Supreme Court Denies Apple's Appeal On E-Books, Triggering Millions In Payments (NPR)

Apple must now pay $400 million to e-book purchasers. The case's roots date back at least six years, when Apple sold its first iPad models and sought to compete with books giant Amazon.

How you move your mouse could help others track you (Motherboard)

The way you move your mouse while lazily browsing the internet could be unique enough to be used to track you—and even to identify and unmask you. A security researcher has devised a way to create a unique fingerprint of internet users that could be used to track them when using the Tor browser, a well known anonymity software.

Marijuana helped preserve ancient Indian cave paintings (Lonely Planet Travel)

Scientists in India have discovered a remarkable explanation for the phenomenal longevity of the cave paintings at Ellora in Maharashtra, which were painted onto clay plaster more than 1500 years ago.

We now have algorithms to predict police misconduct: Will police use them? (Fivethirtyeight)

..Three separate studies of police agencies that implemented early warning systems (in Miami, Minneapolis and New Orleans) have shown that targeted intervention can reduce citizen complaints against officers as much as 66 percent over two to three years.

For U.S. Tech Firms Abroad And Data In The Cloud, Whose Laws Apply? (NPR)

The FBI's efforts to unlock the San Bernardino iPhone is one fight in a larger global conflict: Firms face varying laws for police cooperation and say a lack of legal standards is creating a crisis.

A Massive Volcanic Eruption May Have Tipped Mars Over (IFL Science)

An ancient volcanic eruption on the Red Planet produced so much lava that it caused the entire planet to tip over. This remarkable finding, detailed in a study in the journal Nature, provides another startling example of how volcanoes can change a world.

U.S. proposes lifting protections for Yellowstone-area grizzlies (Reuters)

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed on Thursday stripping Endangered Species Act protections from the grizzly bear in and around Yellowstone National Park, saying the animal's numbers have rebounded sufficiently in recent decades.