HEALTH AND SCIENCE HIGHLIGHTS

April 20, 2016 (San Diego's East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting-edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH                                                                          

• How Contagious Is Zika? (NPR)
• Warning over heartburn medicines (BBC)
• Multiple Reasons Attributed To Lower Ear Infection Rates In Babies (NPR)
• Scientists In China Edit Human Embryos For The Second Time (IFL Science)
• A Fitbit Saved His Life? Well, Maybe (NPR)
• You Really Can Die Of A Broken Heart – Here’s The Science (IFL)

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

• FBI paid professional hackers a one-time fee to crack San Bernardino iPhone (Washington Post)
• Mysteriously-aligned group of black holes points to galaxies' beginnings (CS Monitor)
• Moose on the loose as Alaska warms (BBC)
• There are hidden treasures in our sewage sludge (Marketplace)
• Millions at risk of manmade quakes. How can fracking states lessen tremors? (CS Monitor)
• Saving Half the Planet for Nature Isn't As Crazy As It Seems (National Geographic)
• Could Pacific waters give early warning of East Coast heat waves? (CS Monitor)
• How this Ford Fusion navigates the dark without driver – or headlights (CS Monitor)
• Uber Wants You To Know It's Tired Of Sharing Data With Regulators (NPR)

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

HEALTH

How Contagious Is Zika? (NPR)

Zika's arrival in the U.S. this summer seems almost inevitable, health officials keep saying.

Warning over heartburn medicines (BBC)

Long-term use of heartburn drugs may increase the risk of kidney damage, according to US research.

Multiple Reasons Attributed To Lower Ear Infection Rates In Babies (NPR)

A new study from the University of Texas has some good news for infants and their parents: ear infections in babies are on the decline.

Scientists In China Edit Human Embryos For the Second Time (IFL Science)

A research group in China has attempted to genetically edit human embryos to be resistant to HIV. The second group within a year to have announced such research, it shows proof of concept that the powerful gene-editing technique CRISPR/Cas 9 can be used to modify human embryos. There are, however, a multitude of scientific and ethical issues to iron out before the widespread editing of human embryos could ever take place.

A Fitbit Saved His Life? Well, Maybe (NPR)

A man shows up in the emergency room with a speedy, irregular heartbeat, but can't say when it first went awry. No problem. The ER doctors just checked the phone records of his fitness tracker.

You Really Can Die Of A Broken Heart – Here’s The Science (IFL)

…a Danish research team based at Aarhus University reported findings showing that the death of a partner is linked to heightened risk of developing AF for up to a year after the bereavement…. The study revealed that individuals whose cohabiting partner or spouse had died had an increased risk of getting AF within 30 days of the bereavement – a risk estimated to be 41% higher than average.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

FBI paid professional hackers a one-time fee to crack San Bernardino iPhone (Washington Post)

The FBI cracked a San Bernardino terrorist’s phone with the help of professional hackers who discovered and brought to the bureau at least one previously unknown software flaw, according to people familiar with the matter.

Mysteriously-aligned group of black holes points to galaxies' beginnings (CS Monitor)

A group of supermassive black holes in a distant region of space are all shooting radio emissions in the same direction, despite having no way to transmit information. 

Moose on the loose as Alaska warms (BBC)

Rising temperatures and longer summers have helped the iconic Alaskan moose conquer vast new stretches of the frozen tundra.

There are hidden treasures in our sewage sludge (Marketplace)

Millions of dollars worth of valuable metals end up being flushed down the drain, some coming from our own bodies.

Millions at risk of manmade quakes. How can fracking states lessen tremors? (CS Monitor)

Nearly 8 million people live in areas vulnerable to manmade earthquakes, which have been attributed to wastewater disposal from oil and gas drilling.

Saving Half the Planet for Nature Isn't As Crazy As It Seems (National Geographic)

“It’s a practical possibility,” says biologist E.O. Wilson, and it could save 80 to 90 percent of all species on Earth.

Could Pacific waters give early warning of East Coast heat waves? (CS Monitor)

New research concludes that warm and cold extremes in the central Pacific are often correlated with heat waves several weeks later in the Eastern United States. Advance warning could help cities prepare – and perhaps save lives.

How this Ford Fusion navigates the dark without driver – or headlights (CS Monitor)

Ford has driven an automated car down a winding desert road at midnight using laser and no headlights.

Uber Wants You To Know It's Tired Of Sharing Data With Regulators (NPR)

In its first-ever transparency report, Uber has revealed that it has given federal and local U.S. agencies information on more than 12 million riders and drivers between July and December 2015.