February 13, 2025 (San Diego's East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.
HEALTH
- How close are we to another pandemic? (New York Times)
- USDA detects second type of bird flu in dairy cows (NBC)
- Senate confirms RFK Jr. as Health and Human Services secretary (CNN)
- Pro-RFK Jr. letter to the Senate includes names of doctors whose licenses were revoked or suspended (AP)
SCIENCE AND TECH
- 11 Years After a Celebrated Opening, Massive Solar Plant Faces a Bleak Future in the Mojave Desert (US News)
- Exclusive: Musk aides lock government workers out of computer systems at US agency, sources say (Reuters)
- Solar panels in space show potential for liftoff, despite cost concerns (Christian Science Monitor)
- Google Maps blocks Gulf of America reviews after rename criticism (BBC)
For excerpts and links to full stories, click “read more” and scroll down.
HEALTH
How close are we to another pandemic? (New York Times)
An outbreak of bird flu has been tearing through the nation’s dairy farms and infecting more and more people. Now there are troubling signs that the United States may be closer to another pandemic, even as President Trump dismantles the country’s public health system.
USDA detects second type of bird flu in dairy cows (NBC)
Dairy cattle in Nevada have been infected with a new type of bird flu that's different from the version that has spread in U.S. herds since last year, Agriculture Department officials said Wednesday.
Senate confirms RFK Jr. as Health and Human Services secretary (CNN)
The Senate voted on Thursday to confirm Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Health and Human Services secretary, a victory for President Donald Trump after Kennedy faced intense scrutiny over his controversial views on vaccines and public health policy. The 52-48 vote was largely along party lines, though Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky once again joined with Democrats to oppose the nomination. .. Kennedy has been one of the country’s most prominent anti-vaccine activists and has for years used false and misleading claims to undermine public confidence in vaccines that are indeed safe.
Pro-RFK Jr. letter to the Senate includes names of doctors whose licenses were revoked or suspended (AP)
A letter submitted to the U.S. Senate that states it was sent by physicians in support of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s nomination as secretary of Health and Human Services includes the names of doctors who have had their licenses revoked, suspended or faced other discipline… The AP found that in addition to the physicians who had faced disciplinary action, many of the nearly 800 signers are not doctors.
SCIENCE AND TECH
11 Years After a Celebrated Opening, Massive Solar Plant Faces a Bleak Future in the Mojave Desert (US News)
What was once the world's largest solar power plant of its type appears headed for closure just 11 years after opening, under pressure from cheaper green energy sources. Meanwhile, environmentalists continue to blame the Mojave Desert plant for killing thousands of birds and tortoises. The Ivanpah solar power plant formally opened in 2014 on roughly 5 square miles of federal land near the California-Nevada border.
Exclusive: Musk aides lock government workers out of computer systems at US agency, sources say (Reuters)
Aides to Elon Musk charged with running the U.S. government human resources agency have locked career civil servants out of computer systems that contain the personal data of millions of federal employees, according to two agency officials.
Solar panels in space show potential for liftoff, despite cost concerns (Christian Science Monitor)
Picture a vast field of solar panels, ranging in an unbroken array across nearly a square mile of land. Now shift that image into outer space, with the giant structure sitting tens of thousands of miles above Earth’s surface, and you have a sense of what space-based solar power seeks to achieve…. Proponents say it can help power parts of the world that struggle to tap into more traditional forms of energy….
Google Maps blocks Gulf of America reviews after rename criticism (BBC)
It controversially updated the Gulf’s name for US users after Pres. Trump ordered it to be changed.