science

March 19, 2025 (San Diego's East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

• Kennedy gives food company CEOs an ultimatum (Politico)
• USDA cancels $1B in local food purchasing for schools, food banks (Politico)
• Bird flu-infected San Bernardino County dairy cows may have concerning new mutation (Los Angeles Times)
• As Texas measles outbreak grows, U.S. cases quickly surpass total for all of 2024 (NBC)
• Doctors didn't warn women of 'risky sex' drug urges (BBC)
• DOGE wants access to very personal information of Americans  (NPR)

SCIENCE AND TECH

• NASA’s Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore finally return home after more than nine months in space  (CNN)
• DOGE cuts could end decades of ground-breaking climate research in Hawaii (USA Today)
• This machine turns carbon dioxide into fuel (BBC)

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

HEALTH

Kennedy gives food company CEOs an ultimatum (Politico)

The HHS secretary pressed for commitments to reduce food additives in a closed-door meeting Monday. 

USDA cancels $1B in local food purchasing for schools, food banks (Politico)

The Agriculture Department has axed two programs that gave schools and food banks money to buy food from local farms and ranchers, halting more than $1 billion in federal spending.

Bird flu-infected San Bernardino County dairy cows may have concerning new mutation (Los Angeles Times)

A new H5N1 bird flu mutation has appeared in a cluster of infected dairy cows. It’s a genetic change that scientists say could not only make the virus more lethal, but increase its spread between mammals and possibly humans.

As Texas measles outbreak grows, U.S. cases quickly surpass total for all of 2024 (NBC)

The vast majority of this year’s cases have been in Texas, nearly all of them in people who were unvaccinated or whose vaccination status is unknown.

Doctors didn't warn women of 'risky sex' drug urges (BBC)

Patients prescribed drugs for movement disorders - including restless leg syndrome (RLS) and Parkinson’s - say doctors did not warn them about serious side effects that led them to seek out risky sexual behaviour.

DOGE wants access to very personal information of Americans  (NPR)

Some federal agencies store information that many people don't share even with their closest friends and family: Medical diagnoses and treatment. Notes from therapy sessions. Whether a person has filed for bankruptcy. Detailed income information….  Here's an overview of a few federal agencies that hold data on large swaths of Americans – and where things stand with the DOGE team's access.

SCIENCE AND TECH

NASA’s Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore finally return home after more than nine months in space  (CNN)

NASA’s Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore — who gained international attention as their planned short stay in space stretched into a more than nine-month, politically fraught mission — are finally home.

DOGE cuts could end decades of ground-breaking climate research in Hawaii (USA Today)

Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency is considering terminating the lease of a tiny office that supports a huge climate science experiment - one that's been ongoing for 67 years.

This machine turns carbon dioxide into fuel (BBC)

Researchers at the University of Cambridge have found a way to take carbon dioxide from the air and turn it into a fuel named syngas, creating a carbon-neutral energy cycle. But there’s still work to be done before it’s publicly available.

March 4, 2025 (San Diego's East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

• Trump administration firings hit key office handling bird flu response (Politico)
• As measles cases rise in the U.S., some adults may need a vaccine booster   (NPR)
•  FDA links deadly listeria outbreak to frozen nutritional shakes(KPBS)
• Emulsifiers Make Food More Appealing. Do They Also Make You Sick? (Wall St.Journal)
• To solve for doctor shortages, states ease licensing for foreign-trained physicians  (NPR)
• Exercise may help patients with colon cancer live as long as those who never had it, study suggests (CNN)
• RFK Jr. Just Kneecapped the CDC on His First Day (New Republic)
• It's like 'dead birds flying': How bird flu is spreading in the wild (NPR)

SCIENCE AND TECH

• Exclusive: FDA staff reviewing Musk’s Neuralink were included in DOGE employee firings, sources say (Reuters)
• Cryptocurrency exchange says it was victim of $1.5 billion hack (AP)
• Predatory app downloaded 100,000 times from Google Play Store steals data, uses it for blackmail (Malwarebytes)
• Plane that flipped over in Canada highlights some of the dangers of holding kids on your lap  (AP)
• Musk has inside track to take over contract to fix air traffic communications system (AP)
• Elon Musk's DOGE Website Being 'Hacked' Sparks Mockery (Newsweek)

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

HEALTH

Trump administration firings hit key office handling bird flu response (Politico)

The layoffs in USDA’s National Animal Health Laboratory Network program office come as egg prices reach record high amid worsening outbreak.

As measles cases rise in the U.S., some adults may need a vaccine booster   (NPR)

[CDC] say there are some adults who should consider getting revaccinated. That includes older adults who were born after 1957 and were vaccinated before 1968.

 FDA links deadly listeria outbreak to frozen nutritional shakes(KPBS)

The source of a Listeria outbreak that has sickened 38 people including 11 who died since 2018, has been traced to frozen nutritional shakes, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The contaminated shakes, sold under the brands Lyons ReadyCare and Sysco Imperial, were distributed to nursing homes, hospitals and long-term care facilities across 21 states, including California.

Emulsifiers Make Food More Appealing. Do They Also Make You Sick? (Wall St.Journal)

Recent studies have found that consuming common emulsifiers is linked to a higher risk of heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and some cancers. Other research seems to show why: The substances change the gut microbiome in a way that can cause inflammation.

To solve for doctor shortages, states ease licensing for foreign-trained physicians  (NPR)

The changes involve residency programs — the supervised, hands-on training experience that doctors must complete after graduating medical school. Until recently, every state required physicians who completed a residency or similar training abroad to repeat the process in the U.S. before obtaining a full medical license.  Since 2023, at least nine states have dropped this requirement for some doctors with international training, according to the Federation of State Medical Boards. More than a dozen other states are considering similar legislation.

Exercise may help patients with colon cancer live as long as those who never had it, study suggests (CNN)

There is something you can do that may help you live longer after a colon cancer diagnosis, and you can start it on your own, at your home or a gym. Exercise is associated with longer lives for patients with colon cancer, according to a new study published Monday in Cancer, a journal of the American Cancer Society.

RFK Jr. Just Kneecapped the CDC on His First Day (New Republic)

Hours after Robert F. Kennedy Jr. pledged that the Department of Health and Human Services would not undergo a staff purge, it did.  The Trump administration laid off half of its Epidemic Intelligence Service, otherwise known as the “Disease Detectives.” The lay off affected 1,260 staff

It's like 'dead birds flying': How bird flu is spreading in the wild (NPR)

 It's a disease that originated in east Asia, first detected in China in 1996s…. It is killing not just birds in large numbers but also mammals, like elephant seals and sea lions, as well as porpoises, dolphins and otters to a lesser degree.

SCIENCE AND TECH

Exclusive: FDA staff reviewing Musk’s Neuralink were included in DOGE employee firings, sources say (Reuters)

U.S. Food and Drug Administration employees reviewing Elon Musk’s brain implant company Neuralink were fired over the weekend as part of a broader purge of the federal workforce, according to two sources with knowledge of the matter...That division includes reviewers overseeing clinical-trial applications by Neuralink and other companies making so-called brain-computer interface devices, the sources said.

Cryptocurrency exchange says it was victim of $1.5 billion hack (AP)

A major cryptocurrency[, Bybit,] exchange says it was the victim of a sophisticated hack that stole about $1.5 billion worth of digital currency, marking one of the biggest online thefts of all time.

Predatory app downloaded 100,000 times from Google Play Store steals data, uses it for blackmail (Malwarebytes)

A malicious app claiming to be a financial management tool has been downloaded 100,000 times from the Google Play Store. The app— known as “Finance Simplified”—belongs to the SpyLoan family which specializes in predatory lending.  Sometimes malware creators manage to get their apps listed in the official app store. This is a great benefit for them since it lends a sense of legitimacy to the app, and they don’t have to convince users to sideload the app from an unofficial site.

Plane that flipped over in Canada highlights some of the dangers of holding kids on your lap  (AP)

 Experts agree it’s safer for children younger than 2 years old to have their own plane seats and ride in approved car seats when flying, even if families have to pay for an extra ticket. But babies are still allowed to travel in laps, so parents continue doing it despite the risks. 

Musk has inside track to take over contract to fix air traffic communications system (AP)

A satellite company owned by Elon Musk has the inside track to potentially take over a large federal contract to modernize the nation’s air traffic communications system.  Equipment from Musk’s Starlink has been installed in Federal Aviation Administration facilities as a prelude to a takeover of a $2 billion contract held by Verizon, according to government employees, contractors and people familiar with the work.  Musk said that the network used by air traffic controllers is aging and requires drastic and quick action to modernize it. 

Elon Musk's DOGE Website Being 'Hacked' Sparks Mockery (Newsweek)

The official website for the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which tech billionaire Elon Musk heads, was reportedly hacked on Friday, sending waves of confusion and amusement through the internet. The DOGE website is based around a database that can "be edited by anyone," according to a report first published by news outlet 404 Media.

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.

January 8, 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 drinking alcohol can affect your health (AP)
• Newsom targets ultra-processed foods to promote healthier living across California (CBS 8)
• Louisiana forbids public health workers from promoting COVID, flu and mpox shots (NPR)

SCIENCE AND TECH

• The ‘world’s largest’ vacuum to suck climate pollution out of the air just opened. Here’s how it works (CNN)
• Net neutrality is struck down by federal appeals court  (NPR)
• Is your car spying on you? What it means that Tesla shared data in the Las Vegas explosion (AP)

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

HEALTH

How drinking alcohol can affect your health (AP

AP - Moderate drinking was once thought to have benefits for the heart, but better research methods have thrown cold water on that. On Friday, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthycalled for updating the existing surgeon general’s health warning label on alcohol-containing beverages to include the risk of cancer. His proposal would require approval from Congress…. / Drinking raises the risk of several types of cancer, including colon, liver, breast and mouth and throat.

Newsom targets ultra-processed foods to promote healthier living across California (CBS 8)

Ultra-processed foods have been known to post a health risk to people because they contain more chemicals, additives, trans fats and emulsifiers.

Louisiana forbids public health workers from promoting COVID, flu and mpox shots (NPR)

A group of high-level managers at the Louisiana Department of Health walked into a Nov. 14 meeting in Baton Rouge expecting to talk about outreach and community events. Instead, they were told by an assistant secretary in the department and another official that department leadership had a new policy: Advertising or otherwise promoting the COVID, influenza or mpox vaccines, an established practice there — and at most other public health entities in the U.S. — must stop... The new policy in Louisiana was implemented as some politicians have promoted false information about vaccines and as President-elect Donald Trump seeks to have anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr lead the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. And some public health experts are concerned that if other states follow Louisiana, the U.S. could face rising levels of disease and further erosion of trust in the nation's public health infrastructure.

SCIENCE AND TECH

The ‘world’s largest’ vacuum to suck climate pollution out of the air just opened. Here’s how it works (CNN)

The “world’s largest” plant designed to suck planet-heating pollution out of the atmosphere like a giant vacuum began operating in Iceland on Wednesday. “Mammoth” is the second commercial direct air capture plant opened by Swiss company Climeworks in the country, and is 10 times bigger than its predecessor, Orca, which started running in 2021.Direct air capture, or DAC, is a technology designed to suck in air and strip out the carbon using chemicals. The carbon can then be injected deep beneath the ground, reused or transformed into solid products.

Net neutrality is struck down by federal appeals court  (NPR)

 A U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in Cincinnati on Thursday ruled that the FCC did not have legal authority to reinstate the landmark net neutrality rules…. / Net neutrality was first introduced by the FCC during the Obama Administration in 2015 and was repealed two years later under then-President Donald Trump. / Then, last year, the FCC effectively reinstated net neutrality when it voted to reclassify broadband as a public utility, such as water and electricity, to regulate access to the internet. Under the Communications Act of 1934, such public utility services are subject to government regulation./ In doing so, the FCC aimed to make ISPs accountable for outages, require more robust network security, protect fast speeds, and require greater protections for consumer data.

Is your car spying on you? What it means that Tesla shared data in the Las Vegas explosion (AP)

Your car is spying on you. That is one takeaway from the fast, detailed data that Tesla collected on the driver of one of its Cybertrucks that exploded in Las Vegas earlier this week. Privacy data experts say the deep dive by Elon Musk’s company was impressive, but also shines a spotlight on a difficult question as vehicles become less like cars and more like computers on wheels. Is your car company violating your privacy rights?