March 28, 2013 (San Diego's East County)--Health and Science Highlights brings you news on the cutting edges in these fields.
On the science front, have earthquakes mastered the secrets pursued by alchemists since the days of legend? The journal Nature Geoscience writes about the ability of earthquakes to vaporize water in faults, depositing gold. Plus beekeepers are suing the EPA-- and a new study shows pesticides are affecting bees memories and navigation skills.
On the health front, does aspirin reduce cancer risk? A study in the Journal Cancer this week suggests it might. The Community Asthma Initiative at Boston's Children's Hospital may provide a model for Medicare and insurance companies to keep costs down while preventing asthma. Speaking of governments involvement in health, this week the New York Superior Court struck down New York City's soda ban as "arbitrary and capricious," while the Mayor defiantly promised to challenge the decision.
In perhaps the most far reaching health development of the week, a new peer reviewed study lead right here in San Diego indicates that Down Syndrome may be caused by the lack of an important brain protein, SNX27-- and may lead to development of therapies that can reverse the syndrome if treatment is started up to as late as puberty.
For links to these stories and more, scroll down.