Articles by Alexandra Lozovschi
Drug Overdose Crisis In Georgia: What Are These Deadly Yellow Pills?
Police and health authorities warn the recent wave of drug overdose hospitalizations in Georgia is linked to counterfeit medication. The mysterious yellow pills sold on the streets are designed to mimic Percocet, a prescription opioid painkiller.
Cost Of NASA’s Dark Energy Mission Swells: What’s In Store For The Next Big Space Observatory?
It looks like NASA’s much-anticipated WFIRST infrared telescope may go over budget. The agency could be forced to reconsider the design plans for its future big space observatory or even push back its launch date because of financial concerns.
Doctors For Humans Help Deliver 5-Pound Baby Gorilla At Philadelphia Zoo
A baby western lowland gorilla birthed on Friday, June 2, at Philadelphia Zoo needed the help of not only veterinarians, but also professionals in the human medical field to be born. The team successfully performed an assisted vaginal delivery on the mother.
Hormone Therapy Drug Shows Promise In Upping Survival Rates Of Prostate Cancer Patients
The hormone therapy drug abiraterone (Zytiga) can significantly extend the lives of prostate cancer patients by slowing tumor progression and increasing survival rates. These findings came from two clinical trials presented this weekend at the 2017 ASCO Annual Meeting.
NASA OKs 3 New Studies On Drones And Autonomous Vehicle Technology
NASA picked three teams to research autonomous technologies for drones and unmanned aircraft. One of the projects will focus on algorithms for autonomous systems in aviation, while the other two will tackle remotely-piloted drones.
Roche’s Breast Cancer Combo Therapy Offers Tiny Benefit In Large Drug Trial – And It’s A Pricey Drug
Roche’s new combination therapy achieved modest positive results compared with the company’s standard Herceptin treatment. The combo therapy targets an aggressive form of breast cancer called HER2-positive, and involves adding Perjeta to the existent Herceptin plus chemo treatment.
China Gears Up For 1st Scientific Mission Aboard The ISS
China is ready to commence its first research project on the U.S. side of the ISS. The Chinese experiment, which was launched this Saturday, June 3, aboard the refurbished SpaceX Dragon capsule, is focused on how space radiation affects gene mutation.
Pregnancy-Linked Death Rate Skyrockets In Texas, Emerges As Highest In The Developed World
Pregnancy-related death rates have doubled in Texas, shows a 2016 study. However, Texas lawmakers failed to vote on a number of measures that could have helped curb the state’s increased maternal mortality rate.
Still Undiscovered, Giant Gas Planet With 50 Times Jupiter’s Mass Could Be Causing Mysterious Eclipses
PDS 110’s mysterious eclipses could be caused by an unknown exoplanet. The gas giant orbiting the star is most likely encircled by a ring of dust, as shown in an artistic rendition of the new planet.
Internet Withdrawal: Study Finds Social Media Addiction Can Raise Heart Rate, BP
Internet addiction can cause physical changes once you go offline, which usually include elevated heart rate and blood pressure. Researchers call it internet withdrawal, and it shows most people who spend too much time online are hooked to social media.
How Did The US Opioid Epidemic Start? Study Points To A 1980 Doctor's Letter On Painkiller Addiction
Researchers suggest the U.S. opioid epidemic may have started with a 100-word letter, published in 1980 in a medical journal. The brief note tackled the addiction risk of opioid painkillers in certain conditions and was blatantly misquoted in the scientific literature.
Hackers Leak Private Photos Of Celebrities From Plastic Surgery Clinic
A group of hackers attacked a Lithuanian plastic surgery clinic and released private client information, along with personal photos including nude pictures. The hacking group, identified as the ‘Tsar Team,’ demands Bitcoin ransom in exchange for the sensitive stolen data.
Dog Flu In Florida: How To Protect Your Pet From Canine Influenza
Keeping your beloved animal companion safe from the dog flu can be an easy task for pet owners who stay on top of the H3N2 virus. Here’s how to protect your dog from canine influenza.
Small Study Finds Fatal Flaw In Gene Editing Tool CRISPR
The CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing technique may lead to unwanted genetic mutations, warns a new study. Researchers sequenced the whole genome of mice previously treated with CRISPR gene editing for genetic blindness and found it caused unpredicted changes in their DNA.
On Menstrual Hygiene Day, Here’s How To Help Remove Period Stigma
This year’s Menstrual Hygiene Day focused on menstrual education in schools. Started by WASH United, this initiative tackles the stigma of menstruation by educating people about the menstrual cycle and promoting the wide availability of feminine hygiene products.
Parents' Smartphone Obsession May Affect Children's Behavior
If you’re wondering why your child has been acting up lately, it may have something to do with you spending too much time on your smartphone. A new study linked child behavior problems to parents' heavy use of digital technology.
Man Behind Ice Bucket Challenge Faces Financial Hurdles In Fight Against ALS
Pete Frates is struggling to pay for his ALS home care. The man who raised more than $250 million for Lou Gehrig’s disease through the Ice Bucket Challenge can no longer cope with his medical bills.
Drug Counselors At Addiction Facility Found Dead After Overdosing On Opioids
Residents in recovery at an addiction facility in West Brandywine, Chester County, found their two counselors dead after they overdosed on opioid drugs. Police discovered used needles and heroin laced with fentanyl near the bodies.
Boeing And DARPA To Build XS-1 Hypersonic Spaceplane
DARPA has chosen Boeing to design, build and test its Experimental Spaceplane, XS-1. Check out why the hypersonic spaceplane, called the Phantom Express, is so unbelievably cool and when it’s expected to launch on its first flight.
7.2-Million-Year-Old Ape In Europe Could Be Human Ancestor
The fossils of Graecopithecus freybergi, an ape-like creature that lived more than 7 million years ago, suggest Graecopithecus is actually pre-human and could be humanity’s oldest ancestor. Seen as the missing link, Graecopithecus may have originated in Europe, not Africa.
Planet Earth May Have Once Been Donut-Shaped: Study
Earth could have started out as a donut-shaped planetary object made of vaporized and molten rock, which scientists call a synestia. This is how our planet may have looked like in its early history, after it collided with Theia.
Are ‘Light’ Cigarettes More Dangerous? Study Finds Cig Filters Up The Risk Of Lung Cancer
If you thought filtered cigarettes were safer, think again. ‘Light’ cigarettes are even more fatal, says a new study, precisely because of the ventilation holes in their filters. Moreover, cigarette filters are linked to higher risk of adenocarcinoma.
Gay Dads Cry Discrimination During Family Boarding On Southwest Flight
A gay couple was denied family boarding privileges when they tried to board a Southwest Airlines flight together with their three kids and grandma to boot. The two fathers believe they were discriminated against, but the airline says otherwise.
Instagram Good For Selfies, Not For Mental Health: How To Teach Your Kids To Be Smart About Social Media
Social networking is now a big part of kids’ lives, with tweens and teens turning to social media platforms for validation from their peers but leaving them exposed to the dangers of social media. What can parents do to protect them?
WHO Suspects 4th Death From Ebola In Congo, CDC Issues No Travel Advisory Yet
Four people have died in the Ebola outbreak in Congo. The WHO confirmed the latest death on Sunday, noting there are now 37 suspected Ebola cases in Africa. The CDC is still evaluating the situation before issuing a travel advisory.
Oregon Girl Temporarily Paralyzed After Undetected Tick Bite
Lyme disease and the Powassan virus are not the only health concerns associated with tick bites. A little girl in Oregon was diagnosed with tick paralysis after she unknowingly got bit by an American dog tick and became temporarily paralyzed.
Rare Snail Jeremy Left Defeated In Love Triangle: How The Poor Snail’s Potential Suitors Ended Up Mating With Each Other
Accidentally friendzoned. This is the story of Jeremy, a genetically rare, one in a million snail, and his lovers’ tryst that ended not quite as expected.
10-Year-Old Girl Nearly Chokes On Fidget Spinner, Mom Warns
Fidget spinners are all the rage among kids of all ages, yet a Texan mother claims her daughter almost choked on one of the fidget toy’s metal bushings. Are fidget spinners a choking hazard?
Millions Of US Travelers Skip The Measles Vaccine: Here Are The Potential Consequences
More than half U.S. travelers who are eligible for the MMP vaccine don’t get immunized against measles before traveling abroad, revealed a new study. Almost half of them simply refused vaccination, increasing their chances of importing the virus.
New Zealand’s Penguins Are Fast Disappearing: How Are Penguins Elsewhere In The World Doing - Or Dying?
Just like the yellow-eyed penguin of New Zealand, the already endangered African penguin is also under threat of becoming extinct. More than half of the world’s penguin species are dwindling due to global warming and man’s intrusion in their habitat.
