Articles by Katrina Pascual
Gamers May Help Solve Problems In Quantum Physics
Humans can still beat computers in complex problem-solving, such as in the complex matter of quantum physics. Through the game Quantum Moves, Danish researchers recruit players to help them figure out the quantum speed limit and build a quantum computer in the future.
Scientists Use Rat Sex Pheromones To Trap Rodents
Scientists from the Simon Fraser University in Canada replicated the sex pheromones of rats to lure female brown rats into traps. This rodent trap technique is deemed helpful in increasing capture rates by employing sex chemicals, sound signals, and food bait.
India's Military Satellite Cartosat-2C To Boost Surveillance Capabilities
Earth observation satellite Cartosat-2C will be launched in May on a PSLV rocket as a show of India's military surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities. The Indian military satellite will place the country alongside the U.S., China, and Israel, which all have spy satellites in space.
100-Year-Old Astronomical Plate Shows First Evidence Of Exoplanets
Renowned astronomer Walter Adams already caught evidence of exoplanets back in 1917, according to new research. Key to the discovery were unusual elements found on van Maanen's star, a white dwarf discovered the same year Adams created the astronomical plate.
Stephen Hawking, Russian Billionaire Want To Build Interstellar Starship To Visit Alpha Centauri
Russian tech entrepreneur and billionaire Yuri Milner, along with Stephen Hawking and Mark Zuckerberg, announced an interstellar mission to Alpha Centauri. 'Breakthrough Starshot' will send a fleet of nanocrafts to the star systems to look for any planetary existence and details in that part of the universe.
Better Mental Health Treatment Can Help Global Economy: WHO
According to the WHO, better investment in depression treatment and mental health will translate to four-fold returns for the world's economy. Paying attention to mental care will increase work productivity as well as provide billions of gains through enhanced wellness.
New Solar Panel Turns Raindrops Into Electricity: Here's How The Technology Works
Scientists in China created 'all-weather' graphene-coated solar panels to harness power from raindrops. They developed dye-sensitized solar cells coated with an ultra-thin film of a miracle material known as graphene.
Paper Tape Can Help Prevent Foot Blisters: Stanford Study
Stanford doctor and wilderness medicine expert Grant Lipman said that all it takes to prevent painful foot blisters is to use inexpensive paper tape. Learn how this common drugstore product can serve as a cheap blister prevention method.
Chinese Scientists Edit Genes Of Human Embryos For The Second Time
Chinese scientists have edited the genes of human embryos to help make them resistant to HIV infections. It is the second published experiment of its kind, but how did it fare using the controversial CRISPR technology?
Eating Pears Regularly May Improve BP, Heart Function
Fresh pear consumption every day may help improve blood pressure and vascular function in middle-aged men and women with metabolic syndrome, according to a new study.
Pig Antibiotic Carbadox May Pose Potential Cancer Risk To Pork Consumers: FDA
Carbadox, a pig antibiotic used for fattening up the animals for slaughter and fighting common infections, was linked to a potential cancer risk in humans. A number of studies have already showed that the drug can lead to cancer in rats.
Your Heart Rules Your Head: Study Finds Heart Rate Influences Level Of Wisdom
People with greater heart rate variability are shown in a study to maintain brains with better executive functioning, thus leading to wiser judgment. But what role do heartbeat fluctuations play in wise decision-making?
Moon Rover Prototype Found In Alabama Scrapyard Expected To Fetch $125000 At Auction
A lost NASA moon buggy, which ended up in a scrapyard in Alabama, is expected to fetch about $125,000 in an auction. But how did the lunar rover prototype, whose finished versions served Apollo space missions, actually end up being sold for scrap?
Saving Lives In Poor Nations Costs $5 Per Person: Health Study
Johns Hopkins researchers said 4 million lives worldwide could be saved each year with better maternal and child health services. It costs only about $5 per person a year in healthcare spending.
Heated Boxes May Help Bats Survive White-Nose Syndrome
A biologist in Canada is hoping her heated bat boxes will help the flying mammals survive as they fight the white-nose syndrome, a fungal infection that has killed 6 million in North America's bat populations since 2006.
Higher Levels Of Lead Found In Blood Of Children Near Shuttered Exide
A new report from California health officials found higher blood lead levels in children living closer to a now-closed Exide Technologies plant in Vernon. The analysis warned against the more dangerous effects of lead in children.
Queensland Approves Coal Mining Project That May Damage Great Barrier Reef
Environmentalists hit the Queensland government for granting a mining license to an India-based company to dig the country's largest coal mine. The mega coal mining project is feared to worsen the damage on the Great Barrier Reef, currently suffering its worst coral bleaching event yet.
Reducing Food Waste May Cut Greenhouse Gas Emissions By 14 Percent
Up to 14 percent of greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture could be avoided if food were more efficiently used and distributed, stated a new report. Agriculture is deemed a major climate change driver, with one-tenth of its emissions attributed to food waste alone by 2050.
California Lawmaker Calls For Supervised Use Of Heroin To Curb Overdoses
Democratic assemblywoman Susan Talamantes Eggman filed a bill pushing for the establishment of legal drug injection sites to curb the growing heroin and drug overdose problem. How did law enforcers receive this proposal for supervised drug use?
Harvard Dedicates Plaque For Slaves Who Worked At School Centuries Ago
To honor the four slaves who worked at the Harvard University in the 1700s, the school unveiled a plaque on April 6 to acknowledge the presence and role of racial bondage in its history.
Supermassive Black Holes May Be More Common Than Previously Believed
If supermassive black holes can be found in sparsely populated regions of the universe like Galaxy NGC 1600 and not just in dense ones like the Coma cluster, then they have a much bigger population out there than previously thought, according to scientists.
Artificial Comet Holds Key To Creating Building Blocks Of Life
French researchers showed for the first time that artificial comet ice contains ribose and other sugar molecules believed to be building blocks for RNA and DNA. The findings were deemed important for many theories on the origin of life on Earth.
Should You Switch To Whole Milk? People Who Consume Full-Fat Dairy Products Less Likely To Be Obese
A new study linked high-fat dairy intake with a reduced risk for obesity, an association not seen in low-fat dairy consumption. Is it actually time to grab that bottle of whole milk? Experts weighed in on the matter.
Cassini Probe May Help Find Planet Nine
Some observations on the Cassini spacecraft, which is orbiting Saturn, are fueling hope that the elusive Planet Nine may soon be detected.
World Bank To Spend 28 Percent Of Investments To Tackle Climate Change
World Bank, the biggest public finance provider in the world, vowed to boost its funding for climate change projects. It will allot 28 percent of its investments on these initiatives, and will consider the effects of global warming in future spending.
NASA's New Horizons Documents Behavior Of Solar Wind When Far From The Sun
Three years' worth of data from the SWAP instrument on the New Horizons spacecraft revealed details about solar wind in the outer solar system. High-energy particles called anomalous cosmic rays, too, may be a radiation threat to astronauts.
DEA May Downgrade Marijuana From Schedule 1 Drug
The Drug Enforcement Administration discloses plans to decide on changing the federal status of marijuana in the next few months, potentially reclassifying it from a Schedule 1 to Schedule 2 drug. The move is seen to help researchers better study the potential uses of medical cannabis.
California Senate Committee Backs Stiffer Penalties For Drug Traffickers Selling Fentanyl Opioid
A Senate committee in California unanimously approved the first step to stiffen penalties for major drug traffickers selling fentanyl. The potentially fatal opioid painkiller has now been pinpointed for at least 10 deaths and 42 overdoses.
Walmart Commits To Sell Cage-Free Eggs By 2025
Walmart, the largest food retailer in the country controlling 25 percent of the market, became the first to mark a date for transitioning to cage-free eggs. It vowed to phase out eggs from caged hens in its stores by 2025.
Dust Devils On Mars Shape Climate Of The Red Planet
How do dust devils - as captured by the navigation camera of NASA's Opportunity rover - drive the climate on Mars? For one, these powerful updrafts are considered an important function in dust cycling, shaping the Red Planet's global climate.
