Articles by Katrina Pascual
Possible Discovery Of New Fundamental Particle Could Prove Existence Of Theoretical Particle Of Gravity
Scientists at CERN recently announced their discovery of the existence of a particle of nature. One of the ideas that sprung from the finding is that it is a graviton, a particle of gravity.
Nepal Earthquake Resulted In Fewer Landslides Than Expected
Satellite imaging of the Nepal earthquake in April showed only 4,312 landslides, unlike the hundreds of thousands typically expected of similar quakes in mountainous areas. No flooding from glacial lakes also followed.
Geysers On Saturn Moon Enceladus Lose Steam, According To Cassini Data
New data showed that geysers blasting material from the subsurface ocean of Saturn moon Enceladus are having 30 to 50 percent less output. Last Oct. 28, NASA's Cassini spacecraft made its deepest dive through the moon's active icy plume.
Arctic Air Temperature Hits Record High: What It's Been Like Since 2007
The annual NOAA-commissioned, peer-reviewed Arctic Report Card warned about rising air temperatures in the Arctic region. How did the region reach this point since 2007?
Celebrity-Endorsed Hair Care Product Wen Sued By Users For Causing Baldness, Scalp Irritation And Other Adverse Reactions
More than 200 individuals filed a class action lawsuit against celebrity-endorsed WEN hair care products. The complaints included hair fall, hair loss and scalp damage such as bald spots and rashes.
California Proposes New Rules For Rooftop Solar Users
California Public Utilities Commission proposed new rooftop solar fees Tuesday. It also rejected some recommendations from utility firms that threatened expansion of residential and commercial solar efforts.
Giant Asteroid To Zoom Past Earth On Christmas Eve
Asteroid 163899 will pass Earth at a safe distance on Christmas Eve, at some 6.79 million miles from the planet's surface. The huge Christmas asteroid is important as it is on the list of potential human-accessible targets.
Holiday Travelers Expected To Top 100 Million: American Automobile Association Forecast
AAA forecasted a 1.4 percent rise this year in holiday travelers. It also predicted 2015 as the seventh consecutive year during which year-end holiday travel will have grown.
Scientists Discover Gamma Rays Older Than The Earth
Gamma rays from a blazar and which took 7.6 billion years to reach Earth were caught by NASA's Fermi telescope in April. In a follow-up study, scientists examined the blazar again and detected high-energy gamma rays that are crucial in probing the evolution of extragalactic background light and the universe.
NASA's EPIC Captures Color Image Of Sunlit Earth
Attached to the DSCOVR satellite, NASA's EPIC camera captures a color image of the Earth’s sunlit portion every two hours as the planet rotates in the observatory’s field of view. EPIC images of Earth are no less than epic.
Intense Exercise May Lead To Sleep Issues: Study
Intense exercise can result in sleep deprivation, as shown by a recent study on cyclists. The researchers also observed worsening moods and ability for further exercise in the athletes during the study.
DNA Of Hair Mites Holds Clue To Ancient Human Migrations
Mite distribution in the global population could hold clues on the history of human migration. The continent of someone’s ancestral origin, for instance, tended to predict the kind of mite on her face.
Humans Evolved To Have More Efficient Sleep: Study
Human sleep is remarkably shorter than those of other primates, so how did it get to that kind of efficiency? Researchers studying the evolution of human sleep attributed this to the transition from sleeping in 'tree beds' to sleeping on the ground.
Skipping Coffee Causes Changes In Your Brain Connections
For 18 months, Stanford psychologist Russell Poldrack scanned his brain for 10 minutes to map brain connections. He found that caffeine consumption or the lack thereof significantly changed brain connectivity.
Energy Drink Addict Suffers From Heart Attack After Drinking Eight Cans Of Red Bull
Martin Bowling, a 28-year-old insurance worker from England, suffered a heart attack when he downed eight cans in a row of the energy drink Red Bull. Doctors warn about caffeine overconsumption and its nasty effects.
196 Countries Approve Landmark Climate Agreement To Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Almost 200 nations last Saturday reached a landmark climate agreement to lower greenhouse gas emissions. Involving both rich and poor nations, the climate deal ventured to keep global temperatures from rising another 1 degree Celsius from now to 2100.
China Steps Up In Paris To Fight Climate Change, Sees Flawed Agreement As New Starting Point
Beijing dubbed the recently concluded climate deal as a flawed agreement but expressed satisfaction over its realization. It faces challenges in carbon emissions reduction amid worsening pollution problems in Beijing and the northern cities.
Sorry Oyster Lovers: Red Tide Prompts Closure Of Mississippi And Louisiana Oyster Reefs
Marine resources department officials ordered the preemptive closure, of all beaches and oyster reefs along the Mississippi Gulf Coast due to red tide. The algae blooms could cause major fish kills and cause brain and stomach problems in humans.
Early Flu Vaccine Tied To Fewer Symptoms, Reduced Times Missed At Work
Health care workers vaccinated earlier in the season exhibited less flu-like symptoms and were less likely to lose working days. However, there are still misconceptions about flu shots that are preventing them from getting inoculated.
US House Passes Bill To Ban Body Washes, Soaps And Toothpastes That Contain Microbeads
The Microbead-Free Waters Act of 2015, if approved by the Senate, will ban the use of microbeads in personal care products by 2017. Experts echoed the environmental risks of microbeads in waterways, particularly for wildlife.
Freelance Workers Happier With More Workloads: Study
Freelance workers became calmer and had greater enthusiasm when they had higher-than-normal hours of work. However, more work also affected their work-life balance and even caused more anxiety.
Flesh Eating Disease Leishmaniasis Spreads In War-Torn Syria
Currently spreading in ISIS-controlled areas in Syria, leishmaniasis is primarily transferred by bugs feeding on rotting corpses on the streets. A recent WHO report on Syria said that aid agencies are scrambling to help over 13 million Syrians immediately.
ISIS Capable Of Printing Fake Syrian Passports: US Intel
A government spokesperson confirmed the contents of a new U.S. intelligence report warning that ISIS can create fake Syrian passports. The report focused on the potential threat of militants using fake documents to enter the United States.
NASA: Chandra X-ray Observatory Images Hint Origins Of Jellyfish Nebula
New NASA images from Chandra X-ray observatory showed that the supernova explosion creating the Jellyfish Nebula may have formed the pulsar J0617. However, the age of the nebula remains a puzzle.
White Fossils At Smithsonian Museum Was 'Moby Dick' Of Ancient Seas
Smithsonian scientists reclassified the fossil specimens into the Albicetus oxymycterus or “white whale," in honor of Moby Dick. The species was miscategorized 90 years ago as part of an extinct walrus group.
Hawaii Tops List Of Healthiest States In America
For four consecutive years, Hawaii emerged as the healthiest state in the U.S., trailed by Vermont, Massachusetts, and Minnesota. The basis for the annual report listing were factors such as physical activity, crime data, and life expectancy.
New Blood Test Can Predict Rheumatoid Arthritis 16 Years Early
Oxford researchers created a blood test that can predict the chance of developing rheumatoid arthritis up to 16 years before it appears. Rheumatoid arthritis is a painful, debilitating condition affecting the joints.
Asteroid Best Building Block For Building A Real Death Star: NASA Engineer
Could someone create the Death Star, the engineering wonder in the 'Star Wars' trilogy, using real science? A NASA scientist said yes, using an already existing asteroid.
Cadaver Microbes May Help Forensic Experts Tell When Murder Victim Died
Microbial communities such as bacteria and fungi are the reliable 'clock' that forensic experts may use to know the time of death and the location of human cadavers even after being moved. Researchers used gene sequencing to discover this new technique.
US Sales Of Livestock Antibiotics Rise By 23 Percent: FDA
New FDA data showed that sales of antibiotics for livestock use climbed by 23 percent from 2009 to 2014. This added to mounting concerns on antibiotic resistance and was criticized given the FDA's voluntary guidance against antibiotic overuse in agriculture.
