Home / Editorial Team / Krystal Kasal
Krystal Kasal

Krystal Kasal

Author

Krystal is a freelance science and technical writer with a Master's degree in physics from Washington State University. She has been doing freelance work for the last five years, with experience in clinical research and writing educational physics content. She enjoys writing about science, nature, health, and anything a little bit out of the ordinary.

Articles by Krystal Kasal

Medical Xpress / Genetically modified gut bacteria show promise for combating kidney stones in clinical trial

The human gut microbiome has been shown to impact health in a myriad of ways. The type and abundance of different bacteria can impact everything from the immune system to the nervous system. Now, researchers at Stanford University ...

Jul 18, 2025
Medical Xpress / Extremely severe obesity is on the rise in kids—along with a barrage of health problems

Obesity rates in children have been on the rise for decades, having quadrupled from 1990 to 2022, and along with the rise in obesity, comes a rise in health risks. However, obesity can be broken down further into categories ...

Jul 17, 2025
Medical Xpress / MRI study reveals structural brain changes in children with restrictive eating disorders

In the last decade, the incidence of restrictive eating disorders in children, like anorexia-nervosa and avoidant/restrictive food intake disorders (ARFID), has doubled. These disorders have severe consequences for growing ...

Jul 16, 2025
Medical Xpress / Obesity more likely caused by high calorie diet than lack of exercise

It's common knowledge that obesity is a global epidemic, particularly in industrialized countries, and that it is a major cause of disease and poor overall health. However, there has been a tug-of-war in the debate of whether ...

Jul 15, 2025
Phys.org / New evidence from pterosaur's fossilized stomach helps settle longstanding debate about its diet

The Mesozoic pterosaur is considered to be the first vertebrate to achieve powered flight and new evidence, also the first of its kind, helps to pin down what exactly this flying reptile ate. Previously, scientists had trouble ...

Jul 15, 2025
Phys.org / Ritualistically buried donkey remains provide insight into trade and culture in ancient Israel

Donkeys played an important role in the lives of ancient Mediterranean people, providing both food and a means of carrying goods. New evidence from an early Bronze Age (2900–2600/2550 BCE) archaeological site in modern-day ...

Jul 14, 2025
Phys.org / Sled dog genetic history sheds light on human migration patterns into Greenland

The histories of sled dogs and humans in the Arctic have been intricately linked for thousands of years, so it is no surprise that the migration patterns of these dogs mirror those of humans through the Arctic. Sled dogs ...

Jul 11, 2025
Medical Xpress / Bird flu found to evolve rapidly, infecting more hosts and finding ways to spread more effectively

Although the avian flu (H5N1) virus may not be making the news as frequently, it is still working hard behind the scenes, attempting to evolve into more and more effective versions. Since the highly pathogenic avian flu was ...

Jul 10, 2025
Phys.org / 'False head' in certain butterflies found to evolve from multiple traits working in tandem to deflect predators

Animals often evolve to have certain characteristics that help them escape predators more effectively. Some of these characteristics work to deflect predators away from the animal's head. Many butterfly species have evolved ...

Jul 9, 2025
Phys.org / Decade-long study shows reduced winter snowpack impairs forests' ability to store carbon

Forests are a crucial resource for carbon mitigation, currently offsetting around 20% of North American carbon emissions. As temperatures continue to rise, scientists are rushing to understand how climate change is affecting ...

Jul 8, 2025
Phys.org / Young brood-parasitic cowbirds may seek out unrelated adult females as role models

Unlike most other bird species, the brown-headed cowbird (Molothrus ater) lays its eggs in the nests of other bird species and leaves the host to raise its young—a behavior known as brood parasitism. To become a successful ...

Jul 7, 2025
Tech Xplore / Pilot program integrates AI-generated notes with human community notes on X platform

X (formerly Twitter) launched its "Community Notes" program in 2021 to combat misinformation by allowing users to add contextual notes on posts that might be deceptive or lead to misinterpretation. An example would be users ...

Jul 4, 2025
Phys.org / New evidence suggests Neanderthals were rendering fat nearly 100,000 years before other early humans

The hunting and gathering activities of early humans required a high-calorie diet consisting of a variety of macronutrients—protein, carbohydrates, and fat. While hunting big-game animals—like deer, horses and animals in ...

Jul 4, 2025
Phys.org / Light pollution has more dramatic effect on circadian rhythms of social birds than isolated birds, study finds

Light pollution, or artificial light at night (ALAN), is a widespread phenomenon in areas with dense human populations. Normally, animals use natural external cues, like sunlight and temperature, to synchronize their biological ...

Jul 2, 2025
Medical Xpress / Ozempic-like drug significantly reduces frequency of chronic migraines in pilot study

Migraines are a common ailment worldwide, affecting nearly 15% of the global population. At times, they can be debilitating enough to interfere with daily activities. Despite a multitude of treatment options, some migraine ...

Jul 1, 2025