Mosquito bites are among the most prevalent bug bites in children. These bites often result in itchy, red, raised bumps on the skin. Young children may experience more substantial reactions due to their sensitive skin.

While scratching should be avoided to prevent secondary infections, you can try various techniques to alleviate itching. These include applying ice, scratching on the opposite side of the body, and pressing firmly on the bite for ten seconds. You can also create a paste of baking soda and water or use over-the-counter anti-itch creams to provide relief.

Stings from bees, wasps, and hornets cause a lot more pain and discomfort than those of their mosquito counterparts. They often lead to redness and swelling. If the stinger is still in the skin, gently remove it with tweezers before treating the symptoms. You can reduce the pain by applying ice to the affected area or creating a paste with baking soda and water.

Over-the-counter pain relievers like Motrin or Tylenol can help with pain, and oral antihistamines can reduce swelling. Be vigilant for signs of a serious allergic reaction — such as hives, vomiting, or shortness of breath. Seek medical care immediately if these symptoms occur since they can be very serious.

Tick bites are problematic as they don’t cause many symptoms in the area and don’t hurt, so you may not notice them. If you find a tick on your child, it’s crucial to remove it promptly. Grasp the tick with fingers or tweezers and pull back directly to prevent the mouthparts from breaking off.

Things like nail polish or Vaseline don’t actually work to get the tick to release itself. After removal, wash the area with warm, soapy water and watch for signs of Lyme disease. Contact a healthcare provider immediately if severe symptoms show up.

Ant bites can cause swelling in the bite area, redness, and fluid-filled blisters due to the formic acid the ants release. Cleaning the area with soap and water is effective, and using basil or thyme-seeped cool water can denature the secretions.

Soaked chamomile or mint tea bags applied to the bites can reduce the sting as well. While severe allergic reactions to ant bites are rare, watch for signs like hives, difficulty breathing, hoarseness, or slurred speech. Seek immediate medical care if these symptoms occur.

Asteroids burning over the sky often cause no damage, as they’re generally small objects. But such an incident can lead to a groundbreaking result in the study of astrophysics. Recently, a small asteroid burned in the sky of Ontario in Canada, which served as the perfect testing ground for the Scout impact hazard assessment system of NASA. Space scientists discovered Asteroid 2022 WJ1 on November 18 in the evening, and it burned just a few hours later.

The Real-Life Test

Along with other endeavors, NASA focuses on planetary defense with two crucial aspects of detection and tracking potentially dangerous objects to predict the possible impact. And a real-life scenario like the Ontario event is always good to test the systems. Though this 2022 WJ1 asteroid posed no threat, as it’s just three feet in size, NASA was able to discover and observe it only 3.5 hours before the impact. NASA also tracked the asteroid and successfully predicted the area it was going to burn.

The Discovery and Observation

The Catalina Sky Survey, a NASA-funded space organization, discovered the asteroid. Within seven minutes, Scout knew that there was a 1/4th chance that it would burn somewhere between the Atlantic Ocean and Mexico off the coast of North America. Soon, more observations were conducted by a group of astronomers at the Fairpoint Observatory in Kansas. From data collected through 46 observations, Scout was able to confirm the time and position the small asteroid was going to hit the earth. They also predicted that its bolide would be visible after two hours. These observations allowed the researchers around Lake Ontario to prepare for the cosmic body collision. After the event, they even tracked the small meteorites, released at the time the asteroid broke apart. This successful test has given NASA a huge boost of confidence that their planetary defense community and systems can successfully predict and inform about the possible impact of a collision with a larger cosmic object.