News about PaperPanda, Open Access, and Research
Homo sapiens ventured into Neanderthal territory in Europe much earlier than previously thought, according to an archaeological study published in Science magazine on Wednesday. Up to now, archaeological discoveries had indicated that Neanderthals disappeared from the European continent about 40,000 years ago, shortly after the arrival of their “cousin” H. sapiens, barely 5,000 years … Read more
A powerful geomagnetic storm has doomed 40 Starlink satellites launched by SpaceX last week, the company has announced. Elon Musk‘s company launched a Falcon 9 rocket bearing the 49 satellites from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Thursday (Feb. 3), but a geomagnetic storm that struck a day later sent the satellites plummeting back toward Earth, … Read more
Elon Musk’s SpaceX will lose 40 Starlink satellites to a geomagnetic storm as solar activity ramps up. But does this spell disaster for the future of satellites in space? On Tuesday (Feb. 8), SpaceX revealed that likely 40 of its 49 newest Starlink satellites that launched last Thursday (Feb. 3) were affected by a geomagnetic … Read more
With spring looming just around the corner and summer slowly coming into focus, space-loving filmgoers eagerly awaiting Disney/Pixar’s Buzz Lightyear origin story, “Lightyear,” have something new to cheer about with a freshly released trailer and poster for the animated sci-fi film. “Lightyear” enters our orbit on June 17, 2022 and it’s poised to be one … Read more
Even the glaciers on Mount Everest are not safe from climate change, new research suggests. In a record-setting study, a team of scientists scaled the world’s highest peak to monitor the mountain’s highest-altitude glacier — the South Col Glacier, standing nearly 26,000 feet (8,000 meters) above sea level — for signs of climate-related ice loss. … Read more
A dramatic video serves as a memorial to a star-crossed satellite that lived fast and died very young. SpaceX launched 49 satellites to low Earth orbit on Feb. 3 to further beef up the company’s huge and growing Starlink internet megaconstellation. But most of those newly lofted spacecraft will never beam any broadband signals down, … Read more
These are the Star Wars Valentine’s Day gifts you are looking for, all here in this handy guide we’ve made in the runup to Feb. 14. With the day that celebrates love fast approaching, check out the best Star Wars Valentine’s Day gifts for the Jedi Master in your life below. We’ve included something to … Read more
Distant X-rays may be the most direct evidence yet of the remains of a disintegrated planet colliding with the corpse of a star, a new study finds. White dwarfs are the cool, dim cores of dead stars that are left behind after average-size stars have exhausted their fuel and shed their outer layers. They are … Read more
It’s been more than a year since scientists lost one of the most iconic telescopes ever built — and yet the collapse of the famed Arecibo Observatory remains something of a mystery. Nestled into the jungle of Puerto Rico, the Arecibo Observatory‘s jewel was its vast radio dish, spanning 1,000 feet (305 meters) across and … Read more
The temperature of Uranus averages minus 320 degrees Fahrenheit (-195 degrees Celsius), according to NASA. Uranus holds the record for the coldest temperature ever measured in the solar system — minus 371.56 degrees F (minus 224.2 degrees C). Neptune is — on average — the coldest planet in the solar system — averaging minus 331 … Read more