News about PaperPanda, Open Access, and Research
The massive Thwaites glacier in West Antarctica contains enough ice to raise global sea levels by 65cm if it were to completely collapse. And, worryingly, recent research suggests that its long-term stability is doubtful as the glacier hemorrhages more and more ice. Adding 65cm to global sea levels would be coastline-changing amounts. For context, … Read more
Earthquakes cannot be forecast, but engineers can prepare for them. Seismic-isolation systems built into the bases of certain buildings in high-risk areas, such as San Francisco’s City Hall, use complex structures of concrete, rubber and metal to reduce quake damage by absorbing the ground’s horizontal oscillations, like a car’s suspension does with vertical motion. But … Read more
Congress came very close to giving U.S. researchers a funding windfall in 2021. But the Democrats’ narrow majority in both houses and a united Republican opposition doomed efforts to pass three major pieces of legislation, each one containing billions of dollars for research. However, science advocates are cautiously optimistic that lawmakers, who return to work … Read more
Introduction Science, Upendedby Andrea Gawrylewski Section 1: Biology & Evolution 1.1 Life Springs by Martin J. Van Kranendonk, David W. Deamer and Tara Djokic 1.2 The True Colors of Dinosaurs by Jakob Vinther 1.3 The New Origins of Technology by Kate Wong 1.4 The Meaning of Lichen by Erica Gies 1.5 … Read more
Astrophotography allows us all to become citizens of the cosmos. At a glimpse, we can be transported into the depths of space to gaze upon Jupiter’s dazzling cloudscape. Moments later we can picture the shifting rust-colored sands of Mars, or navigate our way across the lunar surface. It’s a gift that’s easy to take … Read more
When you view the world a certain way, it’s easy to forget not everyone has the same vision. We do mean that quite literally. Aside from philosophical considerations of the subjective experience of color, different organisms have evolved to view the world differently, with eye structures and configurations optimized for various kinds of existence. … Read more
NASA personnel are spending the day studying the power subsystem of the massive James Webb Space Telescope to ensure the observatory is ready to execute a key procedure: tensioning its vast sunshield. The Webb space telescope, which launched on Dec. 25, is conducting a month-long deployment procedure necessary to prepare the telescope to gather data. … Read more
In December 1994 then former U.S. surgeon general C. Everett Koop launched a national weight-loss campaign at a White House press conference, stating that obesity had become the country’s second-largest cause of death, “resulting in about 300,000 lives lost each year.” This marked the beginning of a long, influential life for the statistic. Pundits and … Read more
For one jazzy, jacked-up season, Netflix’s live-action adaptation of the classic ’90s Japanese anime “Cowboy Bebop” hit the small screen in November starring John Cho (Spike Spiegel), Daniella Pineda (Faye Valentine), Mustafa Shakir (Jet Black), Elena Satine (Julia), and Alex Hassell (Vicious). The much-hyped TV series chronicled the misadventures of three ultra-cool bounty hunters bouncing … Read more
Since their introduction in “Star Trek: The Original Series” in 1967 during the first season’s “Errand of Mercy” episode, the barbaric warmongering alien species known as the Klingons have been one of sci-fi’s greatest foes of the Federation. Created by screenwriter Gene L. Coon, legend has it that the purple-blooded antagonists were named after Lieutenant … Read more