News about PaperPanda, Open Access, and Research
Impatient children can pass time waiting for their Christmas presents by tracking Santa as he proceeds with his annual deliveries across the globe in a simulation by the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). It has already become a tradition for NORAD, in cooperation with private companies Analytical Graphics (AGI) and Cesium, to follow Santa … Read more
By Michael Le Page, Clare Wilson, Jessica Hamzelou, Sam Wong, Graham Lawton, Adam Vaughan, Conrad Quilty-Harper, Jason Arunn Murugesu and Layal Liverpool A soldier administers a vaccination at the Army Reserve Centre in Poole, England. Finnbarr Webster/Getty Images Latest coronavirus news as of 1pm on 24 December Our daily covid-19 update will resume on 4 … Read more
Genome-edited food made with CRISPR–Cas9 technology is being sold on the open market for the first time. Since September, the Sicilian Rouge tomatoes, which are genetically edited to contain high amounts of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), have been sold direct to consumers in Japan by Tokyo-based Sanatech Seed. The company claims oral intake of GABA can … Read more
It’s that magical time of year again. Whether you’re living with the frigid temperatures of the northern hemisphere or the sunny climes south of the equator, right now, lots of us are thinking about Christmas. Christmas is a holiday celebrated by more than 2 billion people globally, so chances are that it’s important to you … Read more
The president of Blackrock Neurotech says the company’s brain-computer interface, designed for people who are paralysed, could be available in 2022 if regulators approve it Health 24 December 2021 By Clare Wilson Technology can read brain signals to control a computer Pakpoom Makpan/Shutterstock A brain implant that lets people who are unable to speak because … Read more
Since early this year, skywatchers on Earth have been tracking Comet Leonard, a kilometer-wide dirty snowball made of ice, rock, and dust. Now, as it heads towards a close encounter with the Sun on 3 January 2022, several spacecraft – with the distinct advantage of having an unobstructed front-row seat to the action – have … Read more
When scientists planned and designed the Hubble Space Telescope, the most groundbreaking astronomical observatory of its era, there were many things about the universe they didn’t know. One of these unknowns was that stars and galaxies existed already a few hundred million years after the Big Bang, Mark McCaughrean, senior advisor for science and exploration … Read more
With booster jabs forming the backbone of the UK’s omicron efforts, it’s more important than ever to reach out to pregnant women and people from ethnic minority groups who may be more likely to have concerns over vaccination Health | Analysis 24 December 2021 By Jason Arunn Murugesu A mass vaccination hub at Stamford Bridge … Read more
Your Christmas tree is dead or dying. But some conifers and other trees theoretically could live forever, according to a recent essay that reviews accumulating evidence on extremely long-lived trees—and calls for more scientifically rigorous methods to determine their age and study their longevity. Across the board, trees do not die so much as they … Read more
“Talking about your office, the Planetary Defense Coordination Office, you’ve got the patch there. In fact, I was observing a little Latin phrase at the bottom, what does that say?” “‘Hic Servare Diem,’ which means ‘Here to save the day.’” That exchange, between a NASA commentator and a scientist in the agency’s planetary science division, … Read more