News about PaperPanda, Open Access, and Research
Free-floating planets are hard to spot, but astronomers have bagged a large haul by looking for candidates in a nearby star-forming region Space 22 December 2021 By Alex Wilkins Artist’s impression of a rogue planet COSMIC DANCE Team Astronomers have spotted what seems to be at least 70 planets drifting through space by themselves. These … Read more
As I jogged along the Hudson River recently, a few lonely snowflakes fell, and I composed a haiku in my head: Every snowflake isspecial. But so what? They melttoo fast to matter I’ve been glum lately, and I’m not sure why. My blues are overdetermined, meaning they could stem from lots of things: diminished daylight, … Read more
Scientists and policymakers are puzzling over how to get rid of a group of toxic chemicals found in streams and drinking water. One hope was that the persistent compounds, known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), would flow out to sea and stay put. But the ocean, it turns out, is spitting them back out: … Read more
Astronomers have discovered dozens of new “rogue” planets, roughly doubling the known number of these mysterious free-roaming worlds. A team of researchers found a collection of at least 70 exoplanets without parent stars — the largest single group of rogue planets ever found — in a patch of space about 420 light-years from Earth, a … Read more
About 2900 years ago, an elderly woman was carefully buried with two lambs in her lap and a piece of chalk in her hand at a site now called Cliff ’s End Farm, about 30 kilometers north of Dover, U.K. She had been killed by sword blows to her skull, likely in a sacrificial rite. … Read more
Among the possible treatments for people just developing COVID-19 symptoms, antibody-rich plasma donated by recovered patients has taken a backseat to options such as monoclonal antibodies and antiviral pills. But a new clinical trial suggests it may deserve a bigger role. The trial results, posted today as a preprint, showed a transfusion of convalescent plasma … Read more
A jury in Boston today found Harvard University chemistry professor Charles Lieber guilty of lying to federal agencies about his research ties to a Chinese university. The unanimous verdict came barely 3 hours after closing arguments in the case, part of the U.S. government’s 3-year-old China Initiative that has targeted some 2 dozen academic scientists … Read more
Analysis of ancient DNA reveals a mass migration of people from what is now France to England and Wales between 1000 and 875 BC Humans 22 December 2021 By Carissa Wong Illustration of a Celtic hill fort in the Iron Age Heritage Image Partnership Ltd /Alamy The largest analysis of ancient DNA to date has … Read more
One of the ocean’s most legendary creatures is also one of the most sensitive to human noise. A new study finds the unicornlike narwhal is affected by ship sounds more than most other whales and dolphins. The noises—which are growing more frequent as ships push further into the narwhal’s Arctic habitat—could disrupt the whales’ hunting … Read more
The covid-19 pandemic has forced millions to participate in one of the biggest social experiments of our time. Nearly two years in, it’s time to take stock: what happens when workers abandon offices? Humans 15 December 2021 By Alice Klein Working from home has led to rises in productivity for some Experience Interiors/iStock THE covid-19 … Read more