News about PaperPanda, Open Access, and Research
Tigers can indeed change their stripes—and in the Similipal Tiger Reserve in India, many have done just that. So-called black tigers, genetic mutants that sport unusually wide and merged stripes, were extremely rare even when tigers were plentiful centuries ago. But in Similipal today, one in three are black. A new study in the Proceedings … Read more
Randy Kimble will never forget the days in August 2017 when Hurricane Harvey battered Texas. As a project scientist for integration, test and commissioning of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), he had no option to hide at home. The giant telescope, at that time already 10 years behind schedule and considerably over budget, was … Read more
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — SpaceX launched its 31st rocket of the year early Tuesday (Dec. 21), sending a used Dragon cargo capsule toward the International Space Station before nailing the company’s 100th landing. A new two-stage Falcon 9 rocket blasted off from Launch Complex 39A here at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center at 5:07 a.m. EST … Read more
According to the Observer’s Handbook of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, there are 11 meteor showers that are considered to be the “principal” displays of the year. In order to make the list, a particular meteor shower must produce at least 10 meteors per hour at maximum. As it turns out, within a span … Read more
Incredible advances in growing living tissue in the lab took another amazing turn in August when a blob of brain cells grew eye-like structures Technology 15 December 2021 By Clare Wilson Elke Gabriel There was a leap forward in understanding brain development in August, when lumps of neural tissue in a dish were coaxed into … Read more
By Adam Vaughan The ozone layer in late November 2021 Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service, ECMWF One of the longest ozone holes on record is expected to close this Wednesday after several weeks of exposing wildlife and people in Antarctica to very high levels of ultraviolet radiation. The Montreal Protocol’s ban on the CFC gases causing … Read more
Deep under the ice of Antarctica’s Ekström Ice Shelf there is nothing but complete darkness. Well, complete darkness and a thriving ecosystem that’s existed for thousands of years, according to a new paper by researchers from the UK and Germany. “This discovery of so much life living in these extreme conditions is a complete … Read more
US vaccine maker Moderna expressed confidence Monday that its booster shot was effective against the Omicron variant, after the announcement of laboratory results it described as “reassuring”. “We’ll be able to rely on this vaccine to address the near term surge of Omicron cases,” Stephen Hoge, president of Moderna, said on a conference call. … Read more
Millions of people take antidepressants each day, but a major new review of the data brings up some concerns with how the drugs are currently prescribed. In fact, when taken over long periods for mild and moderate depression, antidepressants may be doing patients more harm than good, the review explains. That’s not to say … Read more
Cool cats looking for a hip dose of nostalgia might consider tuning in to Netflix’s new live-action rendition of “Cowboy Bebop” that recently landed on the streaming titan’s roster. The legendary Japanese anime series first aired back in 1998 and followed the exploits of a trio of charismatic bounty hunters traversing the galaxy in the … Read more