News about PaperPanda, Open Access, and Research
Humans are not the only animals that practice social distancing to deal with a deadly pathogen: A new study shows honeybees change their behavior and use of space to avoid spreading Varroa destructor mites, which feed on bees’ organs and can harbor nasty viruses. Researchers observed these changes in wild and caged bees infected with … Read more
It seems like things are getting more expensive at an alarming rate these days, but at least these Lego sci-fi and gaming sets let you save while you play. Queen Watevra’s ‘So-Not-Evil’ space palace from The Lego Movie 2 is £20 off on Amazon and comes with 997 pieces. If that’s not your thing though … Read more
The night sky is filled with blips and flashes, a constantly changing sea of lights. Some of these changes are from Earth-bound happenings such as aircraft flying overhead, but some are from distant sources in space. Astronomers hunt for these fleeting phenomena, known as astronomical transients, by observing the sky regularly and looking for differences … Read more
Cosmology is a branch of astronomy that involves the origin and evolution of the universe, from the Big Bang to today and on into the future. According to NASA, the definition of cosmology is “the scientific study of the large scale properties of the universe as a whole.” Cosmologists puzzle over exotic concepts like string … Read more
The Virtual Telescope Project will provide a livestream Monday (Feb. 21) of an asteroid zooming safely past Earth, weather permitting. You can catch live views of asteroid 1999 VF22 starting at 7 p.m. EST Monday (0000 GMT on Tuesday, Feb. 22) from Rome, Italy, where the project is situated. You can watch the livestream on … Read more
This article was originally published at The Conversation. The publication contributed the article to Space.com’s Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. Giles Gasper, Professor in High Medieval History, Durham University Brian Tanner, Emeritus Professor of Physics at Durham University, Durham University On June 7, 1195, a fiery spinning ball emerged from a dark cloud in an erstwhile sunny sky … Read more
A new collision-warning system could help satellite operators sleep a little easier. The prototype system, developed by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), is designed to alert operators when their spacecraft may be on a collision course with another object. That’s a real and growing concern, given how crowded Earth orbit is becoming. … Read more
While space games and those steeped in science-fiction tend to fare best on consoles and PC, quite a few sci-fi games reach the mobile market as well. However, given the shovelware that clutters Apple’s and Google’s app stores, it might be hard to figure out what sci-fi games are worth your time. Luckily, we’ve got … Read more
A global analysis of sea levels over the past 2,000 years has found a rapid rate of increase in line with the Industrial Revolution. By 1863, researchers found the rate of sea level rise had clearly surpassed background variability. Unsurprisingly, it’s around this time that the first hints of ocean warming and glacier melt from … Read more
Paleontologists in Argentina have identified a new species of dinosaur which likely had such feeble forearms, it would make Tyrannosaurus rex look like Popeye in comparison. The dinosaur, named Guemesia ochoai and identified from a single skull, is thought to belong to a clade of tiny-armed carnivores known as abelisaurids, which once tramped across Europe, Africa, South … Read more