News about PaperPanda, Open Access, and Research
Three years ago, astronomers were reeling from the launch of the first 60 satellites of SpaceX’s Starlink constellation, which aims to provide broadband internet access worldwide. The satellites left bright traces on astronomical images, posing “an existential threat to observation from the ground,” said astronomer Debra Elmegreen, president of the International Astronomical Union (IAU), at … Read more
Long before COVID-19 became a household word—in 1946, to be precise—veterinary researchers at Purdue University reported that something invading the guts of young pigs was causing diarrhea, vomiting, and weight loss, ultimately killing most of them. The scientists did not know the cause of the sickness, which devastated U.S. pig farms, but they could trigger … Read more
Enamel, the tough outer covering of a tooth, is the hardest substance in the human body. It is also notoriously difficult to replicate artificially. Throughout history, dentists have repaired damaged and decayed teeth with everything from beeswax to mercury composites to modern ceramic- or resin-based materials. But they might soon have a synthetic option that … Read more
A streak of purple “lightning” sprawls across the cosmos in a gorgeous new image from NASA. Light and energy twist and turn in an explosive relationship between a stellar corpse known as a white dwarf and a variable red giant star called R Aquarii (R Aqr) orbiting each other out in space. NASA’s Chandra X-ray … Read more
The latest amazing, action-packed apocalyptic movie from the master of mayhem, the captain of calamity, Roland Emmerich is about to hit the big screen. In the movie “Moonfall” — which arrives in theaters across the U.S. on Friday (Feb. 4) — for reasons unknown, Earth’s only natural satellite is on a collision course with our … Read more
Early chances for life on Mars might have been diminished by meteorites. A new study suggests that a period of heavy cratering on the Red Planet (and elsewhere in the solar system) persisted 30 million years longer than thought. Studies of the Late Heavy Bombardment, as this period is called, also has implications for the … Read more
NASA has a lineup of discussions ready to discuss the impact of Black History Month in space exploration. From highlighting the African Americans who have flown in space, to the Black people who work at senior levels of the agency today, NASA’s Black history discussions will include webcasts and other live events to continue the … Read more
For electric cars to run as long as possible between charges, their batteries need to pack a punch. One option would be lithium-metal batteries, which have a key component made of this energy-dense element. This gives them greater storage capacity than widely used lithium-ion batteries, in which the same component is made from graphite. Although … Read more
A long-term study tracking just over a thousand participants has found regular cannabis smoking can change the function of your lungs as you age. Unlike smoking a cigarette, however, cannabis seems to impact a person’s breathing in a slightly different way. Over adulthood, tobacco smoking is associated with a progressive decline in how much air … Read more
Human vision may be limited to a specific range of wavelengths, but that doesn’t mean we’ll never understand the full complexity of light in our Universe. Instruments can peer into the cosmos in regimes that are otherwise invisible to our eyes, showing us not just the dynamics of the stars, but their absolutely awe-inspiring beauty. … Read more