News about PaperPanda, Open Access, and Research
During Arctic winter, the sun disappears below the horizon for long weeks of “polar night.” But new research shows that tiny crustaceans in the Arctic Ocean somehow maintain their daily rhythms during these extended periods of darkness. Most living creatures use sunlight to time their biological processes and behaviors. This becomes a challenge when there … Read more
Ever thought about buying one of the best monoculars, instead of a pair of binoculars? For astronomy, a pair of binoculars are often considered as a portable and travel-friendly alternative to a small telescope. When it comes to monoculars you’re cutting down weight and bulk again. Weighing at least half as much as a pair … Read more
Festive red adorns China’s Tiangong space station in new footage celebrating the lunar new year in orbit. The Shenzhou 13 astronauts are the first to celebrate the holiday in orbit, according to the China National Space Administration, and were given ample supplies to do so. “They have decorated the space station core module with traditional … Read more
Lithium-ion batteries are at the heart of nearly every electric vehicle, laptop and smartphone, and they are essential to storing renewable energy in the face of the climate emergency. But all of the world’s current mining operations cannot extract enough lithium and other key minerals to meet skyrocketing demand for these batteries. Establishing new mines … Read more
Albert Einstein is often cited as one of the most influential scientists of the 20th century. His work continues to help astronomers study everything from gravitational waves to Mercury‘s orbit. The scientist’s equation that helped explain special relativity – E = mc^2 – is famous even among those who don’t understand its underlying physics. Einstein is … Read more
At one time, Earth had no life. Then, it did. Whether the process was gradual or rapid, the transformation of chemistry to biochemistry on our planet was one of the most amazing developments to happen in the universe. It’s so rare that to date, we have absolutely no evidence of any form of life anywhere … Read more
A new image of the dwarf galaxy NGC 1705 snapped by the Hubble Space Telescope. (Image credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, R. Chandar) The Hubble Space Telescope snapped a stellar look at a strange cosmic starburst. In a new image taken by the Hubble Space Telescope, the dwarf galaxy NGC 1705 shines in a cloud of … Read more
It’s fun sometimes when your eyes play tricks on you, and you see a face that isn’t really there, staring back at you from a power plug or a potato. This phenomenon is called face pareidolia, and it’s something that humans, and even chimps, naturally do. But it looks like facial features aren’t the … Read more
New research gives a stark warning to richer nations that have been hoarding their supplies of COVID-19 vaccines: Doing so only has a short-term local benefit, and in the longer term leaves everyone more vulnerable to infection. Across a five-year model, scientists found that when rich countries gave away 46 percent of their COVID-19 … Read more
Over the past year, you may have seen something called delta-8 THC or “delta 8” appear in convenience stores and pharmacies alongside CBD gummies, oils, and lotions. Delta-8 THC is a hemp-derived compound that’s closely related to delta-9 THC – what’s commonly called THC and which is the psychoactive component of cannabis that’s responsible for … Read more