News about PaperPanda, Open Access, and Research
You might be forgiven for thinking the above picture is the stump of a tree. Shift your perspective a little, however, and the truth becomes clear: What you’re looking at is much bigger than any tree – a concave depression on the surface of Mars, gouged out by a massive impact. The rings radiating … Read more
A bomb cyclone is a large, intense midlatitude storm that has low pressure at its center, weather fronts and an array of associated weather, from blizzards to severe thunderstorms to heavy precipitation. It becomes a bomb when its central pressure decreases very quickly – by at least 24 millibars in 24 hours. Two famed … Read more
SpaceX has had to delay the launch of an Italian Earth-observation satellite yet again, but this time Mother Nature was not to blame. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket was all set to loft the Cosmo-SkyMed Second Generation FM2 (CSG-2) satellite from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Sunday (Jan. 30) at 6:11 p.m. EST … Read more
For the first time, a pack of orcas – also known as killer whales – have been observed hunting and killing blue whales, the largest animal on the planet. According to a report published in Marine Mammal Science, the scientific community has long debated if orcas can hunt the massive blue whales. But this question … Read more
Since its launch in 1990, the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) has provided a dazzling array of images that have awed and inspired the public. But Hubble’s about far more than just pretty pictures. The mission has gathered dozens of terabytes of data over the decades, providing key insights into the universe, from objects as close … Read more
If you ever come across a king baboon spider (Pelinobius muticus), which lives primarily in Tanzania and Kenya, keep your distance: Its bite and the associated venom aren’t fatal but do produce a lot of pain and itchiness that can last for days. Scientists think they have worked out why the spider’s venom is … Read more
Fans who absorbed the surreal and somber world of Amazon Prime‘s sci-fi series, “Tales From the Loop,” might want to take note of Sweden’s Free League Publishing as they plan to roll out a new tabletop board game based on the hit TV show and artist Simon Stålenhag’s retro-inspired universe of fringe technology scattered across … Read more
Original full-cast audio dramas harkening back to the golden age of radio are all the rage these days, with impressive productions being mounted for our favorite geek franchises like “Harry Potter,” “Star Wars,” and “Star Trek.” With the second season of “Star Trek: Picard” now slated to premiere on March 3 on Paramount Plus, an … Read more
The Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai eruption reached an explosive crescendo on Jan. 15, 2022. Its rapid release of energy powered an ocean tsunami that caused damage as far away as the U.S. West Coast, but it also generated pressure waves in the atmosphere that quickly spread around the world. The atmospheric wave pattern close to the eruption was quite complicated, but … Read more
There is an area of the North Atlantic Ocean known as the Bermuda Triangle where ships, airplanes and people have been known to disappear without explanation. No-one knows for certain why more than 50 ships and 20 planes have vanished since the mid-19th century. But that’s not to say people haven’t had some fun seeking … Read more