News about PaperPanda, Open Access, and Research
A new study sponsored by NASA investigates the feasibility of sending people with disabilities safely into space and returning them back to Earth. The appraisal, called the Parastronaut Feasibility Foundational Research Study, makes a number of recommendations, including revising medical standards for astronaut selection and using parabolic aircraft flights to demonstrate parastronaut proof of … Read more
An exciting year lies ahead with many space missions slated to launch in 2022. While 2021 was an eventful year with the first space tourist-focused missions, NASA’s new Perseverance rover and Ingenuity helicopter landing on Mars, the long-awaited launch of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope and numerous other science missions, there’s even more to look … Read more
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope is three days into the deployment of its massive sunshield — and it still has about three days to go. The $10 billion Webb launched on Christmas Day (Dec. 25) to seek out heat signals from the early universe. To pick up these faint signals, the observatory’s optics and instruments must … Read more
By Clare Wilson A participant in a clinical trial for aducanumab Kayana Szymczak/New York Times/Redux/eyevine EXPECT to see debate over a new medicine to treat Alzheimer’s disease, called aducanumab, continue into 2022. Approved in the US last June, it is the first drug designed to treat a possible cause of this form of dementia, rather than the symptoms. … Read more
We’ve been searching the cosmos for the best deals on Christmas gifts for space fans, with discounts on a range of products. This guide has all the best gifts we’ve been able to find, and there are really great savings to be had. Whether you’re looking to pick up something for little ones, like Playmobil’s … Read more
Groups campaigning for electronics manufacturers to make it easier for people to repair their own devices scored a surprise victory when Apple promised to sell parts and tools for fixing iPhones Technology 31 December 2021 By Matthew Sparkes iPhones require careful repairs wichan yodsawai/Alamy Apple made a surprise announcement in November that it would begin … Read more
Bacteria may soon be muscling in on new kinds of manufacturing. Researchers have developed a technique that uses the common bacterium Escherichia coli to synthetically produce a muscle protein called titin, which could someday build tough and pliable fibers. Uses could range from medical sutures to impact-resistant or biodegradable fabrics. The titin is dozens of … Read more
Prepare for liftoff with a host of out-of-this-world Lego space deals. The brick-building toymaker has a huge range of space toys and sets out there, so we’ve searched the internet for the very best Lego space deals and put them in this handy guide, so you don’t have to. The Lego Space sets featuring in … Read more
The growing demand for computer chips, used in everything from cars to fridges, has collided with the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, leading to a global shortage that is likely to continue through 2022 Technology 31 December 2021
In 2014, amateur astronomers in New Zealand glimpsed a flare of light emanating from the constellation of Centauri. NASA later confirmed this blaze was a massive supernova explosion from another galaxy an incredible 57 million light-years away from our Milky Way. “Dedicated amateur astronomers often make intriguing discoveries – particularly of fleeting astronomical phenomena … Read more