News about PaperPanda, Open Access, and Research
From Ensia (find the original story here); reprinted with permission. November 29, 2021—It’s no secret that the diversity of life around us is plummeting fast. In 2020 alone, scientists declared more than 100 species to be extinct. And that’s bad news not only for the creatures themselves, but for those of us (that would be all of us) who … Read more
The magnetosphere of Jupiter’s moon Ganymede sounds like a dial-up modem in a newly released audio clip from NASA. This month the team behind the space agency’s Juno mission published new data from the spacecraft, which has been pirouetting around Jupiter and its many moons since July 2016. One of the most fascinating new troves … Read more
As COVID-19 infection rates rise once again, the leaders of the American Astronomical Society (AAS) have canceled the major conference scheduled for early January, sometimes nicknamed the “Super Bowl of astronomy” by space fans. The Board of Trustees of the AAS voted to cancel the conference’s in-person events, which were scheduled to take place in … Read more
China has formally approved three missions targeting the south pole of the moon, with the first to launch around 2024. The missions dubbed Chang’e 6, Chang’e 7 and Chang’e 8 will launch across the 2020s, each with different goals and an array of spacecraft. The trio make up the so-called fourth phase for the Chinese … Read more
The car company’s expertise in AI could help it design a working prototype, but delivering a reliable product on schedule will be challenging Technology 30 December 2021 By Matthew Sparkes An image of the Optimus robot released by Tesla Tesla In August 2021, Elon Musk announced that Tesla would build a humanoid robot designed to … Read more
Models suggest the arrangement of American shad in a shoal amplifies the ultrasonic clicks that dolphins use to hunt, helping the fish detect and evade these predators Life 30 December 2021 By Bas den Hond American shad are native to the US east coast Carl D. Walsh/Portland Portland Press Herald via Getty Images A school … Read more
A sugar additive used in several foods could have helped spread a seriously dangerous superbug around the US, according to a 2018 study. The finger of blame is pointed squarely at the sugar trehalose, found in foods such as nutrition bars and chewing gum. If the findings are confirmed, it’s a stark warning that … Read more
Rapid Covid home tests are more likely to give a false negative with the heavily-mutated Omicron variant compared to earlier strains, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said Tuesday. The news comes as the country is facing a massive surge in cases that experts say is being under-captured as a result of a … Read more
Save $14 on the Lego Star Wars Imperial Probe Droid building toy, available at Target and Walmart. This spider-esque probe droid first appeared in Star Wars’ original trilogy. The Lego set harkens back to its appearance on the ice planet Hoth during the fifth episode of the saga, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. … Read more
Scientists are working hard to make pet-related sneezes and sniffles a distant memory, and there’s promising news from researchers analyzing the potential for a vaccine against dog allergies. In what’s being described as a first step in developing such a vaccine, a team in Japan has identified certain parts of molecules that may be … Read more