News about PaperPanda, Open Access, and Research
It’s the brightest object in our night sky, but how far is the moon from Earth? The moon‘s distance from Earth affects the strength of ocean tides and the appearance of solar eclipses in our skies. The average distance between the blue planet and its only natural satellite is about 238,855 miles (384,400 kilometers), according … Read more
Pfizer aims to have an Omicron-specific COVID-19 vaccine ready by March. Assuming it gains approval, it will mark the first revision of its messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine Comirnaty since the initial Emergency Use Authorization by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Dec. 11, 2020. The variant-specific booster will also test the responsiveness of … Read more
Mars’ atmosphere is over 100 times thinner than Earth’s and is primarily composed of carbon dioxide, nitrogen and argon gases. Oxygized dust particles kicked up from the Martian surface fill the atmosphere turning Mars’ skies a rusty tan color, according to NASA. Water exists on Mars but the atmosphere is too thin for it to … Read more
Satellites orbiting Earth are capturing a detailed view of Russia’s invasion into Ukraine. Today (Feb. 24), Russia invaded Ukraine with attacks that have killed dozens already, NBC has reported. As part of this invasion, which has prompted the U.S. to execute new sanctions, Russia seized control over the region around the Chernobyl power plant, which … Read more
On a warm spring day, disease ecologist Daniel Salkeld is hiking the hills of coastal scrub and chaparral of Marin County, north of San Francisco. It’s his favorite spot to collect ticks. As he walks, he trails a white flannel blanket attached to a pole, and every 20 meters, he stops, scrutinizes the flannel and … Read more
The Parker Solar Probe is ready to make its 11th close flyby of the sun during its quest to understand how our neighboring star works. The plucky spacecraft, heavily shielded against the sun’s radiation and extreme heat, will dip to within 5.3 million miles (8.5 million kilometers) of the solar surface on Friday (Feb. 25). … Read more
The average temperature on Earth lies somewhere around 57 degrees Fahrenheit (13.9 degrees Celsius). According to climate information from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), that was the 20th century average temperature, measured across land and ocean, night and day. However, the planet’s average temperature is rising. The 10 warmest years across the entirety … Read more
Some of Saturn’s auroras may be caused by swirling winds within the planet’s own atmosphere, a previously unknown mechanism of triggering these colorful displays not seen on any other planet before, new research suggests. Auroras are usually driven by the interaction of energized particles flowing from the planet’s magnetosphere into its atmosphere. On Earth, auroras … Read more
SpaceX will launch 50 satellites and land the returning booster today (Feb. 25), and you can watch the action live. A two-stage Falcon 9 rocket topped with 50 Starlink internet spacecraft is scheduled to launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California today at 12:12 p.m. EST (1712 GMT; 9:12 a.m. local California time). You … Read more
Every April for the past decade, systems biologist Rodrigo Gutiérrez has driven 1,600 kilometers (1,000 miles) to reach one of the driest places on Earth: Chile’s Atacama Desert, parts of which receive less than three millimeters of rain annually. His team collected plants and soil from nearly two dozen sites each year, froze the samples … Read more