News about PaperPanda, Open Access, and Research
A 170-million-year-old pterosaur found on the Isle of Skye off the north-west coast of Scotland had a wingspan of about 2.5 metres, making it the largest known winged reptile from the Jurassic Life 22 February 2022 By Christa Lesté-Lasserre An artist’s impression of a new pterosaur from Scotland (Dearc sgiathanach) flying away from a predatory … Read more
A deposit of hundreds of embalming tools uncovered in Abusir, Egypt – probably the largest ever found – offers clues into a lavish funeral that likely took place about 2,600 years ago. The deposit of at least 370 ceramic jars – some of which carried heads to represent sacred animal deities – could provide … Read more
Frustrated with the Australian government’s inaction on climate change, software king Mike Cannon-Brookes is trying to buy several big coal plants so he can shut them down in favour of renewables Environment | Analysis 22 February 2022 By Alice Klein Open-cast coal mining in Hunter Valley, Australia PETER HARRISON/Getty Images Mike Cannon-Brookes, the third-richest person … Read more
A new sensor aims to send information about volcanic activity and air quality from a tiny satellite as swiftly as possible, to help speed up the response to eruptions. The Nanosat Atmospheric Chemistry Hyperspectral Observation System, or NACHOS, will fly roughly 300 miles (480 kilometers) in altitude above Earth, scanning the ground using a hyperspectral … Read more
Vehicles and power generators in Antarctica produce black carbon pollution that settles on the snow, causing more of it to melt in the summer Environment 22 February 2022 By Chen Ly Esperanza Base, an Argentinian research station on the Antarctic Peninsula Mike Scharer / Alamy Pollution from increasing human activity in Antarctica is darkening the … Read more
Electrical recordings from the auditory cortex of 15 people identified brain cells that specifically respond when we listen to singing Mind 22 February 2022 By Jason Arunn Murugesu A woman listens to music through headphones DEEPOL by plainpicture/Simona Pillola Humans may have neurons whose main job is to process singing. Scientists have previously found neurons … Read more
Experiments will soon explore ways to emulate the fertilising effect of whale waste, which fuels blooms of algae that feed fish and lock away carbon Life 22 February 2022 By Adam Vaughan A sperm whale Reinhard Dirscherl / Alamy AN INTERNATIONAL project to see whether humans can artificially emulate the benefits of whale faeces for ocean ecosystems will … Read more
After Russia’s recognition of separatist regions in Ukraine, Germany paused the certification of a gas pipeline under the Baltic Sea. What does that mean for gas prices and climate targets? Environment | Analysis 22 February 2022 By Adam Vaughan Facilities of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline in Lubmin, Germany Michael Sohn/AP/Shutterstock Germany has halted … Read more
During low tide on Scotland’s Isle of Skye, a graduate student hunting for dinosaur bones looked down at the coastal rocks and made the discovery of a lifetime: the remains of the largest pterosaur on record from the Jurassic period. Since collecting the specimen in 2017 – an eventful excavation that involved cutting out … Read more
Helicopters in Belgorod in Russia, as seen on Feb. 13, 2022. (Image credit: Satellite image ©2022 Maxar Technologies) Satellites can see military activity in Russia from space. Russia’s military activity continues to spark international concern and conversation. Russia has now sent military troops into Ukraine for “peacekeeping” operations, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on Monday … Read more