News about PaperPanda, Open Access, and Research
As people in the US prepare to turn their clocks ahead one hour in mid-March, I find myself bracing for the annual ritual of media stories about the disruptions to daily routines caused by switching from standard time to daylight saving time. About a third of Americans say they don’t look forward to these … Read more
It’s a myth that extra belly fat in middle age is due to a slowing metabolism – and now we know what really causes the dreaded spread we can also fix it Health 9 March 2022 By Sara Novak Antonio Sortino FEW of life’s milestones are as unappealing and unceremonious as arrival in middle age. … Read more
Trends in cigarette and e-cigarette use among 16 to 24-year-olds in England suggest that vaping doesn’t encourage more young people to start smoking Health 10 March 2022 By Clare Wilson A man vaping Anna Berdnik/Alamy Young people who try vaping are more likely to later start smoking – but a new analysis of trends in … Read more
The smallest known main-sequence star in the Milky Way galaxy is a real pixie of a thing. It’s called EBLM J0555-57Ab, a red dwarf 600 light-years away. With a mean radius of around 59,000 kilometers, it’s just a smidge bigger than Saturn. That makes it the tiniest known star to support hydrogen fusion in its core, … Read more
What astronomers had concluded to be a black hole a mere 1,120 light-years from Earth instead appears to be something quite different: a two-star system where one of the stars is sucking the life out of the other. Far from disappointing, though, the conclusion gives astronomers an exciting opportunity to explore how these ‘vampiric’ stars … Read more
Many of us are familiar with crowdfunding: donating money to people and their projects using one of many platforms on the internet. During the pandemic, people have sought help through crowdfunding in record numbers, making the activity seem like a de facto part of the American safety net. Some of these campaigns are truly transformative. … Read more
When it comes to killing and eating other creatures, chimpanzees—our closest relatives—have nothing on us. Animal flesh makes up much more of the average human’s diet than a chimp’s. Many scientists have long suggested our blood lust ramped up about 2 million years ago, based on the number of butchery marks found at ancient archaeological … Read more
Traits like conscientiousness or extroversion might seem to define your character, but these aren’t set in stone and new research reveals how anyone can change their personality – if they really want to Mind 12 January 2022 By Miriam Frankel Iker Ayestaran I AM a conscientiousness objector. No, not a conscientious objector: I have never … Read more
Editor’s Note (12/21/21): This article is being showcased in a special collection about equity in health care that was made possible by the support of Takeda Pharmaceuticals. The article was published independently and without sponsorship. As physicians from three distinct racial minorities, our lives are defined by an innate tension. On one hand, we experience … Read more