News about PaperPanda, Open Access, and Research
Warning: Spoilers ahead for “Star Trek: Picard” Season 2, episode 1 It’s been just two weeks short of two years since we last got to see Jean-Luc Picard in action on the Paramount Plus series “Star Trek: Picard” and the first season gave us plenty to talk about, some of it good and some of … Read more
Astronomers spotted the largest molecule yet found in a planet-forming disk, which they say will tell us more about the origin of life. The molecule, dimethyl, is a precursor to organic molecules like methane that in some cases may be indicative of life. The team also may have found methyl formate, which is deemed a … Read more
The largest molecule yet found in a roiling disk of dust and gas around a baby star has been identified, scientists report. In this swirling cloud, astronomers detected the signature of dimethyl ether, a molecule that contains nine atoms. This oxygen-bearing molecule can act as a building block for sugars and other biomolecules, which means … Read more
Move over Obi-Wan Kenobi, you’re not the show we’re looking for. These are five Star Wars characters who deserve their own show. The Skywalker Saga may have ended – for better or worse – but the Star Wars train has only sped up and we think that out there there are a number of Star … Read more
In 2000, scientists looked to date what they thought was the oldest star in the universe. They made observations via the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Hipparcos satellite and estimated that HD140283 — or Methuselah as it’s commonly known — was a staggering 16 billion years old. Such a figure was rather baffling. After all, the … Read more
Warning: Spoilers ahead for “Star Trek: Discovery” season 4, episode 11 The first episode of “Star Trek: Picard” dropped on Paramount Plus this week, in an interesting move from the television studio. Perhaps they were hoping “Discovery” would benefit from the enormous publicity campaign that’s being adopted for the second season starring Patrick Stewart, otherwise … Read more
Expanding upon IDW Publishing’s dip into “Star Trek: The Next Generation” and their uncanny encounters in the Mirror Universe that we first relayed to you back in 2021, a new one-shot comic set in the same realm shines a spotlight on the fan favorite character of Geordi La Forge (portrayed by actor LeVar Burton). The … 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
Prices seem to be on the rise everywhere you turn these days. Fortunately, however, that isn’t the case for some great Lego “Star Wars” sets. These Lego “Star Wars” sets range from an Imperial Probe Droid (save £10) to an awesome 1351-Millenium Falcon (now £20.00 off). All three of the sets on sale feature in … Read more
The marketing machine for the new season of “Star Trek: Picard” has been working overtime, with Patrick Stewart and the cast doing TV and press interviews, plus poster campaigns have been spotted at Los Angeles international airport and on the New York subway. It’s been almost two years (actually 706 days, just 24 days short … Read more