News about PaperPanda, Open Access, and Research
As scientists continue to discover more about the brain and how it works, it can help to know just how much brain matter is required to perform certain functions – and to be able to make complex decisions, it turns out just 302 neurons may be required. That’s based on a new study looking … Read more
Citizen surveys have revealed that common toads often climb trees to hide in hollows or in nest boxes Life 11 March 2022 By Michael Le Page The European common toad (Bufo bufo) Henry Andrews The common toad is a rather rotund animal with short legs and an ungainly gait. It certainly doesn’t look like a … Read more
The HI-SEAS habitat during a night Marswalk. (Image credit: Courtesy of Britaney Phillips) Commander’s report for the Valoria 3 Martian mission at HI-SEASSol 14 (Aug. 26, 2021) Surprise! Out of nowhere, a pineapple upside-down cake was placed on the living room table, together with a beautiful handmade card for me. The Valoria 3 crew baked … Read more
Entombed below a thick layer of sea ice year-round and nearly devoid of nutrients, the central Arctic Ocean is a frigid wasteland where few creatures are capable of surviving. That is why researchers at Germany’s Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) and their colleagues were so surprised to spot a thriving community of velvety deep-sea sponges below … Read more
On 7 December 2021, as the Omicron variant of the pandemic coronavirus began to pummel the world, scientists officially identified a related strain. BA.2 differed by about 40 mutations from the original Omicron lineage, BA.1, but it was causing so few cases of COVID-19 that it seemed a sideshow to its rampaging counterpart. “I was … Read more
An evolutionary battle between fungi and bacteria on hedgehogs’ skin gave rise to a type of antibiotic-resistant bacteria long before humans started using the antibiotics that were thought to lead to such superbugs, a new study reveals. Researchers traced some lineages of the superbug MRSA, or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, to a parasitic fungus found … Read more
Finding the right work-life balance is by no means a new issue in our society. But the tension between the two has been heightened by the pandemic, with workers increasingly dwelling over the nature of their work, its meaning and purpose, and how these affect their quality of life. Studies suggest people are leaving … Read more
The replicability of scientific studies is under the microscope like never before: scientists are increasingly examining just how many studies can be repeated with the same results a second or third time around. If a study doesn’t pass the so-called replication test, that casts some doubt over the findings; newly published investigations are now indicating … Read more
“Star Trek: Discovery” constantly comes under discussion and decisions made in the writers’ room continue to divide fans, more so — it’s safe to say — than any other incarnation of the longest-running science fiction franchise in history. And some on social media claim that “Discovery” isn’t true “Trek” (whatever that means). However, I recently had … Read more