Boeing plans to retest Starliner flight after botched mission

Boeing Co said on Monday it would send its Starliner astronaut spacecraft on another unmanned mission to the International Space Station, months after its last flight was cut short because of a software bug.

from Reuters: Science News https://ift.tt/39UqEm4

Australia scientists claim first re-creation of coronavirus outside China

A team of scientists in Australia said on Wednesday they have successfully developed a lab-grown version of coronavirus, the first to be recreated outside of China, in a breakthrough that could help combat the global spread of the illness.

from Reuters: Science News https://ift.tt/37AnEuJ

NASA's probe soaring near sun reveals surprises about solar wind

Troves of new data from a NASA probe's close encounters with the sun are giving scientists unique insight about the solar wind and space weather more generally as the spacecraft zooms through the outermost part of the star's atmosphere.

from Reuters: Science News https://ift.tt/389AhNK

Alien enthusiasts descend on Nevada desert near secretive U.S. base

UFO enthusiasts began descending on rural Nevada on Thursday near the secret U.S. military installation known as Area 51, long rumored to house government secrets about alien life, with local authorities hoping the visitors were coming in peace.

from Reuters: Science News https://ift.tt/2M11hVD

As Dorian looms, Florida's Space Coast braces for possible unprecedented impact

As Hurricane Dorian advances on a course likely to slam the Florida peninsula within days, U.S. space agencies and aerospace companies are sheltering millions of dollars in hardware and assets along the Space Coast.

from Reuters: Science News https://ift.tt/2ZByqvP

Hundreds of fossils of strange primordial predator unearthed in Canada

Hundreds of fossils of a primordial sea creature with rake-like claws and a head resembling a famous fictional spaceship have been unearthed in Canada, providing a wealth of information about an important predator from a key time in the evolution of life on Earth.

from Reuters: Science News https://ift.tt/2MraPuU

Genome study finds roots of Komodo dragon's tenaciousness

Scientists have mapped the genome of the Komodo dragon, the world's largest lizard, discovering intriguing secrets behind the impressive speed and endurance these cold-blooded predators muster by ratcheting up their metabolism to mammal-like levels.

from Reuters: Science News https://ift.tt/2YyjsKy

Defying scientists, Hungary will overhaul academic network, website reports

Hungary is preparing legislation to strip the Hungarian Academy of Sciences of its research network, giving the government more control over scientific activity, the news website index.hu reported on Tuesday.

from Reuters: Science News https://reut.rs/2HG46dF

First satellites for Musk's Starlink internet venture launched into orbit

SpaceX, the private rocket company of high-tech entrepreneur Elon Musk, launched the first batch of 60 small satellites into low-Earth orbit on Thursday for Musk's new Starlink internet service.

from Reuters: Science News https://reut.rs/2EsAkXK

NASA executive quits weeks after appointment to lead 2024 moon landing plan

A top NASA executive hired in April to guide strategy for returning astronauts to the moon by 2024 has resigned, the space agency said on Thursday, the culmination of internal strife and dwindling congressional support for the lunar initiative.

from Reuters: Science News https://reut.rs/2YLR3NG

Procrastinating genius: did da Vinci have attention disorder?

Renaissance genius Leonardo da Vinci's litany of exquisite but unfinished work shows he probably had an attention disorder common to modern society.

from Reuters: Science News https://reut.rs/2Xag4Sp

NASA chooses technology firm Maxar for lunar platform project

NASA has picked space technology company Maxar Technologies Inc as the first contractor to help build its Gateway platform in lunar orbit, a crucial outpost for America's mission to relay astronauts to the moon in 2024, the U.S. agency said on Thursday.

from Reuters: Science News https://reut.rs/2ErYtxI

Old mold: Fossil of world's earliest fungus unearthed in Canada

Microfossils of a globular spore connected to a T-shaped filament excavated in an Arctic region of northwestern Canada represent the oldest-known fungus, a discovery that sheds light on the origins of an important branch in Earth's tree of life.

from Reuters: Science News https://reut.rs/2VZ4sow