Science News Roundup: Boeing's Starliner space capsule launched on key test flight to orbit; Scientists neutralize pit viper venom with compound from fruits and vegetables and more

The rendezvous of the gumdrop-shaped CST-100 Starliner with the orbital research outpost, currently home to a seven-member crew, occurred nearly 26 hours after the capsule was launched from Cape Canaveral U.S. Space Force Base in Florida.

Following is a summary of current science news briefs.

Boeing's Starliner space capsule launched on key test flight to orbit

Boeing's new Starliner capsule was launched Thursday on a do-over uncrewed test flight bound for the International Space Station, aiming to deliver the company a much-needed success after more than two years of delays and costly engineering setbacks. The gumdrop-shaped CST-100 Starliner blasted off shortly before 7 p.m. EDT (2300 GMT) from the Cape Canaveral U.S. Space Force Station in Florida, soaring aloft atop an Atlas V rocket furnished by the Boeing-Lockheed Martin joint venture United Launch Alliance (ULA).

Scientists neutralize pit viper venom with compound from fruits and vegetables

A substance found in fruits and vegetables can neutralize the venom of a poisonous pit viper common in much of South America, Brazilian researchers have discovered. In Brazil, the Bothrops jararaca, also called "yarara," is responsible for most of the country's roughly 26,000 recorded snake bites each year, according to the online Reptile Database.

Vaccination after infection may curb long COVID; desktop 'air curtains' may deflect virus particles

The following is a summary of some recent studies on COVID-19. They include research that warrants further study to corroborate the findings and that has yet to be certified by peer review. Post-infection vaccination may reduce long COVID

U.S. launches $3.5 billion program to speed development of up carbon removal tech

The U.S. Energy Department launched a program on Thursday to fund four large-scale projects across the country that can remove carbon dioxide from the air, investing $3.5 billion in a nascent technology the Biden administration says is necessary to meet a goal of achieving net zero emissions by mid century. The agency released a formal notice saying it would fund the $3.5 billion program created by the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastucture Law that would create four regional direct air capture hubs to spur the widespread deployment of the technology and carbon dioxide transport and storage infrastructure.

Grunt, hoo, pant, scream: Chimps use complex vocal communication

Scientists exploring the evolutionary origin of language have detected a vocal communication system among wild chimpanzees more complex and structured than previously known, with a dozen call types combined into hundreds of different sequences. The researchers made more than 4,800 recordings of vocalizations produced by members of three groups of chimpanzees inhabiting Ivory Coast's Taï National Park, one of the last major remnants of old-growth tropical forest in West Africa and home to a rich array of plants and animals.

Boeing's Starliner capsule docks with space station in uncrewed flight test

Boeing's new Starliner crew capsule docked for the first time with the International Space Station (ISS) on Friday, completing a major objective in a high stakes do-over test flight into orbit without astronauts aboard. The rendezvous of the gumdrop-shaped CST-100 Starliner with the orbital research outpost, currently home to a seven-member crew, occurred nearly 26 hours after the capsule was launched from Cape Canaveral U.S. Space Force Base in Florida.

(With inputs from agencies.)