Science News Roundup: Genetic findings from Siberian caves give glimpse into Neanderthal life; SpaceX hired for two European launches to fill gap left by Russia and more

The launches include the Euclid space telescope and the Hera probe, a follow-up mission to NASA's DART spacecraft which last month succeeded in altering the path of a moonlet in the first test of a future planetary defence system. Europe plans first Ariane 6 rocket launch in Q4 of 2023 Europe plans to launch the first Ariane 6 rocket, its next-generation space launcher, in the fourth quarter of 2023, the European Space Agency (ESA) said on Wednesday.

Following is a summary of current science news briefs.

Genetic findings from Siberian caves give glimpse into Neanderthal life

Bone and tooth remnants from two Siberian caves are helping scientists for the first time decipher the social organization of our cousins the Neanderthals through genetic sleuthing, including on the remains of a father and his teenage daughter. Researchers on Wednesday described genomic findings from the remains of 13 Neanderthals - 11 from Chagyrskaya cave and two from Okladnikov cave in the Altai Mountains of Russia - in one of the largest genetic studies of a Neanderthal population to date. The Paleolithic remains date to about 54,000 years ago.

SpaceX hired for two European launches to fill gap left by Russia

Europe will commission two rocket launches from Elon Musk's SpaceX after the Ukraine conflict barred access to Russia's Soyuz, the European Space Agency (ESA) confirmed on Thursday. The launches include the Euclid space telescope and the Hera probe, a follow-up mission to NASA's DART spacecraft which last month succeeded in altering the path of a moonlet in the first test of a future planetary defence system.

Webb Space Telescope renders Pillars of Creation with new depth, clarity

One of the most celebrated, awe-inspiring images of modern astronomy, revealing colossal spires of interstellar gas and dust called the Pillars of Creation, has been rendered anew with greater depth, clarity and color by the James Webb Space Telescope. The new view of the pillars, first made famous when captured in 1995 by Webb's predecessor observatory, the Hubble Space Telescope, was unveiled by NASA on Wednesday, three months after Webb's inaugural batch of cosmic photos was unveiled as it began full operations.

Europe plans first Ariane 6 rocket launch in Q4 of 2023

Europe plans to launch the first Ariane 6 rocket, its next-generation space launcher, in the fourth quarter of 2023, the European Space Agency (ESA) said on Wednesday. The 22-nation agency had previously said it was delaying the first launch from 2022 to 2023 without giving details.