Science News Roundup: U.S. seeks $175,000 fine from SpaceX over failure to submit Starlink data; Japan aborts launch of flagship H3 rocket moments before lift off and more

Scientists affiliated with the World Weather Attribution (WWA) group said that a rapid analysis showed climate change did not reduce rainfall directly, but that high temperatures likely reduced water availability and worsened the impacts of drought. Scientists grow sea stars in lab to understand mass die-off along Pacific Coast A few hours from Seattle at a location that can only be reached by boat, marine scientists at University of Washington's Friday Harbor lab are breeding and studying endangered sunflower sea stars following a massive die-off over the past decade.

Following is a summary of current science news briefs.

U.S. seeks $175,000 fine from SpaceX over failure to submit Starlink data

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Friday proposed a $175,000 civil penalty against SpaceX for failing to submit some safety data to the agency prior to an August 2022 launch of Starlink satellites. The FAA said SpaceX was required to submit the information, known as launch collision analysis trajectory data, directly to the agency at least seven days prior to an attempted launch. The data is used to assess the probability of the launch vehicle colliding with one of the thousands of tracked objects orbiting the Earth. SpaceX has 30 days to respond to the FAA after receiving the penalty notice.

Japan aborts launch of flagship H3 rocket moments before lift off

Japan on Friday aborted the launch of its first new medium-lift rocket in three decades moments before the H3 vehicle was meant to lift off after secondary booster engines strapped to its side failed to ignite. During the live-streamed event, the H3's main engine cut off after the launch countdown had reached zero, leaving the 57-metre (187 ft) rocket on the ground at the Tanegashima spaceport along with its payload, the ALOS-3 land observation satellite, which is also equipped with an infrared sensor designed to detect North Korean ballistic missiles.

Climate change-linked heat worsened Argentina drought impact, scientists say

Extreme high temperatures in Argentina linked to climate change exacerbated the impact of a historic drought that has hit the South American country's farm regions since last year, scientists said in a report on Thursday. Scientists affiliated with the World Weather Attribution (WWA) group said that a rapid analysis showed climate change did not reduce rainfall directly, but that high temperatures likely reduced water availability and worsened the impacts of drought.

Scientists grow sea stars in lab to understand mass die-off along Pacific Coast

A few hours from Seattle at a location that can only be reached by boat, marine scientists at University of Washington's Friday Harbor lab are breeding and studying endangered sunflower sea stars following a massive die-off over the past decade. These creatures, once plentiful along the Pacific coastline from Mexico's Baja California peninsula to Alaska have been decimated. Approximately 90% of them have disappeared since 2013 due to a mysterious sea star wasting syndrome that may have been caused by climate change and the warming ocean temperatures.

Fukushima wastewater release would have limited impact on South Korean waters - study

The release of waste water from Japan's wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant would have a negligible effect on South Korean waters, according to a government study published on Thursday. "That change would be too small to detect," an official at the Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology said.

Warm water melts weak spots on Antarctica's 'Doomsday Glacier', say scientists

Scientists studying Antarctica's vast Thwaites Glacier - nicknamed the Doomsday Glacier - say warm water is seeping into its weak spots, worsening melting caused by rising temperatures, two papers published in Nature journal showed on Wednesday. Thwaites, which is roughly the size of Florida, represents more than half a meter (1.6 feet) of global sea level rise potential, and could destabilize neighboring glaciers that have the potential to cause a further three-meter (9.8-foot) rise.

Sickly sea lion is Chile's first bird flu case in marine mammal

Chilean health authorities have detected the country's first case of highly pathogenic bird flu (HPAI) in a marine mammal after a 250-kilogram sea lion was founded stranded on a northern beach with respiratory problems. "This is the first case of a marine mammal affected by this virus in Chile," the country's fisheries and aquaculture agency Sernapesca said late on Thursday, after the case was detected in the northern region of Antofagasta.

Exclusive-China rolls out GMO corn planting, starts small

China will likely plant less than 1% of its corn fields with genetically modified varieties this year, said two people familiar with the plans, dashing hopes for a full market launch of the technology in the world's second-largest corn market. The agriculture ministry has designated around 4 million mu (267,000 hectares or 660,000 acres) to be planted with genetically modified or GMO corn this year, said a senior manager at a Chinese seed developer briefed on the plans.

Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna gear up for 2024 London trial over COVID vaccine patents

Pfizer Inc and its German partner BioNTech SE are gearing up for a 2024 trial with Moderna Inc at London's High Court in competing patent lawsuits over their rival COVID-19 vaccines. The case reached London's High Court for the first time for a preliminary hearing on Thursday, ahead of a trial which is due to take place in April 2024.

China launches climate prediction model for wind and solar power

China has launched a national wind and solar resources climate prediction model to enable provincial authorities to forecast energy demand and supply, the central government said on Friday. The model, which provides data and graphic predictions on major variables in renewable energy supply, such as wind speed and solar radiation, as well as demand-side data such as average local temperature, was first issued on Thursday and will be released monthly, the government statement said.

(With inputs from agencies.)