Science News Roundup: German SpaceX rival Isar raises $168 million, bolstering launch plans; Genetic study details complex ancestry of East Africa's Swahili people and more

More than half of the genetic input in many of them traced to female ancestors from Africa's east coast while a significant contribution also came from Asia, of which about 90% came from men from Persia - modern Iran - and 10% from India. Rare T-Rex skeleton to go under the hammer in Switzerland Millions of years after dinosaurs ruled the Earth, the skeleton of a giant Tyrannosaurus Rex was introduced to the public in Switzerland on Wednesday ahead of its auction next month.

Following is a summary of current science news briefs.

German SpaceX rival Isar raises $168 million, bolstering launch plans

German rocket manufacturer Isar Aerospace raised 155 million euros ($167.57 million) in a new financing round that will help it make progress towards its first launch planned in the second half of the year, the Munich-based company said on Tuesday. Among the investors is German carmaker Porsche SE, which will join the supervisory board along with HV Capital, said the company.

Genetic study details complex ancestry of East Africa's Swahili people

A study of centuries-old DNA has deciphered the complex ancestry of coastal East Africa's Swahili people, revealing how a cosmopolitan and prosperous medieval civilization arose thanks in large part to women from Africa and men arriving from Persia.

Researchers said on Wednesday they examined the DNA of 80 people from five sites in Kenya and Tanzania dating to about 1250 to 1800 AD. More than half of the genetic input in many of them traced to female ancestors from Africa's east coast while a significant contribution also came from Asia, of which about 90% came from men from Persia - modern Iran - and 10% from India.

Rare T-Rex skeleton to go under the hammer in Switzerland

Millions of years after dinosaurs ruled the Earth, the skeleton of a giant Tyrannosaurus Rex was introduced to the public in Switzerland on Wednesday ahead of its auction next month. The giant carnivore, named TRX-293 Trinity, is expected to fetch between 5 million ($5.43 million) and 8 million Swiss francs ($8.70 million) when it goes on sale in Zurich on April 18.

Damaged Russian Soyuz capsule lands back on Earth from space station

A damaged Russian Soyuz MS-22 capsule landed back on Earth on Tuesday, three months after coolant began leaking from the craft while it was docked at the International Space Station (ISS). The module completed the almost two-hour return from the ISS without a crew, landing in the Kazakh steppe on Tuesday afternoon, a few hundred kilometres from the Baikonur cosmodrome, home to Russia's space launches.

(With inputs from agencies.)