Science News Roundup: SpaceX Failure, Stone Age Plague, and Galactic Mergers

Today's science news highlights include SpaceX’s Falcon 9 failure affecting Starlink satellites, new DNA evidence pointing to a plague in Europe's Neolithic population crash, and NASA's Webb telescope capturing stunning images of a galactic merger between two distant galaxies.

Following is a summary of current science news briefs.

SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket, a staple in the global space industry, was grounded by the FAA after a malfunction doomed its batch of Starlink satellites. This marks its first failure in over seven years.

Meanwhile, new DNA research suggests a plague may have caused the population collapse in northern Europe around 5,000 years ago. This revelation comes from ancient remains excavated in Scandinavia, shedding light on the debated Neolithic decline.

In another milestone, NASA released images from the James Webb Space Telescope showing a galactic merger between two distant galaxies, marking two years since the telescope's first scientific results. These images could provide new insights into the early universe.

(With inputs from agencies.)