Reuters Science News Summary

Rollout of the 32-story-tall Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and its Orion crew capsule marks a key milestone in U.S. plans for renewed lunar exploration after years of setbacks, and the public's first glimpse of a space vehicle more than a decade in development. Neurological problems no higher after vaccination; depression, anxiety risk tied to COVID severity The following is a summary of some recent studies on COVID-19.

Following is a summary of current science news briefs.

Blue Origin delays next space launch, 'SNL' star Davidson will not join flight

Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin space tourism service has postponed until March 29 a flight initially set for next week, while "Saturday Night Live" comic Pete Davidson will not be a passenger on the launch, the company said on Thursday. The company, in a brief notice first posted on Twitter, gave no immediate explanation for the change or Davidson's withdrawal from the manifest of Blue Origin's fourth commercial flight since last summer.

Wuhan aims to become China's 'valley of satellites' in space initiative

The central Chinese city of Wuhan has vowed to create a 100 billion yuan ($15.7 billion) space industry by 2025 and become China's "valley of satellites", joining other cities tasked with developing the sector. Wuhan is offering firms up to 50 million yuan ($7.88 million) in financial incentives each in projects related to the manufacturing of satellites, rockets and spacecraft, according to a notice from the city government on Wednesday.

New Russian cosmonaut team arrives at International Space Station

Three Russian cosmonauts safely arrived at the International Space Station (ISS) on Friday, docking their Soyuz capsule with the outpost for a mission that continues a 20-year shared Russian-U.S. presence in orbit despite tensions over Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The rendezvous came about three hours and 10 minutes after the Soyuz spacecraft carrying the new cosmonaut team lifted off from Russia's Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

Alnylam files patent infringement lawsuits against Pfizer, Moderna

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc on Thursday filed lawsuits in Delaware federal court against Pfizer Inc and Moderna Inc, claiming their multibillion-dollar mRNA COVID-19 vaccines infringe one its patents. Alnylam said it was seeking damages over the use of lipid nanoparticle (LNP) technology used in the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines to carry and deliver genetic material into the body.

Fish waste become octopus food as farms expand amid captivity concerns

When Mexican biologist Carlos Rosas dips his hand into the water of a large open-topped tank and brings it to the surface, there is a tiny purple baby octopus, no bigger than a tennis ball, in his palm. It squirms and slithers before slipping from his hand back into the tank, the only home it has ever known. This octopus, along with about 250 others, lives in captivity as part of a community project in Sisal, a fishing community in Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, that started 15 years ago as a women's collective.

In Peru, skull of 'marine monster' points to fearsome ancient predator

Paleontologists have unearthed the skull of a ferocious marine predator, an ancient ancestor of modern-day whales, which once lived in a prehistoric ocean that covered part of what is now Peru, scientists announced on Thursday. The roughly 36-million-year-old well-preserved skull was dug up intact last year from the bone-dry rocks of Peru's southern Ocucaje desert, with rows of long, pointy teeth, Rodolfo Salas, chief of paleontology at Peru's National University of San Marcos, told reporters at a news conference.

NASA's big, new moon rocket begins rollout en route to launch pad tests

NASA's next-generation moon rocket began a highly anticipated, slow-motion journey out of its assembly plant en route to the launch pad in Florida on Thursday for a final round of tests in the coming weeks that will determine how soon the spacecraft can fly. Rollout of the 32-story-tall Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and its Orion crew capsule marks a key milestone in U.S. plans for renewed lunar exploration after years of setbacks, and the public's first glimpse of a space vehicle more than a decade in development.

Neurological problems no higher after vaccination; depression, anxiety risk tied to COVID severity

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. Neurological risks not higher after COVID-19 vaccines

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