Science News Roundup: Vaccination during pregnancy cuts infant infections; vaccines only modestly reduce long COVID risk; Beast built for head-butting reveals early giraffe neck evolution and more

Researchers on Thursday described skeletal remains including a thick skull and strong neck bones of an early member of the giraffe family called Discokeryx xiezhi, roughly the size of a large bighorn sheep, that lived about 17 million years ago in the Xinjiang region in northwestern China. Sony to build space lasers with new satellite services unit Sony on Thursday said it formed a new company that will build and supply devices that allow small satellites in orbit to communicate with one another via laser beams, dipping into the fast-growing space sector.

Following is a summary of current science news briefs.

Vaccination during pregnancy cuts infant infections; vaccines only modestly reduce long COVID risk

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. Vaccines in pregnancy reduce infants' COVID-19 risk

Beast built for head-butting reveals early giraffe neck evolution

Fossils unearthed in China of a forerunner of the modern giraffe are offering insight into the early evolution of this mammal's trademark long neck, driven not only by the benefit of reaching high foliage but also by head-bashing competition between males for mates. Researchers on Thursday described skeletal remains including a thick skull and strong neck bones of an early member of the giraffe family called Discokeryx xiezhi, roughly the size of a large bighorn sheep, that lived about 17 million years ago in the Xinjiang region in northwestern China.

Sony to build space lasers with new satellite services unit

Sony on Thursday said it formed a new company that will build and supply devices that allow small satellites in orbit to communicate with one another via laser beams, dipping into the fast-growing space sector. Sony Space Communications Corp, registered on Wednesday, is meant to take advantage of laser technology to avoid a bottleneck of radio frequencies. The devices will work between satellites in space and satellites communicating with ground stations.

Exclusive-Rocket propulsion startup to offer new, bigger rocket engine in 2025-CEO

U.S. rocket engine maker Ursa Major is developing a new medium to heavy-lift rocket engine to serve a growing field of potential customers, jumping into territory dominated by a handful of heavyweights, the startup's chief executive told Reuters. Ursa Major Technologies Inc, founded in 2015 by a veteran of Elon Musk's SpaceX, expects to launch the Arroway engine in 2025 as a rival offering to those sold now by Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings and Jeff Bezos' space company Blue Origin.