Science News Roundup: Chinese rocket fails on maiden launch; Australian researchers map immune response to coronavirus and more


Devdiscourse News Desk | Updated: 18-03-2020 18:50 IST | Created: 18-03-2020 18:28 IST
Science News Roundup: Chinese rocket fails on maiden launch; Australian researchers map immune response to coronavirus and more
Representative Image

Following is a summary of current science news briefs.

Chinese rocket fails on maiden launch - Xinhua

A new Chinese medium-lift rocket, part of a family of launch vehicles meant to support most of China's launch missions in the future, failed on its debut flight, the official news agency Xinhua reported. The Long March 7A, a variant of the Long March 7, blasted off from the Wenchang Space Launch Center, in the southern island province of Hainan, on Monday morning.

Australian researchers map immune response to coronavirus

Australian researchers said on Tuesday they have mapped the immune responses from one of the country's first coronavirus patients, findings the health minister said were an important step in developing a vaccine and treatment. The coronavirus has infected more than 168,000 people worldwide and killed at least 6,610, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Trials of potential coronavirus treatments start for some existing drugs

Drugs used for treating arthritis are being tested as treatments for COVID-19, the disease caused by a new coronavirus, as researchers rush to find ways of helping patients and slowing the number of infections. Sanofi and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals said on Monday they began a clinical trial of their rheumatoid arthritis drug Kevzara as a coronavirus treatment, while in Spain a separate trial is studying if a combination of two drugs can slow down the spread of coronavirus among people.

(With inputs from agencies.)

Give Feedback