Reuters Science News Summary

Following is a summary of current science news briefs.

NASA launches ​powerful Roman Space Telescope, a spy satellite turned ​to the stars

NASA began a ‌new mission ​to probe some of the biggest mysteries in astrophysics and cosmology with the launch on Sunday of the U.S. space agency's new flagship ‌astronomical observatory, a repurposed spy satellite that will capture panoramic views of the cosmos. The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, a roughly $4 billion project, was carried aloft from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, aboard ‌a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket through blue skies just after sunrise. Its mission is planned for five ‌years, though NASA said the telescope may have enough fuel for five additional years.

Researchers defend older age of key archaeological site in Chile

Two groups of researchers are defending the view that the Monte Verde archaeological site in Chile was occupied ⁠by ​ancient hunter-gatherers about 14,500 years ⁠ago after another study indicated it was much younger — a debate with major implications for understanding the initial peopling of the ⁠Americas. This creek valley site, located in southern Chile about 36 miles (58 km) from the Pacific coast, was discovered in ​the 1970s. The scientific testing announced in 1997 that concluded that people were present at this ⁠locale deep in South America about 14,500 years ago suggested a much earlier arrival for humans in the New World than ⁠had ​been believed at the time.

Coral bleaching occurring too frequently for reefs to recover, scientists say

Coral reefs are experiencing bleaching events so frequently that they no longer have time to recover before the ⁠next one strikes, with global coral cover now well below normal levels and at risk of irreversible decline, ⁠scientists said on ⁠Monday. The world's coral reefs sustain a quarter of all marine life, make coastlines more resilient and provide food and livelihoods for millions of people, but their ‌survival has ‌been threatened by pollution and increasingly frequent mass bleaching ​caused by soaring ocean heat.