Reuters Science News Summary

Following is a summary of current science news briefs.

Scientists make potential breakthrough ​in search for dark matter

Scientists have made a ​possible breakthrough in the hunt for dark ‌matter — observing ​hints of it during an experiment about a mile (1.6 km) underground in South Dakota — though they stopped short of saying they have finally detected this elusive ‌cosmic component. The researchers described a particle interaction documented at the Sanford Underground Research Facility — built in a former gold mine in the state's Black Hills region — that may have involved a hypothesized particle called a WIMP, short for "weakly interacting massive particle." ‌This is one of the proposed candidates for being a dark matter particle.

Spain's PLD Space adds $125 million to ‌its latest funding round

Aerospace engineering firm PLD Space said on Tuesday it had extended its equity funding round by €108 million ($125 million), bringing the round's total to €288 million. The company's cumulative funding stands at €488 million, as it seeks to boost its capacity to launch rockets into space.

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.