Reuters Science News Summary

Following is a summary of current science news briefs.

Pungent gas above Martian fissures hints at ongoing volcanism

An orbiting atmospheric research spacecraft ​has detected the pungent gas hydrogen chloride above surface fissures along a massive ancient volcano on ​Mars in a finding that suggests Earth's planetary neighbor is still ‌volcanically ​active. In a discovery that has implications for whether Mars might presently have subsurface conditions conducive to microbial life, researchers said the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter has documented the gas, a common constituent of volcanic emissions on Earth, in the low atmosphere in the region of Alba Mons.

NASA's 22-year-old Swift ‌satellite telescope falls from orbit in fiery finale

NASA's Swift satellite telescope, which spent two decades studying the most powerful known blasts of energy in the cosmos, tumbled out of orbit as expected on Wednesday and burned up in Earth's atmosphere over Indonesia, the space agency reported. The fiery demise of the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, weighing roughly 3,200 pounds (1,452 kg), came less than three months after a rescue spacecraft failed ‌its mission to boost the satellite to higher orbit and extend its life.

Siberian burial site reveals ancient use of cannabis as an intoxicant

A Siberian burial mound from the ancient Scythian culture dating ‌to 2,800 years ago has yielded the oldest-known evidence for the use of cannabis for its mind-altering effects, with scientists finding its seeds among the grave goods and human hair bearing its chemical signatures inside the tomb. Researchers said the evidence was unearthed in a monumental burial structure, around 460 feet (140 meters) in diameter, located in the Uyuk Valley of Russia's remote Republic of Tyva. The tomb in southern Siberia was the last resting place of high-ranking members of Scythian society, known for ⁠its expertise in ​horseback warfare and gold craftsmanship, and its relatively nomadic ⁠lifestyle across the Eurasian steppe.

Russia may have rehearsed attack on satellite, specialist says, flagging another approach

A Russian military satellite that approached a Western commercial one last month could have been rehearsing an attack, a military space specialist said, with two ⁠related Russian craft now heading in the direction of another Western satellite. US Under Secretary of State Thomas DiNanno said on X following the mid-October incident that Russia's Cosmos 2612 military satellite had been "intentionally maneuvering dangerously close to a ​commercial satellite" in conduct "consistent with on-orbit weapons operations."

Endangered Hawaiian bird uses beak and body to dig out its dinner

The ʻakiapōlāʻau has no need for a toolbox. The endangered Hawaiian bird taps ⁠the wood of trees, hacks into it with the lower half of its unusual beak, then switches to its long, flexible upper bill to probe the hole for insect larvae to eat.

New research provides the most comprehensive look yet at this ⁠Hawaiian ​honeycreeper's unique anatomy, showing that when the bird strikes the wood, even its legs get involved in the action.

NASA's Swift satellite telescope heads for fiery re-entry 22 years after launch

An aging NASA satellite telescope that a robotic spacecraft was sent to retrieve on a failed rescue mission this summer was headed for a fiery re-entry into Earth's atmosphere on Wednesday, nearly 22 years after it was ⁠launched into orbit. The Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, weighing roughly 3,200 pounds (1,452 kg), was set to tumble out of orbit and burn up in the atmosphere somewhere over the tropics, with fragments surviving re-entry ⁠unlikely to threaten populated areas, according to NASA.

Blue Origin ⁠pushes New Glenn rocket launch to January, sources say

Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin has pushed its New Glenn rocket launch to January 2027, the latest delay after a major explosion earlier this year, according to two people familiar with the matter and an internal memo from CEO Dave Limp seen ‌by Reuters. Blue Origin's flagship heavy-lift ‌orbital rocket has been grounded since exploding in May on the company's only launchpad, just days before it ​was set to carry Amazon satellites into orbit.