Reuters Science News Summary

Following is a summary of current science news briefs.

Cellular atlas ​created for the basal ganglia, a ​key brain region

Scientists have assembled a cellular ‌atlas ​of a crucial brain region called the basal ganglia involved in functions such as movement, decision making, emotions and habit formation — an accomplishment ‌that could help guide new treatments for several devastating diseases. The researchers mapped the cell types and cellular gene activity in the basal ganglia, an interconnected set of structures deep within the brain, in humans as well ‌as in mice and in macaque and marmoset monkeys. Basal ganglia dysfunction is associated with ‌conditions such as Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, schizophrenia, Tourette's syndrome, bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder and addiction.

Euclid mission data release spans more than 900 million galaxies

The European Space Agency has released its first big collection of data from the orbiting Euclid telescope's ⁠mission to map ​the universe's large-scale structure, ⁠including observations of more than 900 million galaxies, as scientists investigate the puzzling cosmic components dark matter and dark energy. The data ⁠unveiled on Thursday covered a survey of the sky equal to about 9,500 times the size of ​the moon as viewed from Earth. The mission's goal is to complete the largest-ever three-dimensional atlas ⁠of the cosmos, spanning more than a third of the sky, in 2031.

SpaceX launches 15th Starship flight with hopes of ⁠achieving first ​round trip

SpaceX launched the 15th flight of its Starship spacecraft from Texas on Friday on a mission the company hopes will be the first round-trip rocket voyage into orbit and ⁠back to the very spot where it left Earth, a key test of Elon Musk's bid to ⁠build a fully reusable ⁠rocket system. Plans call for Starship's uncrewed upper-stage vessel to re-enter the atmosphere after nearly a day in orbit and return to its launch tower on ‌Saturday for an ‌engine-controlled touchdown assisted by the giant mechanical arms of ​a pioneering catch-landing mechanism.