Reuters Science News Summary

Following is a summary of current science news briefs. Coronavirus the musical: U.S. scientists turn virus into melody to aid research

From tinkling harmonies as the virus disarms cells to clashing and stormy as it replicates, U.S. scientists have translated the novel coronavirus' spiked protein structure to music in an effort to better understand the pathogen. Professor Markus Buehler at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and his team used artificial intelligence to transform a model of the protein structure of SARS-CoV-2, as the virus is formally called, into interwoven melodies in a classical musical composition. Scientists observe celestial smash-up around nearby star

Scientists have observed what appears to be the aftermath of a violent collision between two planetary building blocks orbiting a large and luminous star, a glimpse of the type of carnage that may have been commonplace early in our solar system's history. The apparent crash between two icy bodies each about 125 miles (200 km) wide occurred around a star called Fomalhaut, located a relatively close 25 light-years from Earth, that is about twice the mass and 17 times the luminosity of the sun, the researchers said. A light year is the distance light travels in a year, 5.9 trillion miles (9.5 trillion km).