Science News Roundup: UAE's Hope Probe enters orbit in first Arab Mars mission; Two masks protect better than one; asthma, antiviral drugs show promise as treatments and more

Two masks likely better than one, CDC says Uncrewed Chinese spacecraft successfully enters Mars orbit An uncrewed Chinese spacecraft on Wednesday successfully entered orbit around Mars after a 6-1/2-month journey from Earth, China's space agency said, in the country's first independent mission to the red planet.

Following is a summary of current science news briefs.

UAE's Hope Probe enters orbit in first Arab Mars mission

The United Arab Emirates' first mission to Mars reached the red planet and entered orbit on Tuesday after a seven-month, 494 million-km (307 million-mile) journey, allowing it to start sending data about the Martian atmosphere and climate. The Mars programme is part of the UAE's efforts to develop its scientific and technological capabilities and reduce its reliance on oil. The UAE Space Agency, the fifth globally to reach the planet, even has a plan for a Mars settlement by 2117.

Two masks protect better than one; asthma, antiviral drugs show promise as treatments

The following is a roundup of some of the latest scientific studies on the novel coronavirus and efforts to find treatments and vaccines for COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus. Two masks likely better than one, CDC says Uncrewed Chinese spacecraft successfully enters Mars orbit

An uncrewed Chinese spacecraft on Wednesday successfully entered orbit around Mars after a 6-1/2-month journey from Earth, China's space agency said, in the country's first independent mission to the red planet. The robotic probe carried out a 15-minute burn of its thrusters at 7:52 p.m. Beijing time (1152 GMT), the China National Space Administration said in a statement, slowing the spacecraft to a speed at which it could be captured by the pull of Mars' gravity.