Science News Roundup: Launching into space? Not so fast. Insurers balk at new coverage; Russian cosmonauts find new cracks in ISS module and more

The surging collision risks have left the handful of insurers that offer satellite coverage pulling back or exiting the market, executives and analysts said. Brazilian viper venom may become tool in fight against coronavirus, study shows Brazilian researchers have found that a molecule in the venom of a type of snake inhibited coronavirus reproduction in monkey cells, a possible first step toward a drug to combat the virus causing COVID-19.

Following is a summary of current science news briefs.

Launching into space? Not so fast. Insurers balk at new coverage

An ever-swelling amount of space debris is threatening satellites that hover around Earth, making insurers leery of offering coverage to the devices that transmit texts, maps, videos, and scientific data, industry sources said. Thousands of new satellites are being launched into areas where orbital rubbish has been accumulating since early space missions nearly 65 years ago. The surging collision risks have left the handful of insurers that offer satellite coverage pulling back or exiting the market, executives and analysts said.

Russian cosmonauts find new cracks in ISS module

Russian cosmonauts have discovered new cracks in a segment of the International Space Station that could widen, a senior space official said on Monday, the latest in a series of setbacks. "Superficial fissures have been found in some places on the Zarya module," Vladimir Solovyov, chief engineer of rocket and space corporation Energia, told RIA news agency. "This is bad and suggests that the fissures will begin to spread over time."

Brazilian viper venom may become tool in fight against coronavirus, study shows

Brazilian researchers have found that a molecule in the venom of a type of snake inhibited coronavirus reproduction in monkey cells, a possible first step toward a drug to combat the virus causing COVID-19. A study published in the scientific journal Molecules this month found that the molecule produced by the jararacussu pit viper inhibited the virus's ability to multiply in monkey cells by 75%.

 

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