Science News Roundup: Harvard's modern-day Darwin warns against humanity's downward slope; DNA from Sitting Bull's hair confirms living great-grandson's ancestry and more

Following is a summary of current science news briefs. Harvard's modern-day Darwin warns against humanity's downward slope The Harvard University scientist who has called for setting aside half the planet as a nature preserve says the slope of human history will always be downward unless there is global cooperation to save existing species.


Reuters | Updated: 28-10-2021 10:45 IST | Created: 28-10-2021 10:30 IST
Science News Roundup: Harvard's modern-day Darwin warns against humanity's downward slope; DNA from Sitting Bull's hair confirms living great-grandson's ancestry and more
Representative Image Image Credit: ANI

Following is a summary of current science news briefs.

Harvard's modern-day Darwin warns against humanity's downward slope

The Harvard University scientist who has called for setting aside half the planet as a nature preserve says the slope of human history will always be downward unless there is global cooperation to save existing species. Edward O. Wilson, a 92-year old naturalist hailed as the Darwin of the 21st century, said humankind is not too polarized to save the planet, even as some of the world's biggest polluters drag their feet on cutting carbon emissions and arresting global warming.

DNA from Sitting Bull's hair confirms living great-grandson's ancestry

A sample of Sitting Bull's hair has helped scientists confirm that a South Dakota man is the famed 19th-century Native American leader's great-grandson using a new method to analyze family lineages with DNA fragments from long-dead people. Researchers said on Wednesday that DNA extracted from the hair, which had been stored at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, confirmed the familial relationship between Sitting Bull, who died in 1890, and Ernie LaPointe, 73, of Lead, South Dakota.

Blue Origin, Boeing chart course for 'business park' in space

Billionaire Jeff Bezos-owned Blue Origin on Monday unveiled plans to develop a commercial space station called "Orbital Reef" with Boeing, aiming to launch the spacecraft in the second half of this decade. The venture will be built in partnership with Sierra Space, the spaceflight wing of defense contractor Sierra Nevada Corp, and will be backed by Redwire Space, Genesis Engineering Solutions and Arizona State University.

Breakthrough infections can lead to long COVID; genes may explain critical illness in young, healthy adults

The following is a summary of some recent studies on COVID-19. They include research that warrants further study to corroborate the findings and that have yet to be certified by peer review. Breakthrough infections can lead to long COVID

German dogs to sniff out wildlife at building sites to speed up work

Sniffer dogs are being trained by Germany's Deutsche Bahn (DB) to find protected wildlife at planned major building sites to speed up projects, the railway group said on Tuesday. Humans have so far been responsible for finding animals that need to be moved to a safer place while construction goes ahead, but the dogs are set to take over the job in 2022 following training that should finish by the end of this year, DB said.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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