Science News Roundup: U.S. FAA finds no Blue Origin safety issues after review; Footprints in Spain show meat-eating dinosaurs were fast and furious and more

The Yutu-2 caught an image of what seems like a large cubic object on the horizon about 80 metres (87 yards) from its location, said Our Space, a Chinese government science website, citing the rover's last log on Dec. 3. Low staff vaccination tied to nursing home COVID deaths; experimental vaccine targets multiple coronaviruses The following is a summary of some recent studies on COVID-19.

Following is a summary of current science news briefs.

U.S. FAA finds no Blue Origin safety issues after review

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said on Friday it had found no safety issues after investigating allegations made against Blue Origin’s human spaceflight program. The FAA said in September it would review safety concerns raised by former Blue Origin employees. The FAA said on Friday it was closing its investigation after finding "no specific safety issues" and was taking no action against billionaire Jeff Bezos' space company.

Chinese sighting of 'cube' on moon rouses speculation, inspires memes

A photograph of a cube-like object captured by a Chinese rover on the far side of the moon has fanned speculation over what it could be and inspired a host of memes by Chinese internet users. The Yutu-2 caught an image of what seems like a large cubic object on the horizon about 80 metres (87 yards) from its location, said Our Space, a Chinese government science website, citing the rover's last log on Dec. 3.

Low staff vaccination tied to nursing home COVID deaths; experimental vaccine targets multiple coronaviruses

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 has yet to be certified by peer review. Staff vaccination rates tied to nursing home COVID-19 deaths

Mixing vaccines boosts immune response; experimental saliva test nearly as accurate as PCR

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 has yet to be certified by peer review. Mixing vaccines boosts immune responses

With lab help, whiskey distillers skip oak barrel-aging. But how does it taste?

In a small lab in California’s Silicon Valley, Martin Janousek and Stu Aaron are making whiskey. There are no oak barrels stacked floor to ceiling. In fact, there’s hardly any wood at all. Instead, they use syringes, beakers and vials to find a more sustainable way to distill whiskey.

Footprints in Spain show meat-eating dinosaurs were fast and furious

It almost is not fair. Carnivorous dinosaurs were armed with menacing teeth inside muscular jaws, wielded dangerous claws on their hands and feet, and boasted keen vision and sense of smell. And, as new research confirms, some were pretty fast, too. Two trackways of Cretaceous Period fossilized footprints from about 120 million years ago discovered in northern Spain's La Rioja region show that the medium-sized meat-eating dinosaur species that made them could run at about 28 miles per hour (45 kph), scientists said on Thursday.

Japan researchers use ostrich cells to make glowing COVID-19 detection masks

Japanese researchers have developed masks that use ostrich antibodies to detect COVID-19 by glowing under ultraviolet light. The discovery by Yasuhiro Tsukamoto and his team at Kyoto Prefectural University in western Japan could provide for low-cost testing of the virus at home, they said in a press release.

(With inputs from agencies.)