Science News Roundup: Robotic arm to inspect leaky Soyuz spacecraft, Russia says; Scientists freeze Great Barrier Reef coral in world-first trial and more

Following is a summary of current science news briefs. Russia says leak on Soyuz spacecraft caused by 0.8-millimetre hole A hole less than one millimetre in diameter is to blame for a coolant leak from a Russian Soyuz spacecraft docked at the International Space Station (ISS), the head of Russia's Roscosmos space agency said on Monday.

Following is a summary of current science news briefs.

Russia says leak on Soyuz spacecraft caused by 0.8-millimetre hole

A hole less than one millimetre in diameter is to blame for a coolant leak from a Russian Soyuz spacecraft docked at the International Space Station (ISS), the head of Russia's Roscosmos space agency said on Monday. A routine spacewalk by two Russian cosmonauts was cancelled last week after NASA noticed a stream of fluid spewing from the vessel. Temperatures on board the capsule have since risen and Roscosmos has scrambled to investigate the cause and decide how to resolve the issue.

Scientists freeze Great Barrier Reef coral in world-first trial

Scientists working on Australia's Great Barrier Reef have successfully trialled a new method for freezing and storing coral larvae they say could eventually help rewild reefs threatened by climate change. Scientists are scrambling to protect coral reefs as rising ocean temperatures destabilise delicate ecosystems. The Great Barrier Reef has suffered four bleaching events in the last seven years including the first ever bleach during a La Nina phenomenon, which typically brings cooler temperatures.

Robotic arm to inspect leaky Soyuz spacecraft, Russia says

A 17-metre-long Canadian-made robotic arm on the International Space Station will inspect a docked Soyuz spacecraft after a leak was noticed just before a spacewalk last week, Russia's state space corporation said on Sunday. After the spacewalk was called off on Dec. 15, Roscosmos said there had been damage to the outer skin of an instrument assembly compartment of the Soyuz MS-22 capsule. It said there was a coolant leak.