Science News Roundup: U.S. to test nuclear-powered spacecraft by 2027; Lab-grown meat moves closer to American dinner plates and more

NASA will partner with the U.S. military's research and development agency, DARPA, to develop a nuclear thermal propulsion engine and launch it to space "as soon as 2027," NASA administrator Bill Nelson said during a conference in National Harbor, Maryland. Explainer-What is the 'Doomsday Clock' and how does it work? Atomic scientists reset the "Doomsday Clock" on Tuesday, moving its hands to 90 seconds to midnight - closer than ever before to the threat of annihilation.

Following is a summary of current science news briefs.

EU to promote 'buzz lines' to help reverse decline of bees by 2030

"Buzz Lines" for bees and other pollinators where they could move across Europe and find food and shelter were among measures laid out by the EU's executive body on Tuesday to reverse the decline of the insects vital for crop production. Currently, one in 10 bee and butterfly species and one in three hoverfly species is threatened with extinction.

U.S. to test nuclear-powered spacecraft by 2027

The United States plans to test a spacecraft engine powered by nuclear fission by 2027 as part of a long-term NASA effort to demonstrate more efficient methods of propelling astronauts to Mars in the future, the space agency’s chief said on Tuesday. NASA will partner with the U.S. military's research and development agency, DARPA, to develop a nuclear thermal propulsion engine and launch it to space "as soon as 2027," NASA administrator Bill Nelson said during a conference in National Harbor, Maryland.

Explainer-What is the 'Doomsday Clock' and how does it work?

Atomic scientists reset the "Doomsday Clock" on Tuesday, moving its hands to 90 seconds to midnight - closer than ever before to the threat of annihilation. WHAT IS THE DOOMSDAY CLOCK?

'Doomsday Clock' moves to 90 seconds to midnight as nuclear threat rises

Atomic scientists set the "Doomsday Clock" closer to midnight than ever before on Tuesday, saying threats of nuclear war, disease, and climate volatility have been exacerbated by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, putting humanity at greater risk of annihilation. The "Doomsday Clock," created by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists to illustrate how close humanity has come to the end of the world, moved its "time" in 2023 to 90 seconds to midnight, 10 seconds closer than it has been for the past three years.

Lab-grown meat moves closer to American dinner plates

Once the stuff of science fiction, lab-grown meat could become reality in some restaurants in the United States as early as this year. Executives at cultivated meat companies are optimistic that meat grown in massive steel vats could be on the menu within months after one company won the go-ahead from a key regulator. In a show of confidence, some of them have signed up high-end chefs like Argentine Francis Mallmann and Spaniard José Andrés to eventually showcase the meats in their high-end eateries.

(With inputs from agencies.)