Science News Roundup: Analysis-Boeing, Northrop face obstacles in commercializing flagship US rocket; North American lobster industry confronts 'ropeless' traps after whale entanglements and more

Injuries to endangered North Atlantic Right Whales ensnared in fishing gear have fueled a prominent campaign by environmental groups to pressure the industry to adopt on-demand equipment that only suspends ropes in the water briefly before traps are pulled from the water. Molecular fossils open window on 'lost world' of primordial life Fossil remains of a cell membrane component identified in rocks dating back about 1.6 billion years are opening a window into what scientists are calling a "lost world" of microscopic organisms that were the primordial forerunners of Earth's fungi, algae, plants and animals - including people.

Following is a summary of current science news briefs.

Analysis-Boeing, Northrop face obstacles in commercializing flagship US rocket

NASA's plans to turn over its flagship rocket to contractors Boeing and Northrop Grumman to find more buyers and bring down costs faces steep hurdles thanks to meager demand even from the Pentagon and a sprawling supplier network. The U.S. space agency is pushing ahead with plans to hand ownership of the Space Launch System (SLS) to a Boeing-Northrup joint venture in the next few years, with a goal of cutting in half the rocket's price tag - estimated at $2 billion. But finding a market for a giant and costly rocket promises to be difficult, with the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) - seen as a potential customer - signaling little interest.

North American lobster industry confronts 'ropeless' traps after whale entanglements

An emerging technology to fish for lobsters virtually ropeless to prevent whale entanglements is exciting conservationists, but getting a frigid reception from harvesters worried it will drive them out of business and upend their way of life. Injuries to endangered North Atlantic Right Whales ensnared in fishing gear have fueled a prominent campaign by environmental groups to pressure the industry to adopt on-demand equipment that only suspends ropes in the water briefly before traps are pulled from the water.

Molecular fossils open window on 'lost world' of primordial life

Fossil remains of a cell membrane component identified in rocks dating back about 1.6 billion years are opening a window into what scientists are calling a "lost world" of microscopic organisms that were the primordial forerunners of Earth's fungi, algae, plants and animals - including people. These remains, researchers said on Wednesday, date to a time span during what is called the Proterozoic Eon that was crucial in the evolution of complex life but has been shrouded in mystery because of a spotty fossil record of the microscopic organisms that inhabited Earth's marine realm.

Scientists document how space travel messes with the human brain

Space can be an unfriendly place for the human body, with microgravity conditions and other factors tampering with our physiology, from head to toe - head, of course, being a primary concern. A new NASA-funded study provides a deeper understanding of the issue. Researchers said on Thursday that astronauts who traveled on the International Space Station (ISS) or NASA space shuttles on missions lasting at least six months experienced significant expansion of the cerebral ventricles - spaces in the middle of the brain containing cerebrospinal fluid.

(With inputs from agencies.)