Science News Roundup: NASA sees moon lunar mining trial within the next decade; Virgin Galactic set to launch its first commercial rocket plane spaceflight and more

The deal, signed when Beijing and Washington established diplomatic ties in 1979 and renewed about every five years since, has resulted in cooperation in areas from atmospheric and agricultural science to basic research in physics and chemistry. Scientists discover that universe is awash in gravitational waves Scientists on Wednesday unveiled evidence that gravitational waves, the ripples in the fabric of space-time predicted by Albert Einstein more than a century ago, are permeating the universe at low frequencies - creating a cosmic background hum.

Following is a summary of current science news briefs.

NASA sees moon lunar mining trial within the next decade

NASA is looking to develop resources on the moon that initially include oxygen and water, and eventually may expand to iron and rare earths, and has already taken steps toward excavating moon soil in 2032, a scientist said on Wednesday. The U.S. space agency plans to return Americans to the moon as part of its Artemis mission, including the first woman and person of colour by 2025, and to learn from the mission to facilitate a trip to Mars.

Virgin Galactic set to launch its first commercial rocket plane spaceflight

A three-man crew from Italy is set on Thursday to board a passenger rocket plane operated by Virgin Galactic, the venture British billionaire Richard Branson founded in 2004, for the company's first commercial flight to the edge of space. The two Italian air force officers and an aerospace engineer from the National Research Council of Italy were to join their Virgin Galactic instructor and the spaceplane's two pilots on a suborbital ride taking them about 50 miles (80 km) above the New Mexico desert.

Republican lawmakers urge U.S. to scrap China science deal

Republican lawmakers on Tuesday urged the U.S. State Department not to renew a decades-old U.S-China agreement on scientific cooperation, arguing that Beijing would seek to use it to help its military. The deal, signed when Beijing and Washington established diplomatic ties in 1979 and renewed about every five years since, has resulted in cooperation in areas from atmospheric and agricultural science to basic research in physics and chemistry.

Scientists discover that universe is awash in gravitational waves

Scientists on Wednesday unveiled evidence that gravitational waves, the ripples in the fabric of space-time predicted by Albert Einstein more than a century ago, are permeating the universe at low frequencies - creating a cosmic background hum. The new findings show that space is awash with these gravitational waves, which oscillate over years or longer and appear to originate primarily from pairs of supermassive black holes spiraling together before merging.

Scientists isolate human gene able to fend off most bird flu viruses

UK researchers have homed in on a human gene implicated in thwarting most bird flu viruses from infecting people. Bird flu chiefly spreads among wild birds such as ducks and gulls and can also infect farmed birds and domestic poultry such as chickens, turkeys and quails.

Tooth analysis confirms the megalodon - a huge ancient shark - was warm-blooded

The megalodon, a huge shark that was the scourge of the ancient oceans and is a star in modern movie theaters, is named for its "large tooth" - and for good reason. Its serrated teeth - up to about 7 inches long (18 cm) - could tear through any prey in the deep blue sea. Those teeth now are providing a fuller understanding of this extinct predator, with an analysis of the mineral makeup of their enamel-like tissue confirming that megalodon was warm-blooded - a trait scientists suspect contributed both to its tremendous success and eventual downfall.