Science News Roundup: NASA probe to observe near-Earth asteroid's 2029 close encounter; Indian scientists hope cloud seeding can clean Delhi's toxic air and more

Attenborough's long-beaked echidna, named after British naturalist David Attenborough, was photographed for the first time by a trail camera on the last day of a four-week expedition led by Oxford University scientists. Scientists show how to turn lunar soil fertile for agriculture If humankind is ever to establish long-term bases on the moon, there will be a need for a regular source of food.

Following is a summary of current science news briefs.

NASA probe to observe near-Earth asteroid's 2029 close encounter

About 5-1/2 years from now, astronomers predict, an asteroid about as wide as the Empire State Building is tall will streak through space within 20,000 miles (32,200 km) of Earth, the closest any celestial object of that size will have come to our planet in modern history. When it does, a spacecraft launched by NASA in 2016 is expected to be in position to provide a detailed examination of this rare close encounter.

Indian scientists hope cloud seeding can clean Delhi's toxic air

Indian scientists plan to seed clouds for the first time to trigger heavy rain in some areas of New Delhi, hoping this will be enough to tackle the smog gripping the world's most polluted capital for a week, the project's head said on Thursday. Air quality dips in Delhi ahead of winter every year, when cold air traps pollutants from a variety of sources including vehicles, industries, construction dust, and agricultural waste burning.

Former US astronaut Frank Borman dies at 95

Former U.S. astronaut Frank Borman, who made history by commanding the first manned flight to circle the moon and later piloted Eastern Airlines as chairman in severe economic turbulence, has died at the age of 95, NASA said on Thursday. Borman, who spent a total of almost 20 days in space on two trips in the 1960s, died on Tuesday in Billings, Montana, NASA said in a statement on its website.

Long-lost mammal rediscovered in remote Indonesia mountains

Scientists have rediscovered a long-lost species of mammal described as having the spines of a hedgehog, the snout of an anteater and the feet of a mole, in Indonesia's Cyclops Mountains more than 60 years after it was last recorded. Attenborough's long-beaked echidna, named after British naturalist David Attenborough, was photographed for the first time by a trail camera on the last day of a four-week expedition led by Oxford University scientists.

Scientists show how to turn lunar soil fertile for agriculture

If humankind is ever to establish long-term bases on the moon, there will be a need for a regular source of food. It is not practical, however, to think you can plant corn or wheat in plain lunar soil in greenhouses on the moon and expect a bumper crop - or any crop at all. But scientists are taking steps toward making moon agriculture a real possibility. Researchers said on Thursday they have found a way to turn inhospitable lunar soil fertile by introducing bacteria that enhance the availability of phosphorus, an important plant nutrient.