Reuters Science News Summary

Astronomers have made detailed observations of a Jupiter-like exoplanet that survived the death of its star, located 81 light-years from Earth in the constellation Draco.

Following is a summary of current science news briefs.

Astronomers scrutinize exoplanet that ​survived the death of its star

In about 5 billion ​years, our sun will begin its ‌death throes ​by expanding in size and engulfing the innermost planets — possibly including Earth — before expelling its outer layers and forming a stellar remnant called a white dwarf. But ‌the outer planets may carry on even after such trauma. Researchers now have made detailed observations of a Jupiter-like exoplanet, as planets beyond our solar system are known, that has lived on for billions of years after the death of its sun-like star. ‌It's located 81 light-years from Earth in the constellation Draco. A light-year is 5.9 trillion miles (9.5 trillion km), or ‌the distance light travels in a year.

Space station bioprinting experiment advances quest for lab-grown tissues, company says

A biotechnology company says it has successfully used its 3D bioprinter aboard the International Space Station to manufacture structures containing human liver, kidney and cartilage cells, a step it believes could eventually ⁠aid ​production of transplantable tissues in orbit. San ⁠Diego-based Auxilium Biotechnologies said a recently completed mission marked the first time liver and kidney tissues have been bioprinted in space. The work was conducted ⁠using cells supplied by researchers at Wake Forest University, according to Auxilium co-founder Jacob Koffler of the University of California, San Diego.

With SpaceX ​Starship, Japan's ispace provides ride-share to the moon

Japanese moon transport company ispace said on Wednesday it would start a ⁠new, lower-cost lunar cargo business using the Starship heavy rocket and moon lander developed by Elon Musk's SpaceX. Tokyo-based ispace has bought 500 kg (1,102 lb) ⁠of capacity ​for $50 million on a Starship that would land on the moon as soon as 2030, and will build a lunar surface vehicle that can host payloads from clients worldwide sharing their ride on Starship to the moon, it ⁠said.

Guatemalan zoo breeds rare lizards in bid to save endangered species

Conservationists in Guatemala are breeding a new generation of Guatemalan ⁠beaded lizards, one of the ⁠world's most endangered lizards, in the hopes of rebuilding wild populations decimated by habitat loss and their popularity in the illegal pet trade. Heloderma charlesbogerti, also known as "niño dormido" (sleeping child ‌in Spanish), are ‌endemic to the thornscrub of Guatemala's Motagua Valley, one of ​the driest regions in Central America.