Science News Roundup: Black hole discoveries win 2020 Nobel Prize in Physics; Boeing's top Starliner astronaut pulls out of space mission role and more

Creators of gene 'scissors' clinch Nobel as women sweep chemistry Two scientists won the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry on Wednesday for creating genetic 'scissors' that can rewrite the code of life, contributing to new cancer therapies and holding out the prospect of curing hereditary diseases.

Following is a summary of current science news briefs.

Boom Supersonic rolls out demonstrator aircraft in bid to break sound barrier

Boom Supersonic on Wednesday unveiled its first demonstrator aircraft X-B1, which is scheduled to begin flight testing next year, in a milestone for the U.S. startup planning a commercial airliner that can conquer the sound barrier. A handful of U.S. companies https://fr.reuters.com/article/us-airplane-supersonic-airports-idUSKCN1SL2IF are vying to bring back supersonic passenger travel which died out with the Anglo-French Concorde's retirement in 2003.

Boeing's top Starliner astronaut pulls out of space mission role

The chief astronaut for Boeing Co's long-delayed debut crewed flight to the International Space Station stepped down from the job on Wednesday, citing family priorities. Chris Ferguson, a 59-year-old retired NASA astronaut who joined Boeing in 2011 and became a Starliner test pilot in 2018, will remain on the Starliner team in a mission operations role, he said. The launch remains scheduled for next summer.

Biogen, gene-editing startup Scribe to develop therapies for Lou Gehrig's disease

U.S. drugmaker Biogen Inc and gene-editing startup Scribe Therapeutics Inc will jointly develop therapies for treating underlying genetic causes of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a fatal neurological disorder better known as Lou Gehrig's disease. Scribe, co-founded by Jennifer Doudna, an early pioneer of the CRISPR gene-editing technology, said on Tuesday it would receive $15 million upfront and potentially over $400 million in milestone payments from Biogen.

Black hole discoveries win 2020 Nobel Prize in Physics

Three scientists who unravelled some of the deep mysteries of black holes, the awe-inspiring pockets of the universe where space and time cease to exist, have won the 2020 Nobel Prize in Physics. Britain's Roger Penrose, professor at the University of Oxford, won half the prize of 10 million Swedish crowns ($1.1 million) for his proof that black holes are a direct consequence of Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity.

Creators of gene 'scissors' clinch Nobel as women sweep chemistry

Two scientists won the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry on Wednesday for creating genetic 'scissors' that can rewrite the code of life, contributing to new cancer therapies and holding out the prospect of curing hereditary diseases. Emmanuelle Charpentier, who is French, and American Jennifer Doudna share the 10 million Swedish crown ($1.1 million) prize for developing the CRISPR/Cas9 tool to edit the DNA of animals, plants and microorganisms with precision.