Science News Roundup: SpaceX to press ahead with Starlink tests, delays commercial service; Egyptian inventor trials robot that can test for COVID-19 and more

Scientists on Wednesday said the bird, called Falcatakely forsterae, possessed a face unlike any other known bird from the age of dinosaurs - the Mesozoic Era - not only because of the beak shape but because of its underlying anatomy.


Devdiscourse News Desk | Updated: 27-11-2020 10:36 IST | Created: 27-11-2020 10:28 IST
Science News Roundup: SpaceX to press ahead with Starlink tests, delays commercial service; Egyptian inventor trials robot that can test for COVID-19 and more
Representative image Image Credit: ANI

Following is a summary of current science news briefs.

Russia should look again at terms of ISS participation - space industry official

Russia should consider revising the terms of its participation in the International Space Station, a Russian space industry executive said on Thursday, because it wants to focus on forming its own orbiting outpost after 2024. The Russian space agency, Roscosmos, has said it will remain part of the ISS until 2024 and that it is open to extending its participation beyond then.

Dinosaur-era bird with scythe-like beak sheds light on avian diversity

A delicate but exquisitely preserved skull of a crow-sized bird with a scythe-like beak that inhabited Madagascar 68 million years ago is showing scientists that they have a lot of learn about avian diversity during the age of dinosaurs. Scientists on Wednesday said the bird, called Falcatakely forsterae, possessed a face unlike any other known bird from the age of dinosaurs - the Mesozoic Era - not only because of the beak shape but because of its underlying anatomy.

Slow and steady or a big spurt? How to grow a ferocious dinosaur

Large meat-eating dinosaurs attained their great size through very different growth strategies, with some taking a slow and steady path and others experiencing an adolescent growth spurt, according to scientists who analyzed slices of fossilized bones. The researchers examined the annual growth rings - akin to those in tree trunks - in bones from 11 species of theropods, a broad group spanning all the big carnivorous dinosaurs including Tyrannosaurus rex and even birds. The study provides insight into the lives of some of the most fearsome predators ever to walk the Earth.

SpaceX to press ahead with Starlink tests, delays commercial service

SpaceX will continue beta testing its satellite-based broadband service Starlink into next year, the company said late Tuesday, indicating commercial service would not likely be offered in 2020 as previously planned. Hawthorne, California-based SpaceX, Elon Musk's private space exploration company, has launched nearly 900 Starlink satellites to orbit since 2019 with the goal of offering high-speed Internet to rural locations globally.

Egyptian inventor trials robot that can test for COVID-19

With Egypt facing a second coronavirus wave, an inventor is trialing a remote-control robot which can test for COVID-19, take the temperature of patients, and warn them if they don't wear masks at a private hospital north of Cairo. Mahmoud el-Komy, who designed the robot, called Cira-03, says it can help limit exposure to infection and prevent the transmission of the virus.

(With inputs from agencies.)

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