Science News Roundup: Musk says SpaceX to land Starship rockets on Mars well before 2030; virus hunters' hope to stop the next pandemic

Following is a summary of current science news briefs.

Musk says SpaceX to land Starship rockets on Mars well before 2030

Elon Musk's SpaceX will be landing its Starship rockets on Mars well before 2030, the billionaire entrepreneur said in a tweet on Tuesday. The private space company had raised about $850 million in equity financing in February even as a prototype of its Starship rocket exploded during a landing attempt after a high-altitude test launch.

Wider Image: By catching bats, these 'virus hunters' hope to stop the next pandemic

Researchers wearing headlamps and protective suits race to untangle the claws and wings of bats caught up in a big net after dark in the Philippine province of Laguna. The tiny animals are carefully placed in cloth bags to be taken away, measured, and swabbed, with details logged and saliva and fecal matter collected for analysis before they are returned to the wild.

(With inputs from agencies.)