Science News Roundup: Virgin Hyperloop shows off the future; Chinese rocket debris lands in Indian Ocean and more

Eight of the remains are dated to between 50,000 and 68,000 years ago, while one, the oldest, is dated to between 90,000 and 100,000 years ago, the ministry said in a statement.

Following is a summary of current science news briefs.

Virgin Hyperloop shows off the future: mass transport in floating magnetic pods

In the desert just north of Las Vegas, a long white metal tube sits at the base of the mountains, promising to one day revolutionize travel. That is where Virgin Hyperloop, whose partners include Richard Branson's Virgin Group, is developing the technology for passenger pods that will hurtle at speeds of up to 750 miles an hour (1,200 kph) through almost air-free vacuum tunnels using magnetic levitation.

Chinese rocket debris lands in Indian Ocean, draws criticism from NASA

Remnants of China's biggest rocket landed in the Indian Ocean on Sunday, with most of its components destroyed upon re-entry into the atmosphere, ending days of speculation over where the debris would hit but drawing U.S. criticism over lack of transparency. The coordinates given by Chinese state media, citing the China Manned Space Engineering Office, put the point of impact in the ocean, west of the Maldives archipelago.

Archaeologists uncover Neanderthal remains in caves near Rome

Archaeologists discovered the remains of nine Neanderthals at a prehistoric site near Rome, Italy's Culture ministry said on Saturday. Eight of the remains are dated to between 50,000 and 68,000 years ago, while one, the oldest, is dated to between 90,000 and 100,000 years ago, the ministry said in a statement.

(With inputs from agencies.)