Science News Roundup: Global licence deal to provide COVID antibody test tech free to poorer countries - WHO; NASA launches test mission of asteroid-deflecting spacecraft and more

The formation of the group comes after the government released a report in June, encompassing 144 observations, which said there was a lack of sufficient data to determine the nature of mysterious flying objects. Experimental chewing gum may reduce virus spread; Booster shot protection may be longer lasting The following is a summary of some recent studies on COVID-19.

Following is a summary of current science news briefs.

Global licence deal to provide COVID antibody test tech free to poorer countries - WHO

A global licence for serological technology that detects COVID-19 antibodies will be provided royalty-free to poor and middle-income countries under a first of its kind agreement to boost production, the World Health Organisation said on Tuesday.

The existing four tests, which check for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies developed after either an infection or a vaccine dose, could also inform decisions on the need for boosters to protect against the disease, it said in a statement.

NASA launches test mission of asteroid-deflecting spacecraft

A spacecraft that must ultimately crash to succeed was launched late on Tuesday from California on a NASA mission to demonstrate the world's first planetary defense system, designed to deflect an asteroid from a potential doomsday collision with Earth. The DART spacecraft soared into the night sky at 10:21 p.m. Pacific time on Tuesday (1:21 a.m. Eastern/0621 GMT Wednesday) from Vandenberg U.S. Space Force Base, about 150 miles northwest of Los Angeles, carried aboard a SpaceX-owned Falcon 9 rocket.

Pentagon to form new group to investigate UFOs

The United States Department of Defense late on Tuesday said it will establish a new group to investigate reports on the presence of UFOs in restricted airspace. The formation of the group comes after the government released a report in June, encompassing 144 observations, which said there was a lack of sufficient data to determine the nature of mysterious flying objects.

Experimental chewing gum may reduce virus spread; Booster shot protection may be longer lasting

The following is a summary of some recent studies on COVID-19. They include research that warrants further study to corroborate the findings and that has yet to be certified by peer review. Experimental chewing gum reduces virus in saliva

Chinese customs seizes meteorites passed off as pyrite

Almost half a tonne of meteorites declared as pyrite ore on import have been seized by authorities in the southern city of Shenzhen, China's customs agency said on Monday. Officers inspected the material and determined it was inconsistent with the characteristics of pyrite, the General Administration of Customs said in a statement, adding that the company involved was unable to provide relevant certification.

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