Science News Roundup: NASA resets spacewalk after ruling out immediate threat from orbital debris; Tanzania footprints offer clues on origin of human upright walking and more

A newly identified armored dinosaur that inhabited the Patagonian region of Chile did much the same thing to ward off predators about 74 million years ago with a tail resembling a macuahuitl, scientists said on Wednesday. Senators say U.S. must strengthen space debris monitoring A group of U.S. senators on Tuesday asked the Biden administration to do more to monitor and respond to space debris following Russia’s anti-satellite test.

Following is a summary of current science news briefs.

COVID-19 reinfection less likely to be severe; cardiac stress test useful for unexplained lingering breathlessness

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. Coronavirus reinfections rarely severe

Armored dinosaur wielded a tail resembling an Aztec war club

More than half a millennium ago, Aztec warriors brandished a weapon called a macuahuitl, a wooden club with jagged obsidian blades embedded on its sides, to inflict gruesome wounds on enemies in close combat. A newly identified armored dinosaur that inhabited the Patagonian region of Chile did much the same thing to ward off predators about 74 million years ago with a tail resembling a macuahuitl, scientists said on Wednesday.

Senators say U.S. must strengthen space debris monitoring

A group of U.S. senators on Tuesday asked the Biden administration to do more to monitor and respond to space debris following Russia’s anti-satellite test. Commerce Committee chair Maria Cantwell, ranking Republican Roger Wicker and two other senators asked Vice President Kamala Harris and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo about debris issues. The Russian test, which created over 1,500 new objects, has drawn U.S. condemnation.

Tanzania footprints offer clues on origin of human upright walking

Five fossil footprints left in volcanic ash 3.66 million years ago in Tanzania are giving scientists new insight on a landmark in human evolution - upright walking - while showing that its origins are more complicated than previously known. Researchers said on Wednesday a thorough new examination of the tracks, nearly half a century after their initial discovery, has shown that they were made not by a bear, as once believed, but by a hominin - in other words, a species in the human lineage - and possibly a previously unknown one.

NASA resets spacewalk after ruling out immediate threat from orbital debris

A spacewalk planned for Tuesday to replace a faulty antenna on the International Space Station has been postponed for 48 hours, after mission control concluded that the position of orbital debris cited for the delay posed no risk to the repair operation, NASA said. Two U.S. astronauts were originally due to venture outside the space station on Tuesday morning to begin their work, despite what NASA officials acknowledged was a slightly elevated risk level from debris scattered in low-Earth orbit by a Russian anti-satellite missile test this month.

Brain problems found in 1% of hospitalized COVID-19 patients; real-world data shows Moderna vaccine highly effective

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. Brain problems seen in 1% of hospitalized COVID-19 patients

Singapore tests out 'smart bandage' for remote recovery

Researchers in Singapore have developed a smart bandage to enable patients to have chronic wounds monitored remotely via an app on a mobile device, potentially saving them visits to the doctor. A research team at the National University of Singapore has created a wearable sensor attached to a transparent bandage to track progress in healing, using information like temperature, bacteria type, and levels of pH and inflammation.

Biden administration turns focus to space as rivals China, Russia loom

The Biden administration on Wednesday laid out a new strategy for responsible civil, commercial and national security-related use of space amid growing commercial interests and concerns about Chinese and Russian competition. U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, set to convene the inaugural meeting of the National Space Council, planned to ask members of the government body "to accelerate, expand, and develop rules and norms for responsible behavior in space," the White House said.

(With inputs from agencies.)