Science News Roundup: COVID worsens asthma in children; booster after infection not as beneficial vs Omicron; White House to boost support for quantum technology while boosting cybersecurity and more

Quantum computers, a main focus of the effort, can operate millions of times faster than today's advanced supercomputers. Four-astronaut team departs International Space Station on flight back to Earth The third long-duration team of astronauts launched by SpaceX to the International Space Station (ISS) for NASA safely departed the orbiting outpost early on Thursday to begin their descent back to Earth, capping a six-month science mission.

Following is a summary of current science news briefs.

COVID worsens asthma in children; booster after infection not as beneficial vs Omicron

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. COVID-19 worsens asthma in children

White House to boost support for quantum technology while boosting cybersecurity

The White House on Wednesday will announce a slate of measures to support quantum technology in the United States while laying out steps to boost cybersecurity to defend against the next generation of supercomputers. The U.S. and other nations are in a race to develop quantum technology, which could fuel advances in artificial intelligence, materials science, and chemistry. Quantum computers, the main focus of the effort, can operate millions of times faster than today's advanced supercomputers.

The four-astronaut team departs International Space Station on the flight back to Earth

The third long-duration team of astronauts launched by SpaceX to the International Space Station (ISS) for NASA safely departed the orbiting outpost early on Thursday to begin their descent back to Earth, capping a six-month science mission. The SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule carrying three U.S. NASA astronauts and a German astronaut from the European Space Agency undocked from the ISS at 1:20 a.m. EDT (0520 GMT) to embark on a return flight expected to last about 23 hours.

(With inputs from agencies.)