Science News Roundup: New image reveals violent events near a supermassive black hole; China unveils plan to build satellite system for space exploration and more

Scientists have extracted DNA from a piece of Balto's underbelly skin from the well-preserved museum mount and sequenced the dog's genome as part of an ambitious comparative mammalian genomic research project called Zoonomia. New image reveals violent events near a supermassive black hole Expanding upon the historic first images of black holes, scientists on Wednesday unveiled the first picture showing the violent events unfolding around one of these ravenous cosmic behemoths, including the launching point of a colossal jet of high-energy particles shooting outward into space.

Following is a summary of current science news briefs.

A good dog with great genes - 1920s Alaska sled-relay hero Balto

In 1925, a handsome male sled dog named Balto led a 13-dog team that braved blizzard conditions during the grueling final 53-mile (85-km) leg of a 674-mile (1,088-km) dogsled relay, bringing lifesaving medicine to the Alaskan city of Nome during a diphtheria outbreak. Balto was feted as a hero, the subject of books and movies, and the dog's taxidermy mount still stands on display at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. But that was not the end of Balto's magnificent deeds. Scientists have extracted DNA from a piece of Balto's underbelly skin from the well-preserved museum mount and sequenced the dog's genome as part of an ambitious comparative mammalian genomic research project called Zoonomia.

New image reveals violent events near a supermassive black hole

Expanding upon the historic first images of black holes, scientists on Wednesday unveiled the first picture showing the violent events unfolding around one of these ravenous cosmic behemoths, including the launching point of a colossal jet of high-energy particles shooting outward into space. The new image was obtained using 16 telescopes at various locations on Earth that essentially created a planet-sized observational dish. The supermassive black hole pictured resides at the center of a relatively nearby galaxy called Messier 87, or M87, about 54 million light-years from Earth.

Ambitious genome project shows how humans fit with other mammals

Scientists on Thursday unveiled the results of a project comparing the genomes of 240 mammal species - from aardvarks and aye-ayes to zebus and zebras, as well as people - to trace evolutionary changes spanning 100 million years, pinpointing genetic traits widely shared and those more uniquely human. The findings in the ambitious Zoonomia Project identified parts of the genome functionally important in people and other mammals and showed how certain mutations can cause disease. The project revealed the genetics of uncommon mammalian traits like hibernation and showed how the sense of smell varies widely.

Japan's ispace says moon lander unexpectedly accelerated and likely crashed

Japan's ispace inc said its attempt to make the first private moon landing had failed after losing contact with its Hakuto-R Mission 1 (M1) lander when it unexpectedly accelerated and probably crashed on the lunar surface. The startup said it was possible that as the lander approached the moon, its altitude measurement system had miscalculated the distance to the surface.

EU court dismisses OHB complaint about Galileo satellites contract

The European Union Court of Justice said on Wednesday it had dismissed German satellite company OHB System's complaint about a contract awarded to competitors Thales and Airbus to supply new satellites for Europe's Galileo programme. Following a 2018 European Space Agency (ESA) tender for next-generation satellites for the Galileo global navigation satellite system, the European Commission in 2021 selected Airbus Defence and Space and Thales Alenia Space Italia, rejecting a bid by its traditional supplier OHB System, which has built most of Galileo's current operating satellites.

China unveils plan to build satellite system for space exploration

China will start building relay satellites that by 2030 will act as a communication bridge between missions to the moon and beyond, and ground operations on Earth, Chinese state media reported on Wednesday. A pilot of the satellite constellation will support China's ongoing lunar exploration programme and the building of the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS), the official Xinhua news agency reported, citing Wu Yanhua, chief designer of China's deep space exploration project.

SpaceX, Rogers to connect mobiles phones to satellites in remote Canadian areas

Rogers Communications and Elon Musk's SpaceX plan to connect mobile phones to satellite-based services aiming to expand coverage to remote areas in Canada, the companies said on Wednesday. The service, which will be delivered via the space company's Starlink satellite network, will cover 4G and 5G phones starting with SMS text and will eventually expand to voice and data service in Canadian areas without networks.

(With inputs from agencies.)