Science News Roundup: Japan's 'moon sniper' to test precision landing; 'Bizarre' long-legged bird-like dinosaur has scientists enthralled and more

The launch comes weeks after India became the first country to land on the moon's south pole, sparking an outpouring of national pride and highlighting a new space race that features the private sector.

Following is a summary of current science news briefs.

'Bizarre' long-legged bird-like dinosaur has scientists enthralled

About 148 to 150 million years ago, a strange pheasant-sized and bird-like dinosaur with elongated legs and arms built much like wings inhabited southeastern China, with a puzzling anatomy suggesting it either was a fast runner or lived a lifestyle like a modern wading bird. Scientists said on Wednesday they have unearthed in Fujian Province the fossil of a Jurassic Period dinosaur they named Fujianvenator prodigiosus - a creature that sheds light on a critical evolutionary stage in the origin of birds.

Japan's 'moon sniper' to test precision landing - and Tokyo's space ambitions

Japan aims to become the fifth country to land a spacecraft on the lunar surface with the launch of a low-cost "moon sniper" on Thursday that will test precision landing technology designed to further Tokyo's space goals. The launch comes weeks after India became the first country to land on the moon's south pole, sparking an outpouring of national pride and highlighting a new space race that features the private sector.