Reuters Science News Summary

Nelson told a news conference at NASA headquarters that the next Artemis mission, sending astronauts around the moon and back, has slipped to April 2026, with the subsequent astronaut landing mission using SpaceX's Starship planned for the following year. Iran launches advanced module to deploy satellites to higher altitudes, media say Iran sent into space on Friday its heaviest-ever payload using the Simorgh carrier rocket including an advanced module for transferring satellites to higher-altitude orbits, state television reported.

Following is a summary of current science news briefs.

Mammoths topped the menu for North American Ice Age people

The first humans who spread across North America during the last Ice Age put mammoths at the top of their menu, according to scientists who secured the first direct evidence of the diet of these ancient people. The researchers deciphered the diet of a woman who lived roughly 12,800 years ago based on chemical clues in the bones of her son, whose remains were found in southern Montana. Because the 18-month-old was still nursing at the time of death, his bones bore the chemical fingerprints of his mother's diet, passed along through her milk.

NASA announces further delays in Artemis moon missions

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson announced on Thursday new delays in the U.S. space agency's Artemis program to return astronauts to the moon for the first time since 1972, pushing back the next two planned missions amid potential policy changes under President-elect Donald Trump's administration. Nelson told a news conference at NASA headquarters that the next Artemis mission, sending astronauts around the moon and back, has slipped to April 2026, with the subsequent astronaut landing mission using SpaceX's Starship planned for the following year.

Iran launches advanced module to deploy satellites to higher altitudes, media say

Iran sent into space on Friday its heaviest-ever payload using the Simorgh carrier rocket including an advanced module for transferring satellites to higher-altitude orbits, state television reported. The Samān-1 transfer module, along with a CubeSat and a research payload "were successfully placed in an elliptical orbit with a high point of 410 km (255 miles) and a low point of 300 km," said the broadcast.

Europe's Vega-C rocket returns to space after two-year gap

Europe's Arianespace launched the Vega-C rocket on Thursday, marking a return to space for the upgraded Italian launcher two years after it failed during a debut commercial mission. Carrying the Sentinel-1C satellite into orbit for the European Union's flagship Copernicus Earth observation programme, Vega-C blasted off into leaden skies from its Kourou launch pad in French Guiana at 6:20 p.m. (2120 GMT), live images showed.

European Space Agency's sun-studying Proba-3 mission lifts off on ISRO rocket

The European Space Agency on Thursday launched Proba-3, a cutting-edge Sun-observing mission, aboard the Indian Space Research Organisation's flagship rocket. The launch from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, originally scheduled for Wednesday, had been delayed because of a technical snag. The mission is intended to advance global efforts to understand economic and technological risks of space weather.

New York museum unveils 'Apex' - an almost complete Stegosaurus

The American Museum of Natural History revealed the identity of its latest resident on Thursday - "Apex," one of the most complete specimens ever discovered of the plant-eating dinosaur Stegosaurus, known for the upright plates on its back and a spiky tail. To excited gasps from an audience of school children, the museum pulled back a beige curtain to reveal the 11-foot (3.4-meter) tall, 20-foot (6-meter) long skeleton of the Jurassic Period dinosaur.

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