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Astra scrubs return-to-flight rocket launch due to lightning risk

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The private spaceflight startup Astra on Monday called off its first attempt to launch a rocket since a failed flight last month due to the risk of lightning at its Alaska liftoff site.  Astra scrubbed the attempted launch of its Astra-1 mission Monday (March 14) at Pad LP-3B at the Pacific Spaceport Complex on Alaska’s … Read more

Young blood: Rejuvenating effects may be due to extracellular vesicles

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Packages of RNA and proteins that bud off from cells have reversed some signs of ageing in mice, and they may account for the rejuvenating effects of young blood Health 10 March 2022 By Michael Le Page Artwork showing red blood cells SCIEPRO/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY The rejuvenating effect of young blood could be largely due … Read more

Plants may have first been able to grow on land due to bacterial genes

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When aquatic plants first transitioned onto land, their success may have been due to genes they got from bacteria and fungi that let them take up nutrients from soil Life 1 March 2022 By Jake Buehler Plants may have taken root on land thanks to genes from bacteria Shutterstock/daniilphotos Around 500 million years ago, aquatic … Read more

Europe’s Mars rover will likely miss 2022 launch on Russian rocket due to Ukraine invasion sanctions

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Europe’s ExoMars rover, built to search for traces of life on the Red Planet, is unlikely to launch as planned in September aboard a Russian rocket as a result of sanctions rolled out by European countries in response to Russian aggression in Ukraine.  The ExoMars mission, which comprises the Trace Gas Orbiter (in orbit around … Read more

Photosynthesis: Global rate is increasing due to rising CO2 levels

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An analysis of plants at 68 sites around the world finds evidence that rates of photosynthesis have risen since the year 2000 Environment 28 February 2022 By Chen Ly Photosynthetic rates have risen in recent years Ryhor Bruyeu/Alamy Stock Photo Since the early 2000s, the growing level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has led … Read more

Flower growth in Antarctica is accelerating due to warming climate

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There are only two flowering plants native to Antarctica and both have seen an explosion in their numbers in the decade from 2009 to 2019 Environment 14 February 2022 By Alex Wilkins Deschampsia antarctica is one of two flowering plants native to Antarctica Nature/Getty Images Plants in Antarctica are growing more quickly due to climate … Read more

Astra scrubs 1st Florida launch attempt due to faulty ‘range asset’

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Astra’s first launch of operational satellites will have to wait at least another day. The California company planned to launch the ELaNa 41 mission for NASA today (Feb. 5) from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station but was thwarted by an issue at the launch range. “Unfortunately, due to a range asset that has gone … Read more

Spring: UK flowers are blooming a month early due to climate change

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The shift to early flowering in the UK is greater for smaller plants than trees and shrubs, and is related to warming temperatures in winter and spring over the past 70 years Environment 2 February 2022 By Clare Wilson People walk past daffodils in Green Park in London TOLGA AKMEN/AFP via Getty Images Seen any … Read more

SpaceX delays back-to-back Falcon 9 rocket launches due to bad weather

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SpaceX delayed two back-to-back rocket launches from Florida on Saturday (Jan. 29) due to bad weather that has already pushed back the missions in recent days.  The private spaceflight company hoped to launch an Earth-observation satellite for Italy Saturday evening from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 6:11 p.m. EST (2311 GMT), but unacceptable … Read more