Alien enthusiasts descend on Nevada desert near secretive U.S. base

UFO enthusiasts began descending on rural Nevada on Thursday near the secret U.S. military installation known as Area 51, long rumored to house government secrets about alien life, with local authorities hoping the visitors were coming in peace.

from Reuters: Science News https://ift.tt/2M11hVD
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Hundreds of fossils of strange primordial predator unearthed in Canada

Hundreds of fossils of a primordial sea creature with rake-like claws and a head resembling a famous fictional spaceship have been unearthed in Canada, providing a wealth of information about an important predator from a key time in the evolution of life on Earth.

from Reuters: Science News https://ift.tt/2MraPuU
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Genome study finds roots of Komodo dragon's tenaciousness

Scientists have mapped the genome of the Komodo dragon, the world's largest lizard, discovering intriguing secrets behind the impressive speed and endurance these cold-blooded predators muster by ratcheting up their metabolism to mammal-like levels.

from Reuters: Science News https://ift.tt/2YyjsKy
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Defying scientists, Hungary will overhaul academic network, website reports

Hungary is preparing legislation to strip the Hungarian Academy of Sciences of its research network, giving the government more control over scientific activity, the news website index.hu reported on Tuesday.

from Reuters: Science News https://reut.rs/2HG46dF
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First satellites for Musk's Starlink internet venture launched into orbit

SpaceX, the private rocket company of high-tech entrepreneur Elon Musk, launched the first batch of 60 small satellites into low-Earth orbit on Thursday for Musk's new Starlink internet service.

from Reuters: Science News https://reut.rs/2EsAkXK
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NASA executive quits weeks after appointment to lead 2024 moon landing plan

A top NASA executive hired in April to guide strategy for returning astronauts to the moon by 2024 has resigned, the space agency said on Thursday, the culmination of internal strife and dwindling congressional support for the lunar initiative.

from Reuters: Science News https://reut.rs/2YLR3NG
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Procrastinating genius: did da Vinci have attention disorder?

Renaissance genius Leonardo da Vinci's litany of exquisite but unfinished work shows he probably had an attention disorder common to modern society.

from Reuters: Science News https://reut.rs/2Xag4Sp
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NASA chooses technology firm Maxar for lunar platform project

NASA has picked space technology company Maxar Technologies Inc as the first contractor to help build its Gateway platform in lunar orbit, a crucial outpost for America's mission to relay astronauts to the moon in 2024, the U.S. agency said on Thursday.

from Reuters: Science News https://reut.rs/2ErYtxI
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Old mold: Fossil of world's earliest fungus unearthed in Canada

Microfossils of a globular spore connected to a T-shaped filament excavated in an Arctic region of northwestern Canada represent the oldest-known fungus, a discovery that sheds light on the origins of an important branch in Earth's tree of life.

from Reuters: Science News https://reut.rs/2VZ4sow
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Horse dies at Pimlico day before Preakness race

A three-year-old filly collapsed and died after racing at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore on Friday, a day before the Preakness Stakes.

from Reuters: Science News https://reut.rs/2VI5Ewq
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SpaceX postpones Starlink satellite launch again, for 'about a week'

A SpaceX launch already scrubbed once due to inclement weather was postponed again nearly 24 hours later on Thursday, this time for "about a week," in order to update satellite software and "triple-check everything," Elon Musk's rocket company said.

from Reuters: Science News https://reut.rs/2LPHFae
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Genus shares surge on deal to market gene-edited pigs in China

British livestock genetics firm Genus agreed on Thursday to license its know-how on virus-resistant pigs to Beijing Capital Agribusiness Co Ltd, which will seek regulatory approval for the pigs in the world's biggest pork market.

from Reuters: Science News https://reut.rs/2JIntnP
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High winds force SpaceX to postpone first launch of Starlink satellites

Billionaire Elon Musk's SpaceX postponed a planned Wednesday night blastoff of a Falcon 9 rocket carrying the first 60 satellites for his new Starlink internet service, citing excessive winds over the Florida launch site.

from Reuters: Science News https://reut.rs/30mVcJw
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