Reuters Science News Summary

Following is a summary of current science news briefs.

SpaceX's Starship flight ​hits most targets in pre-IPO test

SpaceX ​completed a largely successful test flight ‌of ​its next-generation Starship rocket on Friday, deploying a clutch of mock satellites and executing a controlled splashdown in the Indian Ocean in a high-stakes debut ‌of the newly upgraded vehicle as Elon Musk's company prepares to go public. The latest uncrewed launch of Starship - designed to enable more frequent Starlink satellite launches and to send future NASA missions to the moon - achieved a ‌key milestone for the vehicle following months of testing delays. The outcome could also boost investor confidence ‌ahead of SpaceX's initial public offering next month, expected to be the largest in history.

Climate change threatens global plant species as habitats shrink

Some of the plants that make familiar landscapes recognizable may not survive by century's end as climate change becomes an ⁠increasingly ​important driver of species ⁠loss, according to scientists, reshaping and often shrinking suitable habitats that the plants need to survive. Researchers modelled future ranges for numerous species ⁠of vascular plants, a category that accounts for almost all the world's plants - those with water- and nutrient-carrying tissues. They ​looked at more than 67,000 species, meaning about 18% of the world's known vascular plants.

Chicks hatch ⁠from artificial egg as US company aims to revive extinct species

A U.S. company said more than two dozen healthy baby chickens have ⁠hatched ​from an artificial egg platform it has developed in what it calls a pivotal step in its plan to bring back the South Island Giant Moa, a large flightless bird from New Zealand ⁠that went extinct centuries ago. The announcement was made this week by Colossal Biosciences, a company dedicated to "de-extinction" - resurrecting ⁠vanished species. The moa ⁠is one of two birds - the dodo being the other - among the six species in its portfolio to revive, guided by ancient DNA. The company ‌said last year ‌that it had genetically engineered the dire wolf, an ​extinct Ice Age predator.

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