On this week's news update...

Covid-19 Variant

A new Covid-19 variant…

Sun Probe

A NASA probe reaches the sun…

Dinosaur Egg

And scientists examine an ancient dinosaur egg!

First up…

Since January 2020, Covid-19 has spread around the world and infected millions of people.

As a virus infects people, it replicates itself. As a virus multiplies inside someone's body, changes can sometimes occur to the makeup of the virus.
These changes, or mutations, can cause different variants of a virus to emerge.

Recently, the virus has mutated to form a new variant, which scientists have named “Omicron.”

Omicron

The Omicron variant differs from earlier versions of the virus in two main ways.

It is more contagious, which means it infects people more easily. But it generally causes milder illness in the infected.

Because Omicron is more infectious, it is likely more people will now catch the disease. However, because it is generally less severe, and many people are now protected by Covid vaccines, the new variant is less likely to cause serious illness.

Although there is still uncertainty about what the full impact of Omicron will be, scientists think new Covid-19 variants will keep emerging as the disease continues to spread around the world.

Up next…

The sun is a 4.5 billion year old star.

Situated in the center of the solar system, the sun releases huge amounts of energy, which enables life on Earth to flourish.

For centuries astronomers have studied the sun, but recently a NASA probe has travelled closer to the sun than ever before.

2018

Launched in 2018, the probe has travelled 93 million miles through space before entering the sun's fiery atmosphere.

The probe has been designed to investigate how the sun works, and observe phenomena that other spacecraft are too far away to see.

One phenomenon the probe will investigate is known as “solar wind.”

Solar Wind

Solar wind is made up of particles that are released from the sun's atmosphere. These particles speed across the solar system, and can impact life on Earth by disrupting satellites and communication networks.

Studying the sun at close range, the probe aims to improve our understanding of it, and how its immense energy impacts the entire solar system.

And finally…

Between 250 and 66 million years ago, dinosaurs roamed the Earth.

One group of bird-like dinosaurs were known as Oviraptorids.

Oviraptorids

Living in what is now China, adult Oviraptorids measured around 2 meters long, and may have looked similar to modern-day ostriches.

Recently, scientists have examined a fossilized Oviraptorid egg, dating from around 70 million years ago.

Their examinations reveal a complete, well-preserved skeleton of a baby Oviraptorid.

Curled up tightly, the position of the baby dinosaur is similar to the position baby birds move into as they prepare to hatch from their eggs.

Scientists have never recorded such behavior in dinosaur eggs before, because the skeletons they have studied have always been too broken up.

The baby dinosaur skeleton therefore allows scientists to work out how dinosaurs would likely have hatched from their eggs, and highlights the close links between ancient dinosaurs and modern birds!

That's all for this week, we'll see you next time!

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