Reuters Science News Summary
Following is a summary of current science news briefs.
Singapore's Shiok Meats hopes to hook diners with lab-grown shrimp
Shiok Meats, a Singapore-based start-up whose name means very good in local slang, aims to become the first company in the world to bring shrimp grown in a laboratory to diners' plates. Demand for meat substitutes is booming, as consumer concerns about health, animal welfare and the environment grow. Plant-based meat alternatives, popularized by Beyond Meat Inc and Impossible Foods, increasingly feature on supermarket shelves and restaurant menus.
Chilean scientists scramble to save last of desert frogs from extinction
When Chilean scientists last year discovered 14 Loa water frogs struggling to survive in a nearly dry river bed in the country's northern desert, the clock began ticking. They believed these to be among the last of the species.
China science database scraps paywall to aid virus battle
A major scientific database run by China's Tsinghua University has made its contents available free of charge from Wednesday in order to help researchers work from home, following a virus outbreak in the central city of Wuhan. The death toll in the epidemic rose sharply to 132 and the first case appeared in the Middle East, as concern mounts after China's health authorities said the number of confirmed cases had jumped by 1,459 to 5,974.
Australia scientists to share lab-grown coronavirus to hasten vaccine efforts
A team of scientists in Australia said on Wednesday they have successfully developed a lab-grown version of the new coronavirus, the first to be recreated outside of China, in a breakthrough that could help quicken the creation of a vaccine. The researchers at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity in Melbourne said they would share the sample, which was grown from an infected patient, with the World Health Organization and laboratories around the world.
