Reuters Science News Summary
Following is a summary of current science news briefs.
Australia backs BP's study to produce hydrogen from wind, solar
BP Plc has won Australian government backing for a feasibility study into producing hydrogen using wind and solar power to split water and converting the hydrogen to ammonia in Western Australia. The Australian Renewable Energy Agency said on Friday it would provide A$1.7 million ($1.1 million) toward the A$4.4 million feasibility study, part of a push by the government to make the country a major producer of hydrogen by 2030.
Green hydrogen's time has come, say advocates eying post-pandemic world
Hydrogen has long been touted as a clean alternative to fossil fuels. Now, as major economies prepare green investments to kickstart growth, advocates spy a golden chance to drag the niche energy into the mainstream of a post-pandemic world. Green hydrogen was pushed to the fore last week when Fatih Birol, head of the International Energy Agency, said the technology was "ready for the big time" and urged governments to channel investments into the fuel.
Copper takes aim at COVID-19 with virus-killer coatings
At an outer suburban manufacturing plant, engineer Byron Kennedy is resetting a machine to spray-print a layer of copper on to a door handle, aiming to use the metal's antiviral properties to counter the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic. His firm Spee3D is better known as a producer of 3D printers for copper and aluminium, used by customers including the Australian defence force and U.S. Marines to rapidly print new parts to get broken equipment back in action without waiting days for spares to arrive.
'Full-flower supermoon' rises on world starting to emerge from pandemic lockdowns
The last "supermoon" of 2020 rose in the night sky on Thursday over a world beginning to re-emerge after weeks of coronavirus-related lockdowns. The supermoon phenomenon occurs when the moon is within 10% of its closest distance to the Earth at the full moon. May's full moon - at the height of the Northern Hemisphere spring - is also called a "flower moon" - hence Thursday's "full-flower supermoon."
Abbott coronavirus test is accurate; infected mother's breast milk may protect infants
The following is a brief roundup of the latest scientific studies on the novel coronavirus and efforts to find treatments and vaccines for COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus. New coronavirus antibody test highly accurate
