Short Takes – 6-18-24

Orcas are eating sharks in the Gulf of California — and it may be happening more than we think, experts say. LiveScience.com article. Pull quote: “However, the recent increase in observations doesn't necessarily mean these hunts are happening more. It could be that modern technology, like drones and underwater cameras, is making it easier to spot and record the predation.”

A Bird-Flu Pandemic in People? Here’s What It Might Look Like. NYTimes.com article (free). Pull quote: ““I think the virus is clearly changing its property, because we never saw outbreaks in cows,” Dr. Kawaoka said. Conjunctivitis, also known as pink eye and the primary symptom in two of the three farmworkers, is not typical of H5N1 infection. The appearance of the virus in mammary glands — in cattle and even in non lactating mice — was also unexpected.”

NASA, Boeing Update Starliner Crew Flight Test Return from Station. Blogs.NASA.gov blog post. Pull quote: “Teams from NASA and Boeing now are targeting no earlier than 10:10 p.m. EDT Tuesday, June 25, for the undocking of the Starliner spacecraft from the International Space Station. For the primary undocking opportunity, NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, the first crew to fly aboard Starliner, would land about 4:51 a.m. on Wednesday, June 26, at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico.”