Science News Roundup: Scientists neutralize viper venom with fruit and vegetable compound; Grunt, hoo, gasp, cry: chimpanzees use complex vocal communication and more

Here is a summary of current scientific news.

Scientists neutralize viper venom with compound from fruits and vegetables

A substance found in fruits and vegetables can neutralize the venom of a poisonous pit viper common across much of South America, Brazilian researchers have found. In Brazil, Bothrops jararaca, also known as “yarara”, is responsible for most of the approximately 26,000 snakebites recorded annually in the country, according to the Reptile Database Online.

Grunt, hoo, gasp, cry: chimpanzees use complex vocal communication

Scientists exploring the evolutionary origin of language have detected a vocal communication system in wild chimpanzees that is more complex and structured than previously known, with a dozen cell types combined into hundreds of different sequences. The researchers made more than 4,800 recordings of vocalizations produced by members of three groups of chimpanzees inhabiting the Taï National Park in Côte d’Ivoire, one of the last major remnants of ancient rainforest in West Africa. and home to a rich array of plants and animals.

Boeing’s Starliner capsule docks with space station during uncrewed flight test

Boeing’s new Starliner crew capsule docked with the International Space Station (ISS) for the first time on Friday, completing a major goal during a high-stakes test flight to orbit without astronauts on board. The gumball-shaped CST-100 Starliner’s rendezvous with the orbital research outpost, which currently houses a crew of seven, took place nearly 26 hours after the capsule launched from the base. of the US Space Force from Cape Canaveral in Florida.

(With agency contributions.)