SpaceX has broken its own record for the number of rockets sent to space in a single year. The latest Starlink launch from Florida marks the 27th for Elon Musk’s private space firm in 2021 - beating the 26 it achieved last year. Experts say booster jabs can offer a good level of protection against the new Omicron variant of coronavirus - a new study suggests it may provide protection from hospital admission and death.

Meanwhile Germany introduces new restrictions for unvaccinated people - they’ll be barred from non-essential shops and public events. Scientists have found cooling after volcanic activity more than 400 million years ago ‘may have triggered a mass extinction event’. The battery design breakthrough that could make electric cars safer, cheaper and more sustainable, and Reddit reveals new ‘live features’ like voting and comment counts. Also, researchers use gene editing to create single-sex mice litters and how plastic pollution is creating new communities of life in our oceans. And - Microsoft Windows tells off users if they try to download Chrome.

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