Reuters Science News Summary

Following is a summary of current science news briefs.

Japan retrieves rare ‌earth mud from deep seabed in test mission

Japan's government said on Monday ⁠that it has successfully retrieved rare-earth-rich seabed mud for the first time from depths of around 6 km (4 ​miles) during a test mission.

A Japanese scientific ‍drill ship departed on January 12 for the remote Minamitori Island to explore rare-earth-rich mud deposits, part of Tokyo's effort ⁠to ‌reduce its ⁠reliance on China for critical minerals as Beijing chokes off ‍supplies.

Singapore to launch space agency in response to global investment ​surge

Singapore will launch its own space agency ⁠on April 1 as it bids to "fully harness the value ⁠and opportunities of the growing global space economy", the country's trade ministry announced on Monday. "Singapore's strengths in ⁠advanced manufacturing, aerospace, micro-electronics, precision engineering and artificial intelligence position ⁠us well ‌to capture new opportunities in the space technology sector," said the Ministry of Trade ⁠and Industry, which will run ‍the new agency.