https://www.cas.cn/cm/202407/t20240715_5025439.shtml The National Biomanufacturing Industry Innovation Center, led by the Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and participated in by leading industry companies, started construction in Shenzhen on July 14. The center will focus on major national strategies, strengthen collaborative research on key common technologies, build an industrial collaborative innovation ecosystem, and build a highland for innovation in the biomanufacturing industry. The National Biomanufacturing Industry Innovation Center will build six technical platforms: an automated biomanufacturing platform, a cross-scale biological multimodal verification platform, a production process high-throughput development platform, a pilot scale-up and production quality management specification GMP platform, a large-scale carrier preparation and quality control platform, and a bioinformatics computing support platform. Liu Chenli, deputy director of the Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and director of the National Biomanufacturing Industry Innovation Center, said that the center’s key task is to focus on the small-scale and pilot scale-up stages of biomanufacturing, explore the transformation of scientific research results from the linear transformation mode from laboratory to enterprise to a nonlinear interactive mode, and promote the high-quality development of China’s biomanufacturing industry. The center was approved by the National Development and Reform Commission in July 2023.

https://spj.science.org/doi/10.34133/research.0413 https://spj.science.org/doi/10.34133/research.0413 A research team from CAS Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology combined ancestral sequence reconstruction, reverse mutation assay, and progressive forward accumulation to identify 5 founder residues in the catalytic pocket of flavone 6-hydroxylase (F6H) and proposed a “3-point fixation” model to elucidate the functional innovation mechanisms of P450s in nature. According to this design principle of catalytic pocket, they developed a de novo diffusion model (P450Diffusion) to generate artificial P450s. Among the 17 non-natural P450s they generated, 10 designs exhibited significant F6H activity and 6 exhibited a 1.3- to 3.5-fold increase in catalytic capacity compared to the natural CYP706X1. This work explores the design principle of catalytic pockets of P450s and provides an insight into the artificial design of P450 enzymes with desired functions.

https://spc.jst.go.jp/news/240703/topic_3_05.html A high mountain cliff straddle monorail and railway system developed by Zhuzhou CRRC Special Equipment Technology Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of CRRC, was delivered to the Dajueshan Scenic Area in Jiangxi Province. The entire project runs along the mountainside, with more than one-third of the section located on the cliffs, and trains carrying tourists pass between dangerous cliffs and peaks at an altitude of 850-1,150 meters. According to Jin Junhui, chief engineer of Zhuzhou CRRC Special Equipment Technology, CRRC has developed its own articulated bogie and rack technology to cope with the rugged terrain of Dajueshan. It can handle the driving environment with a high gradient and small curvature, improving the train’s curve-passing performance while ensuring its climbing ability. In addition, all trains are equipped with an infrared collision prevention system as standard, ensuring the safety and reliability of operation. Dajeshan Scenic Area is located in Zixi County, Fuzhou City, Jiangxi Province. The county has a forest coverage rate of 87.7%, making it an ecological model area in China, and its rich natural environment has led to a thriving local tourism industry.

http://j.people.com.cn/n3/2024/0716/c95952-20194142.html The delivery of university acceptance letters began in Guangdong Province on the 15th. A drone carrying four acceptance letters took off from South China University of Technology at 11:00 a.m. and arrived at a housing complex in Huangpu District, Guangzhou City 30 minutes later. The letters were safely delivered to the examinees, marking China’s first successful delivery of university acceptance letters by drone. Science and Technology Daily reported. Tu Sulan, who received the letter delivered by drone this time, expressed his joy at being accepted into the university, saying, “Joy has fallen from the sky. It’s novel and exciting.” For this drone delivery, Guangzhou Post has planned and deployed a comprehensive and systematic logistics network. Based on the existing air, railway and road transport networks, Guangzhou Post has planned and set up a low-altitude drone transport network to form a three-dimensional transport network, and is working to build an ecosystem for the integrated development of the “low-altitude economy” (an economic form based on low-altitude flight activities)

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07621-8 A research team led by Professor Zhang Qian and Professor Mao Jun of the School of Materials Science and Engineering at Harbin Institute of Technology has discovered that trimagnesium dibismuthide (Mg3Bi2) single crystal has excellent plastic deformation ability and thermoelectric performance at room temperature. The research team created a centimeter-class high-quality magnesium bismuthide single crystal and discovered that the in-plane compressive strain of this single crystal was more than 75% and the tensile strain reached 100%. This value is an order of magnitude higher than conventional thermoelectric materials and even exceeds some metal materials with a similar crystal structure. This plastic thermoelectric material could be used to develop flexible thermoelectric devices for use in generating electricity from human body heat and controlling body temperature.

https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adp7379 https://english.news.cn/20240719/b369e7c7efbd4ef48a32bc724e094301/c.html A team from Tianjin has developed a cost-effective and environmentally friendly catalyst for propylene production through dehydrogenation of propane. They developed a titanium oxide-nickel composite catalyst and fine-tuned the electronic transfer, enhancing catalytic activity while suppressing side reactions such as cracking and carbon deposition. In 2023, China’s propylene production exceeded 60 million tonnes, accounting for approximately one-third of the global output, with the total value surpassing 600 billion yuan (about 84.1 billion U.S. dollars).

https://www.cas.cn/syky/202407/t20240709_5024719.shtml A deep-sea gene sequencer was jointly developed by researchers from the CAS Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics and the CAS Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering. It underwent testing during the expedition mission of China’s scientific research ship Tansuo-2 in the South China Sea from June 3 to June 9, at a maximum depth of 1,380 meters. During the two trial, the sequencer accomplished continuous sequencing for eight hours and for 30 hours with high-quality identification of DNA samples. The quality score Q30 of the two sequencing data was 92% and 95% respectively, and 97 DNA samples provided by the Chinese Academy of Metrology were identified. Over the past five years, the team has overcome difficulties in key components such as sequencing methods, gene big data processing, library chips, multi-color optical focusing imaging, precise flow quantification, multiple dynamic temperature control, underwater packaging, and self-correcting software, and has initially achieved unattended automation of the entire process from library construction to sequencing. The research work is supported by the Strategic Priority Research Program (Class A) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences “Deep Sea/Abyss Intelligent Technology and Seabed In-situ Scientific Experiment Station”

https://english.cas.cn/newsroom/research_news/life/202407/t20240712_672883.shtml https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(24)00694-9 A research team led by LI Wei and ZHOU Qi from the CAS Institute of Zoology has developed an innovative gene-writing technology based on retrotransposons. This achievement enables all-RNA-mediated targeted gene integration in human cells. Efficient and precise integration of gene-sized DNA remains a major challenge in genome engineering. Current technologies rely primarily on DNA templates as donors for gene integration. However, DNA donors face numerous challenges in practical biomedical applications, such as high immunogenicity, difficulty in in vivo delivery, and the risk of random integration into the genome. RNA donors have lower immunogenicity compared to exogenous DNA donors, which can be effectively delivered using non-viral vectors, and are rapidly degraded in cells without the risk of random integration—thus addressing many of the challenges associated with DNA donors. However, there are currently very few technologies that can use RNA donors to achieve targeted gene-sized DNA integration in human cells. R2 retrotransposons are mobile elements that use RNA intermediates to specifically integrate into the host 28S rDNA genomic site. There are 219 copies of this site present in the human genome, located away from protein-coding genes—making it a “safe harbor” suitable for gene integration. Despite its discovery in the 1980s, its potential use for integrating large-fragment genes into human cells has not been fully explored. In the above study, the researchers identified and engineered the avian genome-derived R2Tg system as active in human cells. It exhibited high gene integration specificity at the 28S rDNA safe harbor site. This helps to minimize the risk of mutagenesis caused by random gene integration generated by technologies such as retroviruses. According to the researchers, this technology opens a door for the development of novel gene therapeutics, as it offers a more general approach in which a normal gene can be integrated directly into the genome to restore function, regardless of the type of mutation, e. g., to create CAR-T cells directly in the body in order to treat cancer.

https://english.news.cn/20240705/82e0d0bbc3f741858b8b61ea9591d540/c.html https://www.the-innovation.org/article/id/6687bc912303000072005a3d A recent study from the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography (XIEG), the National Space Science Center, and the CAS Institute of Botany suggests that Syntrichia caninervis, a globally distributed moss species that flourishes in harsh environments is a promising pioneer plant for colonizing extraterrestrial environments such as Mars. Using samples from the Gurbantunggut Desert in northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, one of the most concentrated distributions of Syntrichia caninervis, the moss’s extraordinary resilience under extreme desiccation, ultra-low temperatures and intense radiation was shown, as well as in a simulated Martian environment were these stress factors were combined. The team found that the moss has remarkable desiccation tolerance. Even after losing over 98 percent of its cellular water content, it could recover photosynthetic and physiological activities within seconds after rehydration. According to Li Xiaoshuang, a researcher at XIEG, te plants appeared green when saturated with water, turned dark green and then black as the water was gradually lost, and turned green again only two seconds after rehydration. When exposed to minus 80 degrees Celsius in an ultra-low-temperature freezer for five years and to minus 196 degrees Celsius in a liquid nitrogen storage tank for 30 days, the plants survived and regenerated new branches. Moreover, the moss could survive super-intense gamma radiation exposure that would kill most plants and maintained vitality in simulated Mars conditions (air composed of 95 percent of carbon dioxide, temperatures that fluctuated from minus 60 degrees Celsius to 20 degrees Celsius, high levels of UV radiation, and low atmospheric pressure). Mars is considered to be the planet most likely to be colonized by humans in the future. However, no life forms have been detected on Mars to date. Therefore, introducing organisms from Earth might be required to produce Earth-like conditions suitable for human life on Mars, a process scientists call terraforming. In the future, the team plans to conduct space flight experiments involving exposure to space conditions.

http://j.people.com.cn/n3/2024/0704/c95952-20189623.html At the factory of automobile manufacturer Ceres in Chongqing, one new energy vehicle is lined off in as fast as 30 seconds. The automatic robot arm moves smoothly, and cars come out of the gate one by one in order. In the factory, more than 1,000 smart equipment and more than 3,000 robots work together through a highly automated and smart process system. The welding workshop has been fully automated, and even in the assembly workshop with the most people, the automation rate reaches 50%. How do they ensure the efficiency and quality control of automated production? The super factory is equipped with Chinese-made AI (artificial intelligence) smart visual inspection equipment that monitors each key process of car manufacturing in real time, allowing any problems to be reported at any time. Safety officers are constantly checking the factory, and all processes are in order. The factory is also a microcosm of Chongqing’s accelerating development of new quality productivity. As a major automobile production base in China, the city produced 997,000 cars in the first five months of this year, of which 306,000 were new energy vehicles, up 144.1% from the same period last year.

http://j.people.com.cn/n3/2024/0705/c94476-20190233.html According to People’s Daily, at the smart factory of Liuzhou Sike Science and Technology Development in Liuzhou City, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China, the assembly work of the hybrid engine “Lingxi” 1.5T (maximum output 78 kilowatts, maximum torque 130 Newton meters) is being carried out, and one unit is completed every 53 seconds. In the automated production line, robots accurately grasp each part and assemble them smoothly. There, more than 300 smart equipment, more than 200 robots, and more than 150 automated guided vehicles are “cooperating” to work. Huang Qingmin, director of the company’s Innovation and Development Center, explained: “With our current production capacity, we can produce more than 300,000 hybrid engines (sets) per year. Digitalization and smartization are the driving force behind this.” Smart equipment such as camera vision systems, smart sensors, RFID technology and QCA manufacturing systems are used within the factory to monitor and analyze various production data in real time. Liuzhou is currently working to build a new ecosystem for the new energy vehicle industry that is driven by innovation, led by large companies and develops collectively. By accelerating the development of new quality production capacity and taking various measures, the city aims to build an important base for the new energy vehicle industry.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07588-6 Researchers from Zhejiang University have developed 3D printable elastomers with exceptional strength and toughness. The researchers developed a 3D photo-printable resin chemistry that yields an elastomer with a tensile strength of 94.6 MPa and toughness of 310.4 MJ m-3, both of which far exceed those of any 3D-printed elastomer. They printed a rubber band that could be stretched up to nine times its original length and withstand a tensile strength of 94 MPa without breaking. Additionally, they created objects like balloons with excellent puncture resistance.

https://english.news.cn/20240709/239103936887405faf3d3fedb535a87a/c.html https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsnano.3c13035 Scientists from the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science (HIPS) under the Chinese Academy of Sciences have designed a wristwatch that can measure essential chemicals in body sweat. Sweat contains electrolytes, primarily potassium, sodium and calcium. The balance of these essential minerals is crucial for supporting muscle function, nerve health and regular heartbeat, said Yang Meng, an associate professor at the institute and one of the authors of the study. Sweating leads to the loss of both water and electrolytes. Excessive loss of potassium, for instance, can impact heart function and neuromuscular activity. Similarly, the depletion of sodium ions may result in symptoms such as fatigue, dizziness and muscle cramps. The wristwatch designed by Yang’s team collects sweat from the skin and analyzes it in real time using a sensor chip with an ion-sensitive membrane. When sweat enters the device, it will come into contact with the membrane that contains three tubules capable of measuring sodium, potassium and calcium levels, respectively. Since endurance athletes use electrolyte drinks to counteract the loss of energy and replenish it, researchers in the study measured the sweat composition of these chemicals in athletes running long distances on a treadmill. The accuracy reached approximately 95 percent when compared to the standard detection method. The next goal of the research team is to design various sensitive membrane materials for monitoring more physiological information, such as glucose and chloride ions. The team of researchers also aims to adapt the device for environmental monitoring to measure heavy metals in the future.

https://english.news.cn/20240709/e80bfe2048f4432796ab78e4977c49a4/c.html China’s Ministry of Science and Technology has published ethical guidelines to regulate human genome editing research and promote its healthy development. According to the guidelines, human genome editing research should follow the principles of promoting human well-being, respecting individuals, maintaining prudence and responsibility, ensuring fairness and justice, and being open and transparent. In clinical research, particularly, it is necessary to fully evaluate and address the severity of the disease and potential risks to strike a balance between action and precaution. Regarding human genome editing research on germ cells, fertilized eggs, or embryos, it is strictly prohibited to use edited germ cells, fertilized eggs, or embryos for pregnancy and reproduction. “Currently, any clinical research involving germline genome editing is irresponsible and not allowed,” the guidelines added. Clinical research can only be considered when benefits, risks and alternative options are fully understood and weighed, safety and effectiveness issues are addressed, and there is broad social consensus, rigorous evaluation and strict supervision in place. The guidelines also outline general requirements for human genome editing research, which include having reasonable objectives, protecting research participants, possessing relevant qualifications and conditions, and obtaining informed consent. Special requirements have been specified for handling leftover samples and the conditions for using somatic cell genome editing strategies at different stages of research, namely, basic research, preclinical research and clinical research.

https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adn5694 A team of Chinese researchers has crafted an innovative biomass-derived material using DNA, the genetic blueprint of life. This aerogel demonstrates a remarkable ability to reduce ambient temperatures by 16 degrees Celsius on sunny days, even under intense solar radiation. The researchers combined DNA and gelatin into an ordered layered aerogel structure that converts absorbed ultraviolet light into visible light to surpass 100 percent solar reflectance, yielding exceptional radiative cooling. Moreover, these aerogels, efficiently fabricated on a large scale through water welding, demonstrate remarkable reparability, recyclability and biodegradability.

http://j.people.com.cn/n3/2024/0626/c95952-20185818.html Costumes from the Southern Song Dynasty were restored with digital technology at the Huangyan Museum in Taizhou, Zhejiang Province. A digital human named Zhao Boshu from the Southern Song Dynasty was shown wearing a cross-hugging lotus flower patterned bright ground gauze robe and showing off a realistic appearance with a slightly leaning forward pose. This is one of the costumes restored by the digital fashion team of the Zhejiang Modern Textile Technology Innovation Center using virtual reality (VR) technology. Due to the special nature of preservation of clothing cultural relics, the team was unable to observe and photograph these cultural relics from close range, and the only reference material was some photos of the cultural relics provided by the Huangyan Museum. The team had previously used digital media technology and 3D imaging technology to digitally restore the patterns, fabric structure, style and wearing state of the costume excavated from Zhao Boxu’s tomb. The team’s technicians then used 3D technology to restore the physical attributes of the costume by observing the fabric structure of the costume, highlighting the light, soft, thin and transparent characteristics of silk fabric. Using flexibility reproduction technology, the restored digital costume reproduces the realism of moving with the body like real fabric.

http://j.people.com.cn/n3/2024/0625/c95952-20185211.html https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-022-05379-5 The team of Xie Heping, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and professor at Shenzhen University, has collaborated with a team from Oriental Electric Group to directly produce hydrogen from seawater using offshore wind power. The team has developed a new method and technology for direct seawater electrolysis hydrogen production in a real marine environment where wave motion cannot be controlled. They also systematically analyzed the interfacial vapor pressure difference due to the difference in the concentration of seawater components in Shenzhen Bay, Guangdong Province and Xinghua Bay, Fujian Province, and elucidated the self-adjustment and adaptation mechanism of the phase transition process due to the dynamic change of concentration. After that, they built a theoretical model of direct hydrogen production without desalination from phase transition seawater in actual wave motion, and simulated the marine environment in the laboratory, achieving stability for more than 500 hours. To verify the feasibility and reliability of the laboratory simulation environment, the team also designed and developed a 1.2 standard cubic meter per hour offshore renewable energy on-site direct electrolysis hydrogen production float without desalination, and achieved direct connection with offshore wind power generation despite the interference of 3-8 grade strong winds and 0.3-0.9 meter waves in Xinghua Bay. After 10 days of stable and continuous operation, the seawater impurity ion rejection rate reached more than 99.99%, and the purity of hydrogen production reached 99.9-99.99%.

http://j.people.com.cn/n3/2024/0624/c94476-20184934.html In its “Guiding Opinions on the Innovation and Development of Humanoid Robots,” the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology MIIT  stated: “Humanoid robots will be a disruptive innovation product following computers, smartphones, and new energy vehicles, and are expected to significantly change the production and lifestyle of humans.” The humanoid robot “Xiao Qi” was developed by Ex-Robots, a company in Dalian. It can answer questions posed by humans, but it can also change the shape of its mouth, facial expressions, and body movements based on the content of the conversation. Mass production of Xiao Qi has started in May 2024, with a goal of 500 units this year. The main clients are listed companies with chain stores and exhibition halls where Xiao Qi is currently mainly handling reception duties. Humanoid robots are rapidly becoming popular in various scenes, which can be attributed to the dramatic development of technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and large-scale language models. According to the Humanoid Robot Industry Research Report, China’s humanoid robots have entered the smart stage, equipped with advanced technologies such as AI, machine learning, and computer vision. According to Jiao Jichao, vice president of humanoid robot developer UBTECH Robotics, robots’ understanding has been greatly improved. Robots can interact with humans more naturally and do not need complex operations. Robots can now accurately carry out their tasks based on their own understanding and reasoning. According to Li Boyang of Ex-Robots, a large number of humanoid robot application projects will emerge in the next two years, and the demand for small-scale mass production will peak in the next five years or so. Applications for the business market will appear first, and it will take at least 10 years for mass application in the consumer market. Once humanoid robots become widespread in ordinary households, the market demand will be extremely large, and will be greater than the automobile market. Once robots become an important hardware device in the home, the price should be comparable to that of new energy vehicles. Currently, the price of Ex-Robots’ mass-produced humanoid robots is around 700,000 to 800,000 ¥ (90,000 to 100,000 €). If it is custom-made, it will cost about 1.5 million to 2 million ¥ (200,000 – 250,000 €).

http://en.people.cn/n3/2024/0627/c90000-20186316.html A CETROVO 1.0 subway car is on display in Qingdao, east China’s Shandong Province, June 26, 2024. The CETROVO 1.0 subway car was launched in Qingdao on Wednesday. With a carbon fiber composite body and frame, it is lighter and more energy-efficient than the traditional subway train. (Xinhua/Li Ziheng)

http://en.people.cn/n3/2024/0627/c90000-20186302.html According to the latest data from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), China had more than 3.8 million 5G base stations  by the end of May 2024. China’s 5G base stations account for 60 percent of the global total. More than half of all mobile phone users are 5G users. China is considered to be at the forefront of the world in the field of mobile communication and has undertaken significant innovative exploration such as experience in 5G+ vertical industries for intelligent manufacturing, transportation and medical treatment.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1364032124003770 The Cotton Molecular Genetic Improvement Innovation Team around Fuguang Li at the Cotton Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences has put forward a precise practical application plan and an economically feasible implementation plan for their high-value-added use and industrialization of cotton stalks. China’s cotton production in 2023 was 5.618 million tons, which produced about 28 million tons of stalks. However, at present, most of the cotton stalks are directly returned to the fields or burned, resulting in problems such as resource waste and environmental pollution. Cotton stalks are mainly made of cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin. These components can be converted into high value-added products such as biological materials, biochemicals and biofuels. The study systematically explains the chemical structure of cotton stalks and systematically summarizes research into synthesizing cotton stalks into three types of high value-added products: biological materials, biochemicals and biofuels. By contrasting various conversion methods, it has put forward a plan to maximize the value of cotton stalks.

http://en.people.cn/n3/2024/0625/c90000-20185347.html The returner of the Chang’e-6 probe touched down on Earth on June 25, bringing back the world’s first samples collected from the moon’s far side. The return capsule landed precisely in the designated area in Siziwang Banner, north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, and the mission is a complete success, according to the China National Space Administration (CNSA). Chang’e-6 is one of the most complex and challenging missions in China’s space exploration efforts to date. Consisting of an orbiter, a returner, a lander and an ascender, it was launched on May 3 this year, and has gone through various stages such as Earth-moon transfer, near-moon braking, lunar orbiting and separation of the lander-ascender combination and the orbiter-returner combination. Supported by the Queqiao-2 relay satellite, the lander-ascender combination landed at the designated landing area in the South Pole-Aitken (SPA) Basin on the far side of the moon on June 2 and carried out sampling work. On June 4, the ascender took off from the moon with samples and entered the lunar orbit. On June 6, it completed rendezvous and docking with the orbiter-returner combination and transferred samples to the returner. The ascender then separated from the combination and landed on the moon under ground control to avoid becoming space junk. The orbiter-returner combination spent 13 days in lunar orbit, awaiting the right opportunity to return to Earth. After completing two moon-Earth transfer maneuvers and one orbital correction, the returner separated from the orbiter and delivered the samples to Earth. “The Chang’e-6 mission represents a significant milestone in the history of human lunar exploration, and it will contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of lunar evolution,” said Yang Wei, a researcher at the Institute of Geology and Geophysics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. “New samples will inevitably lead to new discoveries. Fascination with the moon is rooted in Chinese culture down the ages, as evidenced by the mythological narrative of Chang’e, a lady who journeyed to and resided on the moon. Now, Chinese scientists are eagerly anticipating the opportunity to contribute to lunar science,” Yang added.

https://earth.esa.int/eogateway/activities/dragon-cooperation-programme https://english.news.cn/20240625/a71cb989c7af4cdfaee49c0f3eb5467b/c. The Dragon Program conference, a major China-Europe science collaboration since 2004,  opened in Lisbon in June, marking the transition from Earth observation plan Dragon 5 to Dragon 6 and included a new agreement on climate change and big data. Organized by China’s Ministry of Science and Technology and the European Space Agency (ESA), the five-day symposium attracted nearly 300 experts and scholars from China and Europe to discuss the achievements of Dragon 5, and introductions to Dragon 6 projects, focusing on the latest developments in Earth observation technology and the application of satellite remote sensing technology in environmental protection and disaster mitigation. At the opening ceremony, China and Europe signed the cooperation agreement for Phase 6 of the Dragon Program, which spans from 2024 to 2028. This agreement covers ten key themes, including land, atmosphere, climate change and big data. Under the agreement, both sides will continue to promote the sharing and application of Earth observation data through collaborative research, academic exchanges, and talent training. Starting in 2024, the China Science and Technology Exchange Center will take over the Chinese side’s management of the Dragon Program, working alongside ESA’s Earth Observation Department. These efforts have fostered a stable joint research team for Earth observation, achieved internationally leading research results, and provided technological support for tackling global challenges such as climate change. Josef Aschbacher, director-general of ESA, said the Dragon Program is one of the longest-standing and most fruitful cooperative projects between China and Europe. He noted that the program has not only facilitated profound exchanges between scientists from both regions, but also promoted the application of technological achievements.

https://japan.visitbeijing.com.cn/article/4IIUyyUiwCY Qingdao’s Port is currently one of the most automated and efficient automated wharves in the world. It began its climb to the pinnacle of global port technology in 2013. In 2017, the first phase of the fully automated container terminal began operation. At the end of 2023, the Qingdao Automated Terminal was put into operation. It has progressed to full automation. As a fully automated container terminal and a “hydrogen + 5G” smart green terminal, the terminal has improved work efficiency by 30% and reduced manpower by 80%. The average loading and unloading capacity has reached 36.2 containers per hour, and the highest efficiency has reached 60.2 containers per hour

http://en.people.cn/n3/2024/0626/c90000-20185859.html https://www.nature.com/articles/s41593-024-01692-6 The research team led by Duan Xiaojie at Peking University has designed and produced a neural probe named Neuroscroll, which isolates single neuronal activities simultaneously from 1,024 densely spaced channels flexibly distributed across the probe. The probe length is tunable from 1 cm to 10 cm, covering the brain sizes ranging from those of rodent species to primates. The team used the probes to achieve simultaneous monitoring of the activities of over 700 single neurons covering the entire depth of the macaque monkey brain. In addition, they have realized stable neural recording in the rat brain for up to two years, demonstrating the excellent biocompatibility and long-term recording stability of the probe. By implanting multiple probes, it is expected to further achieve neural recordings from up to tens of thousands of channels, which will bring transformative impacts to basic neuroscience and translational neuroscience research, such as brain-machine interfaces.

http://en.people.cn/n3/2024/0626/c90000-20185850.html China-Romania joint lab for agriculture cooperation unveils in Bucharest A China-Romania Joint Laboratory for Cooperation in Agriculture was officially inaugurated at the University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine (UASVM) in Bucharest, aiming to enhance collaborative research in agricultural science and technological innovation. This joint initiative was built by the Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development in Agriculture under the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences and the UASVM, with support from the Ministry of Science and Technology of China, the Chinese Embassy in Romania and the Romanian Ministry of Agriculture Since 2019, the initiative of the joint laboratory has completed various projects, including a plant factory with artificial light, a double-layer energy-saving greenhouse, and an edible fungus factory.

https://english.cas.cn/newsroom/research_news/life/202406/t20240621_665495.shtml https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-49516-2 A research team led by CHENG Xi and WEN Liuqing from the Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica (SIMM) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, WANG Dingyan from the Lingang Laboratory, along with the collaborators, introduced a new carbohydrate-binding site predictor DeepGlycanSite. This predictor outperforms previous state-of-the-art methods and effectively predicts binding sites for diverse carbohydrates. Incorporating geometric and evolutionary features of proteins into a deep equivariant graph neural network with transformer architecture, DeepGlycanSite is capable of accurately predicting carbohydrate-binding sites on a given protein structure. DeepGlycanSite can predict the specific binding site for a query carbohydrate. The researchers built a network model, DeepGlycanSite+Ligand, to process protein structure and two-dimensional chemical structure of the query carbohydrate, with extra modules for dealing with ligand parts. DeepGlycanSite+Ligand could distinguish the specific binding site of the query carbohydrate belonging to various classes, while previous state-of-the-art methods showed inefficacy in distinguishing mono-, di-, or oligosaccharide-binding sites. To set an example of its application, researchers used DeepGlycanSite+Ligand to identify the specific carbohydrate-binding site on a functionally important G-protein coupled receptor, P2Y purinoceptor 14 (P2Y14). P2Y14 regulates immune responses and associates with asthma, kidney injury and lung inflammation. In the calcium mobilization assay, guanosine 5’-diphosphatefucose (GDP-Fuc) is found to activate human P2Y14. As an essential sugar nucleotide in mammals, GDP-Fuc is critically involved in tumor growth and metastasis across various cancers. The GDP-Fuc-induced activation of P2Y14 has not been reported before. Hence, how GDP-Fuc acts on this receptor is unknown. The researchers also used DeepGlycanSite to identify that G80, D81 and N90 form the guanosine-5’-diphosphate-sugar-recognition site of P2Y14, and the findings were validated in mutagenesis studies.  

https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adn6881 https://english.news.cn/20240615/f2bb0b6f913449a9ba3d5ae7abd58bb9/c.html A research team  led by Wang Guirong at the CAAS Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen  along with scientists from Huazhong Agricultural University and the Institute of Plant Protection under the CAAS, has studied the structure of the alarm pheromone receptors in pea aphids by cryo electron microscopy. They revealed a mechanism by which aphids recognize alarm pheromones, providing a new perspective for understanding the interactions between insects. Their discovery has both scientific significance and practical application value, providing theoretical support and practical guidance for the development of environment-friendly technologies to prevent and control aphids.

http://j.people.com.cn/n3/2024/0613/c95952-20181026.html Zhou Guanghong, professor and laboratory director at the university, began in 2009 with research on “stem cell meat”. In 2019, the team cultivated 5 grams of “pork”, resulting in the birth of China’s first “cell-cultured meat”. In 2023, they achieved pilot mass production of a 500-liter bioreactor for cell-cultured pork fat, and finally produced 5 kilograms of “cell-cultured meat”. According to data from German research firm Statista, it is predicted that by 2040, 40% of the global meat product market will be conventional animal meat, 35% cell-cultured meat, and 25% plant protein meat. According to Zhou, once cell-cultured meat reaches the mass production stage, energy consumption can be significantly reduced, and according to rough calculations, greenhouse gas emissions can be reduced by 78-96%, land use by 80-99%, and water use by 82-96%.

http://j.people.com.cn/n3/2024/0614/c95952-20181438.html China’s first fully hydrogen energy port will be built in Qingdao, and the groundbreaking event was held on the 12th of June. The Shandong Port will use Qingdao Port to establish three systems: port hydrogen supply, high-efficiency hydrogen filling, and hydrogen use safety management and control. In addition to hydrogen energy container trucks, Qingdao Port has also introduced hydrogen energy into automated wharf applications, using hydrogen energy to power automated rail-mounted gantry cranes. In 2022, Qingdao Port completed China’s first fully qualified port hydrogen station in just three months. The station’s daily hydrogen filling capacity is more than 1,000 kilograms, and the hydrogen station’s cumulative hydrogen filling volume has exceeded 80 tons, reducing carbon emissions by more than 1,000 tons.