News
Our news cover the latest topics from the past 30 days, as retrieved from Chinese or Japanese press releases and other sources which we cite.
For news older than 30 days, please refer to the archive page.
For news topics up to November 2020, please click here to retrieve information from the “Window-to-China” website which remains active but is not further updated.
https://www.cas.cn/cm/202402/t20240226_5006078.shtml
China will establish over 200 CO2 emission standards
https://spc.jst.go.jp/news/240205/topic_3_03.html China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) announced that it will establish a system of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions peak-out carbon neutrality standards for the industrial sector by 2025 and establish more than 200 urgently needed standards for CO2 emissions peak-out. It will provide technical support for the implementation of carbon assessment and […]
http://en.people.cn/n3/2024/0304/c90000-20140318.html https://german.news.cn/20240305/a616c325949647ab97c796ee54dcb94d/c.html The drilling of a superdeep borehole in northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region exceeded 10,000 meters , marking a breakthrough in the country’s deep-Earth exploration. Located in the hinterland of the Taklimakan Desert in the Tarim Basin, the “Shenditake 1” is expected to reach a designed depth of 11,100 meters upon completion. It is […]
China’s negative population growth leads to discussions on supporting assisted reproductive technologies (ART)
http://en.people.cn/n3/2024/0304/c90000-20140206.html Recent data released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) show that China’s population decreased by 2.08 million people in 2023 to 1.40967 billion. In 2023, 9.02 million babies were born, resulting in a birth rate of 6.39 per thousand people. The birth rate marks a historic low in nearly 74 years (since 1950), […]
http://j.people.com.cn/n3/2024/0229/c95952-20138909. https://zhuanlan.zhihu.com/p/581374639 According to Xinjiang Yaxin Coal Bed Gas Investment and Development (Group), “Highly efficient development technology for difficult-to-mine coal bed gas resources in Xinjiang” has made step-by-step progress. On-site coal underground gasification (UCG) tests were successful, and gasification in a coal seam 1,000 meters underground was realized for the first time in China. UCG […]
https://spc.jst.go.jp/news/240301/topic_3_05.html The National Natural Science Foundation of China announced the “10 Major Advances in Chinese Science” for 2023. It mainly covers the fields of life science, medicine, artificial intelligence (AI), quantum, astronomy, and chemical energy. In view of the NNSFC, the 10 major developments in Chinese science ai 2023 were as follows. AI large-scale models […]
A fungal peroxidase can oxidise tetrahydropyranes to chiral hemiacetals or lactones
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-45545-z https://www.cas.cn/syky/202402/t20240218_5005493.shtml A team at the CAS Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology has applied reaction engineering strategies using immobilized peroxygenase from Agrocybe aegerita (AaeUPO) for C-H bond selective hydroxylation reaction of cyclic ether molecules in organic solvents, for the synthesis of optically pure chiral hemiacetal compounds . The immobilized peroxygenase which was already known to convert […]
Lanzhou University reports progress in prospecting a gold mine using muon imaging technology
http://en.people.cn/n3/2024/0222/c90000-20136110.html https://news.lzu.edu.cn/c/202311/107282.html Liu Zhiyi and colleagues have used the penetration capability of muons for the detection of cultural relicts and ores. Using self developed detection equipment, they conducted field measurement in a gold mine in northwest China’s Gansu Province. Using six sets of equipment to scan a large area of the gold mine, the imaging results […]
http://en.people.cn/n3/2024/0223/c90000-20136631.html China’s Ministry of Education (MOE) has announced a list of 184 primary and secondary schools selected as artificial intelligence (AI) education bases, with the aim of better promoting the development of AI education. To facilitate the implementation of AI education, primary and secondary schools should mainly rely on information technology, general technology and other […]
Shanghai team develops super “CD-ROM” with petaByte storage capacity
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-023-06980-y https://www.cas.cn/cm/202402/t20240223_5006001.shtml The CAS Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics and the University of Shanghai for Science and Technology have made a breakthrough in the research of ultra-large capacity and super-resolution three-dimensional optical storage. The team used the world’s first dual-beam controlled concentration-induced luminescence super-resolution optical storage technology to break through the diffraction limit in […]
China’s “Speech Valley” in Hefei
http://en.people.cn/n3/2024/0125/c90000-20126584.html China Speech Valley, located in the western suburbs of Hefei City, east China’s Anhui Province, is China’s first national-level industry base focusing on voice and AI. Founded in 2013, this base is now home to over 2,200 enterprises. iFLYTEK Co., Ltd. It was the first enterprise settled in China Speech Valley. As a leading […]
https://english.news.cn/20240207/0b3c68bf37fc4d8cb0726f14583ed7f3/c.html The center, managed by Peking University, is located in Huairou Science City in the northeastern suburbs of Beijing. With a planned construction area of 29,000 square meters and a total investment of approximately 630 million yuan (about 88.67 million U.S. dollars), the center is a key part of the multi-modal and multi-scale biomedical imaging […]
Simple and efficient plant transformation based on their active regeneration capacity
https://www.cell.com/plant-communications/fulltext/S2590-3462(24)00042-7 https://www.cas.cn/syky/202402/t20240207_5005253.shtml A team at South China Botanical Gardenias developed RAPID, a fast and efficient plant genetic transformation methods, based on active regeneration capacity of plants. They found that positive organs and transformed individuals could be obtained rapidly by injection into the sweet potato stem segment, and transformation efficiency could be optimized in terms of […]
Chemical synthesis of tubercle bacillus cell wall components will help to develop drugs
https://www.cas.cn/syky/202401/t20240130_5002061.shtml https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/jacs.3c12815 Lipoarabinomannan (LAM) from the Mycobacterium tuberculosis cell envelope represents important targets for the development of new therapeutic agents against tuberculosis. Researchers from the CAS Kunming Institute of Botany have developed a modular and efficient synthesis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis mannan cap lipoarabinomannan 101 sugar through a one-pot glycosidylation reaction and have achieved chemical synthesis of […]
https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.3c07131 http://j.people.com.cn/n3/2024/0124/c95952-20126137.html A research team at Xi’an Jian Tong University used a salt solution to induce a protein film-dressing self-assembling structure in the epidermis of the mot Astragalus membranaceus and showed that the tissue body has excellent biocompatibility. They also found that the tissue bodies have broad-spectrum antimicrobial properties towards Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, as […]
Robots will change China’s agriculture
Over 70 engineers of Shanghai Sweet AI Technology have recently done research and development on farming robots in Tinglin Township’s Diantian Farm in Shanghai. They maneuvere more than 60 types of iron-and-steel “cattle” with remote controls are AI-enabled robots capable of various farm works, including ploughing and harvesting. Farmers can simply log on to […]
https://www.163.com/dy/article/IOQP32PA05535RE3.html Anaerobic archaea will be sent by “Tianzhou 7” to the Chinese space station to test whether they can survive in an environment simulating Mars and the extremes of space radiation. This will help solve the question whether extraterrestrial life exists. Liu Zhu, professor of the Department of Earth Systematic Science at Tsinghua University, has selected […]
http://en.people.cn/n3/2024/0205/c90000-20131135.html China has rolled out an ethical guideline for brain-computer interfaces (BCI) aiming to better guide the compliant development of BCI research and prevent ethical risks in the process of research and technological applications. Application scenarios of future BCI technology are very extensive. By recording and interpreting brain signals, direct communication between the brain and […]
China will build data center for new materials
http://en.people.cn/n3/2024/0126/c90000-20127196.html http://paper.people.com.cn/rmrb/html/2024-01/26/nw.D110000renmrb_20240126_8-03.htm China will build a big data center for new materials as the country moves to digitalize its raw materials industry, according to a three-year work plan published on Thursday. The country will also build four digitalization promotion centers and manufacturing innovation centers for key segments of the raw materials industry, per the plan, which […]
Somatic cell-cloned Xizang cattle bred in SW China
http://en.people.cn/n3/2024/0129/c90000-20127962.html The world’s first cloned Xizang cattle species have been born in Southwest China’s Xizang Autonomous Region. Endangered cattle breeds Zhangmu cattle and Apeijiaza cattle, found on the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau, were successfully bred artificially using somatic cell cloning technology. The researchers collected the ear tissue of Zhangmu cattle and Apeijiaza cattle, established a fibroblast cell […]
China Environmental Valley in Hefei has over 400 enterprises
http://en.people.cn/n3/2024/0127/c90000-20127612.html Dubbed an “ecological environment hospital,” China Environment Valley in Hefei has become a thriving hub for environmental businesses. By the end of 2023, it housed over 400 enterprises dealing with fields related to water, atmosphere, solid waste, environmental modification and monitoring. Beyond just providing a physical space, the Valley fosters a collaborative ecosystem where companies […]
A sponge-derived flexible bio-ceramic material promotes osteogenic differentiation and cell proliferation
https://www.sic.cas.cn/xwzx/tpxw/202401/t20240126_6972499. The group of Wu Chengtie at the CAS Shanghai Institute of Silicate Research has prepared flexible bioactive ceramics derived from natural sponge skeletons. In this study, the natural sponge skeleton of silica was subjected to low-temperature hydrothermal mineralization in calcium hydroxide solution, and hydrated calcium silicate was grown in-situ on the surface of silica substrate, […]
Junheng Biotech obtains certificate for jet fuel oil made from waste oils and rift oil
http://j.people.com.cn/n3/2024/0123/c95952-20125488.html Henan Junheng Industry Group Biological Technology Co. has received airworthiness certificate for its fuel SAF from the Civil Aviation Administration of China on January 20, the first time a private petrochemical company has received this certification. SAF is a new type of aviation fuel that combines bio-manufactured green aviation fuel and conventional fuel in […]
http://en.people.cn/n3/2024/0126/c90000-20127375.htm https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adj3484 The biosynthesis of paclitaxel involves the formation of a highly functionalized diterpenoid core skeleton (baccatin III) and the subsequent assembly of a phenylisoserinoyl side chain. The group of Yan Jianbin at the CAAS Institute of Agricultural Genomics in Shenzhen has identified a bifunctional cytochrome P450 enzyme (Taxane oxetanase, TOT) that catalyzes an oxidative […]
https://www.cas.cn/cm/202401/t20240125_5001561.shtml https://doi.org/10.1039/D3SC05726G Aqueous zinc-ion batteries have the advantages of good safety and low cost, and have important application potential in the field of energy storage. However, water in the electrolyte is like a double-edged sword in zinc-ion batteries. Thanks to the use of aqueous solvents, zinc-ion batteries are not only safe, but also have a […]
http://j.people.com.cn/n3/2024/0119/c95952-20124309.html The science experiment payload aboard China’s space freighter Tianzhou 7 includes anaerobic archaea, the main source of methane gas in the earth’s atmosphere, originating from anaerobic environments such as the deep sea, rice fields, and ruminant stomachs. The anaerobic archaea will be tested in the Chinese space station whether they can survive in an […]
A new supersolid cryogenic coolant
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-023-06885-w https://spc.jst.go.jp/news/240104/topic_2_01.html After years of research, the joint research team, led by Vice Professor Moon-Tao-Kim of Peking Aeronautical University, has made significant progress in basic research to realize cryogenic cooling without liquid helium and discovered experimental evidence of the existence of spin supersolids in Na2BaCo(PO4)2. The next goal of the research team is to push […]
http://j.people.com.cn/n3/2024/0117/c95952-20123333.html In 2023, students of Shenzhen University visited the Guizhou Red Water Oolong Chicken Farm and spent more than eight months developing a smart farming system for Oolong chickens, under the guidance of faculty members and Tencent’s engineers. Through continuous upgrades, the students identified and tracked 250,000 oolong chickens. Six months after the system went […]
China holds more than 4 million valid invention patents
At a press conference held recently by the State Council Press Office, an official from the State Intellectual Property Office of China announced that the number of invention patents held in China (excluding Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan) at the end of 2023 increased by 22.4% year-on-year to 4.015 million, making China the first country […]
Light-driven ammonia synthesis using lithium hydride
https://www.cas.cn/syky/202401/t20240124_5001454.shtml https://doi.org/10.1038/s41557-023-01395-8 Hydrogenation of nitrogen to synthesize ammonia is one of the key chemical reactions for sustaining life on earth and meeting the energy and chemical needs of human society. However, the existing Haber-Bosch technology for ammonia synthesis requires demanding reaction conditions at high temperature and pressure (>400ºC, >100 bar). This is an energy-intensive and […]