Huo Mingyuan, chief scientist, said the 20-day exploration aims to get to know the river's current ecosystem situation, how the ecosystem evolve and its impact.

The mission also aims to know its biodiversity and current state of its water resources, Huo said.

The team includes experts from the Chinese Academy of Science's Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Institute of Hydrobiology and Kunming Institute of Botany.

The team will start the exploration from Xishuangbanna in southwest China's Yunnan Province and then go down the river, which is called Lancang River in China.

Sun Jiulin, academician of Chinese Academy of Engineering, said the mission is also significant for the opening-up of western border regions and China's cooperation wit...]]> Science Sat, 21 Nov 2009 13:16:00 +0800 /articles/09/1119/197709/MTk3NzA5iHsIetZB.html     SHANGHAI, Nov. 17 (Xinhua) -- Researchers have created a smart transgenic rat whose brain cells communicate a bit longer than usual, shedding light on the possibility of enhancing human memory, a scientist said Tuesday in Shanghai.

    Researchers improved the rat's memory by over-expressing NR2B gene in the hippocampus, a learning and memory center in the brain, said Cao Xiaohua, a professor at a brain science lab of East China Normal University (ECNU).

    "As human beings have a similar NR2B gene, theoretically the research is a boost for the study of improving human memory," Cao said. "The finding also brings hope to patients suffering from Alzheimer's or dementia."

    NR2B is a subunit of NMBA receptors that let in electrically-charged ions to the neurons to facilitate brain cell activity and communications. Over-expressing the gene can make the brain c...]]> Science Wed, 18 Nov 2009 21:06:35 +0800 /articles/09/1117/197532/MTk3NTMyFOVcrnzV.html Chinese exploration team unloads supplies at the port of the Great Wall Station in Antarctic, Nov. 16, 2009. The 26th Antarctic exploration team of China completed the task of uploading supplies from Snow Dragon exploration ship to Great Wall Station on Monday after 4 days' work. The Snow Dragon, with more than 170 scientists, workers and crew members on board, left Shanghai on Oct. 11. (Xinhua/Cui Jing)

The 26th Antarctic exploration team of China completed the task of unloading supplies on Monday and will bound for the Zhongshan Station soon.

Arriving at the surrounding waters of the Great Wall Station on early Nov. 12 on the Snow Dragon exploration ship, the Chinese exploration team immediately began to unload supplies from the ship upon their arrival.

Working around the clock in two shifts, the team members saved half of the time previously scheduled for replenishment for the station.

Chinese explo...]]> Science Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:29:30 +0800 /articles/09/1117/197531/MTk3NTMxn8UsyC6F.html Relevant governmental departments are demanding an investigation into all mobile websites in each administrative area, and will close websites found to be displaying offensive content. Advertisements on mobile porn websites and illicit behaviors like providing Net access, increment services and payment agencies for mobile porn websites will be removed in the campaign.

    Per-capita funding rose to 1.84 yuan (0.27 U.S. cents) last year, up by 0.66 yuan from that of 2006 when the last survey was conducted.

    It said governments at various levels earmarked more than 2.44 billion yuan (357 million U.S. dollars) in 2008 to finance science promotion, up almost 57 percent.

    The country had about 1.76 million workers devoted to promoting science last year, up 8.5 percent from 2006, but still only 13 science promotion staff for every 10,000 Chinese, it said.

    The survey showed China had more than 1,100 popular science venues such as science museums, each covering more than 500 square meters. They attract...]]> Science Fri, 13 Nov 2009 21:07:24 +0800 /articles/09/1113/197129/MTk3MTI52fyKdfrc.html The Chinese exploration ship Snow Dragon arrived at the Great Wall Station in western Antarctica on Thursday with more than 2,300 tons of supplies and oil.

Due to the temperature rise in Antarctica, the area around the station has been thawing and littering the surrounding sea with floating ice and several icebergs.

The ice forced the crew to unload the supplies with boats. The workers were scheduled to complete the task in eight days.

The Snow Dragon, with more than 170 scientists, workers and crew members on board, left Shanghai on Oct. 11. The vessel was expected to set sail Nov. 21 for China's Zhongshan Station in the Antarctica.

    Due to a temperature increase on Antarctica, the area around the station has been thawing and littering the surrounding sea with floating ice and several icebergs.

    The ice forced the crew to unload the supplies with boats. The workers were scheduled to complete the task in eight days.

    During the ship's stay, scientists were to take advanced measurements of Antarctica's key features for the drawing of China's first land cover map of the continent, expected to be published by the end of 2009.

    The Snow Dragon, with more than 170 scientists, workers and crew members on board, left Shanghai on Oct. 11. The vessel was expect...]]> Science Thu, 12 Nov 2009 16:08:45 +0800 /articles/09/1112/196969/MTk2OTY5nleHYDmk.html Alternatives should be considered before a hydropower project in the Yangtze River's conservation area moves ahead and endangers rare fish, scientists said.

The proposed site for the Xiaonanhai dam is in the experimental zone of the Upper Yangtze National Nature Reserve for Rare and Endangered Fish, triggering criticism from environmentalists and scientists.

"The project is very risky ecologically and economically," said David L. Harrison, former chairman of the Nature Conservancy, a non-governmental organization based in the United States.

Chinese and foreign environmentalists and scientists are trying to halt the Xiaonanhai dam, upstream of Chongqing, which will further damage the ecological environment of the nation's longest river.

"This reserve is considered by many fish experts as the last habitat for some of the endangered and local fish species," said Ma Jun, director of the Institute of Public and Env...]]> Science Thu, 12 Nov 2009 03:17:22 +0800 /articles/09/1112/196952/MTk2OTUyHDGlODnq.html     BEIJING, Nov. 11 (Xinhua) -- China will launch a scientific research satellite into space in the near future from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the northwestern Gansu Province, a spokesman with the center said Wednesday.

    The satellite, "Shijian XI-01," would be carried by a China-developed Long March 2C rocket, he said.

    Both the satellite and the rocket were in good condition and preparations were proceeding well, the spokesman said without giving further details.

    According to a white paper published in 2006, China's Shijian, or Practice, series of satellites are designed for scientific research and technological experiments.

    The board of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), a nonprofit body that oversees Internet addresses, has allowed the use of non-Latin characters in more than 20 languages, including Chinese.

    The China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC), which will oversee Chinese-character domain names, will sumbit requests for top-level names with the suffix ".Zhongguo" (China) in all Chinese characters as soon as the ICANN allows non-Latin-character applications from Nov. 16.

    Any organizations or individuals in China could apply for a domain names in Chinese characters to 43 domestic website companies authorized by the CNNIC.

 &nb...]]> Science Tue, 10 Nov 2009 21:05:50 +0800 /articles/09/1111/196830/MTk2ODMwX09E43i3.html     HONG KONG, Nov. 10 (Xinhua) -- The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government had set a goal to make Hong Kong a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) center and a RFID trendsetter in the Asia Pacific Region, the Commissioner for Innovation and Technology Janet Wong said Tuesday.

    Speaking at the Hong Kong RFID Awards 2009 presentation ceremony on Tuesday, Wong said the government spared no effort in promoting the development of RFID technology, to facilitate its adoption in local industries, as well as to encourage the general public to realize its importance.

    "The establishment of the Hong Kong RFID Center last year in Hong Kong Science Park and the continuous funding support for RFID research projects are some of the examples," she said.

    However, Wong stressed that all these efforts would not bear fruit without the staunch support from indus...]]> Science Tue, 10 Nov 2009 21:05:44 +0800 /articles/09/1111/196829/MTk2ODI5tuhCMYwP.html     HONG KONG, Nov. 10 (Xinhua) -- Hong Kong's Permanent Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Duncan Pescod will leave for Bali, Indonesia on Nov. 11 to attend the Asia Pacific Telecommunity (APT) Ministerial Meeting, according to local government website on Tuesday.

    This year, the APT Ministerial Meeting, to be held on Nov. 12- 13, will commemorate the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the APT, and deliberate on strengthening regional collaboration towards the broadband economy.

    Participating ministers will discuss at various sessions issues including measures to facilitate digital inclusion, improving the quality of life, and increasing efficiency in the convergence of technologies.

    The ministers are expected to adopt a joint ministerial statement and a plan of action that would further strengthen regional collaboration at the end of t...]]> Science Tue, 10 Nov 2009 21:05:38 +0800 /articles/09/1109/196661/MTk2NjYxz7AASTap.html China will launch a French-made communications satellite for the Hong Kong-based APT Satellite Holding Limited in the first half of 2012.

A contract for the launch service was signed here Sunday.

The satellite, dubbed APTSTAR-7 and made by the Thales Alenia Space, will be sent into space by China's Long March 3B/E carrier rocket at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwestern China, according to a statement issued by the China Great Wall Industry Corporation (CGWIC), the contractor of the launch on Sunday.

The satellite, with a designed life span of 15 years, will function for the service of live television broadcast and communications in Asia, the Middle East, Australia Africa and parts of the European Union.

As the only Chinese company engaged in international commercial satellite launching services, CGWIC, a subsidiary of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, has launched 36 foreign sate...]]> Science Mon, 09 Nov 2009 07:52:22 +0800 /articles/09/1105/196320/MTk2MzIwYitkJDnN.html The design and first-phase construction of three inland nuclear power stations in China has begun, Wang Binghua, chairman of State Nuclear Power Technology Corp., said Wednesday at 2009 China Power Forum.

    More than 100 universities from about 20 countries are expected to send humanoid robots to compete in 16 events in five categories, including track and field, balls, combat, dancing as well as domestic service such as cleaning and medical care, said Hong Rongbing, a professor with Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT) and an official with the China National Conference of Artificial Intelligence.

    Unlike other games that allow both wheeled and humanoid robots, this event accepts only android robots designed in human forms, with two legs and two arms, he said.

    Organizers had yet to set the specific dates of the games and they were still gathering sponsorship,...]]> Science Thu, 05 Nov 2009 02:05:35 +0800 /articles/09/1104/196231/MTk2MjMxAQT4Kl45.html Visitors chat as they take a break in a courtyard enclaved with blooming flowers at Yangling Agricultural Hi-tech Fair in northwest China's Shaanxi Province Nov. 3, 2009. (Xinhua/Ding Haitao) ]]> Science Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:50:49 +0800 /articles/09/1103/196027/MTk2MDI3REcKCNFB.html Chinese researchers have more than doubled their output of scientific papers and now are second only to the United States in terms of volume, according to a report from Thomson Reuters released on Monday.

    The service is available for the Nokia S60 phone in China's mainland, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao. A query of an address in Mandarin Chinese could return a result within seconds.

    Google launched multi-language voice search engines to overcome the difficulty of typing complicated search queries on mobile phones, said Lin Bin, deputy head of Google's China research center.

    Google offered its English voice search service, including images and maps, for the Android, Nokia S60, BlackBerry and iPhone phones last year.

Local residents of Xiaoying Alley lay the white chrisanthemum to mourn for the just passed-away China's keystone space scientist Qian Xuesen, in front of his portrait on a stone tablet in his hometown of Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang province, Oct. 31, 2009. Qian Xuesen, widely acclaimed as the country's "father of space technology" and "king of rocketry", died of illness in Beijing Saturday morning at the age of 98. Under the guidance of Qian, also known as Tsien Hsue-shen, China finished the blueprint on developing jet and rocket technology. He also played a significant role in developing the country's first artificial earth satellite. (Xinhua/Xu Zuoheng) ]]> Science Sun, 01 Nov 2009 08:34:32 +0800 /articles/09/1101/195850/MTk1ODUwNPPUuugT.html CAS oldest academician, founder of China's biophysics dies at 107

    BEIJING, Oct. 31 (Xinhua) -- Bei Shizhang, a renowned biologist and educator and founder of China's biophysics, died Thursday morning at the age of 107, according to a statement from the Chinese Academy of Sciences(CAS) Saturday.

     This is an undated file photo of Bei Shizhang. Bei Shizhang, founder of China's biophysics and exobiology sciences, passed away in Beijing on Oct. 29, 2009. Bei, considered as the "Father of Biophysics" in China, was born in Oct. 10, 1903, at Zhenhai county of east China's Zhejiang Province. He is the founder, the first chief director and current honorary director of Biophysics Institute of Chinese Academy of Sciences. (Xinhua)Photo Gallery>>>

    Bei Shizhang, widely considered as the "Father of Biophysics" in China, was born on Oct. 10, 1903, at Zhenhai county...]]> Science Sun, 01 Nov 2009 07:07:03 +0800 /articles/09/1101/195838/MTk1ODM4xgZmylpg.html

File photo shows Bei Shizhang (2nd L) analysing experience reports with other researchers. Bei Shizhang, founder of China's biophysics and exobiology sciences, passed away in Beijing on Oct. 29, 2009. Bei, considered as the "Father of Biophysics" in China, was born in Oct. 10, 1903, at Zhenhai county of east China's Zhejiang Province. He is the founder, the first chief director and current honorary director of Biophysics Institute of Chinese Academy of Sciences. (Xinhua)

    Bei Shizhang, widely considered as the "Father of Biophysics" in China, was born on Oct. 10, 1903, at Zhenhai county of east China's Zhejiang Province.

    He is the founder of China's biophysics, radiobiology, cosmobiology and has made important contributions to China's life science and manned space program, read the statement.

    He is also a pioneer of Chinese life science research and education and served as the first chief director and honorary director of CAS's Biophysics Institute.

China's 26th Antarctic expedition team Saturday morning left New Zealand's coastal city Christchurch for the Antarctic on board the icebreaker "Xuelong", or Snow Dragon.

The vessel arrived at the port on Thursday, where it took 720 tons of fuels, over 200 tons of fresh water and 5 tons of vegetables before setting sail to its final destination.

The crew carried out maintenance work at the port to ensure all the equipments and navigational aids function well in the upcoming journey.

"We will make a full-speed dash southward to cross the stormy westerlies on our way toward the Antarctic," said Wang Jianzhong, captain of the vessel.

He said the vessel would face critical sea condition Tuesday and Wednesday. "If everythi...]]> Science Sat, 31 Oct 2009 02:52:19 +0800 /articles/09/1030/195657/MTk1NjU3PyEJGFtU.html China unveiled its fastest supercomputer yesterday, which at its peak speed can do more than one quadrillion calculations per second, known as a petaflop.

The birth of the supercomputer, named "Tianhe", which means "Milky Way", makes China the second country, after the United States, to build a petaflop computer. This gigantic device can do as many calculations in one day as those done by an ordinary dual-core personal computer in 160 years, said Li Nan, director of the Tianhe Project Office under the National University of Defense Technology, developer of the supercomputer.

Tianhe, at a cost of 600 million yuan ($88 million), ranks first on China's Top 100 supercomputer list released in Changsha, capital of Hunan Province, with a theoretical peak performance of 1.206 petaflops and a Linpack performance of 560 teraflops.

The Linpack benchmark is used to measure the supercomputer's real performance in practical use.

    Thirteen researchers, including a scientist from Taiwan, will board the ship during its two-day stay at Christchurch. It will be the first time for a researcher from Taiwan to join the Chinese mainland's Antarctic expedition.

    An S76 helicopter rented from Australia with three crew members will also join the team in port. It will mainly be used for personnel and small cargo transportation during the expedition in Antarctic.

    The Xuelong left China's eastern coastal city of Shanghai on Oct. 11. It crossed the equator on Oct. 19 and navigated in the Southern Pacific Ocean for 10 days.

 &...]]> Science Thu, 29 Oct 2009 07:08:44 +0800 /articles/09/1029/195539/MTk1NTM5Lbm2Qdsz.html Science Thu, 29 Oct 2009 03:29:43 +0800 /articles/09/1027/195317/MTk1MzE3mbXRfCTz.html Chinese scientists from the country's 26th Antarctic expedition are expected to complete the world's first land cover map of the Antarctica at the end of this year.

It will be the most accurate map of the continent, presenting various land features, they told Xinhua correspondent aboard Xuelong (Snow Dragon) icebreaker in a recent interview.

The research team will conduct wide range of field spectral collection on the Antarctica to provide data for the map.

The map, with the application of high resolution remote sensing technology, will for the first time in the history show the distribution of key features on the continent, including sea ice, snow, blue ice, rocks, soil marshes, lakes and ice crevasse.

Remote sensing technology is one of the most...]]> Science Tue, 27 Oct 2009 03:26:16 +0800 /articles/09/1027/195316/MTk1MzE21BJDg3SL.html The Chinese armed forces have reviewed key information in military archives to locate the crash site of a US bomber 59 years ago, hoping to retrieve remains of some pilots out of the total 15 on board.

    BEIJING, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- He has a mixture of roles: an enjoying international reputation, a reformist in China's most prestigious Peking University and a vigilant observer of problematic Chinese science systems.

    Rao Yi finds that he is not content to be a researcher hidden in labs and literatures. "Intellectuals should have a clear mind of social issues and make due contributions by speaking out and taking actions."

    He is most notable for his opinion article "A Fundamental Transition from Rule-by-Man to Rule-by-Merit" published on the London-based science journal Nature in 2005, in which he questioned the loopholes of China's Mid-to-Long Term Plan (MLP) of Science and Technology (2006-2020) and put forward straightforward proposals.

    But Rao, 47, says he himself is simple in mind. ...]]> Science Thu, 22 Oct 2009 07:07:27 +0800 /articles/09/1022/194828/MTk0ODI4P9Os4im3.html     SHANGHAI, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- New-type explosives detectors have begun to serve at some major stations of the urban rail transport system in Shanghai to help ensure security for the World Expo scheduled for May 1 next year, developers said on Thursday.

    The detectors, dubbed SIM 07 and SIM 08, have passed tests by the Ministry of Public Security.

    The new products were produced on the basis of the fluorescent polymer sensing technology that was jointly developed by the Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Shanghai Sanco Instrument Co.,Ltd.

    The new detectors are more sensitive than experienced police dogs, and would do no harm to operators and those being investigated and produce no pollutants, according to the developers.

Special Report:  Expo 2010 Shanghai China  

    It will be hard for the country to achieve its goal of sustainable development if measures were not taken to improve energy efficiency and to cut carbon emission, the experts warned, citing the fact that a 75 percent of urbanization by 2050 means much more energy consumption and carbon dioxide emission.

    They sounded the alarm in a report, China's Low Carbon Eco-city Development Strategy, which was launched here Monday based on a research by the Chinese Society for Urban Studies (CSUS).

    The report predicted that even in the best "low-carbon development" scenario, the rise of the emission of carbon dioxide, a major greenhouse gas (GHG), would l...]]> Science Mon, 19 Oct 2009 21:07:34 +0800 /articles/09/1019/194487/MTk0NDg3M4EaF1qK.html Wang said that the ship independently developed by China cost 400 million yuan (US$59 million) to build.

    Wang Xuelong, deputy director of China Geological Survey Bureau, handed over the certificate of seaworthiness for the ship coded Ocean No. 6 to the Guangzhou Marine Geological Survey Bureau, which is carrying out the combustible ice survey in South China Sea.

    Wang said that the ship independently developed by China cost 400 million yuan (59 million U.S. dollars) to build.

    The ship has a gross tonnage of 4,600 tons and an endurance of 15,000 nautical miles. It has been equipped with underwater remote-control survey facilities and other high-tech devices, he said.

    China announced in 2007 to have successfully excavated combustible ice, a kind of...]]> Science Sun, 18 Oct 2009 12:05:12 +0800 /articles/09/1014/193954/MTkzOTU04XBuOs2T.html     LHASA, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- Chinese and German scientists are establishing an astronomical observatory in a Tibetan county 4,300 meters above sea level.

    Construction of the observatory began on Monday in Yangbajain Township, of Damxung County in the suburbs of Tibet's regional capital Lhasa, said project leader Wang Junjie Tuesday.

    The observatory would be operational in early 2011, after a state-of-the-art telescope was moved to the Tibet plateau from its current site in the Swiss Alps, said Wang, a researcher with the National Astronomical Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), in Beijing.

    Wang and his colleagues are establishing the observatory in collaboration with scientists from the University of Cologne.

    The project will enable Chinese and German scientists to carry out interdisciplinary research...]]> Science Tue, 13 Oct 2009 21:09:28 +0800 /articles/09/1013/193814/MTkzODE0X2pkWTM4.html     ABOARD XUELONG, Oct. 12 (Xinhua) -- All cruising observations have begun prior to Monday noon on the icebreaker Snow Dragon, or the Xuelong, which took Chinese scientists off Shanghai Sunday morning for the country's 26th scientific expedition to the Antarctica.

    Scientists conducted biological sampling with China's self-made high-speed sampling equipment every six hours on the rear deck, with the aim to analyze the oceanic environment along the way on the basis of the distribution, categories and composition of the plankton.

    In the chemical laboratory aboard the ship, scientists kept pumping marine water and collecting organic carbon granule and chlorophyl through a filter in order to analyze the transference and transformation of carbon and thereout deduce the global climate change.

    An aerosol collector was installed on the dock which covers the driv...]]> Science Mon, 12 Oct 2009 21:06:06 +0800 /articles/09/1011/193665/MTkzNjY1sq464V6i.html Icebreaker Xuelong, or "Snow Dragon" prepares to leave for China's 26th scientific expedition to the Antarctica, in Shanghai, east China, on Oct. 11, 2009.(Xinhua/Chen Fei)Photo Gallery>>>

    Chen Lianzeng, deputy director of the National Bureau of Oceanography (NBO), declared at 10:10 a.m. the start of China's 26th expedition to the Antarctica.

    A group of 251 scientists, workers and logistics staff from China, Australia and Russia began the half-year-long research expedition in the icebreaker Xuelong, or "Snow Dragon."

    During the trip, two exploration teams would be sent to the inner land of Antarctica.

People w...]]> Science Sun, 11 Oct 2009 12:07:22 +0800 /articles/09/1011/193614/MTkzNjE09X8kmjsm.html [1] [2] [3] [4]

Wei Wenliang, head of the Polar Expedition Office under the administration, said at a press conference held in Shanghai on Wednesday that the trip will last for about 180 days, and scientists will conduct 59 research projects during the trip.

He said the team will conduct regular researches at the two stations of Changcheng and Zhongshan, and build the third station, Kunlun at Dome Argus, the pole's highest icecap, 4,093 meters above the sea level.

In addition, the team will carry out geological and biologic research on the continent.

Wei said the team members will continue to study Grove Mountains, and collect meteorite samples there.

In January, China set up the Kunlun station at Dome Argus.

The Changcheng (Great Wall) Station,...]]> Science Thu, 08 Oct 2009 03:17:33 +0800 /articles/09/1008/193297/MTkzMjk3Hd64PiDH.html     SHANGHAI, Oct. 7 (Xinhua) -- A team of 251 members will leave on board the vessel Snow Dragon for China's 26th Antarctic exploration on Oct. 11, the State Oceanic Administration announced Wednesday.

    Wei Wenliang, head of the Polar Expedition Office under the administration, said at a press conference held in Shanghai on Wednesday that the trip will last for about 180 days, and scientists will conduct 59 research projects during the trip.

    He said the team will conduct regular researches at the two stations of Changcheng and Zhongshan, and build the third station, Kunlun at Dome Argus, the pole's highest icecap, 4,093 meters above the sea level.

    In addition, the team will carry out geological and biologic research on the continent.

    Wei said the team members will continue to study Grove Mountains, and collect meteorite sample...]]> Science Wed, 07 Oct 2009 16:08:45 +0800 /articles/09/1008/193296/MTkzMjk20IFQQAEJ.html     HONG KONG, Oct. 7 (Xinhua) -- Five scientists were awarded the Shaw Prize on Wednesday in Hong Kong at a prize-giving ceremony for their outstanding achievements in astronomy, life science and medicine, and mathematical sciences.

    The astronomy prize went to Professor Frank H Shu, University Professor of the ten-campus University of California System of the United States, in recognition of his life-time contributions in theoretical astronomy.

    Professor Chen-Ning Yang, Chairman of the Shaw Prize's board of adjudicators, said at the ceremony, as a renowned theoretical astronomer, Shu's work on how stars have formed in the billions of past years has revolutionized researchers' understanding of the history of the universe.

    The Life Science and Medicine Award were awarded jointly to Professor Douglas L Coleman, Emeritus Scientist of the Jackson Laboratory, ...]]> Science Wed, 07 Oct 2009 16:08:38 +0800 /articles/09/1007/193265/MTkzMjY1GdFLxm2B.html The local government sources said the trees, with the oldest ones dating back more than 800 years, have not only ornamental value but value in scientific research.

Dove trees have been included in the list of plants under state primary protection in China.

Dove tree (Davidia Involucrata Baill), a sort of deciduous arbor, is regarded as living fossil in flora world with a history of 10 million years. Most species of dove trees have extinguished gradually. Only a few of them survived in part of southern China.

In addition to Guizhou, dove trees have been found in Shennongjia of central Hubei Province and Mount Emei in southwestern Sichuan Province.

    The local government sources said the trees, with the oldest ones dating back more than 800 years, have not only ornamental value but value in scientific research.

    Dove trees have been included in the list of plants under state primary protection in China.

    Dove tree (Davidia Involucrata Baill), a sort of deciduous arbor, is regarded as living fossil in flora world with a history of 10 million years. Most species of dove trees have extinguished gradually. Only a few of them survived in part of southern China.

    In addition to Guizhou, dove trees have been found in Shennongjia of central Hubei Province and Mount Emei in southwestern Sichuan Province.

Based on the traffic figures recorded in the first quarter of 2009, it is estimated that the new routes will enable annual savings of more than 10 million kilometers in journey, or 12,000 hours in flight time for the arrival aircraft.

With an average of about 150 flights using the new routes daily, about 8 million passengers will benefit annually from these express routes.

The new routes will enable air travelers to have shorter flying time while airline operators will benefit from less fuel consumption.

The depart...]]> Science Sat, 03 Oct 2009 02:59:16 +0800 /articles/09/1003/192964/MTkyOTY0EkfDlgp5.html     YICHANG, Hubei Province, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- Chinese scientists announced here on Thursday that the artificial propagation of the rare Chinese sturgeon would no longer count on wild fish as they have made successful artificial insemination and spawning of cultured sturgeons.

    Director Shang Zhenyang of the Chinese Sturgeon Research Institute (CSRI) of the China Three Gorges Corporation said that the reproductive breakthrough achieved on Wednesday night marked "a milestone" in the protection of the vertebrate species dating back 140 million years.

    The two sturgeons under experiment, one female and one male, were both sexually mature and of the first filial generation of the artificially-bred at the institute's breeding farm in the Three Gorges Dam area.

    In 100 to 120 hours, the inseminated eggs would grow into fries, researchers say.

  &nb...]]> Science Fri, 02 Oct 2009 16:06:48 +0800 /articles/09/1001/192810/MTkyODEwr6mSEgpL.html China's first Mars probe mission will be delayed because of Russia's decision to postpone the launch of its mission to the Martian moon Phobos from next month to the year 2011.

Russia's Phobos-Grunt mission had been slated to lift off aboard a Zenith rocket in October on a three-year mission to study Phobos and return soil samples to Earth. Yinghuo-1 orbiter was set to be launched with the mission.

But Anatoly Perminov, head of the Russian Federal Space Agency, said on the agency's official website Tuesday that the mission will be delayed from October to the next launch window in 2011, in order to enhance the reliability of the project, Xinhua News Agency reported.

Russian scientists need more time to study Phobos' surface and design better facilities to collect soil samples from Phobos, so that the high cost of the mission will not be in vain, Xinhua reported.

The delay has dampened China's first Mars probe plan, ...]]> Science Thu, 01 Oct 2009 02:46:53 +0800