China in Africa

The group of Yunhong SONG at CAS Institute of Industrial Biotechnology in Tianjin cloned a soluble enzyme I (SHI) from Pyrococcus furiosus and overexpressed it in Thermococcus kodakarensis. Purification was achieved in one step using a nickel-loaded column. The rSHI purified by this method was coupled with an FMN-containing diaphorase (DI) to form a new electron transport chain. which utilized hydrogen as a reducing agent to regenerate NADH, used to convert pyruvic acid into lactic acid.

CAS news release, November 5, 2018

According to the news, the South China seas lack meteorological observation stations, leading to dangers for maritime traffic. With the operation of the new meteorological observation station on a reef of the Spratly Islands, this empty space can be filled up and eventually comprise stations for observation of basic weather, high altitude weather, a weather radar etc., providing continuous meteorological forecasts.

Japan JST China news, November 1, 2018

The group around WU Lifang at CAS Hefei Institute of Physical Sciences has developed a procedure to protect wheat from the pathogen causing powdery mildew disease, Blumeria graminis f. sp. tritici. They sprayed the wheat with a nanocomposite made from modified palygorskite, a natural clay.

CAS news release, November 1, 2018

A team around Zihe RAO at CAS Hefei Institute of Material Science has solved the structure of a respiratory supercomplex isolated from Mycobacterium smegmatis at3.5-Å resolution by cryo electron microscopy. Using low-temperature electron spin resonance equipment, a new electron transfer mechanism coupled with oxime oxidation and oxygen reduction was revealed. From the perspective of structural biology, it was confirmed that there is a direct interaction between superoxide dismutase and respiratory chain complex, as well as its role in scavenging potential free radicals and synergistic redox reactions. Targeted blockage of the respiratory chain of pathogenic bacteria is an important strategy for the development of drug-resistant tuberculosis drugs.

CAS news release, October 31, 2018

Beijing is testing 4 autonomous road cleaners for ther cleaning of road surfaces, sidewalks, and parks, and 3 for the cleaning of shopping centers, railway and airport facilities. The upper part of the electrically-driven cleaning trucks are made of new materials such as lightweight aluminum alloy, the vehicle is maximally weight-reduced. After 2-3 hours of charge, travelable distance is 90 km and the vehicle can work for 6 hours. Each car substitutes for about 10 – 20 workers.

Japan JST China news, October 31, 2018

The China-France Oceanography Satellite (CFOSat), atop a Long March-2C carrier rocket, was launched from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, in northwest China’s Gobi Desert, and entered a sun-synchronous orbit 520 km above the Earth. The joint mission between the China National Space Administration (CNSA) and the Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales, the French space agency, will enable 24-hour observations of global wave spectrum, effective wave height and ocean surface wind field.

CAS news release, October 30, 2018

The gcMeta platform https://gcmeta.wdcm.org/workflow/config/imcas/Tool_OrthoANI/1/is a platform for the management, analysis and dissemination of microbial genomes and microbiome data. gcMeta has established a one-stop system for microbial genome, metagenome and transcriptome management, online data analysis, visualization and data dissemination. At present, it has integrated more than 120,000 sample data from international related platforms (NCBI, EBI, MG-RAST, etc.) and important projects (HMP, Tara, etc.), more than 2,000 sample data from Chinese scientists, and the total data volume exceeds 120TB.

CAS news release, October 30, 2018

China will introduce a quick reporting of earthquake seismic intensity to high-speed rail networks nationwide by 2021, according to the China Earthquake Administration (CEA). The plan is intended to strengthen the safety of China’s vast high-speed rails as they will extend to over 30,000 km by 2020, covering more than 80 percent of large and medium-sized cities.

CAS news release, October 29, 2018

MGI, a subsidiary of BGI in Shenzhen, has introduced its newest model of DNA sequencer, the MGISEQ-T7. A quad-flow cell platform enables multiple flow cells with different read lengths and applications to be processed independently at any time in a single run. The platform supports whole genome sequencing, ultra-depth exome sequencing, epigenome sequencing, and large-panel tumor gene detection.MGISEQ-T7 can complete whole-genome sequencing for up to 60 human genomes in a single day, and of 10,000 genomes within a year.

MGITech news release, October 28, 2018

China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment will prohibit the production of HCFC-141b from January 1, 2019, an ozone layer destroying substance. China is currently the world’s largest manufacturer and exporter of household refrigerators (2017: 73.3 million units), household freezers (22 million units), electric water heaters (2017: about 35 million units) and storage type water heaters (about 32.55 million units). It can be said that the public notice has a big influence on the home electronics industry. According to KANG Feng, chairman of the China Home Appliances Association, all three industries have already established alternative technologies and have full technical ability to eliminate the use of HCFC-141b as a foaming agent.

Japan JST China news release, October 25, 2018

The 20 kg satellite was launched by a Long March 4B carrier rocket from Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center. The working time of this cubic small iron box on its scheduled track will run through 2018 double 11 (november 11) and send happy signals from space to consumers around the world. When the “Candy Can” is over the top, Alibaba customers will receive push informations from space and have  the opportunity to appear on a “Space Screen”. AliExpress users will receive a “rain of red envelopes ” (gifts).

People’s network, October 25, 2018

China will start putting together its first manned space station around 2020. First, a Long March 5B heavy-lift rocket will put the station’s core module into orbit that year. Next, about four manned spaceflights will send astronauts to assemble the station. The space station is expected to be fully operational around 2022. It is set to operate for about 15 years. In 2024, it will become the world’s only space station if the United States-led International Space Station is retired that year as planned. The station will be able to carry more than 10 tons of scientific and experimental equipment. It will have 26 internal payload cabinets, 67 external hatches designed to dock with medium-sized extravehicular apparatuses and four external points for towing large instruments.

CAS news release, October 24, 2018

The observatory is located at Karholl, some 66 km east of Akureyri in northern Iceland. It can accommodate 15 people in a work/live facility for research on aurora, atmosphere, glacier and remote sensing. In 2013, the Polar Research Institute of China (PRIC) and the Icelandic Centre for Research (RANNIS) decided to jointly build an aurora observatory. In 2017, it was decided to upgrade the aurora observatory to the China-Iceland Arctic Science Observatory that will enable not just aurora observations, but also research on atmosphere, oceanography, glacier, geophysics, remote sensing and biology. China has already set up four research stations in Antarctica and one Arctic research station on Svalbard, Norway.

CAS news release, October 22, 2018

The AG600, a large-scale special-purpose civil aircraft designed to assist with forest firefighting and water rescues, is the third member of China’s “large aircraft family” following the large freighter Y-20 and large passenger aircraft C919. Developed by the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), the aircraft is powered by four domestically designed turboprop engines and is roughly the size of a Boeing 737. It has a maximum takeoff weight of 53.5 tonnes. The aircraft is designed for both land and water takeoffs and landings. The lower part of the aircraft body is designed as a “V” structure to improve its anti-wave ability. When used to help put out a forest fire, it is able to collect 12 tonnes of water at a time and make multiple trips to fetch water. When used to help put out a forest fire, it is able to collect 12 tonnes of water at a time and make multiple trips to fetch water. The aircraft can reach 1500 km and carry out sea rescue operations under complex meteorological conditions and can withstand two-meter-high waves. It is capable of carrying 50 people during a maritime search and rescue mission.

CAS news release, October 22, 2018

Researchers at the CAS Institute of Zoology were able to produce healthy mice with two mothers that went on to have normal offspring of their own. Mice from two fathers were also born but only survived for a couple of days. To produce healthy bimaternal mice, Qi ZHOU and colleagues used haploid embryonic stem cells (ESCs); after deleting three imprinting regions of the genome, they injected them into eggs from another female mouse. They produced 29 live mice from 210 embryos. The mice were normal, lived to adulthood, and had babies of their own. Twelve live mice with two genetic fathers were produced from haploid ESCs containing only a male parent’s DNA where seven key imprinted regions were deleted. The edited haploid ESCs were then injected, along with sperm from another male mouse, into an enucleated egg cell creating an embryo containing only genomic DNA from two male parents. These embryos were transferred along with placental material to surrogate mothers.These pups survived only 48 hours after birth.

CAS news release, October 18, 2018