China in Africa

During the visit of chairman XI Jinping to Boeing on Sept. 23, an MOU was signed that China will order 300 airplanes from Boeing and Boeing will support long-term growth of China’s aviation industry by co-developping aviation biofuel in China.

Nikkei Biotech news release, October 20, 2015

The 180.000 m3 He-based airship Yuanmeng („realized dreams“) is powered by solar energy and took a 24 hrs flight at 20 km height. Its 5- to 7-ton payload of data relays, datalinks, cameras and other sensors are powered by solar energy, as are its rotors.

CAS news release, October 19, 2015

The program will contain 54 major targets in 13 categories, including the cultivation of new varieties of genetically modified plants and animals. Details are not yet disclosed.

China Bio news release, October 15, 2015

The nanothermometer is composed by CdSeS quantum dots and polymer materials (poly(methyl methacrylate-co-methacrylic acid, PMMA-co-MAA), detecting pH and ionic strength within a live cell through monitoring how emitting materials change their optical properties depending on their environment.

CAS news release, October 15, 2015

The discovery of 47 human teeth in a cave in Hunan province provides evidence that the earliest modern humans lived in East Asia. After geological dating and analysis, it was found that the teeth belonged to Homo sapiens living between 80,000 and 120,000 years ago, 30,000 to 70,000 years earlier than in the eastern Mediterranean and Europe.

CAS news release, October 15, 2015

Adzuki bean (Vigna angularis), an important legume crop, is grown in more than 30 countries, as an important source of starch, digestible protein, mineral elements, and vitamins. By whole-genome shotgun sequencing through a consortium including BGI, 450 Mb (83% of the genome) was assigned to the 11 chromosomes of adzuki bean by using a single nucleotide polymorphism genetic map. A total of 34,183 protein-coding genes were predicted.

CAS news release, October 15, 2015

At present, China provides most of the Artemisin anna raw material from which artemisinin, the active ingredient for Malaria treatment, is being extracted and purified. This constitutes about 70 % of the 180 tons world market. The remainder is produced by a chemo-fermentative process including metabolically engineered yeast (Sanofi, around 40 tons). The CAS Institute of Organic Chemistry in Shanghai has made some progress on a fully synthetic pathway to artemisinin but its complex structure with a rare type of peroxide fixed within two quaternary carbon bridges provides severe synthetic challenges. The first Nobel prize to China is expected to stimulate activities in China to step up R&D for becoming a prime supplier of pure artemisinin in the future.

China Bio news release, October 14, 2015

China counts presently nearly 300 million patients with cardiovascular diseases, with upward trends. In a review by authors from the National Cardiovascular Diseases Clinical Research Center and sponsored by the Ministry of Science in the British „Lancet“ journal, a comprehensive evaluation of present medical practices and clinical research is provided, which shows much room for improvement and contains policy recommendations which might enter into „135“.

China Bio news release, October 14, 2015

According to the Ministry of Agriculture, the utilization of straw for conversion to energy and chemicals shall be developed to a national level of 85 % during the period of the 13th 5-Years Plan.

China Bio news release, October 13, 2015

Based on studies of the CAS Institute of Acoustics, the „design“ of the coupled ears of a nocturnal fly (Ormia ochracea) has helped to develop a miniaturized circuit which detects the source of sounds even though the interaural distance is extremely small. In the fly, the ears are coupled by a flexible cuticular lever which makes both interaural phase difference and intensity difference available for localization.

CAS news release, October 12, 2015

According to satellite monitoring, straw burning fires which is illegal in China were reduced by nearly 50 % in summer 2015 as compared to summer 2014. However, in view of the great impact of straw burning on air pollution in China the Agency insists that control measures by local governmentsneed to be further strengthened. Of particular concern is the situation in Henan, Hebei, Shandong, Heilongjiang, Anhui, Sichuan, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Inner Mongolia and Hubei.

China Bio news release, October 12, 2015

By a combination of RNA sequencing and metabolomics, factors involved in enhanced solvent tolerance were identified and modified. The addition of sodium sulfide to the medium enhanced productivity of butanol from straw by nearly 50 %.

CAS news release, October 10, 2015

The blog describes how during the TANG and MING dynasty a wide variety of crops, over 50 species of field crops, vegetables and fruit trees) which are now indigenous in China were introduced during the land or sea „Silk Roads“ into China.

China Bio news release, October 10, 2015

The immunochromatographic strip developed by YAN Xiyun and colleages is based on the use of magnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles which, loaded with appropriate antibodies, could detect the glycoprotein of Ebola virus (EBOV) at 1 ng/mL concentrations which is 100-fold more sensitive than the standard strip method. This sensitivity is comparable with ELISA, but much faster (within 30 min) and simpler.

CAS news release, October 10, 2015

In this method, microphone arrays on the roadside are used to monitor vehicle count, lane occupancy, vehicle speed, and vehicle type (large vs. small).

CAS news release, October 9, 2015