BEIJING, Oct. 12 (Xinhua) -- The following are the highlights of China's science news from the past week:

NATIONAL MUSEUM OF PLANTS

China will build a national museum of plants in Kunming in southwestern province of Yunnan. The Chinese Academy of Sciences has signed a contract to work together with local governments and offer technological support for the museum.

POLAR SCIENCE RESEARCH

China has organized more than 100 experts to draw plans on polar science research, which identified six priority research areas in the coming five to 10 years, said Qin Weijia, director of the Chinese Arctic and Antarctic Administration.

NANOPLASTICS POLLUTION

Chinese scientists have found that nanoplastics, a kind of newly emerging pollutants can cause severe damage to human respiratory system.

Nanoplastics exist in the form of suspended fine particles in the atmosphere. They can enter the human body through breathing and can be easily absorbed by respiratory mucosa and lung cells because of their small size and strong biological penetration.

MAIZE GENE

Banded leaf and sheath blight (BLSB) is a fungal disease leading to low yields in maize. Chinese researchers have identified a gene conferring resistance to BLSB in maize, providing insight into developing disease-resistant crop varieties.

Through a genome-wide association study, researchers from Shandong Agricultural University and Huazhong Agricultural University grew maize affected by R. solani and compared the lesion length after five days. They found a gene called ZmFBL41 is linked to the disease. Enditem

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