Highlights of China's science news

0 Comment(s)Print E-mail Xinhua, December 07, 2019
Adjust font size:

BEIJING, Dec. 7 (Xinhua) -- The following are the highlights of China's science news from the past week:

YUTU-2 TRAVELS OVER 345 METERS ON MOON'S FAR SIDE

China's lunar rover Yutu-2 has driven 345.059 meters on the far side of the moon to conduct scientific exploration of the virgin territory.

Both the lander and the rover of the Chang'e-4 probe have ended their work for the 12th lunar day, and switched to dormant mode for the lunar night, the Lunar Exploration and Space Program Center of the China National Space Administration said Wednesday.

MAPS FOR URBANIZATION RESEARCH

Chinese researchers have released annual maps of global artificial impervious area between 1985 and 2018 with a resolution of 30 meters, using remotely sensed data combined with advanced algorithms. The research offers data support for global urbanization studies.

Results suggested a noticeable difference of urbanization in different regions. North America and Asia account for about 70 percent of the global impervious area. Over the past three decades, the proportion of impervious areas in Asia has increased from 34 percent to 43 percent.

GENETIC MECHANISM RELATED TO ALCOHOL ADDICTION

Researchers have disclosed a genetic factor influencing people's alcohol dependence. Through DNA methylation analysis from human brain tissues, they identified a differentially methylated region, DMR-DLGAP2, associated with alcohol dependence.

The alcohol-dependent patients had lower methylation levels of the DLGAP2. The results suggest that DLGAP2 may be an interface for genetic and epigenetic factors controlling alcohol use and dependence.

BRAIN AGING MECHANISM

Chinese researchers have identified a gene that plays a key role in brain aging in non-human primates, providing insights into the molecular mechanism of healthy brain aging.

Researchers from the Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences and other research institutions used 547 transcriptomes from 44 brain areas in four young and three aged rhesus macaques to study alterations during aging.

SALINE-SODIC LAND IMPROVEMENT

Chinese researchers have developed a precise saline-sodic land improvement method to reduce the inhibition of the salts on soil productivity.

The researchers from the Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences conducted field experiments and improved the soil quality with site-specific management practices. The soil exchangeable sodium percentage and pH were reduced, while the hydraulic conductivity of the soil was increased. Enditem

Print E-mail Bookmark and Share

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)

No comments.

Add your comments...

  • User Name Required
  • Your Comment
  • Enter the words you see:   
    Racist, abusive and off-topic comments may be removed by the moderator.
Send your storiesGet more from China.org.cnMobileRSSNewsletter