BEIJING, June 3 (Xinhua) -- The following is a summary of published science and technology news of China.

DINOSAUR TRACKS

A discovery of chicken paw-shaped footprint fossils, found last year in a forest park frequented by locals in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, has been confirmed as dinosaur footprints left 190 million years ago.

In March 2019, a rock climber stumbled across the footprints at Geleshan National Forest Park, 16 km away from downtown Chongqing. After an investigation, scientists from the Beijing-based China University of Geosciences, together with researchers from local geological departments, identified the dinosaur tracks as Kayentapus, which were probably made by large and medium-sized theropod (meaning beast feet) dinosaurs dating back to the early Jurassic period.

FOREST THERMAL BUFFER

Chinese researchers have discovered that forests have a stronger thermal buffer ability than non-forest areas such as grasslands, savannas and croplands.

The researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences cooperated with their research partners in developing a new method to measure the thermal buffer ability based on the rate of temperature increase, according to their recently published research article in the journal Agricultural and Forest Meteorology.

MARS PROBE

China plans to launch its first Mars probe between July and August this year, aiming to complete orbiting, landing and roving in one mission, an expert said in a recent interview with the state broadcaster CCTV.

After the launch via China's largest carrier rocket Long March-5, the probe is expected to reach within the gravitational field of Mars next February and it will be captured into orbit around the planet. Enditem

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