BEIJING, June 13 (Xinhua) -- The following are the highlights of China's science news from the past week:

COVID-19 VACCINE

China's inactivated COVID-19 vaccine has shown potent protection against SARS-CoV-2, which causes the disease, in animal experiments, according to a study published in the journal Cell.

Inactivated vaccines use the killed version of the germ that causes a disease. Research on the vaccine candidate BBIBP-CorV was jointly conducted by the Beijing Institute of Biological Products under the China National Biotec Group, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences as well as other institutions.

AFRICAN SWINE FEVER VACCINE

An African swine fever vaccine has shown positive early results in trials, according to the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS).

The vaccine, developed by Harbin Veterinary Research Institute under the CAAS, uses a gene-deleted African swine fever virus as a live attenuated vaccine in pigs, and was approved for clinical trials in March.

PARASITES IN FOSSILS

An international team of researchers has found evidence of a parasite-host relationship in 512-million-year-old fossils.

The team, led by researchers from Northwest University, analyzed a cluster of brachiopod fossils, discovered in southwest China's Yunnan Province. They found that some tube-like creatures are affixed to the exterior of the brachiopod's shells.

DEPRESSION CAUSED BY EXCESSIVE NIGHT LIGHT

Chinese researchers have found that exposure to excessive light at night may affect neural circuit in the brain and cause depression.

According to the study recently published by the journal Nature Neuroscience online, light can act on mammals' physiological functions including mood. Previous studies have shown that prolonged exposure to abnormal light at night can cause depression and cognitive impairment in human beings, but the mechanism behind the process remained unclear. Enditem

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