BEIJING, Jan. 20 (Xinhua) -- The following is a summary of published science and technology news of China.

PANDA'S GUT BACTERIA

The giant panda stays a rotund figure despite being almost a vegetarian. Now, Chinese zoologists have found out why.

The study published on Wednesday in the journal, Cell Reports, revealed that changes in the gut microbiota, the bacteria living in the gut, may play a part.

The research team, led by Wei Fuwen of the Institute of Zoology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, found that wild pandas in the Qinling Mountains had a significantly higher level of a bacterium called Clostridium butyricum in their gut during the shoot-eating season compared with the leaf-eating season.

EDIBLE STRAWS

Chinese researchers have developed a new type of eco-friendly edible straws without microplastic.

The researchers developed the new edible and microplastic-free straw made from bacterial cellulose by biosynthesis. The straw achieves better mechanical performance than paper straws and avoids additional adhesives, according to the research article published in the journal Advanced Functional Materials.

SPACE-TECH FOR SKI HELMET

Chinese scientists have developed a strong ski helmet with space technology originally used on the Long March-5 rocket, the country's heaviest launch vehicle and the carrier of Mars probe Tianwen-1.

The helmet, designed by a team from the Dalian University of Technology in northeastern Liaoning Province, has been tested on Chinese freestyle skiers during their training on aerials and halfpipes for the upcoming Winter Olympics. Enditem

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