The Active Particle-induced X-ray Spectrometer (APXS), carried by the Yutu rover of the Chang’e-3 satellite got its first X-ray fluorescence spectrum of lunar regolith around the landing site on December 25, 2013. An initial analysis indicates that eight major rock-forming elements (Mg, Al, Si, K, Ca, Ti, Cr and Fe) and at least three minor elements (Sr, Y and Zr) of the Moon can be identified in this spectrum.
After a study lasting almost a decade, a team of Chinese ecologists has made a discovery that could halt the march of the nematode (Bursaphelenchus xylophilus). Sun Jianghua and his colleagues at the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Zoology in Beijing have identified a fungus that has a crucial role in the worm’s life cycle, opening the way for potential control strategies.
Biologist Cui Qiu manipulates genes of little-known bacteria to make them superstars of fuel production. In one recent achievement, Cui, a researcher with the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, turned a few shy members of the clostridium germ family into highly productive workers. Some chewed up wood fibre and churned out sugar, while others ate the sugar and made ethanol. These small creatures would bring huge changes to the world, Cui says.
China's moon rover, Yutu (Jade Rabbit), completed an arm flexing assessment early on Monday, a key test before beginning other work on the surface, according to the Beijing Aerospace Control Center. The trial checked the rover is in the best condition to endure extreme temperatures of minus 180 degrees Celsius in the first moonlight night, said Zhou Jianliang, chief engineer with the center.
China's moon rover, Yutu (Jade Rabbit), worked in stable condition following its restart after a "nap" on Friday night, according to the Beijing Aerospace Control Center (BACC). The six-wheeled rover started moving again after shutting down its subsystems on Dec. 16, and has traveled about 21 meters as of 8:05 p.m. Beijing Time on Saturday, according to the BACC.
A group of 62 elite Chinese and foreign scientists were formally inducted as members of the Chinese Academy of Sciences at a ceremony today in Beijing. The newly elected CAS academicians comprise 53 Chinese citizens and nine foreign scientists from six countries, expanding the academy’s membership to 750 Chinese and 72 foreign members.
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