Numerical Forecast of Marine Environment More Reliable

The accuracy rate of the numerical forecasting of marine environments has increased to over 80 percent.

For many years the numerical forecast of marine environments around the world has had an accuracy rate of no more than 60 percent - odds that barely beat flipping a coin. Qiao Fangli, vice director of the No.1 Oceanic Research Institute of the State Oceanic Administration, blames this on a failure to consider important factors in the traditional forecasting model. It has been believed that circulations, generally thousands of kilometers in length, have had the largest impact on ocean environments. Chinese scientist Yuan Yeli of the Chinese Academy of Engineering disputed this view more than a decade ago. He suggests that there should be more attention given to the influence of waves in the numerical forecast of marine environments. Accordingly, China established the world’s first coupled ocean wave-circulation model. Repeated tests show that this method achieves an accuracy rate that surpasses 80 percent. Dr. Norden Huang, a senior fellow and the chief scientist for Oceanography at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, called this project a breakthrough in international oceanography.

China to Build a Maglev Test Line

China holds the independent intellectual property rights to this low and medium-speed Maglev train.

China plans to build a Maglev train test line within the next three years for technical research purposes. The new Maglev trains will travel at a minimum speed of 100 kilometers per hour with a loading capacity at above 12 tons per carriage during its trial runs. The ratio between the train’s loading capacity and its body weight will exceed current records. China will also develop a control and power supply system to reinforce the safety features of the Maglev train.

Nanotechnology Targets Cancer

Cancer is among the deadliest incurable diseases in the world. Patients are often exposed to high health risks through traditional chemotherapy treatments, as healthy and cancerous cells are targeted indiscriminately. However, this may all change with the latest development in nanotechnology. Scientists have created a nano capsule, which can be injected into the bloodstream to deliver drugs directly to cancer cells. What is most remarkable about this technology is its ability to distinguish between healthy and cancerous cells, which can increase the effectiveness of treatment while minimizing damaging side effects of chemotherapy. This technology has been hailed by major international medical journals as a viable and effective way to transfer anti-cancer agents directly to malignant tumors.

Chinese Linux Products Approach Maturity

A Linux operating system developed by the Chinese software company SWHSS.

In recent years many major international hardware and software manufacturers, such as IBM and Intel, have offered compatibility testing and quality certification to Chinese Linux products. These developments indicate that Linux is gaining popularity and recognition as a major Chinese brand. According to statistics from the China Open Source Software Promotions Union, sale contracts were signed for seven million Chinese Linux computers in 2006, which accounts for 35 percent of the domestic computer market. Meanwhile, some Chinese Linux producers are refurbishing their product lines through cooperation with international IT companies.

Flies Can Decide

The Chinese scientist Guo Aike of the China Academy of Sciences, along with a team of researchers, have discovered that the common fruit fly (Drosophila) can make value-based decisions. A central brain structure of the insect that is shaped like a mushroom plays a key role in this process. This discovery demonstrates that value-based decision-making ability is not exclusive to human beings and other primates. When faced with new options, flies also show that there is consistency and flexibility in their choice-making behavior. Scientists believe that this finding can also shed light on our understanding of high-level cognitive processes in the human brain.

Vegetarian Pandas Are Larger in Size

A recently discovered fossil demonstrates that giant pandas shifted to a vegetarian diet more than two million years ago.

The process by which the earliest primal panda, ailuaractos lufengensis, found six million years ago transformed into the current giant panda, ailuropoda milanoleuea daconi, one million years ago, has long been a missing link in the evolution history of this endangered species. A skull fossil of a primal panda discovered in southern China six years ago can offer new insights into this field. The fossil is believed to be of an ancient giant panda, a forefather of the current giant panda. The teeth structure from the fossil demonstrates that the panda’s preference for a diet of bamboos evolved more than two million years ago. Judging from the size of the skull, the body length of this ancient panda breed is estimated to be no more than one meter long, while its modern counterpart exceeds this at approximately 1.5 meters. Russell Ciochon of the University of Iowa, who participated in this study, suggests that the increase in body size is due to the conversion to vegetarianism and a homogenous diet.

Craniotomies 5,000 Years Ago?

The Shandong Museum recently displayed a skull with the earliest successful craniotomy in China. Experts believe that this skull was operated on 5,000 years ago. The skull was unearthed in Shandong Province in 1995 and shortly after, archeologists found a 31x25 mm rounded hole in the right parietal bone. After some debate, scientists have agreed that this hole derived from a craniotomy. The even and smooth edge of the skull’s opening is caused by the regeneration of osseous tissues, which suggests that the skull’s owner survived for a long period after the operation.