China Scientist Awards Blog

  Chang'e 6 lunar samples displayed at 15th Airshow China ZHUHAI, Guangdong -- China's Chang'e 6 mission lunar samples, collected from the far side of the moon, are showcased at the 15th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition on Monday, according to the China National Space Administration (CNSA). The lunar soil on display, weighing approximately 75 mg, represents the first public welfare samples from Chang'e 6. It was collected from the largest, deepest and oldest impact crater on the far side of the moon, where the lunar crust is at its thinnest. Visitors to the event will be able to view the samples up close. "The lunar samples are expected to draw significant public interest," said Zhang Tao, an official with the CNSA. The exhibition also features the Chang'e 6 return capsule, the parachute that delivered the lunar samples to Earth, and the sealed container used for the lunar soil collection. China's Chang'e 6 mission brought back

  XPENG flying car debuts at Airshow China The "Land Aircraft Carrier," the flying car developed by Chinese electric vehicle maker XPENG, completes its first public flight at the 15th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition, also known as Airshow China, on Nov 12, 2024. [Photo/XPENG] ZHUHAI, Guangdong -- The "Land Aircraft Carrier," the flying car developed by Chinese electric vehicle maker XPENG, completed its first public flight Tuesday at the 15th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition, also known as Airshow China. The flying car performed low-altitude linear acceleration, spiral ascent, uniform-speed descent and accurate landing on the first day of the air show, with the whole process on autopilot. Zhao Deli, founder of XPENG's flying car affiliate Huitian, said the ground module, an electric vehicle, carries and recharges the air module. It takes just five minutes for the ground module to accommodate and release the air module,

  China Focus: Scientists make breakthrough in scouting dark matter with quantum technique This illustration shows the detection of spin interactions mediated by the hypothetical axion dark matter.  HEFEI -- An international team led by Chinese scientists has employed cutting-edge quantum technology in a direct quest for the universe's most elusive matter, an extraordinary endeavor that has significantly advanced detection capabilities. In the vast expanse of the universe, visible matter, ranging in size from the tiniest speck of dust to massive celestial bodies like Earth, even whole galaxies, constitutes only about 5 percent of the total mass of the cosmos. The remaining 95 percent is believed to be comprised of dark matter and dark energy. Identifying dark matter, the exotic component that profoundly influences the structure and evolution of our universe, continues to elude scientists. Among the possible candidates are weakly-interacting massive particles (WIMPs) and axions. Axi

  Drone control with the swipe of a finger? Chinese team shows how it is done Chinese researchers have released a video demonstrating the latest innovation in drone control – where a user can command a drone by simply swiping their fingers across a wearable touchpad.  Swipe patterns are instantly recognised by the advanced touchpad, which then sends the signals to a drone control platform via an external Bluetooth transmitter. Seamless interaction then allows the control platform to relay the commands to the drone. “Amid growing demand for more compact, intelligent and multifunctional human-machine interfaces, this high-performance touchpad marks a significant leap forward for the next generation of intelligent remote interactive platforms,” Tian Ye, associate professor at China’s Northeastern University, told the South China Morning Post in an interview on Wednesday. Results of the study were detailed in a recent paper in the peer-reviewed journal Nano Energy. The touchpad, similar in

  Researchers find quicker way to breed grapes Researchers at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences have utilized artificial intelligence to shorten the breeding cycle of grapes, increasing the breeding efficiency of a commercially important crop known for its lengthy growth process. The findings of this research were published in the journal Nature Genetics this week. The typical germination and fruit-bearing process for a grape seed spans three years, with additional time needed to cultivate superior grape varieties. This prolonged timeline presents challenges in developing new types of quality grapes. Led by Zhou Yongfeng, researchers from the Agricultural Genomics Institute in Shenzhen, Guangdong province — a subdivision of the academy headquarters in Beijing — have focused on grape variety design and breeding since 2015, analyzing vast amounts of genomic and genetic data. Last year, they unveiled the first complete grape genome map and further constructed the inaugural grap

  China Focus: Taikonauts to conduct in-orbit experiments on fruit flies BEIJING -- The newly launched Shenzhou XIX taikonauts have embarked on their six-month journey aboard China's space station. Their packed schedule includes 86 sci-tech experiments, with a particularly intriguing one - the fruit fly research, aimed at studying the growth and behaviors of these insects at a distance of 400 km above Earth. The fruit fly is one of the model species frequently used in genetic experiments. It is small, measuring only 3 to 4 mm in length, and has a short life cycle with fast reproduction capabilities, enabling it to produce a large number of offspring within a short period, according to Zhang Wei, a researcher involved in the selection of in-orbit scientific experiments, at the Technology and Engineering Center for Space Utilization under the Chinese Academy of Sciences. "The genes of fruit flies share many similarities with those of humans, so the study can help with understand