Top Ten Chinese S&T News for 1998
Thanks to the enthusiastic participation of warm-hearted readers, Science and Technology Daily in collaboration with the press of Beijing and academicians of both Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Academy of Engineering have screened out their final results on top ten Chinese S&T news for 1998 as follows:
1. Paramount Mission of the New Administration is to Revitalize the country withScience and Education (March 5 and 20)
President Jiang Zemin met with scientists and S&T workers present at the First Plenary Session of 9th Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference and stressed that S&T advance and innovation should be seriously placed in a more important strategic position. The newly elected Premier Zhu Rongji said at his first premier elect press conference that the paramount mission of this administration is to revitalize the country with science and education.
2. National Steering Panel on Science and Education reviewed and approved in principle the Report Outlines on Knowledge Based Innovation Demonstration Projects of Chinese Academy of Sciences (June 10)
At the first meeting since its establishment, the National Steering Panel on Science and Education reviewed and approved in principle the Report Outlines on Knowledge Based Innovation Demonstration Projects of Chinese Academy of Sciences. As a result, the first 12 demonstration projects including the establishment of Shanghai Institute of Life Sciences, Institute of Mathematics and System Sciences and National Astronomical Observation Center were kicked off.
3. Alfa Magnetic Spectrograph with the Contributions from Chinese Scientists Operates Well(June 15).
Chinese scientists developed and manufactured the core components of Alfa Megnetic Spectrograph- permanent magnetic body and anticoincidence counter of the pectrograph. The spectrograph has been sent by US space shuttle “Discovery” into the orbit and was successfully recovered afterwards. The spectrograph worked properly in the trip.
4. China Launched the Campaign to Protect Its Natural Forests and Lumbering Enterprises Became Tree Growing Heroes (August 29)
Upon achieving the decisive victory on the battle against rampant floods in 1998, China immediately launched a campaign to protect its natural forests so as to curb from the root causes of its deteriorating ecological environment, control the soil erosion, increase forest coverage and ensure the safety of major rivers and lakes in the country. Nearly 1 million employees working for 135 major lumbering enterprises and those along the upper reaches of Yangtze River and Huanghe River changed from their lumbering into tree growing.
5. China's HDTV System (September 8)
This is a major achievement in the field of Chinas high tech, with complete possession of independent intellectual property rights for a cutting edge new technology. It is a digital transmission system integrating different sub-systems from transmiting to receiving with digital video and audio, data processing and interactive functions. Its successful development marked Chinas systematic masterof this international frontier technology and has laid a technological foundation for future upgrading China＇s TV industry.
6. Chinas Discovery of Natural Lithium Carbonate and New Dolomite Variant withLithium Content (September 10)
Long-Standing Scientific Observation Station at Salt Lake Center of Chinese Academy of Geology for the first time in the world discovered natural lithium carbonate and new dolomite variant with lithium content, which provided valuable scientific evidence for the development of lithium and salt lake of new concept and the socalled eight element halogen water system.
7. Nomination of Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon (October 19)
Chinese State Council approved the nomination of the grand turn of YarlungZangbo as Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon. Chinese scientists literally walked through the Canyon and harvested rich results.
8. World Earliest Angiosperm Fossil Found in Beipiao, Liaoning (December6)
The discovered angiosperm fossil with a history of 145 million years is a new species in a new genus of ancient dicotyledon subclass. It is 15 to 20 million years earlier than those discovered so far. The socalled ancient fruit fossil discovered in Liaoning has clearly shown the typical characteristics of angiosperm, namely the seeds were wrapped up by the core skin. American magazine Science termed the fossil as the earliest flower in the world.
9. First Disease Gene Cloned in the World (December 15)
National key Lab on Chinese Genetic Medical Science of Hunan Medical University has successfully cloned the genes triggering nerve deafness with the characteristics of high frequency hearing capacity declining. The result was published in Nature Genetics, an internationally renowned academic journal.
10. Implementation of Development Plan on National Major Basic Research Activities (December 24)
The Central Government will invest 2.6 billion yuan in major national basic research projects in five years from 1998. The projects listed in the Plan cover two major aspects: major demands relating to economic and social development and those relating to major scientific cutting edges. 15 projects covering agriculture, energy, information, resource environment, population and health as well as materials were selected in 1998.
Top Ten Chinese Medical S&T News for 1998
Top ten Chinese medical S&T news for 1998 have been revealed recently. They are:
1.Chinese medical workers have successfully prevented the attack of major epidemic diseases after major flood disasters hit both south and north China in 1998.
2.Tanshinol compound, a kind of traditional Chinese medical herb curing cardiovascular diseases passed FDA clinical pretesting for new drugs and became the first traditional Chinese medicine allowed into US medical market.
3. China has witnessed major breakthroughs in the discovery of the genes related to major diseases and transgenetic animal techniques. Chinese scientists have cloned the genes causing nerve deafness for the first time in the world and it is also the first human disease related gene in Chinas possession. China has developed transgenetic goat technology line and acquired 5 transgenetic goats whose milk is of special effects similar to human haemoglutinin IX protein.
4. China＇s AIDS epidemic surveys have obtained a large number scientific data—revealed the origin and spread of such diseases in the country and produced associated distribution charts. At present stage, Chinese AIDS patients have been infected by 5 subclass AIDS viruses with the number of affected ranking one of the greatest in Asia and Pacific regions.
5. China has detected the 7th hepatitis virus—TTV and completed the full cloning and sequence measuring of the genes of TTV.
6. One large-scale clinical test has shown that Catopoli is efficient in rescuing acute myocardial infarction patients.
7. China published the Regulations on Management of Human Genetic Resources. Approved by the State Council for its enforcement, this interim by-law was jointly prepared by Ministry of Science and Technology and Ministry of Health.
8. Chinas scientific research has discovered that Asian genetic banks are mainly originated from Africa. This discovery shocked the world, as it will prove theincorrectness of the assumption that in east Asia there is a continuous processof development from Pithecanthropus to modern man in terms of anatomy.
9. Major breakthroughs for new leading drugs attacking liver cancer have been achieved. No. 4 Military Medical University have developed “duel heads” biological missiles able to identify cancer tissues automatically and carry two anticancer drugs, the first of its kind in the country. The new missiles have successfully hit the cancer affected areas in the liver.
10. Chinese developed and manufactured new biological medicine recombination streptokinase came into being. Being a new biotech drug with Chinese own intellectual property rights, the drug is a specific drug for rescuing the patients suffering from acute myocardial infarction and cerebral thrombosis.
The selection process was co-sponsored by Ministry of Health, Health Division of General Logistics Department of Peoples Liberation Army, Ministry of Science and Technology, State Pharmaceutical Supervision Bureau, State Chinese Traditional Medicine Administration, Chinese Science and Technology Association, Chinese Medical Association, Health Daily and financed by Moshadong Company.
China＇s Top Ten Green News for 1998
Co-sponsored by China Green Daily and World Nature Fund, China＇s top ten greennews selection process revealed its results in Beijing as follows:
1.151 academicians of Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Academy of Engineering appealed for taking immediate action to save the Yellow River;
2. Amended Law on Forests was published for enforcement;
3. Natural forest protection project was kicked off;
4. Chinese senior leaders of the central authorities made the instruction on cleaning and controlling atmospheric pollution in Beijing and accelerate afforestation process in the areas of Beijing and Tianjin;
5. Chinese State Council approved the National Ecological Environment Construction Program;
6. Premier Zhu Rongji praised Mr. Ma Yongshun, a senior lumbering worker, for turning himself from a timber felling hero into an afforestation one;
7. Major flash floods occurred in both north and south China in 1998 attracted peoples greater attention to the construction of ecological environment;
8. State Council issued the emergency circular on protecting forest resources, prohibiting cultivating land at the expanse of destroying forests and illegally occupying forest land. As a result, a trans-century green protection action waslaunched;
9. North China has become more frequently visited by sand storms;
10. Protection of Tibetan chiru, an endangered wildlife, attracts extensive concern both at home and abroad.
Major Achievement of China＇s Computer Network Technology
Studies of Key Technologies relating to Computer Information Network and Associated Applications - a major project listed in the 9th Five-Year Plan and assigned to 14 universities and research institutions including Tsinghua University has born rich fruits covering six core technologies relating to network connection, management and security and has been totally tested and appraised by the verification panel organized by the Ministry of Education on December 28, 1998.
“Studies of Key Technologies relating to Computer Information Network and Associated Applications” is an important project approved by the State Planning Commission in 1996 with a total research budget of Rmb 30 million. On the basis of CERNET developed by Chinese education and academic research community, 34 results have come out of the joint research and collaborations among 490 and more experts from 14 universities and research institutions on six core technologies relating to advanced network management and operation, network and information security, net connection and router, network design and testing, Chinese language application environment, information distribution and typical computer network applications. In the meanwhile, they developed 19 new products and 23 new technologies and techniques and trained 177 master and doctorate students.
It is reported that the research results achieved from the said studies have been first applied to CERNET and will make direct contribution to the information processof national economy and play an important role in the development of computer based information network and information infrastructures.
New Technology Protecting Chinese Sturgeon
Not long before 20,000 fluorescently marked Chinese sturgeons with body-length ranging from 9-12 cm have been released into the Yangtze River, which demonstrated a substantive breakthrough on massive releasing rare fish species in the country. As briefed by Chang Jianbo, chair of “Assessment Studies of Release of Artificially Bred Chinese Sturgeon” and Deputy Director of Ichthyology Department of Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, fluorescent marking techniques are mostly used on bony fish internationally. Starting from 1995 the Institute has applied the technique to Chinese sturgeon that belongs to cartilaginous ganoid family and assess its artificially bred releasing results. Thanks to the strong support andcollaboration of Institute of Chinese Sturgeon subordinated to Gezhou Dam Group Company and three-year arduous efforts, a set of complete techniques of large-scale marking and non-damage testing on young sturgeon have been developed with a successful marking releasing made in 1998.
Chinese sturgeon is first-class animal under the national protection and has been listed in the red book on endangered species by IUCN. Chinese sturgeon grows inthe coastal areas of China and Japan with its major breeding areas located in a section of Jinsajiang, the upper reaches of the Yangtze River and upper reaches of Pearl River. After the Yangtze River was cut off in 1981 to build the Gezhou Dam, the lower reaches of the dam has become the new area for the natural breeding of Chinese sturgeon. Institute of Chinese Sturgeon started to release artificially bred young Chinese sturgeon into the river from 1984 so as to make up the insufficient natural breeding. The purpose of releasing young Chinese sturgeon with fluorescent marking is to distinguish them from the natural breedings so as to make accurate assessment on the present condition of Chinese sturgeon resources and growth of artificially bred ones.
Mr. Chang added that fluorescent marking technique is only part of the studies protecting Chinese sturgeon conducted by the Institute of Hydrobiology. In addition, he also chairs the studies on surveying the breeding community of sturgeon near the Gezhou Dam through sonar sounding and analyzing individual kinship of artificially bred Chinese sturgeon by means of DNA finger sounding techniques. So far they have made preliminary sounding on the quantity and distribution of parent sturgeon near the Dam. They also collected DNA samples from released sturgeons without fluorescent markings. The studies in the said three areas have been going smoothly. In 1999, they will work out relatively accurate answers to a number of suspending questions such as quantity of Chinese sturgeon parents, the proportion of artificially bred sturgeon against Chongming Chinese sturgeon, releasing results of young sturgeon of different sizes.
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