Sci-Tech

Chinas Most Advanced Research Ship Poised to Serve

Chinas most advanced， independently-made marine science expedition vessel is ready for service after passing official certification on April 24， according to the Chinese Academy of Sciences （CAS）. Development of Kexue （meaning science）， a 4，711-ton vessel capable of conducting deep and open sea exploration and research， began in 2007. It is the countrys first maritime scientific expedition ship of such complexity made with independent intellectual property rights.

Measuring 99.8 meters long and a maximum 17.8 meters at its widest point， Kexue has an endurance of 15，000 nautical miles. It is equipped with unmanned， tetherattached submersibles， deeptowed exploration instruments and deep-sea grabs with live camera feeds.

“The ship will focus on basic marine science research and the development of new and high marine technology， serving as a mobile surface lab，” said Sun Song， head of the CAS Institute of Oceanology.

Kexue commenced trial voyages in January 2013， successfully completing missions such as surveying deep-sea extreme environments and deep-sea oil， gas， and genetic resources.

China Tests Upgraded Tandem Accelerator

China has finished a successful test of the upgraded tandem accelerator， becoming one of the few countries in the world with a new-generation radioactive nuclear-beam accelerator， said a statement from the China Institute of Atomic Energy on May 4.

The HI-13 tandem accelerator was brought from the U.S. in the early 1980s and has made a significant contribution to Chinas basic research in physics and nuclear technology， according to the statement.

After completion of the upgrade， the accelerator will help research in neutron physics， nuclear data measurement and proton radiation effects. It will also be used in developing nuclear technology， radioactive diagnosis， and radiation medicine research.

Chinese Scientists Complete Grass Carp Genome Sequencing

Chinese scientists have completed the genome sequencing of grass carp and produced the worlds first whole genome map for the fish. Their research results were published in the Nature Genetics journal on May 4.

The genome sequencing was a three-year collaborative project between the Chinese Academy of Sciences （CAS） Institute of Hydrobiology and National Center of Gene Research， and Sun Yat-sen University.

“The research has helped us to understand the evolutionary history of the grass carp， and is of great importance to the breeding of stronger species in the future，” said Wang Yaping， the projects lead scientist， who is also a researcher at the Institute of Hydrobiology.endprint

The research on grass carp will also help understanding of human diseases， since the fish carries the same bacterial and viral diseases as humans， Wang added.

Grass carp make up 16 percent of the worlds cultured fish， and China is the worlds largest grass carp culturing country.

China Sets up Three Nuclear Emergency Response Teams

Chinese nuclear developers have set up three emergency response teams in the event of radiological accidents， signifying Chinas higher nuclear security levels amid resumption of its nuclear power build-up.

One team is based in Yantai of east Chinas Shandong Province， the other two in Daya Bay and Qinshan， Chinas earliest nuclear power plants， according to the Ministry of Environmental Protection （MEP）.

Bearing in mind that nuclear reactors in China are built according to the highest safety standards， the teams will help China deal with possible emergencies that involve large-scale releases of radioactive materials， said Li Ganjie， head of the National Nuclear Safety Administration under the MEP.

Li emphasized that the teams are a crucial feature of these nuclear power plantsprevention or defusing of serious accidents. The administration has also coordinated emergency response measures among Chinas five major state-owned nuclear power developers， according to the China Environment News.

The three response teams were set up by state-owned China National Nuclear Corporation， China Nuclear Power Engineering Co.， Ltd. and China Power Investment Corporation respectively.endprint