Sci-Tech

Hybrid Rice Sets New World Production Record

Yuan Longping， the Chinese scientist famous for developing hybrid rice， has set a new world record.

A hybrid rice project headed by Yuan has achieved an annual yield of 1，537.78 kilograms of rice per mu of farmland （about 0.07 hectares）， authorities announced early last December in Xingning City in South Chinas Guangdong Province. The project was launched in 2015.

The amount of the double-crop rice is equal to that produced over three seasons in the past， marking a big breakthrough， said Luo Xiwen， an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering.

“This is the fifth generation of hybrid rice technology，” said Yuan. “The quality of the rice is as good as that of Japans renowned Koshihikari rice.”

China Launches Fourth Data Relay Satellite

China successfully launched the Tianlian I-04 satellite on November 22 from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Southwest Chinas Sichuan Province. The satellite was launched on a Long March-3C carrier rocket at 11：24 pm Beijing time， according to sources at the center.

Developed by the China Academy of Space Technology under the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation， the satellite will join its three predecessors to achieve a global network operation.

The network is expected to provide data relay， measurement， and control services for Chinas manned spacecraft， space labs， and space stations， according to the center.

The network will also offer data relay services for the countrys medium- and low-Earth orbiting resources satellites， as well as measurement and control support for spacecraft launches.

The launch of the Tianlian I-04 marked the 241st mission of Chinas Long March series of rockets.

Chinese Scientists Discover 1，445 New RNA Viruses

Chinese scientists have discovered 1，445 new RNA virus species， an achievement that is expected to facilitate future studies on virus evolution and the origins of life.

The research was led by a team of scientists at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention （CDC）. Its findings were published online in Nature Journal late last November.

The discovery of the new virus species will challenge current rules on classifying viruses， researcher with the CDC National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention Zhang Yongzhen said.

The team found the new viruses after studying more than 220 invertebrate species， a wide range of creatures， including insects， which account for 95 percent of the worlds animals， Zhang said.

Some of the new viruses can be classified as new virus families， given their differences from known virus species， Zhang said， adding that the discovery enriches diversities of RNA viruses.

The new research has also revealed the co-evolution of viruses and hosts – cells that harbor viruses – as well as the way hosts switch viruses as they evolve. This is likely to revolutionize peoples understanding of the origins of life， said Xu Jianqing， professor at the Institute of Biomedical Sciences at Fudan University.

Five-Year Plan for Intelligent Manufacturing

China has released its five-year intelligent manufacturing plan in a bid to increase competitiveness in the “factory of the world.”

Chinas Ministry of Industry and Information Technology published at the World Intelligent Manufacturing Summit that opened in Nanjing on last December 7 the blueprint for 2016-2020.

The plan constitutes the long-term strategic task of developing intelligent manufacturing to generate new growth that will improve the countrys manufacturing sector.

The blueprint calls for the speeding up of intelligent equipment development and key common technologies， the setting up of intelligent manufacturing standards， expanding intelligent manufacturing trials， and promoting intelligent transformation in key sectors and small and medium-sized companies.

Zhu Sendi， a counselor with the China Machinery Industry Federation， said that Chinas manufacturers are at different productivity levels， and many low-cost factories need to make efforts to catch up with parts of the world that have greater productivity. You Zheng， vice president of Tsinghua University， said that the countrys huge domestic demand offers bright prospects for Chinas intelligent manufacturing.

The industrial upgrading of the manufacturing sector around the world is also forcing Chinese firms to upgrade， Chairman of Sinomach Intelligence Technology Huang Xing said. .

The summit attracted policy makers and delegates from industry associations， research institutes， and Fortune 500 companies from many countries， including China， the United States， Germany， and Switzerland.

In May 2015， China rolled out the “Made in China 2025” initiative designed to transform the country from a low-cost manufacturing giant to a high-tech manufacturing power. The national plan focuses on 10 priority sectors， including advanced rail， aviation and aerospace， agricultural machinery and technology， and new generation information technology.

The plan encourages domestic manufacturers to make technological breakthroughs in the emerging industries and so shift towards more value-added production.