BEIJING, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) — The following is a summary of published science and technology news of China.
CHANG’E-6 LUNAR SAMPLES
A Chinese team of scientists on Tuesday published the first research paper on the lunar samples brought back by the Chang’e-6 mission, saying that the Chang’e-6 samples exhibit “distinct characteristics” compared to previously obtained lunar samples.
The team found that the Chang’e-6 soil samples have a lower density than previous samples, indicating a more porous and loosely structured composition. The plagioclase content of the Chang’e-6 samples is significantly higher than that of the Chang’e-5 samples, while their olivine content is significantly lower.
NEW PLANT SPECIES
Chinese researchers have recently named a new plant species “Thismia jinzun,” which resembles a golden goblet mentioned in a masterpiece of renowned poet Li Bai (701-762).
The rare plant was discovered in Jianfengling national nature reserve, south China’s Hainan Province, and belongs to the Thismia genus.
This genus has extremely stringent environmental requirements and is predominantly found in tropical regions, with a minority distributed in subtropical and warm temperate zones, according to Xu Han, a researcher from the Research Institute of Tropical Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry.
IP INNOVATION
The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Director General Daren Tang has commended China’s significant contributions to the global intellectual property (IP) ecosystem.
In a recent interview with Chinese media in Beijing, Tang highlighted the rapid growth in China’s IP applications, which has made the country the largest filer of international patent applications globally.
According to WIPO’s preliminary report on the “Global Innovation Index (GII) 2024,” China is home to 26 of the world’s top 100 science and technology innovation clusters, maintaining its position as the global leader for two consecutive years.