Sci-Tech

Chinas Combustible Ice Reserves Estimated

China is estimated to have 80 billion tons of oil equivalent combustible ice， the Ministry of Land and Resources said on June 2.

Li Jinfa， deputy director of the China Geological Survey of the Ministry， gave a briefing at a press conference on Chinas first success in mining combustible ice at sea.

China announced its success on May 18 in collecting samples of combustible ice in the South China Sea after nearly two decades of research and exploration， a major breakthrough that may lead to a global energy revolution.

Combustible ice usually exists on the seabed or in tundra areas， which have the strong pressure and low temperature necessary for its stability. It is flammable like solid ethanol.

One cubic meter of combustible ice is equivalent to 164 cubic meters of regular natural gas. International scientific circles have predicted that the natural gas hydrate is the best replacement for oil and natural gas.

“So far， trial mining of combustible ice in the Shenhu Sea， about 320 kilometers southeast of Zhuhai City in Guangdong Province， has made smooth progress with an average of 8，350 cubic meters of gas with high purity extracted each day，” Li said.

He added that China would accelerate the exploration of potential combustible ice reserves， launch trial mining of different types of combustible ice， and continue to strengthen marine science and technology innovation.

In addition， China will make environmental protection a top priority during the trial mining and strive to achieve green exploration and exploitation， Li said.

X-ray Space Telescope Launched

Many black holes and neutron stars are thought to be hidden in the Milky Way. Since they dont emit visible light， or are covered by dust， only X-ray telescopes can find them.

China launched its first X-ray space telescope –the Hard X-ray Modulation Telescope （HXMT） – on June 15， with the aim of surveying the Milky Way to observe celestial sources of X-rays.

“Our space telescope has unique capabilities to observe high-energy celestial bodies such as black holes and neutron stars. We hope to use it to resolve mysteries such as the evolution of black holes and the strong magnetic fields of neutron stars，” said Zhang Shuangnan， lead scientist of HXMT and director of the Key Laboratory of Particle Astrophysics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

“We are looking forward to discovering new activities of black holes and studying the state of neutron stars under extreme gravitational and density conditions， and the physical laws under extreme magnetic fields. These studies are expected to lead to new breakthroughs in physics，” said Zhang. Compared with X-ray astronomical satellites of other countries， HXMT has a larger detection area， a broader energy range and a wider field of view. These give it advantages in observing black holes and neutron stars emitting bright X-rays， and it can， therefore， more efficiently scan the galaxy， Zhang said.

The telescope will work on a wide energy range， from 1 to 250 keV， enabling it to complete many observation tasks previously requiring several satellites， according to Zhang. Other satellites have already conducted sky surveys， and found many celestial sources of X-rays. However， the sources are often variable， and occasional intense flares can be missed in just one or two surveys， he added. New surveys can discover either new X-ray sources or new activities in known sources. So HXMT will repeatedly scan the Milky Way for active and variable celestial bodies emitting X-rays.

Zhang said other countries have launched about 10 X-ray satellites， but they have different advantages and therefore different observation focuses.“There are so many black holes and neutron stars in the universe， but we dont have a thorough understanding of any of them. So we need new satellites to observe more，” Zhang said.

MOU Signed for Polar Research Cooperation

On May 25， the Chinese Arctic and Antarctic Administration （CAAA） signed MOUs in Beijing respectively with polar region research institutions from six countries in order to step up cooperation.

According to the Administration， the memoranda will deepen cooperation with Argentina， Chile， Germany， Norway， Russia and the United States， in such fields as site inspection， scientific research， logistic support， environmental protection and management， personnel exchanges， policy planning and education.

All sides agreed to practice international cooperation， as advocated by the Antarctic Treaty， to deepen practical cooperation.

The CAAA is under the direction of the State Oceanic Administration， which has led its affiliated institutions to sign cooperative agreements with more than 10 countries in the study of Arctic and Antarctic regions.

Early Cancer Detection Software

Australias Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization （CSIRO） released a statement on May 31 saying they have developed an algorithm which detects the formation of new blood vessels， known to precede the growth of cancers， in mice.

CSIROs Data61 researchers joined forces with researchers at the Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences to analyze images of the brains and livers of mice at different stages of cancer growth. Together， the team looked at high-resolution 3D micro-CT images， produced by the Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility （SSRF）， of 26 mice.

These images helped the researchers develop the algorithm which describes the formation of new blood vessels. The scientists are hopeful that earlier detection of blood vessel growth could lead to a faster diagnosis of malignant tumor growth， a key factor in successful treatment and patient survival.

“In the past， people were just able to get a rough idea but， with new technology， we are able to see the microvasculature， which are very fine structures，” said Wang Dadong， lead researcher of the project.

While the research marks a significant step forward in cancer detection， the synchrotron beamline， used in the production of the images， generates radiation levels unsafe for humans.

“But we are very hopeful， and are currently looking for collaborators and partners to take the technology to the next stage，” said Wang.