BEIJING, April 9 (Xinhua) -- The following is a summary of recent science and technology news briefs.
BRONZE PROTECTION
What protected the terracotta army bronze weapons from metal corrosion after being buried for over 2,000 years? A new article by Chinese and British researchers shows that the soil where the bronze weapons were buried may have contributed to their good preservation.
HIGH ELASTIC MATERIAL
Chinese researchers have developed a type of high elastic material made from castor oil derivative. The material has passed the high tensile strength test of over 200 MPa. Previous artificial elastic material was only dozens of MPa.
COST-EFFICIENCY of DRIVERLESS VEHICLES
Chinese scientists have made progress in helping cut down the cost of driverless vehicles used in special areas like airports or scenic parks.
According to a research team at the Hefei Institute of Physical Science affiliated to the Chinese Academy of Sciences, cost-efficiency could be obtained by optimizing an environment-sensing algorithm and laser radars.
The technology can help reduce the price of a ferry vehicle to below 100,000 yuan (about 15,000 U.S. dollars) per unit.
BEIJING BOTANIC GARDEN
The greenhouse of the Beijing Botanic Garden run by the Institute of Botany under the Chinese Academy of Sciences will reopen to the public Wednesday after a massive renovation since late 2017.
The greenhouse now has more than 2,000 kinds of tropical and subtropical plants. After its reopening, visitors will have the chance to see rare plants from countries along the Belt and Road, such as the baobab tree and papyrus.
