BEIJING, April 27 (Xinhua) -- The following are the highlights of China's science news from the past week:
"ACHILLES' HEEL" OF PANCREATIC CANCER
-- An international team of researchers have found a key protein that could be the "Achilles' heel" of pancreatic cancer, providing insights on possible new treatment and early diagnosis of the deadly disease.
Researchers from China's Southern University of Science and Technology, Salk Institute in the United Sates and other research institutions reported that activated PSCs secrete a protein called LIF which sends signals to cancer cells to drive pancreatic cancer development and progressions.
HOW SNAILFISH SURVIVES
-- Chinese scientists have unveiled the mystery of how hadal snailfish, a typical deep-sea species from the Mariana Trench, could survive the harsh conditions of 7,000 meters under the sea.
This is the first time researchers have revealed the genetic basis of the hadal snailfish' adaption to harsh conditions under the sea and the research was published in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution.
DEEP-SEA EXPLORATION
-- China is leading the world in certain areas of deep-sea exploration, said U.S. marine biologist and oceanographer Sylvia Earle in a recent interview.
She hailed China's manned submersible Jiaolong and Rainbow Fish series of deep-sea landing devices, saying that "this is the greatest era of exploration ever."
NEW CATALYST TO MAKE HYDROGEN FUEL
-- Chinese scientists used an alloy to produce hydrogen energy by developing a new catalyst.
The new catalyst can greatly cut the cost of hydrogen production through electrolysis of water compared with Iridium dioxide, a catalyst that is widely used in production.
SENSOR FOR HEAVY METAL DETECTION
-- Chinese scientists have developed a sensor by combining stainless steel acupuncture needles and nanomaterials to detect active heavy metals with high sensitivity.
The novel needle sensor showed advantages of high hardness, puncture-ability and easy integration of sensors, and it has great potential in marine electrochemistry, according to the team.
ENDANGERED PLANT DISCOVERED
-- A large community of an endangered plant species has been discovered in Houhe National Nature Reserve in Central China's Hubei Province, according to the reserve.
The plant, Changiostyrax dolichocarpa, was spotted during a survey conducted by a researching team of Wuhan Botanical Garden (WBG) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), together with staff in the reserve.
Changiostyrax dolichocarpa is a perennial and endemic tree in China which has been included on the List of China's State-Protected Key Wild Plants since 1999. Enditem
