BEIJING, May 20 (Xinhua) -- The following is a summary of published science and technology news of China.
OZONE POLLUTION
Chinese researchers have discovered that a high density of metal cadmium in soil makes plants more sensitive to ozone pollution.
Researchers from the Institute of Applied Ecology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences found that high cadmium content in soil in northeast China increased the susceptibility and toxicity of plants, such as a hybrid poplar mentioned in their study, to ozone pollution, meanwhile the ozone exacerbated cadmium accumulation in above-ground parts of the plants grown on cadmium-polluted soil.
LAKE ALGAE WARNING PLATFORM
A new monitoring and early warning platform of algae blooms and lake flooding of Taihu Lake, one of the largest freshwater lakes in east China's Jiangsu Province, has started its test run, according to the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).
The platform, jointly developed by the Nanjing Institute of Geography & Limnology of CAS and Image Sky, aims to automatically conduct water environment prediction of Taihu Lake with high accuracy and wide coverage.
NEW BEIDOU SATELLITE
China sent a new satellite of the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) into space from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan Province at 11:48 p.m. Friday.
Launched on a Long March-3C carrier rocket, it is the fourth BDS-2 backup satellite and the 45th satellite of the BDS satellite family.
LIQUID OXYGEN-METHANE ENGINE
China has successfully tested an 80-tonne thrust liquid oxygen-methane engine. The engine, named TQ-12, was independently developed by the private rocket company LandSpace and has the third-highest thrust level among liquid oxygen-methane engines globally. Enditem
