BEIJING, July 20 (Xinhua) -- The following are the highlights of China's science news from the past week:
FLEXIBLE CHIPS
Thinner than hair, two ultra-thin flexible chips have been developed by Chinese researchers. The bendable chips' bodies are both less than 25 micrometers thick, about one third to half the thickness of a human hair.
The two chips can amplify the analog signals and integrate the processor with Bluetooth wireless communication function, respectively.
DEAFNESS GENE
Chinese researchers have recently made a breakthrough in discovering a gene responsible for deafness, providing a target for treating hearing impairment.
The gene was described as ABCC1, which has variants associated with hearing loss and plays a key role in maintaining cochlea function.
LIZARD SPECIES
Chinese scientists have identified a new species of lizard from a fossil specimen of a Microraptor, a flying dinosaur living in the early Cretaceous period.
Microraptor is one of the world's smallest carnivorous dinosaurs. The fossil specimen of the Microraptor was found in Liaoning Province in 2005.
NANOPARTICLES FOR GENE EDITING
Researchers have developed a type of biodegradable nanoparticle which can deliver the CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing tool into cells with much higher efficiency.
NANOPARTICLES TO TREAT BREAST CANCER
Human epidermal growth factor 2 (HER2) is a type of protein in the breast tissue, helping control breast cells to divide, grow and repair. When the HER2 gene is abnormal, it encourages the rapid growth of cancer cells.
Researchers from China's Nanjing University developed a new type of nanoparticles that can recognize HER2 protein on breast cancer cells and target them for destruction.
