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Here is the news. Oranges are always sold in red, mesh bags, and human fetuses grimace at the flavour of kale but smile for carrots.
The scientific explanations for these quirky phenomena can be found in ten innovative studies honoured at the annual Pineapple Science Award, which was held recently in Hangzhou, in east unexpectedly sparked a wave of inspiration for Professor Sun Li -Cheung's team at West Lake University.
Through a series of exploratory studies, the researchers mimicked the structure of the watermelon -rind membrane to develop bio -inspired anion exchange membranes with promising industrial applications.
This innovative scientific achievement, born from a seemingly mundane moment, earned the team the Moment of Inspiration Award at the event.
According to Dr. Liu Qinglu, a member of Sun's team, the rind membrane refers to the thin, green outer layer of watermelon skin.
When frozen and peeled, it is about 75 microns thick—roughly the diameter of a human hair.
The testing revealed that it is an efficient ion transport layer—a crucial element in creating Nature -inspired electrochemical systems.
Liu said that the discovery would not have been possible without the team's enduring curiosity regarding unexpected phenomena.
Through ultrasound scans, researchers from Durham University in Britain found that human Interestingly, they can respond to the taste of carrots, with facial expressions resembling smiles, while the taste of kale elicits grimaces of dislike.
Scientists believe the findings provide valuable insights into the development of taste and olfactory receptors, as well as related perceptions and memory formation in humans.
The study on fetal taste preferences finally won the Pineapple Science Award in Medicine.
This year's Pineapple Science Award recognised a range of intriguing studies that explored the scientific principles behind curious phenomena.
Winners also included research on why the baby smell is so appealing, which type of paper cuts skin most easily, as well as how spiders manipulate fireflies into emitting mating signals to lure prey, and the secret of how the unique smell of humans help mosquitoes choose their next meal.
Fu Xinhua, a professor with Hua Zhang Agricultural University, said that it is particularly important to combine science with interest.
Only with interest can one gain the motivation to seek answers and develop a spirit of truth -seeking and scientific inquiry.
Guided by the Zhejiang Association for Science and Technology, and organised by the Zhejiang Science and Technology Museum, The Pineapple Science Award is a public service communication initiative.
launched in 2012. The event takes place annually to celebrate imaginative scientific research and discoveries.
Each year, 10 winning projects are selected across disciplines, including psychology, physics, and mathematics.
Notably, all All awarded studies are based on academic findings published in scientific journals.
The new venue of the Natural History Museum of China is scheduled to start trial operation in October, 2029.
Being the only national and comprehensive natural history museum in China, the new site is set along the south of Beijing's central axis.
The museum conserves, researches, and exhibits, natural objects, as well as the natural heritage of historical, scientific, and artistic values.
Its current site, with a floor area of about 23 ,000 square meters, receives about 1 .8 million visitors annually.
Due to its capacity, it is often difficult to book a ticket, particularly during the summer holidays.
Its new site, which will take about five years to build, will cover more than 193 ,800 square meters, and is expected to host five to seven million visitors annually.
The museum said that at the new venue it will host more diverse science education activities to help stimulate interest in natural sciences among children and young students.
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Olive seeds that underwent space -mutation experiments aboard the Shenzhou -14 crewed spacecraft in 2022 have germinated in Longnan, in northwest China's Gansu Province.
Researchers plan to transplant the olive seedlings from 315 grams of seeds outdoors in 2026 to help them gradually acclimatize to the natural environment.
Space mutation experiments involve exposing plant seeds or tissues to extraterrestrial environmental factors including microgravity, high radiation levels and extreme temperature variations to induce genetic mutations.
Through the experiments, researchers expect to develop high -quality Olive germplasm them with desirable traits such as high yield, superior quality, early maturity and strong disease resistance.
Longnan is a renowned golden zone for olive cultivation.
By the end of last year, the region had cultivated over one million moo of olive trees, producing 54 ,000 tons of fresh olives, with a total output value of around 4 billion yuan, about $556 million US dollars.
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Zhejiang Province, an economic powerhouse, located on the southeastern coast of China, is set to build a bulk commodity resource allocation hub within its free trade zone.
That is according to a plan released by the Ministry of Commerce and the provincial government.
The hub will be set primarily in Joseon, an archipelago city known for its maritime industries, and the neighbouring city of Ningbor will also be involved.
The Ningbor -Joseon port is the world's busiest port by cargo throughput.
Art. According to the plan, by 2030 an array of islands within the hub will have developed distinctive functions, covering the entire bulk commodity industrial chain, including storage, transportation, deep processing, maritime services, as well as trade and transactions.
To achieve these goals, the Hub will have enhanced infrastructure for bulk commodity storage and transportation.
With a focus on developing the pipeline network for crude oil, refined oil and natural gas.
Financial institutions will be encouraged to support these infrastructure projects through various financing means, including equity investment, bond issuance, private funds, and insurance products.
The Hub will feature a comprehensive bonded zone dedicated to bulk commodity trading per the plan.
It will also encourage foreign banks to open local branches and support qualified banking institutions in providing specialised services for bulk commodity trading.
The plan is part of China's strategy to elevate free trade zones nationwide.
China's trade in goods has ranked first globally for seven consecutive years.
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This is Special English The southern Chinese metropolis of Guangzhou has unveiled a draft plan on public toilets to address issues such as long queues at women's restrooms and encourages the repurposing of more toilets into gender -neutral facilities.
The plan has been released on the website of the city's Bureau of Coordinated Administrative Law Enforcement for Urban Management and is open for public comments until the 14th of this month.
It specifically targets the repurposing of male toilets with low utilization, facilities with an imbalanced ratio of male to female stalls, or those in need of renovation into gender -neutral restrooms.
The draft also covers child -friendly restrooms with a call for better facilities and amenities tailored for families with young children.
According to the plan the city with a population of over 18 million aims to construct or expand 933 public toilets by 2035.
China launched the Toilet Revolution in 2015 to increase both the number and sanitation levels of toilets at tourist sites.
The campaign expanded to also focus on improving public toilets in cities and building better private toilets in rural areas.
As the solar term, major snow, tiptoed in, temperatures plummeted in the Northern Hemisphere, setting the stage for nature's snowy performance.
major snow, or Da Shuei in Chinese, is the 21st of the 24 solar terms in the Chinese traditional calendar.
It falls on December the 6th this year.
DA means major or big, and Shuei means snow.
Dao Shui, living up to its name, would mean blanketing the scene in pristine white.
The setting is ideal for wintertime fun, but for ancient Chinese people, building a snowman was not their style.
Remember the song lyrics in the film Frozen?
Do you want to build a snowman?
It doesn't have to be a snowman.
Spot on, not so much snowman building in ancient China, because people at the time weren't interested in crafting snowy humans, but something a bit more ferocious—snow lions.
A thousand years ago, an ancient Chinese book, entitled The Eastern Capital, a Dream of Splendor, vividly described scenes of Chinese people crafting snow sculptures.
It detailed how, when snowflakes fell abundantly, wealthy households would host feasts for their relatives and friends, people would gather to build snow lions.
The snow lions depicted in the book bore a remarkable resemblance to the stone lions that guard the gates of traditional Chinese courtyards, both in feature and size.
But why did ancient Chinese people prefer to build snow lions?
Well, there are several reasons.
According to historical records, lions were first brought to China more than 2 ,000 years ago.
They were regarded as auspicious creatures, with the magical power of warding off evil spirits and bringing good fortune.
Over time the image of the lion became deeply interwoven into the daily life of ancient Chinese society.
This is evident in the abundance of the majestic of the lion became a natural choice when it came to crafting snow figures and people would also decorate the snow lions with golden bells and colourful ribbons.
Furthermore, the stable form of stone lions made them more durable after construction.
Actually, Chinese people not only made snow and lions but also snow elephants, horses, and other animals.
To this day, while snow lions might not be the first choice for making snow figures any more.
The enthusiasm for creating snow sculptures and other snow -based artworks remains vibrant in China.
In recent years, Harbin City, situated in northeastern China, has captivated visitors with a stunning seasonal addition, a colossal snowman towering over 18 meters tall.
This eye -catching snowman was constructed from approximately 2 ,000 cubic meters of snow.
Moreover, the city also hosts the renowned Harbin Ice and Snow World, one of the an array of awe -inspiring snow sculptures of various creatures, even castles and iconic landmarks.
Illuminated by colorful lights, getting lost in this huge park of ice and snow is a mesmerizing experience, both day and night.
It's also a show of stunning artistry and beauty.
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That is the end of this edition of Special English.
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Oranges are always sold in red mesh bags and human fetuses grimace at the flavour of kale but smile for carrots.
The scientific explanations for these quirky phenomena can be found in 10 innovative studies honoured at the annual Pineapple Science Award, which was held recently in Hangzhou in East China's Zhejiang province.
A watermelon forgotten in a freezer unexpectedly sparked a wave of inspiration for Professor Sun Li Chung's team at Westlake University.
Through a series of exploratory studies, the researchers mimicked the structure of the watermelon rind membrane to develop bio -inspired, anion -exchange membranes with promising industrial applications.
This innovative scientific achievement, born from a seemingly mundane moment, earned the team the Moment of Inspiration award at the event.
According to Dr. Liu Qing Liu, a member of Sun's team, the rind membrane refers to the thin, green outer layer of watermelon skin.
When frozen and peeled, it is about 75 microns thick – roughly the diameter of a human hair.
The testing revealed that it is an efficient ion transport layer, a crucial element in creating nature -inspired electrochemical systems.
Liu said that the discovery would not have been possible without the team's enduring curiosity regarding unexpected phenomena.
Through ultrasound scans, researchers from Durham University in Britain found that human fetuses can taste and smell flavours in the womb.
Interestingly, they can respond to the taste of carrots with facial expressions resembling smiles or the taste of kale elicits grimaces of dislike.
Scientists believe the findings provide valuable insights into the development of taste and olfactory receptors, as well as related perceptions and memory formations in humans.
The study on fetal taste preferences finally won the Pineapple Science Award in Medicine.
This year's Pineapple Science Awards recognized a range of intriguing studies that explored the scientific principles behind curious phenomena, winners also included research on why the baby smell is so appealing, which type of paper cuts skin most easily, as well as how spiders manipulate fireflies into emitting mating signals to lure prey, and the secret of how the unique smell of humans helps mosquitoes choose their next meal." Fu Xinhua, a professor with Hua Zhong Agricultural University, said that it is particularly important to combine science with interest.
Only with interest can one gain the motivation to seek answers and develop a spirit of truth -seeking and scientific inquiry.
Guided by the Zhejiang Association for Science and Technology and organised by the Zhejiang Science and Technology Museum, the Pineapple Science Award is a public service communication initiative.
Launched in 2012, the event takes place annually to celebrate imaginative scientific research and Discoveries.
Each year 10 winning projects are selected across disciplines including psychology, physics and mathematics.
Notably, all awarded studies are based on academic findings published in scientific journals.
That is the end of today's programme.
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