Great bustard elegantly showing off its bizarre features
The Lockdown – One month in Wuhan
Many think coronavirus is China’s ‘Chernobyl moment’, but the authoritarian regime could prove them wrong
Here’s a dangerous idea: what if it turns out that an authoritarian regime is better-equipped to handle the coronavirus emergency than liberal democracies?
What if the Chinese Communist Party teaches us all a lesson?
It isn’t supposed to be that way. Labelled secretive and paranoid by the West, China is meant to be panic-stricken about the mystery killer virus spiralling out of control and turning into an existential crisis.
It should be China’s Chernobyl moment: harkening back to the nuclear disaster in 1986, that is now widely accepted as the tipping point that helped usher in the end to the Soviet Union.
President Xi Jinping Had a Phone Call with US President Donald Trump
President Xi Jinping spoke with US President Donald Trump on the phone on the morning of 7 February.
President Xi highlighted the all-out efforts made by the Chinese government and people to fight the novel coronavirus outbreak. Featuring nationwide mobilization, across-the-board arrangements and rapid response, it is a people’s war against the epidemic with the most comprehensive and rigorous measures. Such efforts are producing results. China has full confidence and capability to prevail over the epidemic. The long-term upward trajectory of the Chinese economy remains unchanged.
Xi affirmed China’s commitment to protecting the lives and health of not only its own people but also other people around the world. With openness, transparency and a sense of responsibility, China has kept WHO, the United States and other countries and regions updated, and has invited WHO and other experts to conduct field visits in Wuhan. As the first line of defence against the epidemic, China has taken timely, decisive and forceful measures, which have been fully recognized and highly appreciated by WHO and many countries.
Xi noted the continuing communication over the epidemic between China and the US. He expressed appreciation for President Trump’s positive comments on China’s efforts on different occasions, and thanked the various communities in the US for their donations. It takes joint efforts from all countries to contain epidemics. The fight against the novel coronavirus outbreak has come to a crucial stage. WHO has repeatedly given its professional advice and called on all countries to avoid overreaction. China hopes that the US will evaluate the situation calmly and develop and adjust its response in line with the actual situation. China and the US should maintain communication and strengthen coordination to jointly control the epidemic.
President Trump expressed full support for China’s efforts to control the epidemic and readiness to send experts to China and provide other forms of assistance. The fact that China has finished building special hospitals for the patients in a matter of days is impressive. It fully demonstrates China’s exceptional ability of organization and response.
Trump expressed confidence that the Chinese people, under the leadership of President Xi, will win the battle against the outbreak. He said that the US has confidence in China’s economic growth. The US will be very calm in its response to the epidemic and continue communication and cooperation with China through bilateral and WHO channels.
The dwarf planet 2007 OR10 is officially Gonggong (龚工)! It’s the first major solar system body with a Chinese name. Its satellite is Xiangliu (相柳)
Gonggong has a reddish hue and might be able to sustain some sort of stinky, methane atmosphere.
Hopefully this celestial object doesn’t take on the characteristics of its namesake, who’s known for causing much suffering and destruction in the form of floods and even knocking the Earth’s axis off center. Perhaps if we’re lucky, the influence of Xiangliu will keep those tendencies in check.
An Acetylation Switch of the NLRP3 Inflammasome Regulates Aging-Associated Chronic Inflammation and Insulin Resistance
- NLRP3 is modified by acetylation and deacetylated by SIRT2
- •NLRP3 acetylation facilitates the activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome
- •SIRT2 prevents and reverses aging-associated inflammation and insulin resistance
- •NLRP3 deacetylation regulates aging-associated inflammation and insulin resistancehttps://www.cell.com/cell-metabolism/fulltext/S1550-4131(20)30009-7?fbclid=IwAR2BglOkiD6-fvJiPctgl95_8Ytz4o5TI6N8Ftau5JrrQD_aDcxsUJCXEkc
Researchers achieve a 10x supercapacitor energy density breakthrough
Supercapacitors can charge almost instantly, and discharge enormous amounts of power if needed. They could completely erase the Achilles heel of electric vehicles – their slow charging times – if they could hold more energy. And now Chinese and British scientists say they’ve figured out a way to store 10 times more energy per volume than previous supercapacitors.
A team split between University College London and the Chinese Academy of Sciences has released a study and proof of concept of a new supercapacitor design using graphene laminate films and concentrating on the spacing between the layers, the researchers discovering that they could radically boost energy density when they tailored the sizes of pores in the membranes precisely to the size of electrolyte ions.
Using this design, the team says it’s achieved a massive increase in volumetric energy density. Where “similar fast-charging commercial technology” tends to offer around 5-8 watt-hours per liter, this new design has been tested at a record 88.1 Wh/l. The team claims it’s “the highest ever reported energy density for carbon-based supercapacitors.”
Coronavirus: Largest study suggests elderly and sick are most at risk
Health officials in China have published the first details of more than 44,000 cases of Covid-19, in the biggest study since the outbreak began.
Data from the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CCDC) finds that more than 80% of the cases have been mild, with the sick and elderly most at risk.
The research also points to the high risk to medical staff.