Slated for early May, the Chang’e-6 mission will embark on an unprecedented journey to the far side of the Moon to carry out a sample return mission never before attempted. Unlike the Chang’e-5 mission—which sampled the near side of the Moon—Chang’e-6 aims to sample the lunar far side and return those samples to Earth. This mission represents a significant breakthrough in orbital design and control technology for lunar exploration, intelligent sampling technology on the far side, and take-off and ascent technology from the lunar far side. The lunar far side’s topography is more primitive and possesses numerous scientific values; thus, exploring the Aitken Basin on the lunar far side could reveal more secrets about the Moon to humanity.
In addition, the powerful Long March 5 rocket will be responsible for sending Chang’e-6 into space. It is a heavy-lift launch vehicle utilizing cryogenic liquid binding and capable of delivering massive payloads into various orbits, signifying the ongoing pivotal role of the Long March 5 in the history of China’s aerospace.
Recent scientific research has revealed an ensemble of enzymes produced by gut microbiota capable of converting Type A and Type B blood into universally compatible Type O blood. These findings were published in the journal “Nature Microbiology.” Since Type O blood does not produce a rejection reaction in any blood type and is widely used in emergency and urgent transfusion situations, its limited resources make this research potentially valuable for addressing blood shortages and enhancing emergency medical blood supply capabilities.
The study indicates that a set of uniquely structured enzymes can efficiently convert blood Types A and B into Type O. These enzymes have the potential to reduce mismatch reactions in experiments, especially for Type B blood, overcoming the problem of blood type incompatibility. Consequently, these enzymes may provide new methods and approaches for clinical transfusions and blood processing in the future.
Scientists continue to explore new medical discoveries, proactively improving the state of human health. Recent research progress has brought us two interesting findings: first, the work on converting Type A blood and the need to improve efficiency; and second, the discovery of brown adipose tissue as a potential new avenue for treating obesity.
The human body contains two different types of adipose tissue: white adipose tissue (WAT) and brown adipose tissue (BAT). Notably, BAT helps convert carbohydrates and lipids from the diet into heat. Hence, safely activating BAT to increase energy expenditure and reduce Body Mass Index (BMI) has become a focal point of scientific research. However, studies have found a protein named AC3-AT that can rapidly shut down BAT once activated, which may become a limiting factor in treating obesity.
Researchers observed mice without AC3-AT on a high-fat diet gaining less weight, accumulating less fat, having higher lean body mass indices, and exhibiting healthier metabolic states compared to control group mice. This discovery suggests that future treatment of obesity and related health issues could potentially involve blocking AC3-AT. Notably, the AC3-AT protein also exists in humans.
On the other hand, the monkeypox virus has always been a focus of attention in the public health field. The skin blisters caused by this virus can be fatal in severe cases. There are two main evolutionary lineages of the monkeypox virus, known as clade I and clade II, with clade I associated with more severe clinical symptoms. A recent study suggests that clade I may have acquired the capability to be transmitted through sexual contact, which raises concerns about a potential re-emergence of the monkeypox epidemic in 2022.
It is worth noting that, while some studies have indicated that clade II might be transmitted through sexual contact, there has been a lack of evidence for clade I. However, in a clade I-driven cluster of infections in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in September 2023, 29% of the patients were sex workers, which strongly suggests that clade I can be sexually transmitted. Moreover, genomic analysis of the monkeypox virus from these cases revealed a new evolutionary branch with significant genomic variations, termed “clade Ib”.
Researchers have identified that a series of emergency measures urgently need to be implemented to avoid an epidemic caused by clade Ib from becoming prevalent again. These include enhancing disease surveillance, expanding the scope of monitoring, conducting thorough contact tracing, providing case management support, and implementing targeted vaccination strategies.
In the field of physics, the nuclear fusion laboratory has made significant technological progress. The Tokamak reactor, widely regarded as one of the most promising designs for achieving controlled nuclear fusion power, operates through magnetic confinement using a toroidal device. However, it has been generally believed that there is a critical point for the plasma density in a tokamak, known as the “Greenwald limit”.
Recently, researchers from the United States and China have jointly reported in a study published in Nature that they have achieved a dual breakthrough in key technologies in the Tokamak nuclear fusion experiment, meaning they have successfully increased the upper limit of plasma density and have also managed to maintain plasma stability in a high confinement mode.
In particular, the researchers developed a new operational mechanism by combining existing different approaches. They first increased the density of the plasma core region, which forms a “doughnut” shape, to improve energy output. At the same time, they kept the density lower at the edges near the containment vessel to prevent plasma escape. Additionally, the researchers injected deuterium gas into the plasma to regulate the reaction activity in specific areas.
After applying this operational mechanism to the DIII-D Tokamak nuclear fusion device in the United States, the average plasma density exceeded the “Greenwald limit” by 20% and the plasma operated stably for 2.2 seconds in this state. Meanwhile, the energy confinement level was about 50% higher compared to the standard high-confinement mode. The success of this technology not only supports the key needs in the design of existing nuclear fusion reactors around the world but also marks a significant step towards the commercialization of controlled nuclear fusion technology. Nevertheless, whether this technique can be scaled up to larger devices still requires further validation.