Science and Technology News丨New variant strains may cause greater transmission risks, scientists build high-quality genome map of Chrysanthemi orchid

【Today’s cover】

In early winter, the forests on both sides of Wu Gorge, one of the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River, are dyed red, ushering in the best season for viewing red leaves. The mountains are covered with red leaves, as beautiful as a painting. Photo source: Lu Xianqing, China News Service

New findings

● South Africa reported the detection of a new coronavirus variant B.1.1.529 on the 25th. According to the latest news from NBC on the 26th local time, the World Health Organization classified it as a "variant of concern" and named it Omicron. In a statement released on the 26th, the WHO said that preliminary evidence showed that compared with other VOC variants, the Omicron variant caused an increased risk of reinfection in humans. (Source: Science and Technology Daily)

News Station

●At 0:40 on November 27, my country successfully launched the "ChinaSat 1D" satellite into space using the Long March 3B carrier rocket at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center. The satellite entered the predetermined orbit smoothly and the launch mission was a complete success. The ChinaSat 1D satellite was developed by the Fifth Academy of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation and can provide users with high-quality voice, data, radio and television transmission services. (Source: Science and Technology Daily)

Weibo screenshot

●According to @Shanghai Release, on November 27, Shanghai announced the results of tracing the source of local cases on the 25th: On November 25, Shanghai reported 3 local confirmed cases of COVID-19. After investigation, it was confirmed that the three cases were infected with the Delta variant of the new coronavirus, with highly homologous virus sequences, and were from the same transmission chain. It is believed that the source of infection for the three local confirmed cases can be focused on: infection caused by exposure to an environment contaminated by imported viruses in other provinces and cities. (Source: Shanghai Release)

●At about 11:25 on November 27, as a China Southern Airlines Airbus A320 took off, Shaoguan Danxia Airport located in Guitou Town, Ruyuan Yao Autonomous County, Shaoguan City, officially opened to traffic. Shaoguan Danxia Airport initially plans to open routes to Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Kunming, and Nanning. (Source: Science and Technology Daily)

Image source: China Railway No. 5 Engineering Group

●On November 27, the construction of the Zishui Bridge, a key project of the Chang (De)-Yi (Yang)-Chang (Sha) high-speed railway, a national key project, achieved a major breakthrough. The entire bridge was successfully closed, laying a solid foundation for reaching the conditions for opening to traffic at the end of December 2022. It is understood that the Zishui Bridge is 9,267.57 meters long and uses a continuous beam to cross the Zishui River. It is a key control project of the Chang-Yi (Yi)-Chang high-speed railway project. (Source: Science and Technology Daily)

Pure Technology

Figure from the paper

●One limiting factor in the success of in vitro fertilization (IVF) is the number of viable embryos that can be implanted in the uterus. According to a study recently published in the American Journal of Human Genetics, many embryos that are discarded or downgraded due to chromosomal abnormalities have the potential to lead to successful pregnancies. These findings may have important implications for people undergoing IVF. (Source: ScienceNet)

Figure from the paper

●On November 26, Nature Communications published two studies led by Chinese scientific research teams online back-to-back. These two studies filled in the genome information of the last major branch of core angiosperms, the Chrysomeliales. Scientists constructed a high-quality and detailed genome map at the chromosome level, providing more detailed evidence for deciphering the early evolution of angiosperms. (Source: ScienceNet)

See the world

●According to the Syrian National News Agency, the United States Agency for International Development recently announced that it had sent about 3,000 tons of wheat seeds to Hasakah Province, Syria. However, the Syrian agricultural department found that about 40% of them contained nematode diseases, which were not only unsuitable for planting, but also brought great harm to local agricultural production. Local experts pointed out that Hasakah Province is known as the granary of Syria because of its abundant wheat and cotton production, but it is often destroyed and plundered by the United States. (Source: CCTV News)

Editor: Liu Yiyang

Reviewer: Wang Xiaolong

Final review: Liu Haiying

Source: Science and Technology Daily