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When China landed its Chang’e Lunar rover on the dark side of the moon it officially joined the big boys of space exploration. On Friday, it declared its lunar ambitions in a paper published in the journal Science. It differed markedly — perhaps pragmatically — from NASA’s recently touted “Artemis” lunar landing program which aims to return humans to the moon by 2024. The Chinese version entails more reliance on AI and robots to build the initial lunar base then making it human-friendly by about 2030. They also claim that Artemis is a smokescreen to bait them into a costly space race, but we won’t get into it. For now, we’ll just do some apolitical dreaming about humanity exploring the moon. http://bit.ly/2XQ9Vz0
Not one to sit back, Russia is taking deliberate steps to maintain its place among major space exploration players. Recently it launched its Spektr-RG observatory into space. According to RT, “The launch is a bittersweet achievement for Russian space enthusiasts. The project, which originated in the 1980s, saw numerous delays and cuts in scientific payload due to a shortage of funding and development of technology before it finally got into space.” Better late than failure, SCINQ says. http://bit.ly/2XVGN9t
So-called alternative meats are spreading across the globe. That is from Asia to Western countries. Anyone who’s spent enough time eating in Chinese restaurants knows that there are tons of imitation meats, particularly duck, on the menu. There is a centuries-long tradition of this. Now, more recent trends of soy and pea-based fake meats and petri-dish grown meat have spawned startups across Asia. From Singapore’s Shiok Meats to Hong Kong’s Right Meat to Japan’s Integriculture. The one difference, many Asian companies are focusing on imitation seafood. http://bit.ly/2XTpENU
Chinese and provincial authorities are appealing to biotechnology scientists’ wallets, pocketbooks, and WeChat payment apps in an attempt to attract top talent. According to reports, biotech workers in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area will be granted tax incentives for one year. http://bit.ly/2XUULsg
According to Techwire Asia, “China’s 5G network investments in the next four years is set to surpass that of North America’s, as it looks to migrate away from the 4G mobile network rapidly.” The source of the prediction comes from a U.S. company, Dell’Oro Group. China currently holds the most 5G patents among all nations. http://bit.ly/2XR9J2k
The Philippines is in the midst of a dengue outbreak with over 100,000 cases and nearly 500 fatalities so far this year. According to the Straits Times, “Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said the number of dengue cases was an 85 per cent increase from the 57,564 cases reported over the same period last year.” Dengue has been a source of much consternation in the Philippines, particularly with the questionable use of Sanofi’s controversial Dengvaxia vaccine. http://bit.ly/2JREMkL
IMAGE SOURCE: Creative Commons