Scientists say the development will provide more resources and help to strengthen food security, as Zhang Zhihao reports. [Infographic by XIA DIWEN/CHINA DAILY] While giant genetically modified Chinese carp may leap onto the nation's dinner tables in about two years, scientists are urging that the promotion of GM fish should be conducted slowly and meticulously to avoid a public pushback. The development of GM fish will have great economic value, protect national food security and help build sustainable agriculture, according to Wang Yaping, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Institute of Hydrobiology, speaking in an exclusive interview with China Daily. In early August, Canadian supermarkets became the first in the world to sell a fast-growing GM salmon developed by AquaBounty Technologies, a biotech company in the US. However, few people realize that in 1983 China was the first country to produce transgenic fish called guanli, or crown carp, said Wang, one of the lead scientists behind the carp's development. The fish has passed all the nutritional, toxicology and allergen tests conducted by the China National Center for Food Safety Risk Assessment. It is now undergoing ecological tests to determine how it interacts with other species in the wild, along with commercial production tests to pinpoint how effectively it can be mass produced. When the tests have been completed, the Ministry of Agriculture and other regulatory bodies are likely to issue a final safety certificate that will allow the fish to be sold on the domestic market. So far, there has been no indication of negative effects on health or the environment, Wang said. If all goes well, crown carp will be on dinner tables within two to five years. adjustable wristbandstyvek wristbandsjordan wristband rubberrubber wristbands custom cheapslap wristbandswristband creation
Air pollution with a high level of PM2.5 forms a haze of smog at Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong last year.Chan Longhei/ For China Daily A team of researchers in Hong Kong is working on an application that will draw on artificial intelligence and big data to guide people away from air pollution hot spots, as Sylvia Chang reports. With more than 1,700 deaths blamed on air pollution in the past year, Hong Kong is badly in need of help. It is on its way in the form of an air pollution map produced with artificial intelligence. However, it will take about five years for the application, designed by researchers at the University of Hong Kong, to emerge from the city's miasma of nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide and ozone. The map, capable of producing real-time readings or predictive analysis, will reveal where concentrations of toxic emissions are, and where they are likely to go. The app will not solve the pollution problem but it will allow people to see what they are getting into, and let them know if it would be better to change their plans. The readings will show the concentration of pollutants right down to the level of the street they are on. Badly polluted air can make outdoor exercise a health hazard, because tiny particles 30 times smaller than a human hair, known as PM2.5, can find their way deep into the lungs. The app will allow someone training for a marathon, children with physical education classes scheduled and people suffering from asthma to check PM2.5 levels and stay away from high concentrations, or even postpone training or going out that day. According to the Hedley Environmental Index designed by the School of Public Health at the university, known as HKU, air pollution was responsible for about 1,780 deaths in Hong Kong in the past year. Like a smartwatch, the system will be able to track a person's fitness and activity level. But, more important, it will also read the air quality and even forecast it for the next hour or next day. That means it will be able to advise individuals about suitable activities based on both air quality and their personal health and fitness. Researchers say it will provide estimates of PM2.5 concentrations for any geographical area in Hong Kong, down to the hectare level. It's like weather reporting, on a real-time basis, to the street level, said Victor Li On-kwok, chair professor of information engineering at the university's Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, who is leading the team studying the system.
