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China leads global quantum communication development
Xinhua| 2017-10-03 00:41:18

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After saying nihao, or hello, to his Austrian counterpart some 7,000 kilometers away, Bai Chunli, president of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, completed the world's first intercontinental quantum communication in Beijing.

The dialogue between Bai and Anton Zeilinger, Austrian quantum physicist and President of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, on Sept. 29 could be ultra-secret if they keep it private between them.

Encrypted by quantum communication technology, what they said could not be wiretapped, intercepted or cracked.

Bai's greeting was first sent out through a control center in Beijing along the Beijing-Shanghai Trunk Line, the first of its kind for secure quantum telecommunication open for use the same day.

The 2,000-km trunk line had been connected through a ground station to the world's first quantum satellite Micius launched by China in August last year.

Micius was named after a fifth century B.C. Chinese philosopher and scientist who was credited as the first person to conduct optical experiments.

During their talk, Zeilinger expressed congratulations on the achievements Chinese scientists made in quantum communication and hoped to strengthen cooperation.

Earlier that day, Bai had video talks with staff in Hefei, Jinan, Shanghai and Urumqi ground stations through the trunk line.

Pan Jianwei, chief scientist of the trunk line, said the video call between Bai and Zeilinger involved a long distance and multiple nodes.

Given that some nodes were not built by Chinese scientists, the tests showed the ground-space quantum communication network was stable, compatible and good for practical use, said Pan.

Chinese businesses, including the Bank of Communications, the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) and Alibaba, have used the quantum communication technology for information transmission.

Zhu Yu, deputy head of the China Information Industry Association, expected the tests would attract more companies into the sector of quantum communication, and a brand new industrial chain would come into shape.

A number of encryption communication products including quantum USB key, a protecting device for mobile payment, have been put to the market.

In one or two years, China is likely to issue national standards for quantum key distribution equipment, according to sources close to the trunk line project.

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China makes massive investment in Israeli lab meat technology

$300 million deal sees Chinese partner with Israeli high-tech companies battling global warming

By September 17, 2017, 4:44
Burgers produced from animal cells in a laboratory. (Youtube screenshot)


China has signed a $300 million deal to partner with Israeli high-tech companies working to create laboratory-grown meat as the Asian giant looks to embrace technologies that will help it cut down on harmful emissions and pollution.

Israeli companies , Future Meat Technologies, and Meat the Future are three of only eight companies in the world growing meat from animal cells in laboratories, reported.

The move potentially opens up the massive Asian economy for the Israeli companies. The Chinese market is potentially huge: China imported meat worth more than $10 billion in 2016, according to the International Trade Centre.

As the country modernized and the standard of living rose for the average Chinese, meat consumption has rocketed.

“It is a colossal market opportunity,” said Bruce Friedrich, head of the The Good Food Institute (GFI), which supports and lobbies on behalf of meat alternative interests. “This could put [lab-made] meat onto the radar of Chinese officials who have the capacity to steer billions of dollars into this technology.”

The move is expected to garner applause from environmentalists as a step toward reducing greenhouse gases.

Livestock produces methane gas, which produces 21 times as much climate warming as carbon dioxide, which — also harmful — is released when large tracts of forest are cleared for pasture. Globally, livestock raising is responsible for 14.5 percent of all greenhouse gas pollution.


China has already announced a plan to cut Chinese meat consumption by half.

Last week, the state-run China Science and Technology Daily ran an article (in Chinese) advocating lab-produced meat as a safe and environmentally more acceptable way of eating meat.

“You have two identical products, one for which you have to slaughter the cattle to get,” the article said. “‘The other is exactly the same, and cheaper, no greenhouse gas emissions, no animal slaughter. Which one would you choose?”

Many animal rights groups have welcomed the development of lab meat as an alternative to massive animal slaughter in the meat industry.

Some vegans, however, oppose any use of animal tissue and are waiting for a totally animal-free alternative.

N00813 said:

China makes massive investment in Israeli lab meat technology

$300 million deal sees Chinese partner with Israeli high-tech companies battling global warming

By

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September 17, 2017, 4:44
Burgers produced from animal cells in a laboratory. (Youtube screenshot)


China has signed a $300 million deal to partner with Israeli high-tech companies working to create laboratory-grown meat as the Asian giant looks to embrace technologies that will help it cut down on harmful emissions and pollution.

Israeli companies

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, Future Meat Technologies, and Meat the Future are three of only eight companies in the world growing meat from animal cells in laboratories,

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reported.

The move potentially opens up the massive Asian economy for the Israeli companies. The Chinese market is potentially huge: China imported meat worth more than $10 billion in 2016, according to the International Trade Centre.

As the country modernized and the standard of living rose for the average Chinese, meat consumption has rocketed.

“It is a colossal market opportunity,” said Bruce Friedrich, head of the The Good Food Institute (GFI), which supports and lobbies on behalf of meat alternative interests. “This could put [lab-made] meat onto the radar of Chinese officials who have the capacity to steer billions of dollars into this technology.”

The move is expected to garner applause from environmentalists as a step toward reducing greenhouse gases.

Livestock produces methane gas, which produces 21 times as much climate warming as carbon dioxide, which — also harmful — is released when large tracts of forest are cleared for pasture. Globally, livestock raising is responsible for 14.5 percent of all greenhouse gas pollution.


China has already announced a plan to cut Chinese meat consumption by half.

Last week, the state-run China Science and Technology Daily ran an article (in Chinese) advocating lab-produced meat as a safe and environmentally more acceptable way of eating meat.

“You have two identical products, one for which you have to slaughter the cattle to get,” the article said. “‘The other is exactly the same, and cheaper, no greenhouse gas emissions, no animal slaughter. Which one would you choose?”

Many animal rights groups have welcomed the development of lab meat as an alternative to massive animal slaughter in the meat industry.

Some vegans, however, oppose any use of animal tissue and are waiting for a totally animal-free alternative.

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There some things in this world that just ain't right, and lab-grown meat is one of them.

solarz said:

There some things in this world that just ain't right, and lab-grown meat is one of them.

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Why, I can't see anything morally wrong with it.
A lab producing fresh meat in spacecraft engaged in inter planet, solar system travel, might be the only feasible way to ha e fresh meat served up as part of the weekly diet.

N00813 said:

China makes massive investment in Israeli lab meat technology

$300 million deal sees Chinese partner with Israeli high-tech companies battling global warming

By

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September 17, 2017, 4:44
Burgers produced from animal cells in a laboratory. (Youtube screenshot)

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The technology for growing isolated animal cells into tissues is still not there yet. We can now grow intestines long enough (a few millimeters to centimeters) to be transplanted into mice. This is not about size. Major technical hurtles must be passed in order to grow tissues to large sizes. We are not there yet.

Let's forget about the technical issues and only focus on the other issues.

First of all, the moral issue. I'm not sure if this "SuperMeat" is more humane than raising livestock. To grow cells into tissues, you will need to use tons and tons of growth medium. And a main ingredient in the growth medium is serum. And to get serum, you will need to bleed animals, i.e. slaughter them. There are also other materials that must be developed from animal parts. So you kill animals no matter what... In fact, you will have to kill more animals for these lab meats than simply having livestocks and selling meat to consumers. Just imagine. Teens, maybe hundreds, of animals will have to slaughtered to grow one ounce of lab meat. this is only assuming they have already obtained the technology. Their website says they are still in the development phase. That means they will need tons upon tons upon tons of animal materials before they can finish their development. that's thousands, maybe tens of thousands, of animals slaughtered simply for their use alone... I may sound like I'm exaggerating, but I'm actually not. If anything, I'm underestimating...

To keep their lab free of bacterial contamination, they will need antibodies. Where do you get antibodies? You need animals! You inject animals (most likely goats or rabbits) with bacterial parts. When the animals develop enough antibodies in their bodies, you bleed them dry...

Secondly, the price tag. they claim the lab meat will be cheaper. I am also not sure about that. Simply growing cells is super expensive. One bottle (500ml) of bovine calf serum now costs ~$1,200-$1,500. And this bottle of serum is enough for a lab of 5 people to maintain mammalian cells in their experiments for about 2 weeks. That's a super small operation. Just imagine how much you will have to pay for serum alone if you have a mid-sized company that specializes in growing cells to tissues, which might take months and months... And the consumers will have to absorb the cost...

Of course, you can speed it up by introducing mutations to the cells. But what do you call an animal tissue that comes from faster than usual cell growth and proliferation? Tumor! So you will end up eating a lot tumors! Not a good eat, I suppose... Plus, they can no longer claim that their meat is non-GMO...

Thirdly, environmental issues. they claim the lab meat is environmentally friendlier. As I have mentioned above, if we have to sacrifice so many more animals for them, that means farmers have to raise more livestock to meet their demand. that means even worse methane release. They will actually make thing much worse.

To me, the idea of growing lab meat is as ridiculous as saying "we should use rubber as fuel to stay away from fossil fuel". what they don't tell you is that rubber comes from fossil fuel...

Thousands of cows are now barn raised. So why can't the blood be obtained through transfusion.

B.I.B. said:

Thousands of cows are now barn raised. So why can't the blood be obtained through transfusion.

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I have never heard of people doing that.

For one thing, it's not humane. The animals won't be happy when they are constantly drained. Sad cows give you bad tasting milk and bad tasting steaks, I guess...

Also, mammals cannot lose more than 20% of their blood. So if you want to only partially drain a cow, you would have to do it little at a time. I don't think that's economic.

vesicles said:

I have never heard of people doing that.

For one thing, it's not humane. The animals won't be happy when they are constantly drained. Sad cows give you bad tasting milk and bad tasting steaks, I guess...

Also, mammals cannot lose more than 20% of their blood. So if you want to only partially drain a cow, you would have to do it little at a time. I don't think that's economic.

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The blood is only a bonus product for the farmer.
Anyway researchers have found that sad cows can be made happy by playing soothing music

B.I.B. said:

The blood is only a bonus product for the farmer.
Anyway researchers have found that sad cows can be made happy by playing soothing music

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Yeah, but not as happy as those cows not being bled to the edge of death...

In this day and age, people are giving cows beer and massages. Cows are pampered better than people. I don't think they would bleed their babies on purpose...

Chinese Li-Fi breakthrough

Chinese scientists make breakthrough in replacing WiFi with LiFi
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) 14:13, October 03, 2017
CHANGCHUN, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- Chinese scientists have made a breakthrough in creating full-color emissive carbon dots (F-CDs), which brings them one step closer to developing a faster wireless communication channel that could be available in just six years.

Light Fidelity, known as LiFi, uses visible light from LED bulbs to transfer data much faster than radio wave-based WiFi.

While most current research uses rare earth materials to provide the light for LiFi to transmit data, a team of Chinese scientists have created an alternative -- F-CDs, a fluorescent carbon nanomaterial that proves to be safer and faster.

"Many researchers around the world are still working on this. We were the first to successfully create it using cost-effective raw materials such as urea with simple processing," said Qu Songnan, an associate researcher at Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, which leads the research.

Qu said rare earth has a long lifespan which reduces the speed of LiFi transmission. However, F-CDs enjoy the advantage of faster data transmission speeds.

In previous studies, carbon dots were limited to the emission of lights such as blue and green. The new nanomaterial that Qu's team has developed can emit all light visible to the human eye, which is a breakthrough in the field of fluorescent carbon nanomaterial.

Qu said this is significant for the development of LiFi, which he expects to enter the market in just six years.

A 2015 test by a Chinese government ministry showed that LiFi can reach speeds of 50 gigabytes per second, at which a movie download can be completed in just 0.3 seconds.

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