SCIENCE BOND

From building the biggest experiments the world has ever seen to rolling out the latest medical advances on a massive scale and pushing the boundaries of exploration from the deepest ocean to outer space - China’s scientific ambitions are immense.  Just a few decades ago the nation barely featured in the world science rankings. Now, in terms of research spending and the number of scientific papers published, it stands only behind the US. But despite this rapid progress, China faces a number of challenges.  Here are five key science projects that illustrate its enormous strengths, as well as some of its weaknesses, and may help answer the question whether China can become a global leader in research.Nestling in a vast natural crater, China’s giant is about to come alive. A colossal, steeply curved dish glints in the sunlight, surrounded by jagged mountains that cut into the sky. Construction workers, busy putting the finishing touches to this structure, look tiny...

Local drivers will test cars on public roads in "everyday conditions", according to a company press release.  The move was announced at an event in Beijing on 7 April, though details of a start date were not provided.  One analyst said he thought China was at the forefront of the development of autonomous cars.  Volvo is owned by a Chinese firm, Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co.  According to a report from the Reuters news agency, Volvo is now determining in which city to conduct the trials.  "Autonomous driving can make a significant contribution to road safety," said Hakan Samuelsson, president and chief executive of Volvo. "The sooner [autonomous] cars are on the roads, the sooner lives will start being saved.""I think people probably don't realise quite how much China's putting into advanced technology in cars," Prof David Bailey of Aston Business School told.  "Google has had a far smaller number of cars in tests as fa...

Joysticks at their fingertips, the mostly male students packing the classroom lift their virtual helicopters into the air, part of a new cottage industry that's sprung up in China: drone pilot schools.  China is already the world's biggest drone manufacturer, churning out remote-controlled lying machines that range from 3-D urban mappers to tear-gas spraying models for police. But it lacks qualified pilots to fly them.  Young men in particular are flocking to drone schools such as TT Aviation Technology Co, one of more than 40 in China, hoping to land a potentially lucrative job in an exciting new field. TT Aviation offers a two-week intensive course for $1,200 where students learn regulations and how to pilot using simulators and real drones. At the end of the course, they can try to earn the license required by China's Civil Aviation Administration to operate drones that are heavier than 7 kilograms and fly higher than 120 metres.  Xu Honggang, 24, believes...

The 50,000-tonne vessel is being built in the port of Dalian. It will not be nuclear powered, the ministry says.  China is expanding its navy amid rising tension with its neighbours in the East and South China Seas.  China's first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, is a second-hand Soviet ship built more than 25 years ago.  It was commissioned in 2012 after extensive refits."This latest aircraft carrier is being developed according to entirely domestic designs," defence ministry spokesman Yang Yujun told a news briefing."The design and construction of the second aircraft absorbed the useful experience of research and training from the Liaoning.  "This led to many areas of improvements and enhancements," he said, without providing details. Correspondents say that official confirmation of the construction work comes after months of rumours from military officials.  It also comes as China steadily adds to its fleet of cutting-edge frigates, destroyers an...

The research, published in The Lancet medical journal, says two-thirds of men in China now start to smoke before 20.  Around half of those men will die from the habit, it concludes.  The scientists conducted two nationwide studies, 15 years apart, covering hundreds of thousands of people.  In 2010, around one million people in China died from tobacco usage. But researchers say that if current trends continue, that will double to two million people - mostly men - dying every year by 2030, making it a "growing epidemic of premature death".  While more than half of Chinese men smoke, only 2.4% of Chinese women do.The study was conducted by scientists from Oxford University, the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and the Chinese Center for Disease Control.  But co-author Richard Peto said there was hope - if people can be persuaded to quit.  The key to avoid this huge wave of deaths is cessation, and if you are a young man, don't start," he said.In many p...

Smartphone sales in China have fallen year-on-year for the first time, according to data gathered by Gartner.  The market research firm says 4% fewer handsets were sold in the months of April, May and June compared with the same period in 2014.  It suggests the market has "reached saturation" - meaning about half the population owns a smartphone and is not upgrading on an annual basis.  However, not all manufacturers experienced a drop.  Samsung's sales were 49% lower - despite the launch of its Galaxy S6 models- and Lenovo also experienced a big fall-off in demand.  But Apple's sales rose 68%, even though it did not have new phones out.  Huawei took the top spot in its home country with a 46% growth in sales. Gartner research director Anshul Gupta said: "Samsung is down significantly, not just in China, but in other markets as well.  "And the Chinese players have taken a significant lead in their home market."  Samsung's figures will hav...