1. Shenzhou XII docks with core space station module

The Shenzhou XII spacecraft has docked with the Tianhe core module of China's space station, according to the China Manned Space Agency.

In a brief statement, the agency said that the two spacecraft docked with each other at 3:54 pm on June 17 following a 6.5-hour rapid rendezvous and docking operation. Three Chinese astronauts entered the core module at 6:48 pm to embark on their three-month mission.

Tianhe was lifted by a Long March 5B heavy-lift rocket at the Wenchang Space Launch Center in Hainan province on April 29.

2. China's largest research training ship makes successful trial voyage

The comprehensive scientific research training ship, Sun Yat-sen University, has successfully completed its trial voyage in the East China Sea.

The training ship has a displacement of 6,880 metric tons and an endurance of 15,000 nautical miles. It is part of a new generation of comprehensive scientific research training ships, with the largest displacement and the best scientific research performance in China.

The roof of the east cable tower of Lingdingyang Bridge along the Shenzhong Link is sealed on June 17. [Photo/WeChat account: szchtf]

3. Critical headway made in Shenzhong Link's construction

The roof of the east cable tower of Lingdingyang Bridge along the Shenzhong Link, which will connect the cities on both sides of the Pearl River - in particular Zhongshan and Shenzhen - was sealed on June 17.

The bridge is a key control project of the Shenzhong Link. A three-part fully floating suspension bridge, it will have a total span of 2,826 meters. Its main span will be 1,666 meters in length. It will be the world's largest oversea steel box girder suspension bridge.

The Shenzhong Link is a major cross-sea project that features two suspension bridges, two artificial islands and an underground interchange that links an immersed tunnel with the bridges. It is 24 kilometers long, and lies 38 km from the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge.

4. New finding challenges old view of biology

Researchers from the Thomas Jefferson University, the United States, have found for the first time that mammalian cells can convert RNA sequences back into DNA, which is more common in viruses than in eukaryotic cells.

This discovery could challenge long-held beliefs in biology and may have broad implications for many areas of the science.

5. Chinese scientists make progress in energy storage

Scientists at the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have made a high-performance ionic conduction membrane for alkaline zinc-iron flow batteries, by introducing hydrotalcite nanomaterials (LDHs) into the batteries. The project aims to improve the working current density of the batteries.