BEIJING, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) — The following is a summary of published science and technology news in China.

PLANT GROWTH

Chinese scientists have mapped out the structure of a protein that regulates plant growth, a discovery that could be potentially used in the future to improve crop yield.

Plants, which do not typically move, can release a hormone called auxin to promote growth and regulate movements such as sunflowers following the sun. However, the hormone’s transport mechanism remains largely unknown.

Researchers from the University of Science and Technology of China revealed the high-definition structure of PIN1, a key auxin transporting protein, in Arabidopsis thaliana, a model for understanding the molecular biology of plant traits.

EQUINE ACUPUNCTURE

China has approved and released a standard to guide the use of acupuncture on equine animals such as horses, which will be implemented from Feb. 1, 2023, according to the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS).

Drafted by experts from the Lanzhou Institute of Husbandry and Pharmaceutical Sciences under CAAS, as well as other Chinese universities, the standard specifies the names and positions of 180 acupuncture points in equine animals.

NEAR-EARTH ASTEROIDS

Two new near-Earth asteroids have recently been discovered and confirmed, the Purple Mountain Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences said Wednesday.

The asteroids, designated as 2022 OS1 and 2022 ON1, were first spotted by the observatory’s Near-Earth Object Telescope on July 23 and July 24, respectively. Their discovery was confirmed by the Minor Planet Center under the International Astronomical Union.