BEIJING, April 15 (Xinhua) — The following is a summary of published science and technology news of China.

SCIENTIFIC EXPEDITION

A scientific expedition to estimate the carbon stocks in the alpine wetlands of the Yangtze River’s source region was launched on Thursday in Xining, capital of northwest China’s Qinghai Province.

The scientific expedition aims to explore the ecological protection of wetlands and the ecological compensation mechanism of carbon neutrality by studying the distribution pattern of environmental factors such as water bodies, vegetation and soil in the Yangtze River’s source region.

The expedition is of great significance to strengthening conservation in the Sanjiangyuan wetlands, promoting sustainable development and protecting biodiversity, said Wang Xiangguo, head of the Sanjiangyuan National Park administration.

STUDY ON SNAKES

A study by Chinese scientists suggests that the traditional taxonomy may have seriously underestimated the diversity of snake species in China.

By building a Chinese snake DNA barcoding reference database, scientists from the Kunming Institute of Zoology (KIZ) under the Chinese Academy of Sciences and other research institutes have found that there are at least 36 new undescribed species of snakes in China.

DNA barcoding has greatly facilitated studies of taxonomy, biodiversity, biological conservation, and ecology. By establishing a reliable DNA barcoding database for Chinese snakes, the research unveils hidden diversity with implications for taxonomy, said Wu Yunhe, a researcher at the KIZ.

COGNITIVE DYSFUNCTION

Chinese neurologists have detected volatile organic compounds (VOC) to distinguish cognitive dysfunction from cognitively normal individuals, according to a recent research article published in the journal Alzheimer’s and Dementia.

The research team of neurologists from the Xiangya Hospital of Central South University in Changsha conducted cognitive assessments and collected exhaled air from 1,467 adults over 65 years old in the community.