A finless porpoise is taken for a physical examination in Jiangxi province. The species has been classified as critically endangered. Recent research may provide good news about the endangered species, as Cheng Si and Liu Kun report from Wuhan. The rate of decline in the number of finless porpoises in the Yangtze River may have slowed in the past six years, according to experts in the field. Wang Ding, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Institute of Hydrobiology, said official statistics will not be released until March, but recent research may indicate positive steps in the conservation of the species, which is classified as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. However, the river's environment is still deteriorating as a result of overexploitation of natural resources, while waterway regulations and water-related construction projects pose great threats to the porpoise's natural habitat, Wang said. His comments came at the end of a scientific survey of the porpoise that was launched in Wuhan, Hubei province, on Nov 11. The survey, conducted by CAS, reviewed the status of the species in the Yangtze River, its major tributaries and two lakes called Dongting and Poyang. Financed by the World Wide Fund for Nature and charities in Hubei, the 40-day survey covered 3,400 kilometers of water, from Wuchang, Hubei, to Shanghai. In 2006, a survey found that there were 1,800 finless porpoises in the wild. However, the number had fallen to 1,405 by 2012, indicating an annual rate of decline of 13.7 percent. The number is now estimated to be less than 1,000, and the ministry placed the species under the highest level of State protection in May. Freshwater species The finless porpoise, a member of the toothed whale family, is so named because it lacks a true dorsal fin. Females produce a calf once every two years, and have a gestation period of 10 to 11 months. The species makes both high-and low-frequency tones and uses ultrasound to communicate. 24 hour wristbandscustom livestrong braceletsminecraft bracelet bulkglow wristbandscustom silicone bandswide rubber bandssilicone rubber bands
President Xi Jinping on Tuesday extended congratulations and greetings to faculty, students and alumni of Renmin University of China as the university marks its 80th anniversary. Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks in a congratulatory letter conveyed at an event celebrating the anniversary in Beijing. "The Party and the country are at a crucial stage at present," Xi said. "Never before have we had such a pressing need for higher education, and never before have we so required scientific knowledge and talent," Xi said. The president encouraged RUC to use its 80th anniversary as a new starting point in becoming a world-class university with world-class disciplines. As the first accredited university set up by the CPC, it has always adhered to the leadership of the Party, the guiding status of Marxism, and the mission to serve the Party and the people, Xi said. Xi spoke highly of the university's achievements in humanities and social sciences and appreciated its efforts to train talent for the country's revolution, construction and reform. He asked the university to carry on these fine traditions and make new contributions to higher education, China's two centenary goals and achieving the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation. Vice-Premier Liu Yandong read Xi's congratulatory letter at Tuesday's celebration. RUC can be traced to Shaanbei Public School, founded in 1937 in a CPC revolutionary base in Shaanxi province. It became the North China United University, and then North China University. On Oct 3, 1950, it was restructured and renamed Renmin University of China.
