Science: Artificial spider silk developed

Researchers have developed a fiber that mimics the qualities of spider silk, The Science and Technology Daily reported. Scientists from Nankai University have developed a simple synthetic method to engineer artificial spider silk using hydrogel fibers made from polyacrylic acid. The material has mechanical properties comparable to spider silk, notably strength, elasticity and scalability. Spider silk is one of the strongest and toughest natural fibers. The research was published in the journal Nature Communications.

Culture: Sarah Lucas takes Beijing by storm

Avant-garde artist Sarah Lucas, from the United Kingdom is showing her work in the capital. Acclaimed for her humorpacked creations－themed after gender, death and sexuality－the exhibition, at the Red Brick Art Museum, is her largest museum solo to date in Asia. Deemed by the artist as "a big show surveying my career of 30 years", the exhibition features more than 100 works, including installations, photographs and sculptures, said curator Yan Shijie, director of the museum. "I believe the Chinese audience is ready for the cultural hurricane of Sarah Lucas," Yan added. Born in London in 1962, Lucas made her name as a major voice of the Young British Artists, a contemporary art movement started by a group of Goldsmiths College arts students in the late 1980s with an aim to reshape the British art scene. The exhibition will run until Feb 16. Visit our website to find out more.

World: Russia plans to build lunar base

Russia plans to build a base on the moon after 2025, which can be used to monitor comets and asteroids and prepare flights to other planets, a Russian official said on Monday. This year, Russian space agency Roscosmos will present to the government a program for the study and exploration of the moon, Roscosmos Executive Director for Science and Long-Term Programs Alexander Bloshenko said. A detailed plan is being made to be implemented after 2025, Bloshenko told TASS News Agency in an interview. According to Bloshenko, equipment for the study of outer space and special telescopes for tracking asteroids and comets posing a threat to Earth are expected to be placed at the lunar base in the south.

Society: Shared siesta cabins offer short break

Shared siesta compartments have sprouted in some office buildings in Chengdu, Sichuan province, offering workers a place for repose. Accessible after scanning a QR code, each capsule is nearly 2 meters long and 1 meter high. They have leather chairs, the angles of which can be adjusted via mobile phone or control panel. Users can also adjust air flux, play sleep tracks and control lighting according to personal preference. A capsule costs 12 yuan ($1.7) per hour.