Chinese scientists uncover new clue to Moon's two-face mystery in Chang'e-6 samples

Chinese researchers have made new progress in studying lunar soil samples returned by the Chang'e-6 mission, finding fresh evidence to help unravel the mystery of the Moon's two different hemispheres, according to the China Geological Survey.

Observing from the Earth, the near side of the Moon has a large number of maria made of dark volcanic lava, while the far side is covered with bright highlands and has few maria.

This lunar dichotomy has prompted researchers at the Institute of Geology of the Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences to study impact melt fragments in the Chang'e-6 samples using the country's first homegrown ion probe.

"The ion probe must direct an ion beam onto a precise spot at the micrometer scale. It's like shooting a basketball into a hoop from 3,000 meters away. The beam then sputters out secondary ions, which are then analyzed with great accuracy. It's very challenging, but the device can achieve an isotopic analysis accuracy of a few parts per ten thousand," said Long Tao, deputy director of the Planetary Science Research Center at the institute.

Through this ultra-precise analysis, the research team linked the near-far side disparity to the colossal impact that caused the South Pole-Aitken basin -- the largest, deepest and oldest impact feature on the moon -- about 4.3 billion years ago.

"The main reason for this difference is most likely linked to this massive impact, which stirred the material on the far side. This ultimately resulted in the lunar samples we collected from the South Pole-Aitken basin being more radioactive than samples from the more primitive lunar crust," said Che Xiaochao, an associate researcher at the institute.

In 2024, the Chang'e-6 probe made history by collecting 1,935.3 grams of lunar far-side samples from the South Pole-Aitken basin and bringing them back to Earth.

Chinese scientists uncover new clue to Moon's two-face mystery in Chang'e-6 samples

Local entrepreneurs in Taizhou City, east China's Zhejiang Province have explored a new business model of establishing village workshops to bring jobs closer to farmers, especially women who want to make money while staying with their families.

In Xin'ao, a village tucked away in the mountains of Taizhou, a previously empty village hall has been transformed into a bag factory.

This workshop employs nearly every woman in the village, offering them jobs that are within minutes of a walk.

Among them is Zhou Junhui, who joined the workshop in 2019. As a mother of two children, Zhou said the job gives her the flexibility to earn an income while looking after her family.

"My time is first spent on taking care of the kids and handling school pick-ups and drop-offs. I do my work whenever I have spare time," Zhou said, adding "I can get 6,000 yuan (about 890 U.S. dollars) each month now."

"I look after the kids, cook, and still make decent money. Working here is super convenient, so I don't feel like leaving," said Chen Haimei, another villager working at the workshop.

Founded by Lu Caifen, general manager of the Zhejiang Yimei Technology Company, the small village project has now grown into a model being replicated in other communities.

"I adapted this model to local conditions and promoted it to other villages. Now, six villages have set up the similar workshops," Lu said.

Through livestreaming e-commerce channels, the workshop now sells more than 10,000 bags a month and generates 3 million dollars every year.

"This single bag keeps 50 people employed," Lu said.

Currently, more than 1,800 village workshops have been built across Taizhou, creating jobs for tens of thousands of rural residents and offering them a sustainable path to higher incomes.

Village workshops create near-home jobs for rural women in Zhejiang