Latest news with #ZhangHeng
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First Post
27-07-2025
- Science
- First Post
From myth to reality: Scientists recreate 2000-year-old Chinese quake sensor
A team of researchers in China is working to revive an ancient seismoscope that allegedly could detect distant earthquakes and even point to their direction read more About 2,000 years ago, a Chinese scholar named Zhang Heng reportedly created a groundbreaking device called the Houfeng Didong Yi, a seismoscope that allegedly could detect distant earthquakes and even point to their direction. Though mentioned in ancient texts like The Book of the Later Han, some scholars doubt its existence, calling it a myth, and it was dropped from China's school curriculum in 2017. Now, a team of researchers in China is working to prove this ancient invention was real by rebuilding it with the help of modern science. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The device Imagine a decorative wine jar with eight dragons around it, each holding a bronze ball in its mouth, and toads below waiting to catch them. When an earthquake's tremors hit, a hidden mechanism would make one dragon drop its ball into a toad's mouth with a loud clang, showing the quake's direction. According to The Book of the Later Han, it was 'as accurate as the gods.' Built in 132 AD during the Eastern Han dynasty, this device was allegedly far ahead of its time—Europe didn't have a similar tool until 1856, when Italian scientist Luigi Palmieri made one. Challenges and determination Sceptics argue that ancient technology couldn't be that advanced, but others believe it was a remarkable engineering achievement. Efforts to recreate the device based on old texts have failed to fully match its described abilities. Xu Guodong, an associate professor at the Institute of Disaster Prevention in Hebei, is leading a team to change that. Using modern seismic knowledge, they've designed a model with three parts: an excitation structure, a transmission structure, and a shutdown system. Historical texts describe a 'capital pillar' with eight channels as the device's core. Xu's team believes this pillar wasn't an unstable rod, as some thought, but a pendulum-like cantilever, similar to a giant chopstick fixed in the ground. When the ground moved just 1mm, the pendulum's tip would swing at least 5mm, amplifying the tremor. This motion triggered an L-shaped lever system, releasing a bronze ball from a dragon's mouth. Even a tiny 0.5mm tremor could tip the delicate balance, sending the ball into a toad's mouth below. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD A clever locking system ensured only one ball fell. When the first ball dropped, it activated levers that locked the other seven, so only one direction was recorded, matching the historical claim that 'one dragon triggering while seven remained silent.' Xu calls this design almost prophetic for its time. The device was built to detect quakes reliably without false triggers, responding to ground movements as small as 0.5mm. However, pinpointing the exact direction of an earthquake's epicentre was tricky and only accurate under specific conditions, like when the device aligned with certain fault lines. Xu's research, published in Progress in Geophysics in March, aims to restore the Houfeng Didong Yi's place as a marvel of ancient engineering.
South China Morning Post
27-07-2025
- Science
- South China Morning Post
Chinese scientists seek to recreate lost wonder of antiquity: Zhang Heng's quake sensor
Earthquakes have haunted humanity for millennia – their sudden violence leaving civilisations scrambling for early warning. Even today, when a Japanese manga implausibly predicted 'The Big One' hitting the country on July 5, it sparked widespread panic. Scientists today rely on satellites, supercomputers and artificial intelligence to monitor seismic activity. But nearly 2,000 years ago, a Chinese polymath named Zhang Heng is said to have invented a device that not only detected faraway earthquakes but also indicated the direction of their epicentre. However, despite being mentioned in historical records, the device has been dismissed by some scholars as mere legend, and it was removed from the Chinese curriculum in 2017. Supported by modern science and fresh clues, a research team in China is now seeking to restore this lost wonder of antiquity – the Houfeng Didong Yi seismoscope – to its rightful place. Zhang Heng is commemorated in a postage stamp issued in China in 1955. Photo: Handout Picture an ornate wine jar encircled by eight suspended dragons, each clutching a bronze ball, as gaping-mouthed toads watch from below. When tremors strike, hidden mechanisms make one dragon drop its ball with a clang – pinpointing the quake's direction. It was 'as accurate as the gods', according to The Book of the Later Han, an official Chinese historical text covering the period from 6AD to 189AD.
Al Etihad
14-06-2025
- Science
- Al Etihad
China launches satellite for natural disaster monitoring
14 June 2025 17:19 JIUQUAN (AGENCIES) China launched an electromagnetic monitoring satellite on Saturday, which is expected to enhance the country's "space-air-ground" integrated monitoring capabilities for major natural disasters, China's state news agency (Xinhua) reported.A Long March-2D carrier rocket lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China at 3:56 p.m. (Beijing Time), successfully sending the Zhangheng 1-02 satellite into its planned orbit, according to the China National Space Administration (CNSA).The CNSA said that this marks a significant step forward for China in the field of space-based observation of the Earth's physical after the ancient Chinese inventor Zhang Heng, who created the world's first seismoscope over 1,800 years ago, the satellite was jointly developed by China and Italy. It is the first operational satellite dedicated to exploring the Earth's physical fields under China's medium and long-term civil space infrastructure development plan, according to the a designed lifespan of six years, the satellite is equipped with nine payloads, including an electric field detector co-developed by China and Italy, as well as a high-energy particle detector developed by will carry out quasi-real-time monitoring of global electromagnetic fields, electromagnetic waves, the ionosphere and the neutral atmosphere, detecting electromagnetic anomalies caused by geological and human activities, as well as monitoring thunderstorm and lightning activity, according to CNSA."Scientists will use these data to study the correlation between changes in the Earth's physical fields and geological activities, and to support research on the prediction of earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, extreme weather, and space weather disasters," said Peng Wei, Deputy Director of the System Engineering Department of the satellite will significantly enhance China's early perception, risk assessment, and monitoring and early warning capabilities for major natural disasters, Peng added. It will also provide data support for emergency management, resource mapping, and communications and navigation industries, while fostering scientific and technological cooperation in related fields among countries and regions along the Belt and Road.
