11 h. ago Food security takes root: how China’s Xinjiang is at forefront of national push

Chinese agricultural scientists have turned 40 hectares (99 acres) of salty soil in Xinjiang into fertile land capable of supporting multiple crops – part of a national strategy to bolster food security by transforming vast swathes of non-arable terrain into farms. The breakthrough followed seven years of effort in the Uygur autonomous region’s Shihezi, led by a research team from a local university, the state-owned People’s Daily reported. The previously degraded soil now sustains wheat,...

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23 h. ago China’s extreme heat shield breaks thermal limit on hypersonic flight

Chinese scientists have created a carbide ceramic capable of withstanding temperatures up to 3,600 degrees Celsius (6,512 degrees Fahrenheit) in an oxidising environment, exceeding current thermal limits on hypersonic flight. The development holds significant potential for applications in aerospace, energy and other extreme high-temperature fields. Modern hypersonic aircraft and advanced engines demand materials that can maintain structural integrity under extreme thermal conditions. However,...

Politics

54 h. ago Chinese scientists find first evidence that AI could think like a human

Chinese researchers have confirmed for the first time that artificial intelligence large language models can spontaneously create a humanlike system to comprehend and sort natural objects, a process considered a pillar of human cognition. It provides new evidence in a debate over the cognitive capacity of AI models, suggesting that artificial systems that reflect key aspects of human thinking may be possible. “Understanding how humans conceptualise and categorise natural objects offers critical...

Politics

3 d. ago China extracts critical mineral rubidium from brine for first time

Chinese scientists have achieved a breakthrough in the commercial extraction of the critical metal rubidium directly from salt lake brine, potentially slashing dependence on imports – mostly from Canada – that now supply two-thirds of China’s needs. This industrial-scale method produces ultra-pure rubidium chloride from ultra-low concentrations, offering a new domestic source for this strategically vital material. The Qinghai Institute of Salt Lakes (ISL) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS)...

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6 d. ago US arrests another Chinese scientist with no permit to send biological material

Another Chinese researcher has been arrested upon entering the United States, amid an escalating federal probe into the alleged smuggling of biological materials – marking the second such case in less than a week. Han Chengxuan, a PhD candidate at Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST) in Wuhan, was accused of shipping four undeclared packages containing biological materials from China to a University of Michigan lab—and lying to federal agents about it. Her arrest on Sunday...

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1 week ago Chinese researcher pathogen case ‘politicised’, risks further US talent exodus

The arrest of a Chinese researcher in the United States for allegedly importing an illegal biological pathogen that could kill crops was “politicised” by the US government and could speed up an exodus of Chinese talent from the country, according to some researchers. According to a press release from the US Department of Justice on Tuesday, Jian Yunqing, 33, and her boyfriend, Liu Zunyong, 34, allegedly attempted to smuggle the fungus pathogen Fusarium graminearum into the country. Jian, a...

Politics

1 week ago Is the common fungus Fusarium graminearum an ‘agroterrorism agent’?

Two Chinese scientists were charged with conspiracy and smuggling on Tuesday after attempting to clear US customs with a plant disease-causing fungus that officials called a “potential agroterrorism agent”. The Federal Bureau of Investigation arrested Jian Yunqing, a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Michigan, for the alleged smuggling of the fungus Fusarium graminearum. Her partner, Liu Zunyong, a researcher at Zhejiang University, has also been charged in the case. But he was...

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1 week ago China team triples distance record set by direct quantum communication founder

Chinese scientists have achieved a record in quantum-based secure direct communications – trebling the distance of a multi-user network to around the same length as a drive from Paris to Brussels, according to a new paper. While the transmission rate is still too low to handle images, the researchers at Shanghai Jiao Tong University said the 300km (186 miles) optical fibre network was theoretically scalable, showing the viability of this kind of quantum network. According to the paper, published...

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1 week ago ‘Agroterrorism’: Chinese scientist arrested for smuggling deadly fungus into US

‘Agroterrorism’: Chinese scientist arrested for smuggling deadly fungus into US  The Economic Times

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1 week ago Chinese scientist Liu Zunyong tried to bring toxic fungus into US, FBI says

Chinese scientist Liu Zunyong tried to bring toxic fungus into US, FBI says  South China Morning Post

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2 w. ago Chinese team traces ‘ghost ancestors’ of modern Tibetans to Yunnan province

Chinese scientists have traced the origins of the “ghost ancestors” of modern Tibetans to the southwestern province of Yunnan through analysis of ancient DNA. The origins of people living on the Tibetan Plateau – and how their ancestors migrated, adapted and settled in this cold, oxygen-poor land – have long been a mystery to the academic community. Now, in a study published in the peer-reviewed journal Science on Friday, a group of Chinese palaeontologists have verified a hypothesis that...

Politics

2 w. ago Elon Musk Hyperloop ride can be ‘extremely unpleasant’: China project scientists

Chinese scientists claimed to have solved a critical flaw in the futuristic vision of ultra-high speed ground travel, potentially salvaging vacuum-tube maglev technology and casting new light on the challenges faced by Elon Musk’s Hyperloop concept. A study published by China’s peer-reviewed Journal of Railway Science and Engineering on May 16 showed that even minor imperfections – such as uneven coils or bridge deformations – would turn a journey into an ordeal, even in near-airless...

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2 w. ago Elon Musk’s Hyperloop has a key flaw. Chinese scientists may have found ‘cure’

Chinese scientists claimed to have solved a critical flaw in the futuristic vision of ultra-high speed ground travel, potentially salvaging vacuum-tube maglev technology and casting new light on the challenges faced by Elon Musk’s Hyperloop concept. A study published by China’s peer-reviewed Journal of Railway Science and Engineering on May 16 showed that even minor imperfections – such as uneven coils or bridge deformations – would turn a journey into an ordeal, even in near-airless...

Politics

2 w. ago French Lamarckism beats Darwinism in China’s groundbreaking study on evolution

In a fundamental challenge to more than a century of Darwinian dominance, Chinese scientists have revived a long-dismissed evolutionary theory by proving that acquired traits can shape heredity – no DNA changes required. According to a landmark study published in the esteemed scientific journal Cell, rice plants subjected to cold stress passed on an adaptive tolerance to low temperatures across five generations, bypassing the genetic mutations that are central to Darwinism. The breakthrough...

Politics

3 w. ago The Ohio legislation that could force Chinese scientists to sell their US homes

Green card holders testify to packed hearing about ‘foreign adversary’ law that would ban them from property near ‘critical’ infrastructure.

Politics

3 w. ago Ohio legislation could force Chinese scientists to sell their homes in the US

Ohio legislation could force Chinese scientists to sell their homes in the US  South China Morning Post

Politics

3 w. ago Chinese scientists prove US Air Force’s Mach 16 engine concept ‘feasible’

Chinese scientists announce successful ground test of hypersonic engine powered by jet fuel simulating Mach 8 flight conditions.

Politics

3 w. ago Chinese scientist behind supercomputer in orbit urges collaborative use of AI in space

Space has once again become the frontier of scientific exploration, and AI should be part of it, says Zhejiang Lab director Wang Jian.

Politics

3 w. ago Chinese scientist behind supercomputer in orbit: ‘Put AI in space’

Renowned Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) scholar Wang Jian has called for greater integration of the technology in space exploration, as he shared his vision on the state-backed Zhejiang Lab’s plan to build a computing constellation consisting of 1,000 satellites, designed to process data in orbit rather than through land infrastructure. “It’s a good time to think about how we can put AI into space, not just in your laptop or cellphone,” said Wang, director of Zhejiang Lab and founder of...

Politics

last month Chinese defence scientists seek to turn old rocket artillery into plane

Technological upgrades to make rocket artillery capable of striking aerial targets may rewrite the rules of warfare.

Events