19 h. ago University of Michigan faces federal investigation after arrest of 2 Chinese scientists

University of Michigan faces federal investigation after arrest of 2 Chinese scientists  AP News

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27 h. ago Chinese scientists thank Nasa for sharing data critical to deep

When the United States’ twin GRACE satellites spotted an anomaly southeast of India while mapping the oceans, Chinese researchers spotted an opportunity. Over a relatively flat seabed thousands of metres deep, Nasa detected a spike in gravity readings and then put that data online, free for all to use. Chinese oceanographers who saw the data decided to find out more. In 2022, they loaded the Shiyan 6 vessel, one of the world’s most advanced research ships, with cutting-edge equipment and sailed...

Politics

3 d. ago Chinese team says carbon dioxide can be turned turned into sugar

Chinese scientists have developed a method to turn the alcohol methanol into white sugar, which they say could allow captured carbon dioxide to be converted into food. The team’s biotransformation system produces sucrose without the need to grow sugar cane or sugar beets – crops that require large amounts of land and water resources. Their method to convert methanol – which can be derived from industrial waste or made by hydrogenating carbon dioxide – into sucrose using enzymes was also adapted...

Politics

6 d. ago China creates first cyborg bee with world’s lightest brain controller

Worker bees carry nectar sacks weighing 80 per cent of their body mass. When airborne, they tuck their hind legs like landing gear to cut wind drag. And they can fly 5km (3 miles) with no need for rest, an example of how nature’s genius shames human machinery. Until now. At Beijing Institute of Technology, Professor Zhao Jieliang’s team has built the world’s lightest insect brain controller. At 74 milligrams, it is lighter than a sack of nectar. Strapped to the bee’s back, the device pierces its...

Politics

7 d. ago Top Chinese oncologist and director of Jilin Cancer Hospital, Cheng Ying, dies

A top Chinese oncologist and physician-scientist, Cheng Ying, has died suddenly aged 62, according to multiple sources. There has been no official statement about the doctor’s death, and the cause of death is not known. Cheng was director of the Jilin Cancer Hospital and according to their outpatient records, she last appeared at the specialist team clinic she led on the morning of July 2. Subsequently, her appointment schedule was removed from the hospital’s outpatient information sheet, and...

Events

9 d. ago Chinese AI scientists, Beijing’s message to Brics: SCMP daily highlights

Catch up on some of SCMP’s biggest China stories of the day. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Trump vows tariff boost for ‘anti-American’ policies as China urges Brics action US President Donald Trump has threatened to slam an additional 10 per cent tariffs on countries supporting what he calls “anti-American policies” after the leaders of Brics nations condemned unilateral tariffs. 2. Australia’s Albanese to address Darwin Port sale on China...

Politics

9 d. ago Meet some of the Chinese AI scientists dominating the global top 100

A study of nearly 200,000 researchers and 100,000 high-impact papers has revealed that the vast majority of the world’s top 100 brains in the field of artificial intelligence are of Chinese origin. The list was compiled by ITPO China – part of the UN Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) – and the Shenzhen-based technology firm Dongbi Data. It was presented last week at a conference in Beijing. According to the report, which does not give individual rankings, 50 of the top 100 AI experts...

Politics

9 d. ago Chinese scientists create visual sensor that adapts to light changes in seconds

A team of Chinese scientists has used semiconductor “quantum dots” to develop a vision sensor that adapts to extreme light changes faster than the human eye. The bionic visual sensor can adapt to extreme changes between dark and light in about 40 seconds, compared to two to 30 minutes for human eyes. Its ability to adjust sensitivity for better object recognition and imaging means the sensor could be used to make next-generation technology, such as more brain-like computing systems. “The sensor...

Politics

1 week ago Chinese team develops faster, more efficient data sorting for AI, computing

Chinese scientists have developed a faster and more energy-efficient method to sort data, which could be used to overcome limitations in scientific computing, artificial intelligence, and hardware design. Their new sorting system relies on memristors, an electronic circuit component with memory-like abilities, along with a sorting algorithm to enable more efficient data processing. The team built a memristor-based hardware sorting prototype to demonstrate tasks such as route finding and neural...

Politics

1 week ago Chinese scientists find genetics shapes brain’s balance linked to mental ability

Chinese researchers have discovered that genetics influences the brain’s ability to maintain the crucial balance between activation and control, a key element of cognitive function. There is extensive evidence that brain criticality – the balance between neural excitation and inhibition – enhances its information processing capabilities. But despite the significance of brain criticality and its potential influence on neurological and psychiatric disorders, the genetic basis of this state had...

Politics

1 week ago How Chinese scientists cracked the secret of organ regeneration

Chinese scientists who successfully restored damaged outer ears in mice said their findings proved the existence of a genetic switch for organ regeneration, which meant it might also be present in other organs. While the scientific journey to achieving organ regeneration in humans remains long and challenging, the study, published in the peer-reviewed journal Science, has offered the researchers hope. Last week, co-corresponding authors Wang Wei and Deng Ziqing published their findings that a...

Politics

1 week ago Human heart structure beats 21 days in pig embryo in Chinese chimera study

Chinese scientists have, for the first time, cultivated a beating heart structure with human cells in a pig embryo, reporting that the heart continued to beat for 21 days unaided. The study, led by Lai Liangxue’s team from the Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, was announced at the International Society for Stem Cell Research’s annual meeting in Hong Kong on June 12. Previously, the team had cultivated human kidneys in pigs for up to 28...

Politics

1 week ago Chinese team creates blockchain tech to resist attacks from quantum computers

Chinese scientists have developed a new blockchain storage technology that they say can resist attacks from quantum computers. Blockchain technology – which provides a shared, decentralised digital ledger that stores tamper-proof records – has shown revolutionary potential in areas like financial services and supply chain management. Usually, blockchains use specialised encryption algorithms to verify each transaction, ensure the ledger’s security, and provide transparent access to...

Events

2 w. ago Chinese scientists uncover coal power’s dirty secret in satellite data study

In the first high-precision satellite mapping of carbon dioxide emissions from large international coal power plants, Chinese scientists have found that existing databases are underestimating discharges from facilities across the globe. They include China’s Tuoketuo – the largest coal-fired power station in the world – and Alabama’s James H. Miller Jnr facility, the most polluting plant in the United States, according to a paper published on June 9 by the peer-reviewed Journal of Cleaner...

Politics

2 w. ago Mammals could regenerate tissue by turning on ‘genetic switch’: Chinese team

Chinese scientists say they have restored the damaged outer ear in mice, a mammal that lacks natural regenerative abilities. The researchers said the pathway they identified could be applied to different tissue types and play a significant role in advancing regeneration in vertebrates. The team found that a mouse’s failure to regenerate stemmed from an inability to produce sufficient retinoic acid, a derivative of vitamin A that regulates what cell type emerges during a cell’s development and...

Politics

2 w. ago Chinese navy chief of staff and nuclear scientist expelled from top legislature

The Chinese navy’s chief of staff and a top nuclear scientist have been stripped of their membership of the country’s legislature. Vice Admiral Li Hanjun, chief of staff of the People’s Liberation Army Navy, and Liu Shipeng, deputy chief engineer at China National Nuclear Corporation, have been expelled from the National People’s Congress (NPC). Li is the latest of a string of PLA generals and a handful of defence industry executives to have implicated in a sweeping crackdown in the military. In...

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3 w. ago AI poses ‘existential risk’ if out of control, Chinese computer scientist warns

Failing to address the risks posed by deceptive, out-of-control artificial intelligence (AI) could leave humans facing “existential risks”, a leading Chinese computer scientist and AI expert has warned. Andrew Yao Chi-chih, dean of Tsinghua University’s College of AI, told an on-campus forum on Monday that the industry had seen multiple instances of deceptive behaviour by large language models (LLMs). “Once large models become sufficiently intelligent, they will deceive people,” Yao said at the...

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3 w. ago Chinese scientists catch cosmic rays meddling in quantum computer operation

Researchers in China said they have found the first evidence that subatomic particles from cosmic rays may be affecting the efficiency of widely used error correction techniques that are an essential element of fault-tolerant quantum computing. The scientists monitored superconducting quantum chips alongside fundamental subatomic particles – called muons – produced by cosmic rays, as well as gamma ray-induced particle disturbances known as quasiparticle bursts. “We directly observed...

Politics

3 w. ago The unsung spleen may play a big role in fighting diabetes: Chinese scientists

Advances in the transplant of cells into the spleen could transform one of the body’s “expendable” organs into a hub for treating diabetes, two Chinese studies have found. Research published last month by scientists at Nanjing University and other institutes found that “shielding” islet cells could improve their survival after being transplanted into the spleen to treat type 1 diabetes. They also found that the spleen – a more promising long-term survival site than the conventionally used liver...

Politics

3 w. ago Chinese scientists build a laser weapon that can operate without cooling in Sahara Desert

Chinese researchers have developed a two-kilowatt (kW) fibre laser capable of operating without the protection of heating or cooling systems across Earth’s most extreme climates – from temperatures of minus 50 degrees Celsius (minus 58 degrees Fahrenheit) in the Arctic to 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit) in the Sahara Desert. The device, designed for quick and ultra-portable deployment for both defence and industrial purposes, starkly contrasts with counterparts with similar power...

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