分类： science

In a groundbreaking, never-before-documented event for the region, an 8-year-old female yak in Driru County, Xizang Autonomous Region, has given birth to three healthy, naturally conceived calves, marking the first officially recorded natural yak triplet birth in Xizang’s history.

As of the latest update, both the mother yak and her three newborns are in stable, good condition. The young calves are nursing normally and have already acclimated smoothly to Xizang’s harsh high-altitude, low-temperature environment, a testament to their hardiness.

Animal husbandry researchers explain that yaks are evolutionarily adapted to single-calve pregnancies, making a natural triplet birth an extraordinarily rare occurrence. This unprecedented birth is far more than a curious local oddity: it sheds new light on the outstanding genetic characteristics of Xizang’s indigenous yak breeds, and serves as tangible evidence of the region’s improving ecological environment and widespread adoption of standardized, science-based grazing management practices over recent years.

In response to this rare event, local agricultural and animal husbandry authorities have moved quickly to implement regular professional health checks and customized care plans to protect the mother and her triplets. Scientific teams will also conduct long-term follow-up genetic studies on the three calves, aiming to unpack the biological mechanisms behind this unusual reproductive outcome and inform advances in local yak breeding programs.

Researchers and industry analysts note that this milestone discovery carries substantial value for the future of Xizang’s yak industry. Insights gained from the triplets could help livestock scientists optimize yak breed lines, improve overall reproductive efficiency for the species, and drive the high-quality development of Xizang’s signature animal husbandry sector, a core source of income for many local herding communities.

A breakthrough broadly neutralizing influenza antibody, developed under the umbrella of the Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity (SIIDB), has reached a major milestone: it has formally entered industrial application, institute officials announced in a recent press statement.

Named SII-007, the antibody was incubated at SIIDB and spearheaded by a research team led by Ying Tianlei, a part-time principal investigator at the institute. The entire research and early commercialization process was backed by 21 million yuan ($3.1 million) in funding, a structure that combines an upfront patent transfer fee with post-commercialization revenue sharing. Per Ying’s update, the formal patent transfer for the technology was finalized in February 2026, with regulatory approval from China’s National Medical Products Administration expected by the end of the year, clearing the way for the candidate to enter human clinical trials.

SII-007 was engineered to solve a longstanding challenge in influenza prevention and control: the rapid mutation rate of influenza viruses that often renders traditional vaccines and antibodies ineffective. Unlike conventional antibody development frameworks, this candidate leverages a combined R&D system that integrates artificial intelligence and synthetic immunology, breaking through the key technical limitation of limited broad-spectrum activity that plagues most existing influenza antibodies. As a result, the molecule can effectively target and neutralize multiple currently circulating epidemic influenza strains.

As a passive immunotherapy, SII-007 delivers immediate protective effects upon administration, eliminating the two-week immune induction period required for traditional inactivated influenza vaccines. Delivered via aerosol inhalation, the antibody also offers greater usability than injectable alternatives and requires far lower effective doses. Its high molecular stability further allows it to provide protection against severe influenza infection, a critical benefit for high-risk groups such as the elderly and immunocompromised populations.

From a commercial and intellectual property perspective, the core patent portfolio for SII-007 has been fully established, with all intellectual property rights independently owned and regulated by Chinese entities. Leveraging SIIDB’s established technology transfer mechanism, the project secured industrial partnership with a fund under Fosun Pharma within just one month of completing its proof of concept, accelerating progress toward full-scale industrialization.

Founded in 2020 as a joint initiative between the Shanghai municipal government and Fudan University, SIIDB has built an end-to-end technology transfer ecosystem focused on translating early-stage infectious disease research into real-world applications. The institute receives dedicated special funding from the Shanghai government for major breakthrough technology projects, and has trained more than 500 master’s and doctoral students in the fields of infectious disease and biosecurity to date.

To support open innovation across the domestic research community, SIIDB provides free open access to five of its core research platforms, including a vaccine innovation platform and a national-level pathogen sample bank. It also partners with two specialized law firms to deliver precise intellectual property management and commercial risk assessment for both in-house and collaborative projects.

By the end of 2025, SIIDB’s cumulative research output includes 906 papers indexed in the Science Citation Index, 38 established pathogen infection models for research use, and 94 filed national and international patent applications. The total cumulative value of technology transfers completed by the institute has exceeded 44.5 million yuan, a track record that reflects the success of its institutional innovation model.

These outcomes are directly tied to SIIDB’s deliberate focus on institutional and procedural innovation, particularly its commitment to open access innovation infrastructure. In December 2024, the institute launched a joint laboratory with Chongqing Zhifei Biological Products Co Ltd, backed by a total investment of 15 million yuan to advance shared research goals. It has also prioritized global collaboration: in 2023, it established a cross-border joint research center for infectious disease control, designed to strengthen global prevention and control systems focused on source detection and border interception of emerging pathogens.

Wu Fan, director of SIIDB and vice-dean of Shanghai Medical College at Fudan University, noted that building a full-lifecycle technology transfer system requires coordinated input from industrial parks, investment institutions, and research bodies. She emphasized that dedicated concept validation centers are a critical missing link to help early-stage biotech startups cross the so-called “valley of death” that often sinks promising innovations before they reach commercialization.

Wu also issued a warning about the risks associated with acquisitions of early-stage domestic biotech innovations by large multinational corporations, noting that such deals can put promising domestic breakthroughs out of reach of local public health systems. For this reason, she argued, proactive protection of domestic intellectual property and support for independent technology transformation are critical policy priorities. She called for accelerated efforts to roll out supporting policies, industry standards, and clinical guidelines to bring new domestic infectious disease products to market, and to integrate more innovative products into China’s national immunization program.

Looking ahead, SIIDB plans to expand the scale of its special R&D funds, launch a dedicated vaccine concept validation center, and establish a new innovation and technology transfer center focused on diagnostic tools for infectious diseases. The institute’s core strategic focus will remain on addressing threats from emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases and drug-resistant pathogens, to strengthen China’s public health preparedness and advance global biosecurity.

A small but notable milestone in rare plant conservation has been recorded in southwest China’s Yunnan province, where three intentionally introduced and cultivated dove trees (Davidia involucrata) have recently reached their peak blooming period at Caojian Forest Farm, located in Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture.

Known colloquially as the dove tree for its unique floral structure, Davidia involucrata is an exceptionally rare ancient tree species endemic exclusively to China. Widely described as a “living fossil” from the Tertiary period, the species has been listed as a national first-class protected wild plant in China to safeguard its vulnerable wild populations. When the tree enters full bloom, it produces a striking visual display: a pair of large, pale white bracts surround each tiny flower, giving the entire tree the appearance of hundreds of white doves resting on branches, with the delicate bracts swaying gently in soft wind just like spreading dove wings.

The successful blooming of these cultivated trees marks a key achievement for ex situ conservation efforts for the endangered species. Ex situ cultivation, the practice of preserving rare plant species outside their original native habitats, is a critical strategy to prevent extinction and expand population sizes for threatened flora. The Caojian Forest Farm’s blooming cultivated dove trees demonstrate that targeted conservation and cultivation initiatives can effectively support the survival and reproduction of this rare endemic species, offering a solid foundation for future propagation and broader conservation work.

In a major push for global collaborative solar science, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) announced Friday that it is opening up opportunities for international partners to join its ambitious Xihe 2 solar observation mission, marking a significant step toward advancing shared human understanding of our host star. The announcement was made during the opening ceremony of China’s 11th annual Space Day, held in Chengdu, the capital of southwestern China’s Sichuan province.

As part of the cooperation initiative, CNSA is allocating approximately 15 kilograms of payload mass capacity exclusively for international research teams interested in contributing to the mission. Full, detailed technical documentation and specification requirements for interested partners are now available to the public on CNSA’s official website, where prospective applicants can access all information needed to submit collaboration proposals.

Unlike low-Earth orbit solar observation missions, Xihe 2 is scheduled for deployment to the Sun-Earth Lagrangian L5 point, a unique orbital position roughly 150 million kilometers from Earth, the same average distance that separates our planet from the Sun. This specific orbital location offers unprecedented observational advantages for long-term space weather research and continuous monitoring, providing a vantage point that cannot be matched by closer or alternative orbital arrangements.

The core scientific goals of the Xihe 2 mission are targeted at answering some of the most pressing open questions in solar physics. Researchers plan to use data collected from the mission to map and analyze the characteristics and evolutionary patterns of magnetic fields in solar active regions, which are the primary birthplaces of disruptive solar events. The mission also aims to uncover the full three-dimensional structure and underlying formation mechanisms of solar bursts such as coronal mass ejections and solar flares, and to track how these energetic events propagate through interplanetary space before reaching Earth’s vicinity. The insights gained from this research will directly support the development of more timely, reliable early warnings and accurate forecasts of space weather, which can protect critical satellite infrastructure, GPS systems, and power grids on Earth from solar-related disruptions.

BEIJING – A collaborative research initiative between the Institute of Chemistry at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (ICCAS) and the National University of Singapore has delivered a landmark breakthrough in the development of optical metamaterials, a cutting-edge class of engineered materials that promise to revolutionize next-generation photonic and optical technologies.

Announced on April 24, 2026, the team’s work addresses one of the most persistent bottlenecks holding back the widespread commercial adoption of optical metamaterials: the inability to produce large, custom-designed sheets of the material without sacrificing cost efficiency or performance. The researchers’ findings, which outline a completely new framework for scalable manufacturing of these advanced materials, were officially published in the peer-reviewed scientific journal *Nature* on April 23, 2026.

For decades, optical metamaterials – which are defined by their precisely engineered micro- and nanoscale structural arrangements that manipulate light in ways impossible for natural materials – have faced a persistent manufacturing trade-off. Traditional fabrication methods were either capable of producing small, highly customized batches for research at high cost, or limited to low-cost mass production that could not accommodate tailored design specifications needed for specific applications. This imbalance has restricted the translation of lab-based optical metamaterial breakthroughs into real-world commercial and industrial uses, from advanced optical sensors to flexible display technologies and ultra-compact imaging systems.

The joint research team resolved this long-standing challenge by developing the world’s first roll-to-roll additive nano-printing platform, a custom-built manufacturing system that brings together the benefits of additive manufacturing with high-throughput continuous production. This new approach achieves simultaneous synergistic optimization of both the material’s core optical properties and the flexible structural design required for diverse applications. By enabling low-cost, large-volume production while retaining the ability to create customized, multi-scale metamaterial structures, the new fabrication paradigm opens entirely new research pathways for the field of multi-scale optical metamaterials and unlocks practical new opportunities for micro-nano photonics applications across multiple industries.

The breakthrough comes as global research into metamaterials accelerates, driven by growing demand for advanced optical components that enable smaller, faster, and more efficient optical and photonic technologies. The team’s publication of their work in *Nature* underscores the significance of the advance for the international scientific community.

A team of Shanghai-based researchers has made a landmark advance in Alzheimer’s disease research, identifying a ‘brake’ gene that can slow the degenerative condition’s progression after developing the world’s first in vivo functional map of regulatory switches in astrocytes, the critical support cells that protect brain neurons. The discovery, which has already been successfully validated in Alzheimer’s mouse models, opens an entirely new pathway for developing life-changing treatments for neurodegenerative disorders.

The collaborative research project, led by scientists from the Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai Sixth People’s Hospital, and biotechnology company Genemagic, was published on April 24, 2026, in the peer-reviewed journal *Science*. Unlike most existing Alzheimer’s therapies that focus on targeting beta-amyloid plaques, this work centers on the understudied role of astrocytes in disease progression, offering a complementary approach that could boost treatment outcomes for patients.

Astrocytes are abundant star-shaped cells in the human brain that work to sustain healthy neuronal function. But when Alzheimer’s develops, these critical support cells become dysfunctional, triggering a chain reaction that speeds up the death of neurons and worsens cognitive decline. For years, researchers have understood that stopping this harmful transformation requires identifying the transcription factors — molecular ‘switches’ that control astrocyte activity — but with more than 1,000 distinct transcription factors in the human body, pinpointing the molecules critical to astrocyte health has remained a major, unaddressed challenge.

To solve this problem, the research team developed an innovative in vivo high-throughput sequencing platform called iGOF-Perturb-seq, which enables large-scale, simultaneous analysis of transcription factor function in living organisms. Using adeno-associated viruses engineered to specifically target astrocytes, the team delivered genetic ‘instruction packages’ holding nearly 1,000 different transcription factors into astrocytes in live mouse brains, with each package tagged with a unique molecular barcode to track its impact. The researchers then used single-cell sequencing technology to analyze close to 400,000 individual astrocytes at once, linking each cell’s functional state to the specific transcription factor it had received. This groundbreaking process allowed the team to assemble the first complete functional map of astrocyte regulatory switches ever created.

“This map is like a treasure map, helping scientists quickly identify candidate master regulators that can prevent astrocytes from becoming dysfunctional,” explained Zhou Haibo, the lead scientist of the study. After screening the map for promising candidates, the team narrowed the list down to 39 potential molecules, and after rigorous testing, identified the transcription factor Ferd3l as the most potent regulator capable of repairing dysfunctional astrocytes.

To confirm the gene’s therapeutic potential, the research team tested Ferd3l in mouse models engineered to develop human Alzheimer’s disease. The team activated the Ferd3l gene in the mice’s astrocytes via intravenous injection, and the treated animals saw a dramatic improvement in their cognitive impairments. In standard cognitive tests including object recognition and maze navigation, treated mice performed nearly as well as healthy control mice.

Further analysis of the results showed that Ferd3l helps dysfunctional astrocytes re-establish healthy, cooperative interactions with both neurons and microglia — the brain’s primary immune cells — restoring functional order to the disrupted cellular environment that characterizes Alzheimer’s, according to Zhang Liansheng, first author of the published study.

The complete functional map of astrocyte regulators will be shared openly with research institutions and pharmaceutical companies across the globe, allowing scientists to use the resource to identify similar ‘brake’ genes and therapeutic targets for a wide range of other neurological conditions, including Parkinson’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and major depressive disorder. The team also noted that their work creates a shared library of potential new drug targets for neurological diseases, which can be expanded over time to support the development of personalized precision therapies for patients.

The research comes as China has already made progress in expanding Alzheimer’s treatment access: an innovative beta-amyloid targeting therapy launched in 2025 is now covered by supplemental public health insurance in major Chinese cities including Beijing, with clinical data showing sustained patient benefits even after treatment is discontinued following successful plaque clearance.

Zhou noted that moving the discovery from foundational research to real-world clinical applications will be the primary focus of the team’s upcoming work, bringing new hope to millions of people worldwide living with Alzheimer’s and related neurodegenerative conditions.

In a landmark breakthrough for lunar exploration, a team of Chinese scientists has made a significant new contribution to global planetary science: the discovery of two previously unknown lunar minerals, sourced from the precious lunar surface samples retrieved by China’s Chang’e 5 mission. The announcement of the find, first reported by China Daily and updated on April 24, 2026, marks another key milestone for China’s expanding deep space exploration program, adding new concrete data to the international scientific community’s understanding of the Moon’s geological composition and formation history.

Chang’e 5, China’s first mission to successfully collect and return lunar samples to Earth, touched down on the northern region of the Moon’s Oceanus Procellarum in late 2020, bringing back roughly 1.7 kilograms of volcanic basalt and regolith from a previously unsampled young region of the lunar surface. These samples have been the subject of ongoing, rigorous analysis by Chinese planetary scientists in the years following their return, with the latest discovery opening new avenues for research into lunar volcanic activity and the evolution of the inner solar system.

The identification of two new mineral species is a rare and notable achievement in lunar science, as most lunar minerals have already been cataloged from previous Soviet sample-return missions and Apollo program specimens collected in the 1960s and 1970s. This discovery makes China the third country in the world to successfully identify a new lunar mineral from returned samples, underscoring the rapid progress of the nation’s space science capabilities beyond Earth’s orbit. It also aligns with broader planned advancements in China’s deep space exploration roadmap, which includes the upcoming Tianwen 3 mission scheduled to retrieve samples from Mars by approximately 2031, as outlined in recently updated mission plans shared by Chinese space authorities.

Scientific communities around the world have repeatedly emphasized the value of new lunar sample data, particularly from the young geologic region sampled by Chang’e 5. This new discovery is expected to support ongoing research into the timing of the Moon’s volcanic cooling, the distribution of resources across the lunar surface, and the origins of impact events that have shaped the Earth-Moon system over billions of years. The find also highlights the critical role that sample-return missions play in advancing human knowledge of planetary bodies, complementing data gathered by remote sensing orbiters and rover missions.

In a landmark breakthrough for planetary science, Chinese researchers have confirmed the discovery of a previously unknown lunar mineral from the first lunar meteorite ever recovered within China’s borders, a finding that pushes global lunar material knowledge to new heights. This newly recognized substance, now the 11th confirmed lunar mineral documented across the world, brings China’s total count of identified lunar minerals to four — tying the country with the United States for the highest number of lunar mineral discoveries globally.

Officially named Magnesiochangesite-(Ce), the new mineral has received full formal approval from the International Mineralogical Association’s Commission on New Minerals, Nomenclature and Classification, the globally recognized governing body that verifies and formalizes the naming of all newly identified minerals. Geochemically classified as a rare-earth-bearing phosphate, Magnesiochangesite-(Ce) displays distinct physical traits that set it apart from other known lunar materials: it is colorless, transparent, and carries a bright glass-like luster. It is characteristically brittle, forms distinctive shell-like fractures when broken, and emits visible fluorescence when exposed to ultraviolet light, properties that helped researchers isolate and confirm its identity.

The mineral was extracted from Pakepake 005, the 44-gram spherical lunar meteorite recovered by Chinese researchers in 2024 from the Taklamakan Desert, located in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The stone’s dark outer fusion crust, a signature feature of meteorites formed when friction superheats the rock’s surface during its high-speed passage through Earth’s atmosphere, confirmed its extraterrestrial origin before detailed analysis began.

Wang Yanjuan, a doctoral graduate at the Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences and the lead researcher who first identified the new mineral, emphasized the far-reaching scientific value of the finding. “This discovery provides critical mineralogical evidence that helps us unpack the moon’s origin and long-term evolutionary history, and it expands the overall boundaries of human understanding of the material composition of our solar system,” Wang explained. She added that analysis of the mineral’s unique crystal structure and precise chemical composition is already yielding new insights into ancient lunar volcanic activity, as well as the geochemical processes that drive rare-earth element separation during planetary formation. Even beyond planetary science, Wang noted that the mineral’s unusual luminescent properties could inform the development of innovative new luminescent materials for industrial and commercial use.

A key enabling factor behind this discovery, researchers note, is China’s domestic development of high-precision scientific instrumentation. Che Xiaochao, an associate researcher at the Planetary Science Research Center of the Institute of Geology under the Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, explained that the analysis of the rare meteorite sample relied on a domestically developed high-resolution secondary ion mass spectrometer. Unlike traditional analytical methods that require dissolving or altering valuable samples, this instrument uses a tightly focused ion beam to map surface composition at the microscopic level without damaging the specimen. “This process is analogous to doing a CT scan of the rock,” Che explained. “Without altering or dissolving the sample, we can accurately capture its internal chemical information and precisely measure nearly all elements and isotopes it contains.” Che also highlighted that the technology has broader cross-sector applications, including use in semiconductor manufacturing and new energy materials development.

Yang Zhiming, director of the Institute of Geology, stressed that access to advanced, domestically controlled instrumentation is foundational to advancing cutting-edge research on rare extraterrestrial samples. He added that the same domestic high-resolution instrument has already been used to analyze lunar samples collected by China’s Chang’e 6 mission, as well as other samples from the country’s first domestic lunar meteorite recovery. The breakthrough, Yang noted, underscores the critical importance of developing and mastering core scientific equipment and analytical techniques domestically to expand global and national planetary research capabilities.

To mark China’s annual Space Day, which fell on Thursday this year, a groundbreaking immersive exhibition focused on China’s far side of the Moon exploration missions opened to the public at the China Science and Technology Museum in Beijing on April 24, 2026. Jointly organized by the China Science and Technology Museum and the China National Space Administration, the showcase blends traditional artifact displays with cutting-edge large-scale virtual reality (VR) experiences to offer visitors a one-of-a-kind journey through China’s decades-long lunar exploration program. Unlike standard science exhibitions that rely on static displays, this dual-format event invites guests not only to view landmark technological achievements, but also to step into the landscape of the Moon themselves.

Among the physical exhibits on display are two key examples of China’s indigenous aerospace innovation: the high-strength, high-toughness steel developed entirely in China for Chang’e series lunar spacecraft, and a decommissioned rocket engine. These tangible artifacts serve as concrete proof of the major leaps forward China has made in space technology over the past two decades. Complementing these core pieces, the exhibition also features high-resolution satellite imagery captured during actual lunar missions, original documentary footage of mission operations, and ultra-high-precision scale models of Chang’e spacecraft. Curators arranged these materials to trace the full evolutionary timeline of China’s lunar exploration program, breaking down complex scientific principles and critical technological breakthroughs that made far side lunar exploration accessible for a general audience.

The centerpiece of the showcase is the dedicated VR zone, built using real, authenticated data from China’s past lunar exploration missions to deliver a hyper-accurate simulated experience. This immersive zone lets visitors step into a hypothetical 2049 mission to the Tianshu Base located at the lunar south pole, a long-term goal outlined in China’s deep space exploration roadmap. Guests can walk through every step of a full lunar mission: from feeling the rumble of a rocket launch, to transitioning between Earth and Moon orbits, completing a lunar spacewalk, and conducting the first crewed landing on the lunar surface. The simulation also recreates the harsh natural conditions of the lunar environment, including visual renderings of meteorite impacts, cosmic radiation bursts, and intense solar storms, giving visitors a realistic sense of the challenges that deep space exploration poses.

Running through August 16, the exhibition was developed with a core outreach goal: to ignite widespread public enthusiasm for space science, exploration, and technological innovation, particularly among children and young people who are the future of China’s space program.