分类： science

Chinese researchers have achieved a significant breakthrough in agricultural science by identifying crucial genetic markers that could revolutionize global food production. The Precision Seed Design and Breeding initiative, spearheaded by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, has successfully mapped key genes and regulatory networks essential for enhancing crop yields, improving quality, and strengthening resistance to environmental stresses.

Since the program’s inception in 2019, scientists have conducted extensive genomic research targeting multiple agricultural challenges. The research team has specifically identified genetic components that contribute to increased nitrogen efficiency, reduced fertilizer dependency, and enhanced resilience against diseases and climate-related stressors. This comprehensive approach addresses both productivity and sustainability concerns in modern agriculture.

The practical applications of this research are already underway across China. Researchers have developed 37 experimental crop varieties demonstrating superior yield characteristics and reduced environmental impact. These pilot varieties are currently undergoing large-scale field testing across 965,000 hectares of agricultural land, representing one of the most extensive agricultural research deployments in recent years.

The scientific breakthrough holds particular significance for global food security initiatives. By identifying the genetic foundations of crop resilience and productivity, Chinese researchers have created a framework for developing climate-resistant agricultural systems. The research outcomes promise to reduce dependency on chemical fertilizers while maintaining high yield outputs, potentially transforming agricultural practices worldwide.

The Precision Seed Design program represents China’s growing contribution to addressing global food challenges through advanced scientific research. The identified genetic markers could enable more precise breeding techniques, accelerating the development of crop varieties adapted to changing environmental conditions and increasing global food demands.

China’s space program concluded 2025 with unprecedented achievements, demonstrating remarkable capabilities in orbital operations and deep space exploration. The year witnessed two historic firsts: the successful execution of an emergency crew rescue mission and the launch of the nation’s inaugural asteroid sampling expedition.

The Tianwen-2 probe embarked on its decade-long mission on May 29, marking China’s first venture to collect samples from asteroid 2016HO3 before proceeding to study main-belt comet 311P. This pioneering mission aims to analyze the physical properties, composition, and internal structures of these celestial bodies, potentially revolutionizing our understanding of small planetary formation and evolution.

Orbital operations reached new heights of sophistication when the Shenzhou XX spacecraft developed critical viewport cracks from space debris impact shortly before its scheduled November return. In response, China executed two emergency procedures: the safe return of astronauts aboard the backup Shenzhou XXI spacecraft, and the rapid launch of unmanned Shenzhou XXII with repair equipment and supplies. This demonstrated unprecedented contingency response capabilities in human spaceflight history.

Scientific research aboard the space station yielded extraordinary results, including the creation of spinor Bose-Einstein condensates using all-optical traps, establishment of quantum simulation platforms cooling atoms to picokelvin temperatures, and successful breeding of three generations of fruit flies in microgravity. The Shenzhou XX mission additionally produced high-quality protein crystals with potential cancer therapy applications, achieved record-high materials science temperatures exceeding 3,100°C, and conducted groundbreaking colloid crystallization studies.

Lunar exploration advanced significantly with the return of experimental moon bricks after year-long space exposure, providing crucial data for future lunar construction. Analysis of Chang’e-6 far side samples revealed temperature differentials between the moon’s hemispheres, offering new insights into lunar geological evolution.

International collaboration expanded through February’s agreement with Pakistan for astronaut training, reinforcing China’s commitment to global space cooperation. These achievements establish strong foundations for China’s ambitious plans: crewed lunar landings by 2030 and establishment of the International Lunar Research Station by 2035.

Shanghai has become the stage for showcasing exceptional achievements in zoological preservation as the exhibition of winning entries from the 6th China Animal Specimen Competition opened to the public on December 20, 2025. The prestigious event, marking a significant milestone in China’s specimen-making industry, has drawn unprecedented participation with 738 submissions from across the nation—the first time entries have been accepted nationwide.

The exhibition, hosted at the China-Israel (Shanghai) Innovation Park in Putuo District, presents the carefully selected works following an intensive three-day evaluation process conducted by a distinguished panel of 19 experts from scientific research institutions, museums, and fine arts disciplines. The display will remain open to the public free of charge until March 22, 2026, offering a unique opportunity to appreciate these scientific artworks.

This year’s competition has achieved remarkable scale and quality, attracting over 800 participants representing museums, universities, research institutes, and even primary and secondary schools nationwide. The event emphasizes scientific precision, requiring specimens to accurately represent biological characteristics in both form and anatomical structure with precise species identification.

Beyond scientific accuracy, entries were evaluated across multiple criteria including craftsmanship, artistic expression, and collection value. The competition featured ten distinct categories encompassing large mammals, fish, amphibians and reptiles, and creative simulations, demonstrating the diverse approaches to this specialized field that blends science with artistry.

Chinese archaeologists have made a groundbreaking discovery on the eastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, unearthing the highest-altitude evidence of ancient human activity ever recorded in the region. The significant find, located near Tsungqen Co lake in Daocheng county at an extraordinary elevation exceeding 4,300 meters, provides revolutionary insights into early human migration patterns and adaptive capabilities in extreme environments.

The research team from Peking University and Sichuan Provincial Cultural Relics and Archaeology Research Institute published their detailed findings in the prestigious journal Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. The Tsungqen Co site forms part of the renowned Piluo archaeological complex, previously recognized as China’s top archaeological discovery of 2021.

While the main Piluo site dates back over 200,000 years at 3,750 meters elevation, the newly discovered Tsungqen Co location surpasses it in altitude, with cultural layers dating approximately 12,000 years. Archaeologists excavated over 190 stone artifacts demonstrating sophisticated microlithic technology, indicating specialized adaptations to the high-altitude environment.

Dr. Zheng Zhexuan, lead archaeologist of the project, emphasized the site’s significance: “This was not merely a temporary camp but rather a habitation site revisited repeatedly. It demonstrates that ancient populations already utilized warmer climatic phases to establish settlements by highland lakes over ten millennia ago, showing remarkable adaptability to plateau conditions.”

The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, often called the “Third Pole” due to its extreme elevation, low oxygen levels, and frigid temperatures, has long been considered challenging for human survival. This discovery represents a pivotal breakthrough in understanding how early modern humans in East Asia developed survival strategies under diverse ecological pressures.

Experts describe the site as a crucial “spatiotemporal key” that bridges critical gaps in the evidence chain of human activity on the “roof of the world.” Ongoing multidisciplinary research involving chronology and environmental archaeology aims to reconstruct a more precise understanding of ancient lifeways in this extreme environment, potentially rewriting chapters of human migration history.

Deep beneath the earth’s surface in Jiangmen, Guangdong province, an international scientific collaboration has achieved a monumental breakthrough in particle physics. The Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory (JUNO), situated 700 meters underground, has released its first research results just two months after commencing operations, marking a significant advancement in humanity’s quest to understand the universe’s fundamental building blocks.

This ambitious project represents one of China’s largest international fundamental science initiatives, uniting over 700 scientists from 75 institutions across 17 countries and regions. The observatory features a massive spherical detector spanning 41 meters in diameter, equipped with 45,000 photomultiplier tubes surrounding 20,000 metric tons of liquid scintillator. Its strategic location 53 kilometers from southern China’s nuclear power plants provides ideal conditions for capturing neutrinos—near-massless particles traveling at near-light speed that hold keys to understanding matter’s origins, stellar evolution, and physics beyond the standard model.

The international collaboration faced extraordinary challenges, including constructing entirely new underground facilities from scratch and navigating pandemic restrictions that forced overseas scientists to work remotely. Despite these obstacles, the project demonstrated remarkable global cooperation, with countries contributing specialized expertise: Italy developed the liquid scintillation system, France provided cosmic muon tracking technology, and China’s Institute of High Energy Physics led detector design.

Marcos Dracos, French physicist and chair of JUNO’s Institutional Board, emphasized the project’s unprecedented scale: ‘Previous experiments were nothing compared to JUNO in terms of collaboration size, detector scale, or research context.’ The initial results have validated the decade-long design and construction period, confirming the detector meets all design expectations and positioning JUNO for advanced neutrino physics research over its planned 30-year operational lifespan.

Beyond scientific achievement, JUNO represents China’s strategic evolution from follower to leader in foundational scientific discovery. The project has enhanced China’s reputation as a global research hub while serving as a training ground for new generations of scientists and engineers. As researchers now focus on measuring neutrino mass ordering within approximately six years, the collaboration stands as a testament to international scientific cooperation’s power in pushing knowledge boundaries, demonstrating that while scientists have national affiliations, fundamental science truly knows no borders.

Japan’s ambitious space program encountered a significant setback on Monday morning when its flagship H3 rocket experienced a critical anomaly during ascent. The launch, conducted by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) from the Tanegashima Space Center, proceeded normally through initial stages before the second-stage engine unexpectedly terminated combustion ahead of schedule.

The H3 rocket represents Japan’s next-generation launch vehicle, developed as a more cost-effective and competitive alternative to existing rockets in the global space market. This mission carried substantial importance for Japan’s space ambitions and its positioning in the international satellite launch industry.

While the rocket achieved successful first-stage separation and ignition of the second stage, the premature engine shutdown prevented the vehicle from reaching its intended orbit. JAXA engineers immediately initiated data analysis to determine the root cause of the combustion anomaly. The incident marks another challenge for the H3 program, which has faced developmental hurdles since its inception.

The failure carries significant implications for Japan’s space logistics capabilities, particularly for resupply missions to the International Space Station and future scientific payloads. Space industry analysts are monitoring how this setback might affect Japan’s competitive stance against other space-faring nations and commercial launch providers.

Japan’s ambitious space program suffered a significant setback Monday when its flagship H3 rocket failed to deliver a crucial navigation satellite into orbit. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) confirmed the mission failure after the rocket’s second-stage engine experienced an unexpected premature cutoff during its flight from the Tanegashima Space Center.

The H3 rocket, carrying the advanced Michibiki 5 satellite intended to enhance Japan’s independent positioning capabilities, encountered critical technical issues moments after launch. JAXA officials revealed that the satellite separation could not be confirmed, leaving the payload’s whereabouts unknown. This marks the second failure for Japan’s next-generation launch vehicle following its problematic debut flight in March 2023.

Masashi Okada, JAXA’s launch director, stated that investigators are analyzing flight data to determine the exact cause of the engine malfunction. The failure represents more than just a technical setback—it delays Japan’s strategic plans to establish a fully independent satellite positioning system that would reduce reliance on America’s GPS network for critical applications including smartphone navigation, maritime operations, and drone technology.

The Japanese government responded immediately to the incident, with Science Ministry official Jun Kondo calling the failure “extremely regrettable” and establishing a special task force to investigate the cause and implement corrective measures. The H3 rocket, designed to replace Japan’s highly reliable H-2A launcher, represents a cornerstone of the country’s strategy to become more competitive in the global space market while enhancing national security capabilities.

Despite this setback, JAXA’s H3 project manager Makoto Arita emphasized the rocket’s potential for global competitiveness, vowing to thoroughly investigate the failure and return the program to operational status. The incident occurred just five days after JAXA aborted a previous launch attempt due to ground equipment abnormalities, highlighting the challenges facing Japan’s space ambitions.

In a remarkable scientific journey that began with childhood mountain dreams, Professor Zhu Maoyan has revolutionized our understanding of early life on Earth, culminating in his recent election as an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences—China’s highest scientific honor. The world-renowned paleontologist, whose work recently earned a spot in Science magazine’s 2024 Top 10 Scientific Breakthroughs, has dedicated his career to unraveling the mysteries of multicellular life that predate the Cambrian explosion.

Zhu’s extraordinary path to paleontological prominence started in Wangjiang county, Anhui province, where a high school classmate’s casual remark about geologists climbing mountains daily sparked his imagination. This simple fascination led him to Changchun College of Geology in the 1980s, where he specialized in paleontology due to its connection to biology. His academic pursuit continued at the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Paleontology, where he began his professional research career studying the internationally significant Chengjiang fossils—518-million-year-old specimens that provide unprecedented insight into ancient marine ecosystems.

Fieldwork presented early challenges that tested Zhu’s determination. During his first expedition to Yunnan’s remote fossil sites, he endured arduous travel conditions and treacherous mountain terrain, once climbing a steep slope during a rainstorm with such intense focus that he used both hands and feet to secure his position while searching for fossils.

After advanced research in Germany as a visiting scholar at the Technical University of Berlin from 1997-1999, Zhu returned to China through the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ talent program. He established his own research team at the Nanjing Institute, where decades of systematic investigation have yielded transformative discoveries.

The team’s most significant breakthrough came when Zhu guided doctoral student Miao Lanyun in discovering over 200 multicellular eukaryote fossil specimens in North China’s Yanshan Mountain region. These 1.63-billion-year-old fossils pushed back the appearance of complex multicellular life by 70 million years, fundamentally altering scientific understanding of evolutionary timelines. This finding demonstrates that eukaryotes developed multicellularity much earlier than previously believed, challenging the assumption that they remained single-celled for approximately one billion years.

Zhu emphasizes that paleontology satisfies humanity’s fundamental curiosity about origins while encouraging international collaboration. ‘Our perspective is global,’ he notes, highlighting that each continent possesses unique fossil resources that require multinational cooperation to fully utilize.

Now 61, Zhu continues to lead research exploring three primary areas: extending the study of complex life to earlier periods, investigating life’s origins and potential extraterrestrial life, and deepening understanding of the Cambrian explosion. He encourages young scientists to follow their passions rather than external pressures, stating: ‘When you believe something is worth doing and have the interest to support it, you won’t feel it is arduous.’

With China’s increased investment in paleontological research and expanding museum infrastructure, Zhu anticipates continued growth in the field, inspiring new generations to pursue scientific curiosity about life’s deepest mysteries.