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Latest news on research and breakthroughs by Chinese scientists, as the country ramps up investment in science and innovation as part of its ambitions to become a world-leading power by 2035, and other developments worldwide.
LATEST China Science NEWS

Chinese scientists have bad news on having babies in space

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The study marks the world’s first successful differentiation of human embryonic stem cells into germ cells in a space environment, according to paper published in Science Advances. Photo: Shutterstock

How is China hunting hidden space rocks that could ‘devastate a small country’?

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While scientists believe the vast majority of near-Earth asteroids over 1km wide have been detected, most space rocks under 140 metres wide are yet to be spotted, but could cause catastrophic damage if they hit Earth. Photo: Shutterstock

China’s lab monkey prices hit Covid-era highs on new drug R&D demand

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Crab-eating macaques comprise the vast majority of non-human primates used in laboratory experiments. Photo: Shutterstock

Why the US-China space race could come down to a thin metal cap

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A Long March-10B carrier rocket blasts off from a spacecraft launch site in Wenchang in China's southern Hainan province on Friday. Photo: Xinhua

Award-winning chemist Zhang Wei leaves US to join China’s Great Bay University

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Zhang Wei’s research covers topics from two-dimensional materials and porous organic materials, to sustainable and recyclable polymers, molecular separation and carbon capture. Photo: Handout
MORE China Science NEWS
The study marks the world’s first successful differentiation of human embryonic stem cells into germ cells in a space environment, according to paper published in Science Advances. Photo: Shutterstock
Shanghai

Chinese scientists have bad news on having babies in space

Researchers use China’s Tianzhou spacecraft missions since 2017 to study how microgravity and space radiation can affect biology.

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Mainland China

China’s lab monkey prices hit Covid-era highs on new drug R&D demand

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Shanghai

Why the US-China space race could come down to a thin metal cap

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Artificial intelligence

Opinion | As AI learns to hide, science must learn to trust differently

If institutions judge scholarship just through writing, they will be trapped in an endless contest against increasingly capable machines.

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A staff member works at a joint laboratory for AI-powered protein manufacturing under the National Facility for Protein Science in Shanghai on July 7. Photo: Xinhua
Mainland China

Award-winning chemist Zhang Wei leaves US to join China’s Great Bay University

On his return to China, Zhang says he looks forward to cultivating talent ‘who truly understand science, technology and industrial needs’.

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Russia

China is now world’s No 1 science power, top Russian scientist says

After receiving Chinese award, chemist and materials researcher says it gives him confidence that he’s ‘on the right track’.

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SCMP Highlights

China’s satellite engine outpaces US, new SpaceX rival: 7 science highlights

From China unveiling microwave weapons to top neurobiologist leaving US, here are some highlights from SCMP’s recent science reporting.

A communications satellite equipped with the 750 newton test engine takes off from the Wenchang launch site in southern China on board a modified version of the Long March-7 rocket on June 23. Photo: Xinhua
China education

Will AI kill English classes? Chinese university to drop them as tech booms

The institution will replace English lessons with intercultural communication courses as translation tools bridge language barriers.

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Mainland China

China used a giant net to land a reusable rocket. Does the idea have legs?

It’s an unconventional approach that has sparked debate over how it stacks up against America’s landing-leg system.

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Mainland China

The young Chinese scientist behind ‘impossible’ breakthrough on sodium batteries

Award-winner Lu Yaxiang and her team are working towards making commercially viable batteries from the abundant, low-cost mineral.

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Sodium-ion batteries have been constrained by their energy density. Photo: Shutterstock
Artificial intelligence

Using AI could reduce exam scores by a fifth, a study on Chinese students finds

Researchers in Sweden and Hong Kong say students may experience a deceptive sense of fluency – AI makes tasks feel effortless.

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By comparing AI users with non-users, researchers from Sweden and Hong Kong found a clear gap: AI boosted short-term efficiency but harmed long-term learning. Photo: Shutterstock
US-China relations

US National Science Foundation to ban projects with flagged Chinese institutions

Raising security fears, NSF moves from case-by-case approval to full ban on working with restricted entities and their employees.

Mainland China

Pan Jianwei becomes first Chinese scientist to win top UN basic science prize

Father of quantum recognised for ‘seminal contributions to large-scale secure quantum communications and scalable quantum computation’.

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United States

China to make car connectivity mandatory as US moves to tighten ban

New vehicles with smart driver assistance systems will have to support continuous safety monitoring, data recording and remote management.

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The national safety standard will apply to new vehicles from January next year. Photo: Reuters
China's space programme

China joins US in reusable orbital rocket capability

The successful capture of the booster stage of a Long March-10B rocket is a first step on the road to narrowing the decade-long head start of Elon Musk’s SpaceX.

Photo: Xinhua via AP
Mainland China

China supercharges AI with 100-fold faster optical chip breakthrough

Peking University researchers develop new all-optical interconnect system linking standard electronic chips with specific algorithms.

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Japan

Japanese Astronomical Society ex-president Shigeru Ida joins China’s Westlake

Top planetary scientist will lead young university’s new astronomy department after decades shaping human understanding of the universe.

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Mainland China

Could China’s lunar laser tower bring Nikola Tesla’s free energy dream to life?

Chinese scientists show how wireless electricity may become reality on the moon, with laser network to beam solar energy into dark craters.

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The Earth rises over the lunar horizon. China and the United States have stepped up efforts to establish a long-term presence on the moon. Photo: Shutterstock
Mainland China

What happened before Chinese scientist Wang Danhao took his life in the US?

Promising researcher’s family and friends still await police report, which could provide critical details about events leading to his death.

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US-China tech war

China’s reusable rocket feat lights up the web: is SpaceX set to lose its crown?

The space race just became a real race again, says one online commentator, after net-and-cable recovery of rocket booster sparks awe.

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Mainland China

Chinese team’s wearable dopamine patch could be used to track depression

Researchers say their sensor can monitor levels of the neurotransmitter in real time, bringing at-home health management ‘closer to reality’.

Abnormal dopamine levels are associated with neurological conditions including Parkinson’s disease and depression. Image: Shutterstock
Accidents and disasters in China

As Typhoon Bavi nears, Chinese bloggers warned AI storm forecasts may be illegal

Online ‘weather enthusiasts’ in China are posting typhoon predictions, prompting criticism from state media.

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Fishing boats in east China’s Jiangsu province are moored on Friday in preparation for Typhoon Bavi, which is predicted to hit the region this weekend. Photo: AFP
Mainland China

US scientists use Chinese humanoid robot to carry out keyhole surgery

The robot, nicknamed Surgie, was remotely controlled by human surgeons as it carried out the procedure on a pig.

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Hangzhou

10 scientists and experts who have left US and UK for China so far in 2026

From a Nobel Prize winner to the creator of the first plant ID app, here are some of the scientists and experts who made the move.

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Mainland China

Long March-10B: China’s net-capture rocket joins space race with edge on SpaceX

Soon after launch, the first stage of the rocket returned vertically and was recovered via a sea platform, state media says.

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China has succeeded in recovering the reusable rocket used in the maiden launch of the Long March-10B. Photo: Weibo/萌虎鲸
United States

Exclusive | Asia’s top climate scientist warns of ‘humanitarian disasters’ as Earth teeters

Hong Kong-based expert paints grim picture of challenges, yet voices hope in next generation and nature’s resilience.

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A satellite image shows Super Typhoon Bavi as it churns in the Pacific Ocean towards Taiwan on Thursday. Photo: Handout via Reuters
United States

Meet Biomni: the free powerful biomed AI agent turning data into hypotheses

Stanford team that includes two Chinese among its main developers says system can turn a plain-language request into an entire research workflow.

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Mainland China

Up to 100 gigawatts: China unveils its high-power microwave weapon arsenal

Defence scientists say the technology could threaten low Earth orbit satellite networks such as Starlink at an extremely low cost.

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