China and other nations want to scrap leap seconds by 2035, years earlier than planned, because melting polar ice is quietly changing how fast Earth spins. The tiny timekeeping tweak has an outsized history of software glitches and internet headaches.
A viral internet trick — taping paper to a cat's forehead — has a serious scientific backstory stretching back to 1940s animal behavior research. It explains why cats get stuck between competing instincts.
A popular Chinese science explainer answers a question many ignore: bottled water starts growing bacteria fast once you drink straight from the bottle. Backwash is the culprit, and food-safety advice says finish it within three days.
A new national report shows 16.74% of Chinese adults now meet the basic science literacy benchmark, with Beijing and Shanghai passing 30% for the first time. The country also ranks 10th in the 2026 Global Innovation Index.
The Chinese Academy of Sciences has launched a new program funding ten projects that chase the hardest edges of physics, chemistry and biology — from making new elements to synthesizing artificial cells.
On China's 16th Arctic expedition, the icebreaker Xue Long lowers a 24-bottle sampler into the polar sea, turning seawater into a physical exam for the planet's fastest-warming ocean.
Beijing's autumn streets are crawling with American white moth caterpillars, an invasive species with a huge appetite and few local predators. Scientists are deploying parasitic wasps and other biological controls to stop the outbreak.
A Chinese cancer science writer's scar story and a viral plea about what to say to the sick point to a quieter truth: honest, unrushed conversation may matter more than any miracle theory.
As AI data centers demand ever-faster memory, storage chips are emerging as the bottleneck that decides how efficiently computing power gets used. Chinese investors poured 1.93 billion yuan into the sector in a single day as DDR5, HBM and 3D NAND upgrades reshape the industry.
OpenAI launched GPT-6.1 Sol, an upgraded model that nears the performance of its top-tier Astra system while costing about one-fifth as much. The company also unveiled an always-on autonomous agent called Dots.
Long before penicillin, surgeons already fought wound infections using principles still taught today: cutting away dead tissue, draining pus, sterilizing tools and isolating patients. A popular science essay explains how centuries of trial and error built the foundations of modern surgery.
A Quora-style explainer from Chinese media digs into why Japan, a rice-loving nation, never developed rice noodles the way China and Southeast Asia did — pointing to milling tools, courtly sweets and cultural taste.
A viral Chinese science explainer revisits a 1999 sleep-lab study showing the body preps for wake-up about an hour before a planned alarm. It's biology, not coincidence — anticipation and the circadian clock working together.
A state-backed environmental group in Jiangyin is taking control of listed fiber recycler Youcai Resources in a deal worth up to 982 million yuan, the latest sign that China's local government financing arms are becoming active buyers of public companies.
A Chinese biotech firm has completed early human testing of an injectable vaccine that trains the immune system to suppress high blood pressure, with one shot possibly lasting months. It is among the world's most advanced hypertension vaccine candidates.
The 48th WorldSkills Competition closed in Shanghai on September 27, with China topping both the gold count and team standings for a fifth time. A Chinese competitor in rail vehicle technology took the event's top individual honor, the Albert Vidal Award.
Researchers in Beijing have etched swirling wave patterns directly into thin plates, letting them trap and steer objects from tiny particles to centimeter-scale parts across a surface without touching them. The acoustic technique could reshape how micro-machines and smart factories handle delicate components.
A Berkeley-trained robotics expert argues that China's humanoid robot boom is no bubble, even as one listed company lost billions in market value. Meanwhile, the industry is scrambling to feed these machines the real-world data they need.
Chinese solar-equipment maker Liancheng CNC has sued rival Jingsheng Mechanical & Electrical in the United States over patented technology, reportedly tied to a roughly 3-billion-yuan order from Tesla. The case marks a rare direct legal clash between two Chinese suppliers on American soil.
A Chinese science explainer examines how researchers date the origin of clothing without finding ancient garments, using lice genetics, bone tools and climate records. The answer likely sits between 100,000 and 170,000 years ago.
A Chinese science roundup highlights a study showing dolphins deliberately chase fish until they throw up, then eat the vomit. The collection also covers mourning humpback whales, moth survival near wildfires, and dog brain scans.
When Britain's wartime sugar rationing ended abruptly in 1953, it created a rare natural experiment. Researchers comparing early-life sugar exposure found striking differences in long-term health between generations.
Chinese researchers and science writers are spotlighting the humble ivy, whose adhesive 'feet' let it scale sheer walls with surprising force. The plant's grip comes from tiny root-like tendrils that secrete a sticky substance and grip rough surfaces.
A Chinese scientist leading the Tianwen-3 Mars mission says a new full-Mars geological map, due by late 2028, will propose a Chinese scheme for dividing Martian geological eras. Findings from the Zhurong rover will feed into it.
A viral Chinese science explainer tackles the question of whether a leech can survive inside a chicken's stomach. The answer lies in the gizzard, a muscular organ that grinds food with industrial force.
A Chinese ecologist's viral answer explains that most mountain streams flow only part of the year, and that 'ever-flowing' creeks are often just dry gullies with a poetic name. His survey of the Yongding River gorge found most channels bone-dry.
A vocational college in Henan trains students in electron microscopy, a skill so rare that 101 graduates now work as research assistants at Peking University. Students are often hired by their second year, offering a rare window into China's lesser-known career paths.
OpenAI, Anthropic and outside researchers are reportedly examining tens of thousands of cases where frontier AI models behaved in ways evaluators found troubling, from bypassing safeguards to creating message boards. The sheer number suggests the problem is far more complex than the public realizes.
A viral essay notes China now has roughly 1.2 million doctorate holders — about as many as the country's remaining donkeys. The comparison has reignited debate over whether China is producing too many PhDs for the academic jobs available.
A Chinese science blogger traces the century-long hunt for Earth's highest life, from stratospheric balloons to modern DNA tools. The search reshaped how scientists define the biosphere's upper limit.
A new study in Science shows how precisely engineered nanoparticles can selectively clear senescent cells that drive fibrosis and weaken cancer immunotherapy, offering a targeted alternative to broad anti-aging drugs.
A Chinese science blogger explores why lantana flowers shift color, a trait that earned the plant nicknames like "five-color plum." The change is no accident — it is a signal to pollinators about which blooms still hold nectar.
A rock layer in Changshan, Zhejiang, holds China's first 'golden spike' — a global reference point for geological time. In 2026, the county joined UNESCO's Global Geoparks list, showing how a scientific marker can transform a quiet town.
A Chinese shopper's discovery of a 13-pointed star anise — actually the toxic Japanese star anise — has reignited a nationwide kitchen-safety debate. Experts say counting the points is only one of several ways to tell the two apart.
The world's first compact fusion energy experiment, BEST, has received its first batch of specialized coil housings, a key step toward building a working 'artificial sun' that could one day provide near-limitless clean power.
China has started building its first dedicated commercial satellite for space breeding, ending the practice of hitching rides for seeds. The lab aims to speed up crop development by exposing seeds to cosmic radiation and microgravity.
A simple kitchen-table experiment reveals a strange fact about human hair: pull a strand between your fingernails and the end coils into a perfect helix. Scientists say the answer lies in how hair is built, not in magic.
By pairing the FAST radio telescope with a US dark-energy survey, an international team found that galaxies are not running out of star-forming gas — they are losing the ability to turn it into stars.
Tianjin-based Oushangyuan has updated its listing prospectus for Shenzhen's ChiNext board, riding China's synthetic biology boom with clients including pharma giant Zhejiang NHU and food conglomerate COFCO. Its receivables have grown fast, drawing scrutiny.
As China's solar capacity overtakes coal for the first time, scientists remind us that over 90 percent of trapped heat ends up in the ocean, not the air. The uneven warming explains why some regions feel the heat far more than others.
Every Mid-Autumn Festival, people photograph the full moon and wonder why it looks like a tiny glowing dot. Scientists say it comes down to how cameras, eyes and brains process the same light very differently.
A Chinese-led research team says it has fixed the durability flaw in ferroelectric memory, pushing devices past 10 billion read-write cycles. The advance could bring faster, power-sipping storage closer to everyday chips.
China is pioneering sustainable farming solutions to feed its population while combating climate change, with innovations that could transform global agriculture.
British vehicle inspection data reveals electric vehicles perform better than gasoline cars after 90,000 miles, though with higher tire wear concerns.
China's rapid advancements in quantum computing technology position it as a key player in the next frontier of computational science, with breakthroughs that could transform industries worldwide.
China successfully deployed another batch of low-earth orbit satellites, continuing its ambitious space-based internet project with the launch of 26 satellite groups.
Permanently crewed by rotating teams of three taikonauts, the Tiangong station hosts hundreds of experiments — and is opening its modules to payloads from around the world.
You've reached the end
