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SCMP

We have put together stories from our coverage on science from the past two weeks to help you stay informed. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing.
1. China unveils a powerful deep-sea cable cutter that could reset the world order
A compact, deep-sea, cable-cutting device, capable of severing the world’s most fortified underwater communication or power lines, has been unveiled by China – and it could shake up global maritime power dynamics. The revelation marks the first time any country has officially disclosed that it has such an asset, capable of disrupting critical undersea networks.
2. Chinese breakthrough challenges Elon Musk’s verdict on paralysed patients

In a clinical trial led by Shanghai’s Fudan University, four paralysed patients regained control of their legs within 24 hours of a minimally invasive surgery. The Chinese team’s advance was made possible by implanting electrode chips in the brain and spinal cord to create a bridge or “neural bypass” – thus reconnecting the body’s own pathways.
3. Did a US military contractor use a Chinese-made jet engine in its new missile?

A US defence contractor is facing scrutiny after allegations surfaced that its latest weapon system may be using a jet engine that was made in China and sold online. On March 5, California-based start-up Mach Industries posted a promotional video on social media showcasing its latest product – a vertical take-off cruise missile.
4. Chinese mathematicians say they have cracked century-old fluid mechanics puzzle
Two young Chinese mathematicians working in the United States, along with an international collaborator, may have solved a century-old problem in fluid mechanics – an area of study that is critical to many engineering fields including hydraulic systems, the design of dams and bridges, and aerodynamics.
5. How China is solving the nightmare that killed Elon Musk’s Hyperloop

For nearly two centuries, the dream of vacuum tube transport has tantalised scientists and engineers. But halfway across the world, China cracked the code – and rewrote the rules.
6. Can the US ban them all? China detects a quadrillion possible fentanyl compounds

As fentanyl-related overdoses claim more than 70,000 American lives each year, US regulators have struggled to keep pace with the synthetic opioids. But across the Pacific, Chinese scientists have now developed AI-powered technology capable of identifying a quadrillion potential fentanyl compounds – an achievement that could redefine global drug control negotiations.
7. DARPA is losing a critical next-gen stealth jet tech race to China: study

In 2021, as US defence contractors sketched concepts for a futuristic drone controlled by blasts of air instead of mechanical flaps, China quietly flew one. Now, newly published research has revealed for the first time details of how Beijing outpaced Washington in this pivotal arms race.


Tokyo Sézanne’s missing stars; Hongkonger shed 32kg in 8 months: 7 Lifestyle highlights

Chinese carmakers race Tesla on humanoid robots; BYD launches ‘God’s Eye’: 7 EV reads

Philippines’ deadly quake, India’s rise in critical minerals: 7 Asia highlights

China turns African port into tourist spot, students rethink Hong Kong: 5 weekend reads

SCMP Highlights

China’s deep-sea cable cutter, centuries-old puzzle, next-gen drones: 7 science highlights

A new device built by Chinese engineers can cut through undersea communications cables. Photo: Shutterstock

Four patients with spinal cord injuries were able to move their limbs hours after groundbreaking surgery as part of a clinical trial led by Shanghai’s Fudan University. Photo: Fudan University

A new missile from a US defence contractor has caused controversy online after viewers suggested it is using a Chinese-made engine. Photo: X/ethan_thorn2003

China has succeeded where Elon Musk failed with an ultra-high-speed low-vacuum pipeline maglev railway. Photo: CREC

While the US introduces tariffs to help stop the deadly fentanyl trade, Chinese scientists have developed a way to identify over a quadrillion different variants of the synthetic opioid. Photo: US Drug Enforcement Administration/TNS

The Chinese drone that is powered by a vector engine with dual synthetic jet technology. Photo: National University of Defence Technology

China’s innovation blitz, kung fu bot goes open source: 7 science highlights

America’s F-22 jets are known to suffer coating cracks, but China is now using ancient weaving techniques to create a more advance type of coating to solve the problem. Photo: AFP

A Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor flies during a flight demonstration in Seongnam, South Korea on October 18, 2023. Photo: AFP

Chinese mathematician Wang Hong is an associate professor at the New York University Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences. Photo: Handout

Unitree’s humanoid robots’ abilities are advancing in literal leaps and bounds after the company made its G1 robot open source. Photo: AFP

Nuclear physicist Liu Chang, who is conducting research that is considered crucial to achieving viable nuclear fusion energy, has left Princeton University for a position at Peking University in Beijing. Photo: Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory

The Hunnic empire reached its zenith under Attila, “the scourge of god”. Photo: Shutterstock

The sun rises near the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Beijing and Washington this week signaled vastly different priorities over their spending on science. Photo: Kyodo

A survey has revealed there could be enough thorium at the Bayan Obo mine to power China for 60,000 years. Photo: Reuters

China’s missile breakthrough, Unitree’s Wang Xingxing: 7 science highlights

Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft experienced helium leaks which stranded two Nasa astronauts at the International Space Station. Now Chinese scientists have used the situation to come up with a scientific breakthrough. Photo: Nasa via AP

Fudan University is one of several institutions coming up with innovative ways to attract overseas Chinese students, amid funding cuts and admissions pauses in the US. Photo: Xinhua

Wang Xingxing, CEO of Unitree Robotics, posing with the company’s humanoid robots. Photo: Weibo

China’s cold seep ecosystem research facility is expected to be operational by around 2030. Photo: Shutterstock

Chien-Shiung Wu, who was born in China in 1912, was a physics professor at Columbia University when her experiment confirmed the existence of what Albert Einstein called “spooky action at a distance”. Photo: Wikipedia

Top chip designer leaves US, ‘ghost particle’ detector: 7 science highlights

Chinese scientists have placed detectors in the South China Sea, as they plan to build a huge underwater observatory in a bid to observe neutrinos, and discover the origin of cosmic rays. Photo: The Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Scientists say their new low-methane hybrid rice could address a rise in rice-related emissions because of global warming and an increasing global population. Photo: Xinhua

Chinese institutions dominate the top 10 in Nature Index’s ranking for high-quality physics. Photo: Shutterstock

China’s ‘artificial sun’, breast cancer vaccine tests, DeepSeek: 7 science highlights

Chinese researchers at the EAST nuclear fusion test facility were able to maintain super-heated plasma for more than 17 minutes, surpassing the previous record of 403 seconds, which was also set by EAST in 2023. Photo: Xinhua

Nanovaccines derived from cell membranes are an emerging type of vaccine. Photo: Shutterstock

The robot dog can carry loads of up 100kg and operate in extreme cold. Photo: CCTV

Solar stations in space, tiny cat fossil found, Cambodia canal risks: 7 science highlights

A Long March-5 rocket is seen at the Wenchang Space Launch Centre in southern China. The much larger Long March-9, a reusable heavy-lift rocket, will be used to realise plans for the solar power station in space. Photo: Xinhua 

A farmer carries harvested rice in Daoxiang Village of Suihua City, northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province. Photo: Xinhua

An artist’s impression of the tiny species leopard cat whose remains were uncovered in Anhui province, eastern China. Illustration: X/@HodariNundu

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From China’s powerful deep-sea cable cutter to an AI-run fentanyl detector, here are some highlights from SCMP’s recent science reporting


From China’s powerful deep-sea cable cutter to an AI-run fentanyl detector, here are some highlights from SCMP’s recent science reporting.


China’s deep-sea cable cutter, centuries-old puzzle, next-gen drones: 7 science highlights

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}From China’s powerful deep-sea cable cutter to an AI-run fentanyl detector, here are some highlights from SCMP’s recent science reporting

1. China unveils a powerful deep-sea cable cutter that could reset the world order

2. Chinese breakthrough challenges Elon Musk’s verdict on paralysed patients

From China’s powerful deep-sea cable cutter to an AI-run fentanyl detector, here are some highlights from SCMP’s recent science reporting