https://www.scmp.com/rss/512955/feed Dannie joined SCMP in 2023 and focuses on science stories in China, with a particular interest in the scientific community and societal impacts of scientific advances. She previously worked for China Newsweek, covering topics including China's healthcare system, public health and science. She has won several awards for her investigative reporting. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Dannie Peng Dannie Peng China has built the world’s first dual-core quantum computer, a development that could “significantly enhance” efficiency, according to official media. The breakthrough signalled that Chinese quantum computing technology was “entering a new stage”, the state-owned Science and Technology Daily reported this week. While other quantum computers rely on high energy consumption and need to be run in temperatures close to absolute zero, the design of this computer uses neutral atoms – which consume... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3352995/china-unveils-hanyuan-2-worlds-first-dual-core-quantum-computer?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3352995/china-unveils-hanyuan-2-worlds-first-dual-core-quantum-computer?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 09 May 2026 10:05:12 +0000 Dannie Peng Dannie Peng China has debuted a massive driverless mining truck that can “crab-walk” across difficult terrain, highlighting the country’s push to modernise its mining industry through technology. Despite a kerb weight of nearly 100 tonnes, this advanced model boasts exceptional manoeuvrability – it can move sideways and pivot on the spot, allowing it to operate in narrow pits and across complex, sloped roadways. At the same time, it offers the hauling capacity and power required for continuous,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3352373/china-unveils-driverless-mining-truck-can-crab-walk-across-rough-terrain?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3352373/china-unveils-driverless-mining-truck-can-crab-walk-across-rough-terrain?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 May 2026 04:00:06 +0000 Dannie Peng Dannie Peng Industry estimates suggest that heavy-duty cargo traffic in China is on track to become nearly 100 per cent electric, a transition that could halve the country’s road transport oil consumption. Speaking at a forum on intelligent electric vehicle development in Beijing on April 11, Liang Linhe, chairman of Sany Truck – a subsidiary of the Changsha-headquartered multinational Sany Group – said China’s heavy truck sector could eventually be almost entirely electrified, although he did not put a... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3350463/chinese-trucks-could-go-100-electric-halving-road-transport-oil-use-industry?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3350463/chinese-trucks-could-go-100-electric-halving-road-transport-oil-use-industry?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2026 13:00:10 +0000 Dannie Peng Dannie Peng Beijing residents are once again bracing for a seasonal nuisance that has become something of a tradition: the city’s annual “snowstorm” of willow and poplar catkins. The catkins are essentially seeds from female willow and poplar trees, encased in downy fibres. After pollination in spring, the female trees produce seed pods that split open upon ripening, releasing the fluffy seeds to disperse in the wind. The wisps absorb bacteria, pollen and dust from the air, triggering respiratory and skin... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3350128/fluff-stops-here-beijings-battle-against-green-wall-snowstorm?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3350128/fluff-stops-here-beijings-battle-against-green-wall-snowstorm?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Apr 2026 04:00:14 +0000 Dannie Peng Dannie Peng China’s “desert wheat farms” have survived repeated sandstorms and continue to grow following an initial trial in the country’s largest desert, as part of an ongoing effort to combat desertification and unlock the land’s potential for strengthening national food security. Two years ago, on the fringes of the Taklamakan Desert in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, China launched an unprecedented project to plant wheat in sand. The first harvest, covering 400 hectares (988 acres) on the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3349579/two-years-china-proves-its-desert-wheat-farms-are-not-hoax?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3349579/two-years-china-proves-its-desert-wheat-farms-are-not-hoax?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Apr 2026 05:09:48 +0000 Dannie Peng Dannie Peng The fearsome-sounding “Gangtie Jiliang” is designed to do what no machine has ever done before: delve straight down, kilometre after kilometre, into the heart of the Earth. Translated to English as “steel backbone”, Gangtie Jiliang is billed as the world’s first boring machine capable of excavating full-face shafts to depths exceeding 1,000 metres (3,280 feet) in hard rock. Weighing about 500 tonnes and measuring 8.1 metres wide, the machine looks less like mining equipment and more like an... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3349367/mining-revolution-chinas-500-tonne-underground-carrier-tunnels-kilometre-mine-ore?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3349367/mining-revolution-chinas-500-tonne-underground-carrier-tunnels-kilometre-mine-ore?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Apr 2026 01:00:10 +0000 Dannie Peng Dannie Peng For marketing manager Wang Yuan, who sells electric heavy-duty cargo trucks in the rugged landscapes of Xinjiang in western China, business is riding a new and powerful wave. The commercial vehicle company he works for is a major player in the domestic market. The lion’s share of its electric heavy trucks are destined for coal-rich provinces including Shanxi and Inner Mongolia, apart from Xinjiang itself. In Xinjiang alone, according to Wang, sales across all brands reached around 16,700 units... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3348742/chinas-electric-truck-revolution-powerful-painkiller-iran-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3348742/chinas-electric-truck-revolution-powerful-painkiller-iran-war?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 06 Apr 2026 07:00:08 +0000 Dannie Peng Dannie Peng China’s science and technology awards system has been accused of being riddled with loopholes and misconduct, including serious exaggeration of achievements, cultivation of personal connections and even bribery, according to critics within the academic community. These flaws, though repeatedly addressed by the authorities, are said to remain deeply entrenched, casting a shadow over China’s rapidly advancing innovation sector that is widely regarded as a key pillar in its rivalry with the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3345080/chinas-science-awards-system-plagued-shadowy-practices-can-reforms-fix-it?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3345080/chinas-science-awards-system-plagued-shadowy-practices-can-reforms-fix-it?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 31 Mar 2026 22:00:08 +0000 Dannie Peng Dannie Peng Chinese researchers have introduced a new methodology for evaluating medical and life science journals worldwide that does not rely on the “impact factor” traditionally used in the academic world. Experts view this as part of China’s broader efforts to strengthen its “academic discourse power”. Two new Dongbi Index journal lists, covering 4,027 medical and 3,064 life-science journals selected from more than 40,000 worldwide, were unveiled in Shanghai on March 21. They were developed by the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3348247/china-proposes-new-way-measure-academic-influence-departure-impact-factor?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3348247/china-proposes-new-way-measure-academic-influence-departure-impact-factor?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 29 Mar 2026 02:00:13 +0000 Dannie Peng Dannie Peng China has officially designated ciyuan as the translation for “token” – the computational units that power tools such as Claude, ChatGPT and Gemini – in a move widely seen as devising a new form of global currency for the age of artificial intelligence. In Chinese, ci translates to “word”, while yuan is commonly used as a synonym for “currency”. For instance, the basic unit of the Chinese renminbi is the yuan, and most foreign currencies are referred to as yuan in Chinese, prefixed by their... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3347887/china-names-trillions-ai-token-after-yuan-should-us-worry-dollar?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3347887/china-names-trillions-ai-token-after-yuan-should-us-worry-dollar?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Mar 2026 12:00:26 +0000 Dannie Peng Dannie Peng Zhang Jinshui, a pioneering scientist in remote sensing who led major research and development programmes in China and was instrumental in boosting the country’s food security with satellite technologies, has died at the age of 47. Zhang, a professor and doctoral supervisor in the Faculty of Geographical Science (FGS) at Beijing Normal University, died in Beijing on March 9 following “unsuccessful medical treatment”, according to multiple Chinese media reports. The faculty held a memorial... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3347119/leading-chinese-remote-sensing-scientist-zhang-jinshui-dies-47?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3347119/leading-chinese-remote-sensing-scientist-zhang-jinshui-dies-47?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Mar 2026 06:00:13 +0000 Dannie Peng Dannie Peng Chinese researchers have developed a wearable human-robot hybrid device that could transform soldiers into mighty “centaurs”, enabling them to push beyond their physical limits while walking and hauling loads in brutal environments. The People’s Liberation Army has already rolled out exoskeleton robot systems to boost soldiers’ stamina and mobility. But this new device, dubbed the “centaur robot”, promises to give an even greater extra push. The system, developed by a group at the Southern... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3346287/could-china-build-army-centaurs-non-invasive-cyborg-tech?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3346287/could-china-build-army-centaurs-non-invasive-cyborg-tech?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 Mar 2026 10:00:13 +0000 Dannie Peng Dannie Peng The sudden death of prominent Chinese genetic psychologist Li Xinying while travelling in Egypt has sparked growing concern and speculation in China, as official explanations about the cause remain vague and medically inconclusive. Li, 48, a researcher and doctoral supervisor at the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ (CAS) Institute of Psychology, died on February 23 at 10pm Beijing time, according to an online obituary. The stated cause of death was “non-specific respiratory failure”, an obituary... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3346434/death-chinese-scientist-li-xinying-48-egypt-raises-sharp-questions-back-home?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3346434/death-chinese-scientist-li-xinying-48-egypt-raises-sharp-questions-back-home?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Mar 2026 10:00:11 +0000 Dannie Peng Dannie Peng Chinese scientists have cracked a long-standing puzzle in quantum optics, creating a tiny device that spits out pairs of light particles on demand with unprecedented purity and efficiency – with potential implications for the quantum race. Single-photon devices are maturing rapidly, but the field is now pursuing efficient two-photon sources that can pave the way for sharper medical imaging, unbreakable encryption and next-generation sensors. In precision measurement, for instance, using two... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3345508/quantum-tech-breakthrough-chinas-double-photon-device-breaks-efficiency-ceiling?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3345508/quantum-tech-breakthrough-chinas-double-photon-device-breaks-efficiency-ceiling?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Mar 2026 06:30:08 +0000 Dannie Peng Dannie Peng Chinese scientists have used AI to determine the chemical make-up of the moon’s far side, offering new insights into one of lunar science’s enduring mysteries. Nearly half the moon’s surface – the far side which permanently faces away from the Earth – had long remained chemically unmapped. But samples from China’s Chang’e-6 mission, combined with advanced technologies, have enabled a team led by the Shanghai Institute of Technical Physics (SITP) to crack the lunar chemical code. Researchers from... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3345810/chinese-scientists-use-ai-model-crack-mystery-moons-far-side?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3345810/chinese-scientists-use-ai-model-crack-mystery-moons-far-side?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 Mar 2026 13:00:08 +0000 Dannie Peng Dannie Peng The priorities outlined in drafts of China’s 2026 budget and next five-year plan overlap heavily with the ambitious projects championed by Elon Musk, including the Starlink constellation, electric vehicles, Neuralink interfaces and artificial intelligence. With Beijing allocating 426.42 billion yuan (US$61.7 billion) for the sector, it is positioning frontiers such as future energy, brain-computer interfaces and satellite internet as China’s future industries, with the nation doubling down on... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3345576/does-chinas-science-budget-boost-confirm-it-listening-everything-elon-musk-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3345576/does-chinas-science-budget-boost-confirm-it-listening-everything-elon-musk-says?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Mar 2026 10:03:58 +0000 Dannie Peng Dannie Peng In the run-up to this year’s ‘two sessions’ – the annual meetings of China’s top legislature and political advisory body – high-level policymakers have stressed the need to defuse financial risks and root out political corruption, two of President Xi Jinping’s long-term priorities. As part of a series, Dannie Peng looks at the fight against corruption in academia. As science and technology become national priorities in China, Beijing has turned its sweeping corruption crackdown on academia,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3345414/why-chinas-anti-corruption-drive-academia-vital-its-science-and-tech-ambitions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3345414/why-chinas-anti-corruption-drive-academia-vital-its-science-and-tech-ambitions?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Mar 2026 22:00:08 +0000 Vincent Chow,Dannie Peng Vincent Chow,Dannie Peng Chinese companies are leading the way in personalised medicine, the development of healthcare treatments tailored for individual patients. MGI Tech last year unveiled the world’s fastest gene sequencing machine, while BGI Genomics has become the world’s biggest generator of data about human genes. Chinese biomedicine companies also have a world-leading pipeline of novel targeted therapies used in personalised or precision medicine (see previous China Future Tech). New technology, including... https://www.scmp.com/plus/news/china/science/article/3345088/china-ai-boosts-cancer-screening-rare-disease-diagnosis?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/news/china/science/article/3345088/china-ai-boosts-cancer-screening-rare-disease-diagnosis?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Mar 2026 05:00:08 +0000 Vanessa Cai,Laura Zhou,Josephine Ma,Alcott Wei,Dannie Peng Vanessa Cai,Laura Zhou,Josephine Ma,Alcott Wei,Dannie Peng Donald Trump called on the Iranian people to overthrow their government after the United States and Israel launched strikes against Iran early on Saturday in what the US president described as “major combat operations”. “We are going to destroy their missiles and raze their missile industry to the ground. It will be totally … obliterated. We are going to annihilate their navy. We’re going to ensure that the region’s terrorist proxies can no longer destabilise the region or the world and attack... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3344963/israel-launches-preemptive-strike-against-iran-saying-it-seeks-remove-threats?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3344963/israel-launches-preemptive-strike-against-iran-saying-it-seeks-remove-threats?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Feb 2026 06:46:02 +0000 Dannie Peng Dannie Peng Chinese scientists have used a cutting-edge gene-editing tool to correct a DNA mutation responsible for cognitive and behavioural problems – a move that could eventually lead to the development of new autism therapies. In lab tests, mice that had been engineered to have the mutation showed a striking change in their behaviour, such as the way they interacted with other mice, after being given an injection to introduce the edited genes. The Shanghai-based research team is looking for ways to... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3344950/cutting-edge-chinese-gene-editing-technique-raises-prospect-new-autism-treatments?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3344950/cutting-edge-chinese-gene-editing-technique-raises-prospect-new-autism-treatments?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Feb 2026 04:00:21 +0000 Dannie Peng Dannie Peng The world’s “most difficult” railway project is taking shape in rugged southwestern China. The line connecting Dali and border town Ruili in Yunnan province is the first to cut through the Hengduan Mountains, traversing some of the world’s most complex geological and topographical terrains. Running along the country’s southwestern frontier for about 330km (205 miles), the railway is expected to boost China’s links with Southeast Asia. The line is being built in two sections: Dali to Baoshan, and... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3343951/china-track-finish-worlds-most-difficult-railway-project-2030?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3343951/china-track-finish-worlds-most-difficult-railway-project-2030?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Feb 2026 01:03:05 +0000 Zhang Tong,Dannie Peng Zhang Tong,Dannie Peng Running and cooling the data centres that power computer networks requires a lot of energy and water, and the world needs a lot more of them with the roll-out of artificial intelligence (AI). What if they could be powered and cooled more sustainably – installed deep underwater, placed high in the mountains, or fired into space where solar power is free and limitless? China has done all three, and it’s just getting started. Five years after Microsoft abandoned an experimental underwater data... https://www.scmp.com/plus/tech/tech-trends/article/3343446/sea-and-space-china-makes-ai-data-centres-more-sustainable?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/tech/tech-trends/article/3343446/sea-and-space-china-makes-ai-data-centres-more-sustainable?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Feb 2026 07:25:07 +0000 Dannie Peng Dannie Peng In the world of tick-borne illnesses, Lyme disease gets the headlines. For example, Greg Yang, one of the 12 original co-founders of Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence start-up xAI, said in late January that he was stepping back from the company after being diagnosed with the disease. Accidentally eating the wrong food would leave him “extremely tired”, requiring days to recover, he said. But there is a more dangerous condition transmitted by the ticks that a team at a Chinese university might... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3342803/can-super-antibody-overpower-sfts-deadly-tick-borne-disease?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3342803/can-super-antibody-overpower-sfts-deadly-tick-borne-disease?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Feb 2026 04:00:25 +0000 Dannie Peng Dannie Peng A noted archaeologist is challenging conventional wisdom on one of the world’s oldest cultures, arguing that Chinese civilisation has a recorded history stretching back 8,000 years – three millennia beyond the widely accepted benchmark. An article published late last year on the official portal Chinese Social Sciences Net made the bold new claim that the emergence of astronomy should be seen as the starting point of Chinese civilisation. The author was Feng Shi, a member of the Chinese Academy... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3342760/how-old-chinese-civilisation-archaeologist-argues-it-really-dates-back-8000-years?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3342760/how-old-chinese-civilisation-archaeologist-argues-it-really-dates-back-8000-years?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 Feb 2026 22:00:11 +0000 Dannie Peng Dannie Peng Cambodia has carried out a massive raid on scammer gangs, detaining more than 2,000 people amid pressure from China to crack down on its online fraud industry. Nearly 1,800 Chinese nationals were among those held, according to the Cambodian interior ministry. A ministry statement said that Cambodian police had conducted a large-scale enforcement operation on Saturday morning at an online fraud compound in Bavet, the largest city in the southeastern province of Svay Rieng, which borders... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3342011/nearly-1800-chinese-among-thousands-held-huge-cambodian-raid-scam-compound?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3342011/nearly-1800-chinese-among-thousands-held-huge-cambodian-raid-scam-compound?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Feb 2026 12:56:35 +0000 Dannie Peng Dannie Peng Xia Xian, a virologist who was formerly a project scientist at the University of California, Los Angeles, has left the United States to take up a position studying highly pathogenic viruses – those with a strong ability to cause severe disease or illness – at his alma mater, Wuhan University, in central China. According to the university’s website, Xia became a full-time research professor and principal investigator in November at the College of Life Sciences and the State Key Laboratory of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3341795/ucla-virologist-xia-xian-joins-wuhan-lab-studying-highly-pathogenic-virus?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3341795/ucla-virologist-xia-xian-joins-wuhan-lab-studying-highly-pathogenic-virus?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Feb 2026 02:00:15 +0000 Dannie Peng Dannie Peng Although the war in Gaza has clearly cooled diplomatic ties and sparked disputes between China and Israel, science and technology cooperation at a civil level between the two countries has continued. “I have a feeling that we have a lot of common ground and plenty of opportunities for cooperation in sectors such as energy and agriculture,” said Yaroslav Efimov, head of science and technology at PLANETech, an Israeli non-profit innovation community specialising in climate change-related... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3341618/china-israel-continue-collaborate-science-and-tech-despite-unrest-gaza?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3341618/china-israel-continue-collaborate-science-and-tech-despite-unrest-gaza?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 30 Jan 2026 09:00:09 +0000 Dannie Peng Dannie Peng An outbreak of the highly fatal Nipah virus in India’s eastern state of West Bengal has sparked widespread attention and public concern in China ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday when millions will travel. While the virus has infected at least five people in West Bengal, including one in critical condition, Chinese health experts say it is difficult to transmit and less likely to cause an outbreak in China. With a fatality rate of up to 75 per cent and no effective treatment or vaccines... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3341299/nipah-virus-outbreak-india-sparks-worry-china-lunar-new-year?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3341299/nipah-virus-outbreak-india-sparks-worry-china-lunar-new-year?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 27 Jan 2026 02:00:21 +0000 Dannie Peng Dannie Peng A joint Chinese-US research team says it has developed a new semiconductor manufacturing method that it says could “open up entirely new avenues” to develop high-performance light-emitting and integrated devices. The process would surpass conventional lithography machines, which are the main way today of making the semiconductors used in most electronics. When a lithography machine etches a chip circuit, the laser strikes the material vertically. If light goes sideways, it causes uncontrolled... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3341149/china-us-teams-feat-could-open-entirely-new-avenues-semiconductors?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3341149/china-us-teams-feat-could-open-entirely-new-avenues-semiconductors?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 25 Jan 2026 12:00:10 +0000 Dannie Peng Dannie Peng China plans to power a world-class petrochemical complex under construction with ultra-high-temperature steam from an unprecedented three-reactor nuclear system. The steam can reach up to 1,000 degrees Celsius (1,832 Fahrenheit) – high enough to break molecules apart. Located in Lianyungang, Jiangsu province, the project combines two third-generation Hualong One pressurised water reactors with one fourth-generation high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) for heating and electricity... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3340622/china-building-world-first-triad-reactor-system-power-world-class-chemical-plant?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3340622/china-building-world-first-triad-reactor-system-power-world-class-chemical-plant?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 21 Jan 2026 03:59:48 +0000 Dannie Peng Dannie Peng Chinese scientists have unlocked a revolutionary supercooling innovation in semiconductor technology, paving the way for a 40 per cent leap in the performance of gallium nitride-based radar systems, which are widely used in China’s most advanced stealth aircraft. The new Chinese-made chips can handle extreme power loads in the X and Ka bands – frequencies critical for advanced radar systems, satellite communications and next-generation wireless computer networks. “This is the most significant... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3340053/chinas-supercooling-tech-packs-40-more-punch-chips-used-military-radar?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3340053/chinas-supercooling-tech-packs-40-more-punch-chips-used-military-radar?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 16 Jan 2026 04:00:07 +0000 Dannie Peng Dannie Peng A leading young Chinese chemical engineer has left the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to return home to Peking University. Zheng Yu recently completed her postdoctoral training in bioelectronics in the US but has now joined the Chinese university’s college of chemistry and molecular engineering as an assistant professor. According to her Peking University webpage, Zheng is working on wearable and implantable electronic devices, such as smart bandages that are used to monitor health. Her... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3339893/zheng-yu-rising-star-chemical-engineering-mit-quits-us-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3339893/zheng-yu-rising-star-chemical-engineering-mit-quits-us-china?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 14 Jan 2026 13:00:14 +0000 Dannie Peng Dannie Peng Human migration is as old as history and as current as today’s headlines of law enforcement operations and tragedy. Amid the encounters, the question remains: how do strangers become a single people? Today, more than 90 per cent of China’s population identifies as Han Chinese, despite centuries of migration and upheaval. Historians once credited this unity to strong rulers, uniform writing and Confucius. But archaeologists in China are finding the answer in the bowl rather than the sword or pen.... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3339593/did-bowl-millet-help-end-migrant-crisis-china-1500-years-ago?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3339593/did-bowl-millet-help-end-migrant-crisis-china-1500-years-ago?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 12 Jan 2026 09:00:35 +0000 Dannie Peng Dannie Peng Japan “may already have produced weapons-grade plutonium in secret” and “has the technological and economic capabilities to achieve nuclear armament in a short period of time”, according to an official Chinese report released on Thursday. The report assessing Japan’s nuclear threat cited former US president Joe Biden’s direct message to Chinese President Xi Jinping that Japan had the capacity to have nuclear weapons “virtually overnight”. Biden first disclosed the information in an interview... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3339370/china-cites-bidens-message-xi-japan-could-build-nuclear-weapons-overnight?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3339370/china-cites-bidens-message-xi-japan-could-build-nuclear-weapons-overnight?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 Jan 2026 11:11:20 +0000 Dannie Peng Dannie Peng President Lee Jae-myung of South Korea, a key US ally in East Asia, arrived in Beijing at noon on Sunday for his first China trip since taking office. The four-day state visit comes at a moment when the global order is teetering, with old structures crumbling and a new world yet to emerge. Over 200 South Korean entrepreneurs, including the chairmen of Samsung and SK Group, are accompanying Lee on his trip, which includes two days each in Beijing and Shanghai. Lee will attend a Korea-China... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3338682/south-korean-president-lee-jae-myung-lands-beijing-200-strong-delegation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3338682/south-korean-president-lee-jae-myung-lands-beijing-200-strong-delegation?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 04 Jan 2026 22:00:33 +0000 Dannie Peng Dannie Peng AI scientist Ling Haibin, the acclaimed computer scientist behind the world’s first mobile plant identification app, has left his position in the United States to take up a full-time role at Westlake University in Hangzhou, eastern China. One of Ling’s PhD research projects, which involved using computers to recognise leaves of different shapes, led to the creation of the identification app LeafSnap. The app teaches users about plant diversity, how to care for houseplants, diagnose disease and... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3338607/ai-scientist-ling-haibin-father-worlds-first-plant-id-app-leaves-us-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3338607/ai-scientist-ling-haibin-father-worlds-first-plant-id-app-leaves-us-china?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 03 Jan 2026 12:00:11 +0000 Dannie Peng Dannie Peng Deserts are hard to reclaim because plants cannot survive on shifting sand, but scientists in northwest China are changing that – by dropping vast amounts of blue-green algae onto the dry terrain. These specially selected strains of cyanobacteria can survive extreme heat and drought for long periods, according to China Science Daily on Thursday. When rain finally comes, they spring to life, spreading rapidly and forming a tough, biomass-rich crust over the sand. This living layer stabilises the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3338326/great-green-wall-20-china-geoengineering-deserts-blue-green-algae?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3338326/great-green-wall-20-china-geoengineering-deserts-blue-green-algae?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 31 Dec 2025 11:15:50 +0000 Dannie Peng Dannie Peng US President Donald Trump is pushing to resurrect America’s coal sector by expanding mining and subsidising coal-fired power plants to meet the energy demands in a race against China on artificial intelligence. “Our nation’s beautiful clean coal resources will be critical to meeting the rise in electricity demand due to the resurgence of domestic manufacturing and the construction of artificial intelligence data processing centres,” Trump said in an executive order signed on April 8. But China... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3337784/trump-brings-back-coal-power-ai-china-moves-clothe-world-it?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3337784/trump-brings-back-coal-power-ai-china-moves-clothe-world-it?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Dec 2025 06:00:11 +0000 Orange Wang,Dannie Peng Orange Wang,Dannie Peng China was ready to help Asean observers monitor the ceasefire between Thailand and Cambodia, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Sunday, a day after Bangkok and Phnom Penh called a halt to weeks of deadly border clashes. “China supports Asean in playing its due role and is ready to assist the Asean observer mission in monitoring the ceasefire,” Wang told his Cambodian counterpart Prak Sokhonn during talks in Yuxi, Yunnan province. An observer team from the Association of Southeast Asian... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3337929/china-hosts-trilateral-talks-bid-cement-thailand-cambodia-truce?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3337929/china-hosts-trilateral-talks-bid-cement-thailand-cambodia-truce?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 28 Dec 2025 06:45:42 +0000 Dannie Peng Dannie Peng Chinese surgeons have performed the world’s first operation to graft a patient’s torn-off ear onto her foot before putting it back in place. The woman’s ear was torn off in a workplace accident in April that also ripped away a large part of her scalp, medical news social media account Yixue Jie, or Med-J, reported on Monday. Qiu Shenqiang, deputy director of the microsurgery unit at Shandong Provincial Hospital in Jinan, said the woman’s injuries had been caused by heavy machinery and left her... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3337620/chinese-surgeons-become-first-graft-patients-ear-her-foot-after-accident?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3337620/chinese-surgeons-become-first-graft-patients-ear-her-foot-after-accident?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 26 Dec 2025 06:00:13 +0000 Dannie Peng Dannie Peng Vaccine expert Hu Haitao, who studied under Drew Weissman, the Nobel laureate and pioneer of mRNA biology, has given up his tenured position at a US research institute and returned to China – a decision that required little explanation in 2025, he said. Even just one year ago, people close to him would have thought it “unbelievable” that he might give up an academic career established over nearly two decades in the United States, Hu told the South China Morning Post. But academic prospects in... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3336882/no-need-explain-leading-mrna-vaccine-scientist-hu-haitao-leaves-us-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3336882/no-need-explain-leading-mrna-vaccine-scientist-hu-haitao-leaves-us-china?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 21 Dec 2025 08:00:09 +0000 Dannie Peng Dannie Peng Beijing on Friday accused Washington of using its new US defence policy act to hype up the so-called China threat and interfere in its internal affairs. It also urged Washington to view their relationship “rationally” and refrain from enforcing negative China-related provisions. The latest National Defence Authorisation Act (NDAA), signed into law by President Donald Trump on Thursday, restricts US outbound investment in Chinese technology and curbs federal contracts with Chinese biotechnology... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3337124/us-defence-policy-act-overstates-china-threat-beijing-says-urges-rational-view?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3337124/us-defence-policy-act-overstates-china-threat-beijing-says-urges-rational-view?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 Dec 2025 13:14:59 +0000 Dannie Peng Dannie Peng Beijing has condemned Washington for its decision to sell about US$11 billion in weapons to Taiwan, calling it a grave violation of its sovereignty and a dangerous signal to separatist forces. Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) spokesman Chen Binhua said on Thursday that the sale amounted to “flagrant interference in China’s internal affairs”. Chen said it also “gravely violates” the one-China principle and the provisions of the three China-US joint communiques, particularly the August 17 communique –... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3336961/beijing-condemns-washingtons-landmark-us11-billion-arms-sale-taiwan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3336961/beijing-condemns-washingtons-landmark-us11-billion-arms-sale-taiwan?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Dec 2025 14:07:46 +0000 Dannie Peng Dannie Peng The growth rate of Chinese tourists to Japan significantly slowed in November, according to official data released by Tokyo, as Beijing cut flights and issued travel warnings amid rising tensions with Japan over Taiwan. According to the latest report released by the Japan National Tourism Organization on Wednesday, although Chinese tourists continued to visit Japan in November and the numbers kept growing, it was at a much slower pace than before, both year on year and month on month. In... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3336834/chinese-tourist-arrivals-japan-lose-momentum-amid-simmering-tensions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3336834/chinese-tourist-arrivals-japan-lose-momentum-amid-simmering-tensions?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Dec 2025 19:08:48 +0000 Dannie Peng Dannie Peng In an attempt to solve the global fertility crisis, Chinese scientists have developed a balm for testicles they say can boost sperm activity. The lotion they developed for external application significantly enhanced sperm quality in both animal trials and in vitro studies, regardless of whether the decline in function was caused by exposure to heavy metals, plasticisers, heat stress or natural ageing, the researchers said. The findings of the study, conducted by researchers from several domestic... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3336452/worldwide-sperm-quality-decline-can-easy-use-balm-china-solve-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3336452/worldwide-sperm-quality-decline-can-easy-use-balm-china-solve-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Dec 2025 06:31:34 +0000 Dannie Peng Dannie Peng The global race to deploy data centres in space to power artificial intelligence (AI) development has begun, with China seizing an early lead. “In terms of the highest performance of space-based computing or the completeness of [the] technological framework, we are at the forefront,” Beijing-based computer scientist Han Yinhe said. Han is a researcher at the Institute of Computing Technology (ICT) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, and is taking part in a major initiative to develop... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3336040/race-ai-centres-space-why-us-goes-all-after-china-makes-first-move?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3336040/race-ai-centres-space-why-us-goes-all-after-china-makes-first-move?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Dec 2025 15:00:08 +0000 Dannie Peng Dannie Peng The renowned Chinese-born architect Wang Fei has died at the age of 45 following an accident in London. The China Academy of Art, where he had worked as a visiting professor between 2009 and 2011, confirmed that Wang, who taught at Syracuse University in New York state, had died on Monday. Some friends and colleagues leaving tributes online suggested that Wang had been killed in a car accident. Li Lexian, an architectural designer, wrote on social media that Wang had died at the Royal London... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3335794/chinese-born-architect-wang-fei-dies-suspected-car-crash-london?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3335794/chinese-born-architect-wang-fei-dies-suspected-car-crash-london?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Dec 2025 12:00:49 +0000 Dannie Peng Dannie Peng China is building the world’s highest unmanned mine at a forbidding altitude of 5,600 metres (18,372 feet), higher than the world’s highest known inhabited settlement. At the Huoshaoyun lead-zinc mine in Hotan county, Xinjiang, domestically developed unmanned mining trucks have successfully completed ore loading and transport testing, according to the state-owned Science and Technology Daily. These machines can operate round the clock, eliminating the risk to workers of exposure to the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3335307/china-trials-unmanned-trucks-worlds-highest-mine-5600-metres-sea-level?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3335307/china-trials-unmanned-trucks-worlds-highest-mine-5600-metres-sea-level?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Dec 2025 02:00:17 +0000 Dannie Peng Dannie Peng Chinese medical experts have created an ultra-efficient stem cell approach to Parkinson’s disease, raising prospects for treatment for a condition for which there is no known cure. Parkinson’s disease is often referred to as a “movement disorder”. Its symptoms are caused by the brain failing to generate enough dopamine, due to the death or impairment of the neurons responsible for producing the chemical. While researchers around the world are exploring stem cell therapies to replenish lost... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3335179/chinese-scientists-develop-promising-stem-cell-therapy-parkinsons-disease?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3335179/chinese-scientists-develop-promising-stem-cell-therapy-parkinsons-disease?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 06 Dec 2025 22:00:10 +0000 Dannie Peng Dannie Peng Female sacrifice in China dates back thousands of years earlier than previously believed, a study of ancient DNA has revealed. Evidence from elite burials at a large Stone Age settlement in northwestern China also suggests the existence of an early hierarchical society, with gender preference relating to the type of sacrificial ritual, according to the Chinese archaeologists and anthropologists behind the study. Shimao, located in the Yellow River valley in Shaanxi province, is one of the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3334599/ancient-chinese-dna-shows-gender-bias-human-sacrifice-ritual-4000-years-ago?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3334599/ancient-chinese-dna-shows-gender-bias-human-sacrifice-ritual-4000-years-ago?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 29 Nov 2025 04:00:15 +0000