https://www.scmp.com/rss/524160/feed Emiliano Martínez Viademonte is a science writer based in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He participated in the Argentine Antarctic Campaign and has published and presented on a wide range of topics, with particular interest in marine biology and cancer research. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Emiliano Martínez Viademonte Emiliano Martínez Viademonte Chinese and Chilean scientists have reached the bottom of the Atacama Trench, where light does not penetrate, in what they called the “most ambitious” deep-sea expedition ever conducted in the eastern Pacific. The joint mission to one of the deepest ocean trenches – which runs parallel to the coasts of Peru and Chile – took place from January 19 to March 5. It comes as Chile’s expanding cooperation with China on science and technology has inflamed geopolitical tensions with the United... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3346781/china-and-chile-wrap-atacama-trench-mission-us-pressure-mounts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3346781/china-and-chile-wrap-atacama-trench-mission-us-pressure-mounts?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Mar 2026 04:00:11 +0000 Emiliano Martínez Viademonte Emiliano Martínez Viademonte China and Uruguay have forged a new scientific alliance by signing more than 20 cooperation agreements, targeting critical fields from cancer treatment and water management to fighting crop-destroying pests. The development signals a step forward in ties, moving beyond a decade mainly defined by trade in products like wood pulp, soybeans and beef. “China is a good partner for us, especially in basic sciences,” Alvaro Brunini, president of Uruguay’s National Agency of Research and Innovation... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3345791/beyond-beef-china-and-uruguay-team-science-target-cancer-pests-and-robotics?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3345791/beyond-beef-china-and-uruguay-team-science-target-cancer-pests-and-robotics?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 Mar 2026 08:02:08 +0000 Emiliano Martínez Viademonte Emiliano Martínez Viademonte China and Chile are set to launch a three‑month expedition into the uncharted depths of the eastern Pacific Ocean – a “historic opportunity” to seek new forms of life and geological insights into the causes of earthquakes and tsunamis. Setting off aboard the Chinese research vessel Tan Suo Yi Hao on Monday, the researchers will cover 700km (435 miles) around the Atacama Trench, one of the deepest and least explored regions of the eastern Pacific. The expedition, three years in the making, is... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3340328/china-chile-explore-atacama-trench-pacific-tools-no-other-country-possesses?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3340328/china-chile-explore-atacama-trench-pacific-tools-no-other-country-possesses?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 19 Jan 2026 01:00:18 +0000 Emiliano Martínez Viademonte Emiliano Martínez Viademonte A tiny but destructive invader is threatening South America, and Uruguay’s iconic palm trees are on the front line. Since 2022, the National Emergency System in coordination with agricultural agencies and with operational support from the air force, has struggled to contain the red palm weevil outbreak, prompting them to call scientists to help. Experts from the Technological University of Uruguay (UTEC) stepped in with an innovative detection strategy using drones and aerial imaging, but... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3340156/how-can-china-help-uruguay-battle-beetles-threatening-invade-south-america?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3340156/how-can-china-help-uruguay-battle-beetles-threatening-invade-south-america?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 18 Jan 2026 08:00:25 +0000 Emiliano Martínez Viademonte Emiliano Martínez Viademonte The Chilean government has awarded a contract to Chinese biopharmaceutical firm Sinovac Biotech to supply its influenza vaccine ahead of the southern hemisphere winter. The vaccine will be part of Chile’s nationwide immunisation programme, which public health body Cenabast said was “internationally recognised for its impact on public health protection, particularly among high-risk groups”. Beijing-based Sinovac’s influenza vaccine uses an inactivated virus based on a split-virion platform – a... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3339739/chinese-firm-sinovac-supply-vaccine-chile-ahead-flu-season?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3339739/chinese-firm-sinovac-supply-vaccine-chile-ahead-flu-season?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 Jan 2026 12:00:18 +0000 Emiliano Martínez Viademonte Emiliano Martínez Viademonte Much research on cancer prevalence has focused on genetic, environmental and lifestyle factors. But a new study by Argentine researchers offers a novel evolutionary perspective: the social structure of mammals may play a critical role in cancer risk. The new angle has been proposed by researchers from the cancer philosophy and biology systems group at the University of Buenos Aires, led by Professor Matías Blaustein. Their study, published on November 12 in the journal Science Advances, suggests... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3334774/united-we-stand-why-mammals-band-together-may-face-lower-cancer-risks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3334774/united-we-stand-why-mammals-band-together-may-face-lower-cancer-risks?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Dec 2025 15:00:19 +0000 Emiliano Martínez Viademonte Emiliano Martínez Viademonte After months of delays resulting from a bureaucratic tangle and possible US opposition, a multimillion-dollar China-Argentina radio telescope project could be moving ahead. Scientists involved with the China-Argentina Radio Telescope (CART) said essential parts shipped from China that had been held up at Argentine customs since September 3 could soon be released. However, academics have suggested that more political leverage will be needed to overcome US opposition to the project. CART is... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3332439/will-delayed-china-argentina-radio-telescope-be-pushed-past-politics-and-toothbrushes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3332439/will-delayed-china-argentina-radio-telescope-be-pushed-past-politics-and-toothbrushes?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 12 Nov 2025 11:01:07 +0000 Emiliano Martínez Viademonte Emiliano Martínez Viademonte A cutting-edge radio telescope built through a long-term partnership between China and Argentina was due to begin peering into the heavens in a few months, but the project is instead staring at lengthy delays – mired in political friction between Beijing and Washington. Perched at the top of a mountain, the China-Argentina Radio Telescope (CART) has been described as a celestial “lighthouse” for Earth’s southern sky. Once operational, the largest single dish telescope in Latin America is... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3331185/has-china-argentina-radio-telescope-been-delayed-us-political-pressure?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3331185/has-china-argentina-radio-telescope-been-delayed-us-political-pressure?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 01 Nov 2025 12:04:11 +0000