Scientists recently discovered various Denisovan remains in Southwest China dating back to the late Middle Pleistocene, including the first Denisovan radius—one of two long bones in the forearm. Denisovans are a genetically identified archaic hominin group believed to have been widely distributed across Asia. However, due to the limited number of fossil remains, especially postcranial bones—those
Life SciencesEnvironment & ClimatePaleontology#Chinese Academy of Sciences#Research News#paleontology#genomics#biology#climate#decarbonization
How can music help us recover from stress? A new study by Chinese scientists suggests the answer may lie in how music unfolds over time. Instead of merely distracting us from a stressful experience, music appears to engage the brain's stress-regulation system through changes in musical tension—the changing sense of anticipation and release that arises from the way music as a whole unfolds over tim
Behavioral BiologyHealth#Chinese Academy of Sciences#Research News#Behavioral Biology#Health
A recent study in Nature Energy has quantified how cell-to-cell inconsistency limits the performance, lifetime, and resource utilization of electric vehicle (EV) battery packs under real-world operating conditions. The work revealed that a small number of faster-ageing cells can severely constrain an entire pack's performance and lifespan. The study was led by Prof. CHEN Zhongwei from the Dalian I
Medical ResearchBattery#Chinese Academy of Sciences#Research News#Battery#medical research#clinical research
Partial oxidation of methane (POM) offers a promising industrial route for syngas production. Metallic nickel (Ni) nanoparticles have long been considered the catalytic active centers for this reaction. However, the metallic Ni detected after reaction might simply be a product of nickel oxide reduction by syngas at high temperatures, rather than the intrinsic active species. Under high-temperature
Catalysis#Chinese Academy of Sciences#Research News#Catalysis
Iron is essential for plants, but in alkaline soils, ferrous iron (Fe 2+ ) becomes poorly soluble and difficult for plant roots to absorb. Applying iron directly to leaves can bypass this problem, but foliar iron treatments face other issues: Fe 2+ is easily oxidized, droplets do not spread well on the waxy surface of leaves, and rain washes away much of the treatment. In a study published in Carb
Biodiversity#Chinese Academy of Sciences#Research News#biodiversity
Large-scale recording of multiple dynamic behaviors and quantitative neurochemical concentrations with high spatiotemporal resolution is critical to understand complex brain functions. Two-photon microscopy (TPM) is the excellent choice for brain function imaging because of its high resolution, deep tissue penetration, and favorable biosafety. However, current TPM is limited by a restricted field-
Health#Chinese Academy of Sciences#Research News#Health
Researchers from the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden (XTBG) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have discovered two new species of Begonia in the karst region of Guangxi, China. The two species, Begonia renkunii and Begonia tianyangensis , were identified from specimens collected during field surveys in Baise City and have been described in the journal Phytotaxa . The researchers collected
Biodiversity#Chinese Academy of Sciences#Research News#biodiversity
Triplet excited states of organic molecules play essential roles in photocatalysis, photodynamic therapy, photon upconversion, and organic optoelectronic applications. However, achieving efficient triplet generation in purely organic molecules remains challenging because of their intrinsically weak spin–orbit coupling. Spin–orbit charge-transfer intersystem crossing (SOCT-ISC) has emerged as a pro
Medical ResearchCatalysisChemical Engineering#Chinese Academy of Sciences#Research News#Catalysis#Chemical Engineering#medical research#clinical research
Solvent molecules can act as gatekeepers inside zeolite catalysts, limiting the space available for larger reactants to reach internal active sites. A recent study has shown that simply regulating where these solvent molecules reside can significantly enhance catalytic performance—without changing the catalyst's intrinsic micropore structure. The study, led by Assoc. Prof. XING Jiacheng, Prof. XU
Catalysis#Chinese Academy of Sciences#Research News#Catalysis
Understanding how domestication reshapes brain structure and function remains a fundamental question in evolutionary biology. The hippocampus is a key brain region involved in memory and stress regulation, and it has been thought to undergo "simplification" during domestication. However, the cellular mechanisms underlying these changes remain poorly understood. In a study published in PNAS on Sept
Life SciencesEvolution#Chinese Academy of Sciences#Research News#Evolution#genomics#biology
Cilia and flagella are antenna‑like organelles that project from the cell surface and are widely distributed from unicellular eukaryotes to mammals. Motile cilia must beat in a coordinated manner to generate productive fluid flow and drive cell motility, which is essential for processes such as sperm propulsion, mucociliary clearance in the airways, and cerebrospinal fluid circulation. Now, a rese
Medical Research#Chinese Academy of Sciences#Research News#medical research#clinical research
