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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. Could Iran war confirm China’s prediction on US military’s hypersonic nightmare?
On the same day the US and Israel launched air strikes against Iran, a research team led by Liao Longwen with the Northwest Institute of Nuclear Technology published a paper in the Chinese journal Tactical Missile Technology on the ability of US missile defence systems to intercept hypersonic weapons.
2. China’s award-winning mathematician Wan Daqing leaves California for Chongqing
Wan Daqing, winner of China’s highest mathematics prize, retired from the University of California at Irvine (UCI) in July and returned to China to take up his new role in December, he confirmed in an email to the South China Morning Post.
3. 75% cost cut: China unveils world’s first fixed-wing drone made of bamboo fibre

Chinese researchers have developed a drone with wings made from bamboo, making it 20 per cent lighter and considerably cheaper than a carbon fibre device, according to state news agency Xinhua.
4. Rising star chip scientist Jiang Jianfeng leaves MIT for Peking University

After earning his PhD at 30 years old in June 2024, Jiang Jianfeng returns to China to advance information technology by creating smaller, faster and more energy-efficient computer chips.
5. China plans to fire up world’s first accelerator-driven nuclear reactor
China will power up an ultra-efficient, nuclear waste-burning reactor with technology that it projects will safely meet humanity’s energy needs for the next 1,000 years.
6. China team unveils 3D printing leap, creates solid structure in under 1 second
Chinese scientists have developed a new technique that solidifies liquid into three-dimensional objects in under a second, making for the world’s fastest 3D printing.
7. China team mulls hitting typhoons with an energy beam from space

China should accelerate development of a space-based solar power station, as the technology could one day do far more than beam clean energy to Earth, it might even help tame typhoons, according to a senior Chinese engineer.


UAE’s Opec exit, why Japan shared Mogami warship design with India: 7 Asia highlights

Cheaper durians for China, Hong Kong helpers camp in tents: 5 weekend reads you missed

King Charles’ gift amuses Chinese, anti-spy agency makes allegation: SCMP’s 7 highlights

A 60-year-old Singaporean pole dancer, Guizhou’s spicy food: 7 Lifestyle highlights

SCMP Highlights

Iran war highlights US defence gaps; mathematician returns to China: 7 science highlights

Missile debris falls after Israeli air defence systems launched interceptor missiles over Tel Aviv, Israel on Sunday. Photo: Xinhua


The bamboo-based unmanned aerial vehicle’s maiden flight took place in February, researchers said. Photo: Xinhua

Jiang Jianfeng says the decision to return to his home country is a “natural choice”. Photo: Handout

Duan Baoyan theorises that microwave beams from outer space could “alter regional atmospheric circulation and change a typhoon’s intensity and path”. Photo: Shutterstock

Cathay fares surge, CUHK professor suspended in Australia: 5 weekend reads you missed

Cathay Pacific has been adjusting routes to redirect capacity after suspending services to and from Dubai and Riyadh, the SCMP has learned. Photo: Eugene Lee

Smoke rises after an explosion during US-Israeli strikes on Iran. Photo: Reuters

China’s top diplomat Wang Yi speaks to the press about Beijing’s foreign policy objectives during the “two sessions” in Beijing on March 8. Photo: AFP

Buildings under construction in Nanjing, in China’s Jiangsu province, in February. Photo: AFP

CUHK professor Johnny Li has been suspended after reportedly pleading guilty to posing as a schoolboy in Australia. Photo: Handout

China’s US$24 billion seaport push; war on Iran as ‘wake-up call’: SCMP’s 7 highlights

Dujduan Ketsaro with her two grooms, Roman and Macky. Photo: Facebook

Smoke rises in central Tehran after an Israeli attack in Iran. Photo: EPA


More than 1,700 investors have completed their commitments and received formal approval from the Immigration Department. Photo: Jelly Tse

China can’t buy Elon Musk’s theory on space-based AI centres: experts

Elon Musk’s SpaceX is aiming to have a constellation of up to a million satellites operating as orbital data centres. Pictured is the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9. File photo: SpaceX/TNS

News

China

Science

From creating a bamboo-winged drone to efforts in “taming” typhoons, here are some highlights from SCMP’s recent science reporting


From creating a bamboo-winged drone to efforts in “taming” typhoons, here are some highlights from SCMP’s recent science reporting.


Iran war highlights US defence gaps; mathematician returns to China: 7 science highlights

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}From creating a bamboo-winged drone to efforts in “taming” typhoons, here are some highlights from SCMP’s recent science reporting

1. Could Iran war confirm China’s prediction on US military’s hypersonic nightmare?

From creating a bamboo-winged drone to efforts in “taming” typhoons, here are some highlights from SCMP’s recent science reporting