https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/rss/516035/feed Prior to joining SCMP in 2023, Victoria received her Bachelor’s degrees in Environmental Health and Environmental Studies from the University of Rochester, where she also worked in a Biochemistry lab. She holds a Master's in Public Policy from Peking University. en https://assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg Victoria Bela Victoria Bela Chinese researchers have created a new model to convert satellite surface elevation data for the Greenland Ice Sheet into a detailed estimate of how much ice it has lost in recent decades. Using satellite altimetry data covering 2002 to 2023, they found that the ice sheet lost an average of about 120 gigatonnes (264.5 trillion lbs) of mass per year. This figure is considerably lower than the widely cited figure reached by Nasa, which previously estimated Greenland’s annual loss to be nearly 270... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3372129/why-chinas-new-estimate-greenland-ice-loss-speed-55-lower-americas https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3372129/why-chinas-new-estimate-greenland-ice-loss-speed-55-lower-americas Mon, 26 Oct 2026 10:19:46 +0000 Victoria Bela Victoria Bela Chinese researchers have found that the Yarlung Tsangpo River – soon to host the largest mega dam in the world – may face increased run-off and flood risks over this century. Using tree-ring width chronologies in the southeastern Tibetan Plateau, the team reconstructed the river’s run-off history from 1325 to 2020. Along with climate data, this was used to create a model that projected river run-off would increase under future climate scenarios, along with a possible increase in high-run-off... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3371763/tibetan-river-hosting-worlds-biggest-dam-facing-increasing-flood-risk-study https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3371763/tibetan-river-hosting-worlds-biggest-dam-facing-increasing-flood-risk-study Mon, 26 Oct 2026 02:00:09 +0000 Victoria Bela Victoria Bela Chinese scientists have found evidence that individual neurons can act like powerful minicomputers that enable flexible behaviour such as making decisions. Scientists do not have a complete understanding of how our brains adapt to changing contexts to respond appropriately to sensory information. But by studying mice, the team obtained the first experimental evidence that dendrites – branchlike structures attached to neurons – can integrate learned rules with incoming sensory inputs to drive... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3371538/chinese-scientists-find-neurons-may-act-minicomputers-help-decision-making https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3371538/chinese-scientists-find-neurons-may-act-minicomputers-help-decision-making Tue, 20 Oct 2026 13:00:09 +0000 Victoria Bela Victoria Bela China is ready to commercialise a 200-kilovolt transmission electron microscope with an information resolution down to 0.1 nanometres that could introduce a new challenger into a market long dominated by the US and Japan. Developed by Hefei-based manufacturer CIQTEK, the microscope features a point resolution of 0.25nm and an information limit of 0.1nm – on par with leading workhorse models on the market. This marks a shift for the country’s expanding advanced electron microscopy industry from... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3371401/chinas-new-01-nanometre-electron-microscope-ready-challenge-us-and-japan https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3371401/chinas-new-01-nanometre-electron-microscope-ready-challenge-us-and-japan Tue, 20 Oct 2026 04:00:09 +0000 Victoria Bela Victoria Bela Chinese scientists have unearthed a fossil of the earliest known flightless bird, offering compelling evidence that not all early birds evolved to take to the skies. The discovery could also challenge long-held assumptions – including ideas dating back to evolutionary theorist Charles Darwin – that flightlessness in birds arose only as a secondary adaptation after earlier species had mastered flight. The 150 million-year-old fossil of the Late Jurassic avialan Yuezhuornis yangyuanensis found in... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3371125/sorry-darwin-chinese-fossil-shows-not-all-early-birds-evolved-fly https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3371125/sorry-darwin-chinese-fossil-shows-not-all-early-birds-evolved-fly Fri, 16 Oct 2026 12:00:08 +0000 Victoria Bela Victoria Bela A China-led international team has reported a new pre-earthquake phenomenon that has shown strong predictive potential for major earthquakes since 2022 with minimal failures. The anomalous seismic, magnetic and ionospheric resonance signals they observed – termed “seismo-ripples” by the researchers – are ringlike disturbance patterns triggered before earthquakes happen. Their findings challenge the long-standing scientific belief that these events are unpredictable, opening up a promising new... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3371035/china-led-team-hits-83-success-rate-anticipating-earthquakes-seismo-ripples-study https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3371035/china-led-team-hits-83-success-rate-anticipating-earthquakes-seismo-ripples-study Thu, 15 Oct 2026 12:00:09 +0000 Victoria Bela Victoria Bela Chinese researchers have built a self-propelled crawler robot that harvests iron from sand and have tested the device in the dunes of the vast Taklamakan Desert – an area the size of Germany – in northwestern China’s Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. In Frank Herbert’s classic science fiction novel Dune, mobile factories traverse the sands of the fictional planet Arrakis to extract the drug melange, also known as “spice”. The real-world device similarly travels across the desert, extracting... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3370824/chinas-dune-sand-crawler-could-turn-whole-taklamakan-desert-iron-mine https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3370824/chinas-dune-sand-crawler-could-turn-whole-taklamakan-desert-iron-mine Wed, 14 Oct 2026 06:00:11 +0000 Stephen Chen,Victoria Bela Stephen Chen,Victoria Bela China has begun building the world’s first utility-scale power plant combining two emerging technologies: supercritical carbon dioxide (CO2) generation and large-scale molten salt energy storage. The Ruitan project, under construction at a coal-fired power station in Yantai in eastern China’s Shandong province, is intended to demonstrate how combining these technologies can reduce energy wastage and improve the stability of the electrical grid. Electricity produced when demand is low is stored... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/plus/news/china/science/article/3370584/china-bets-molten-salt-and-co2-help-meet-its-power-needs https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/plus/news/china/science/article/3370584/china-bets-molten-salt-and-co2-help-meet-its-power-needs Mon, 12 Oct 2026 08:41:03 +0000 Victoria Bela Victoria Bela While Russian authorities have denied the death of a woman who worked in a laboratory at an anti-plague institute in Siberia was connected with the pathogen, the incident has sparked global concern – including in China – over a potential spread of the disease and a lack of transparency. US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he planned to speak with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin after it emerged late last week that the 28-year-old female lab technician had been admitted to... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3370319/russia-lifts-plague-lab-related-measures-should-china-and-world-be-relieved https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3370319/russia-lifts-plague-lab-related-measures-should-china-and-world-be-relieved Fri, 09 Oct 2026 09:00:06 +0000 Victoria Bela Victoria Bela Chinese researchers have developed a catalyst that converts synthesis gas into sustainable jet fuel – an advance that could boost production, help meet net-zero carbon goals and yield a gross profit margin above 50 per cent. The team verified the efficacy of the chemical catalyst in a thousand-tonne pilot test and found that combining woody biomass-derived synthesis gas, or syngas, with the cobalt-manganese catalyst enabled the “highly efficient synthesis of jet fuel”. Based on a techno-economic... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3370144/china-breakthrough-projected-push-sustainable-jet-fuel-gross-profit-margin-past-50 https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3370144/china-breakthrough-projected-push-sustainable-jet-fuel-gross-profit-margin-past-50 Thu, 08 Oct 2026 22:00:07 +0000 Victoria Bela Victoria Bela Chinese scientists have created a wearable all-in-one device combining a glucose sensor and insulin micropump that they say paves the way for a fully autonomous mini artificial pancreas, although it has so far only been tested on mice. Unlike existing commercial systems for managing diabetes that typically require patients to wear two separate patches for monitoring and hormone delivery, the new prototype combines both functions in a single coin-sized device. Researchers from the University of... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3370145/chinese-team-says-its-all-one-mini-artificial-pancreas-offers-next-gen-diabetes-care https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3370145/chinese-team-says-its-all-one-mini-artificial-pancreas-offers-next-gen-diabetes-care Thu, 08 Oct 2026 08:00:09 +0000 Victoria Bela Victoria Bela Chinese researchers have developed a “lifelike” shape-changing hydrogel they say could provide a platform for next-generation developments, such as flexible tissue engineering scaffolds, brain-computer interfaces and humanlike robots. Inspired by living organisms, the team created a light-triggered system called STERS, which uses liquid metal particles to generate slow, self-sustaining chemical reactions that allow a hydrogel to change its structure over time. Capable of growing and changing... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3369897/chinese-team-creates-lifelike-hydrogel-changes-shape-smart-devices https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3369897/chinese-team-creates-lifelike-hydrogel-changes-shape-smart-devices Tue, 06 Oct 2026 14:00:09 +0000 Victoria Bela Victoria Bela Authorities in the Chinese capital are releasing more than a billion parasitic wasps and encouraging caterpillar-catching competitions to try to contain the spread of the invasive North American fall webworm. The caterpillars have blanketed trees in Beijing and surrounding areas this summer, spinning clouds of greyish-white webs as they eat their way through foliage. The insects are the fuzzy larval stage of Hyphantria cunea and metamorphose into adult white moths. While not harmful to humans,... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3369693/beijing-fights-invasive-moths-parasitic-wasps-and-caterpillar-catching-contests https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3369693/beijing-fights-invasive-moths-parasitic-wasps-and-caterpillar-catching-contests Sun, 04 Oct 2026 11:00:12 +0000 Victoria Bela Victoria Bela The botanical societies of the United States and China have signed a plant science cooperation initiative, vowing to strengthen bilateral ties and foster an open scientific community to tackle global issues. The joint initiative was signed during a Sino-American botany conference last month in Taian, in China’s eastern Shandong province, which brought together hundreds of experts from institutions in both countries. The conference, held from September 19 to 23, aimed to “further deepen botanical... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3369652/us-china-botanists-sign-landmark-proposal-cooperation-global-issues-and-projects https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3369652/us-china-botanists-sign-landmark-proposal-cooperation-global-issues-and-projects Sat, 03 Oct 2026 10:00:13 +0000 Victoria Bela Victoria Bela China’s ocean drilling ship Mengxiang has returned from its first expedition in the South China Sea, where it set a national depth record and obtained basalt core samples that could help to unravel the region’s tectonic history. The 30-day expedition organised by the China Geological Survey tested the operational capabilities of the world’s most powerful deep-ocean drilling ship, according to a report published on Monday by the official ministry newspaper Science and Technology Daily. During the... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3369137/chinese-deep-ocean-drilling-ship-brings-home-precious-south-china-sea-samples https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3369137/chinese-deep-ocean-drilling-ship-brings-home-precious-south-china-sea-samples Tue, 29 Sep 2026 04:11:17 +0000 Victoria Bela Victoria Bela A Chinese team has set a world record for the most autonomous underwater drones operating at the same time, deploying more than a hundred of the small robots in a swimming pool test. The Guinness World Record for “most autonomous underwater vehicles operating simultaneously” was set by a team from Northwestern Polytechnical University in collaboration with Xian Tianhe Maritime Technologies. The trial involved a swarm of 116 autonomous underwater vehicles – called TH-618s, the university said in... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3369031/chinese-team-sets-world-record-swarm-116-underwater-drones https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3369031/chinese-team-sets-world-record-swarm-116-underwater-drones Tue, 29 Sep 2026 01:00:17 +0000 Victoria Bela Victoria Bela Two giant pandas have arrived in Atlanta to take up residency at the southern US city’s zoo. The pandas, male Ping Ping and female Fu Shuang, left Chengdu in China’s southwest on Sunday, within days of Chinese President Xi Jinping wrapping up his three-day state visit to the United States. During the visit, Xi said the pandas would arrive “in a few days”. Ping Ping and Fu Shuang, whose names mean peace and double blessings, arrived at Atlanta International Airport on a chartered flight, state... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3368964/giant-pandas-ping-ping-and-fu-shuang-touch-down-us-under-new-loan-deal https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3368964/giant-pandas-ping-ping-and-fu-shuang-touch-down-us-under-new-loan-deal Sun, 27 Sep 2026 12:56:39 +0000 Victoria Bela Victoria Bela China has broken ground on the world’s first utility-scale combined supercritical carbon dioxide power generation and molten salt energy storage project, which could help reduce energy waste and improve grid stability. Construction began on the Ruitan demonstration project at China Huaneng’s Bajiao power station in Yantai last week. The project in Shandong province, eastern China, is expected to go into operation next year. During periods when energy demand is low, surplus electricity generated... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3368337/china-breaks-ground-worlds-first-supercritical-co2-and-molten-salt-energy-plant https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3368337/china-breaks-ground-worlds-first-supercritical-co2-and-molten-salt-energy-plant Tue, 22 Sep 2026 05:41:58 +0000 Victoria Bela Victoria Bela Scientists in China have simulated a drone attack on one of the country’s major suspension bridges to determine the vulnerability of key transport hubs to modern warfare tactics. The researchers found that a drone carrying just 30kg (66lbs) of TNT could trigger a bridge collapse if it detonated within inches of the main suspension cable at the point where it meets a support tower. The targeted bridge strikes that have featured in Russia’s war on Ukraine show that warfare has shifted from mass... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3368205/some-chinas-11000-mega-bridges-could-be-risk-small-drones-study https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3368205/some-chinas-11000-mega-bridges-could-be-risk-small-drones-study Mon, 21 Sep 2026 08:00:05 +0000 Victoria Bela Victoria Bela Beijing has pushed back after the US Congress passed a bill on Wednesday that would allow US President Donald Trump to sanction Russia and its largest energy importers, including China. The bill, named after the late Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, authorises tariffs of up to 100 per cent on the top five importers of Russian oil and natural gas. In response to a question about the bill, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said Beijing had always opposed “long-arm jurisdiction”... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3367884/china-hits-back-us-congress-approves-tariffs-top-buyers-russian-energy https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3367884/china-hits-back-us-congress-approves-tariffs-top-buyers-russian-energy Thu, 17 Sep 2026 11:33:13 +0000 Victoria Bela Victoria Bela A former director of a state-owned museum at the centre of a rare high-profile art scandal was sentenced to three years in prison, Chinese state media said on Wednesday. Xu Huping was found to have abused his position at the Nanjing Museum in eastern Jiangsu province and taken bribes, including money and property, for helping others secure projects and business collaborations. He was sentenced to prison for three years and fined 200,000 yuan (US$29,800), according to state news agency... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/politics/article/3367753/former-director-leading-chinese-museum-jailed-3-years-after-art-selling-scandal https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/politics/article/3367753/former-director-leading-chinese-museum-jailed-3-years-after-art-selling-scandal Wed, 16 Sep 2026 13:18:18 +0000 Victoria Bela Victoria Bela Geologists have discovered two large water sources beneath China’s largest desert, potentially offering the northwestern region a vital new tap for sand-control projects and agriculture. The desert region has drawn attention for extensive afforestation and anti-desertification efforts taking place around its edges under the Great Green Wall initiative, alongside a rainfall trend that is transforming arid western China. The groundwater discoveries were made as part of a water-finding project in... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3367668/geologists-find-unexpectedly-large-water-sources-xinjiang-beneath-chinas-largest-desert https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3367668/geologists-find-unexpectedly-large-water-sources-xinjiang-beneath-chinas-largest-desert Wed, 16 Sep 2026 10:00:08 +0000 Victoria Bela Victoria Bela Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will meet with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in China on Wednesday, amid stalled diplomatic efforts to de-escalate conflicts in the Middle East. The meeting comes during the countdown to Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to the United States for a summit next week with his US counterpart Donald Trump, when the war on Iran and disruption of energy shipments through the Strait of Hormuz are expected to be high on the agenda. Fighting has also erupted... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3367620/irans-top-diplomat-heads-china-talks-middle-east-diplomacy-falters https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3367620/irans-top-diplomat-heads-china-talks-middle-east-diplomacy-falters Tue, 15 Sep 2026 11:23:01 +0000 Victoria Bela Victoria Bela Police in Guangzhou said on Monday they had apprehended a man in the southern Chinese city’s university town district after receiving reports that he was wielding a knife and injuring pedestrians. Emergency services started receiving calls around 5.20pm local time about multiple stabbings in front of a hotpot restaurant in the Xiaoguwei Island area of Panyu district, according to an alert sent out by the district branch of the Guangzhou Municipal Public Security Bureau. The bureau said in a... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/politics/article/3367491/chinese-knife-attack-leaves-multiple-people-injured-guangzhou https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/politics/article/3367491/chinese-knife-attack-leaves-multiple-people-injured-guangzhou Mon, 14 Sep 2026 12:26:49 +0000 Victoria Bela Victoria Bela Scientists have developed a lightweight, battery-free device that could help improve the mobility of people with difficulty walking, such as stroke survivors. Developed by researchers in Hong Kong and mainland China, the neural prosthesis uses energy generated by the wearer’s own movements to electrically stimulate their muscles, helping to flex their ankle and restore their natural walking pattern. This could prevent falls for stroke survivors, elderly individuals, and others living with... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3367424/chinas-self-powered-neural-device-helps-stroke-survivors-walk-naturally https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3367424/chinas-self-powered-neural-device-helps-stroke-survivors-walk-naturally Mon, 14 Sep 2026 08:00:09 +0000 Victoria Bela Victoria Bela Abnormally high temperatures across the Tibetan Plateau in early winter can trigger catastrophic rainstorms in California, according to a new study revealing a previously unidentified climate connection. In the winters of 2016-2017 and 2022-2023, record-breaking rain swept across the US state and surrounding areas, causing billions of dollars in damage and several deaths during years when drier weather was expected in the region. A study led by researchers from the University of California, Los... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3367230/study-reveals-link-between-tibetan-plateau-heat-and-record-rain-california https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3367230/study-reveals-link-between-tibetan-plateau-heat-and-record-rain-california Fri, 11 Sep 2026 14:00:08 +0000 Victoria Bela Victoria Bela Geologists say they have identified a new deposit in central China that can yield high-purity quartz comparable to the quality produced at a critical world-leading mine in the United States. The quartz from the Chinese deposit is described as having “highly similar” properties to the resources produced at North Carolina’s Spruce Pine, which is crucial to the global production of solar panels and semiconductors. In the US, there is a growing call from the industry to use high-purity quartz as a... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3366916/quartz-deposit-purity-central-china-highly-similar-us-spruce-pine-standard-study https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3366916/quartz-deposit-purity-central-china-highly-similar-us-spruce-pine-standard-study Wed, 09 Sep 2026 09:12:19 +0000 Victoria Bela Victoria Bela China and Russia have conducted their first joint on-site sea ice survey in the Arctic Ocean aboard the Xuelong 2 research icebreaker, as tensions continue to rise over economic opportunities in the rapidly warming northern region. Two researchers from Russia’s Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute boarded Xuelong 2 as part of China’s 16th Arctic Ocean Expedition, according to a report by state broadcaster CCTV on Saturday. According to Lin Long, captain of the Xuelong 2 sea ice team, this... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3366665/china-and-russia-launch-first-sea-ice-survey-aboard-xuelong-2-arctic-tensions-swell https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3366665/china-and-russia-launch-first-sea-ice-survey-aboard-xuelong-2-arctic-tensions-swell Mon, 07 Sep 2026 13:00:08 +0000 Victoria Bela Victoria Bela A study in one of the world’s top scientific journals that concluded China’s policy-driven solar energy expansion was harming bird diversity has come under fire after allegations emerged that the analysis may have used observations of 2.1 billion little egrets in a single park – more than the entire global population of the species. It also brought up heated conversations on social media about negative narratives surrounding China’s green energy sector. The study in question – by researchers in... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3366286/study-argued-chinas-solar-policy-hurt-birds-may-have-miscounted-2-billion-egrets https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3366286/study-argued-chinas-solar-policy-hurt-birds-may-have-miscounted-2-billion-egrets Sun, 06 Sep 2026 09:00:06 +0000 Zhang Tong,Victoria Bela Zhang Tong,Victoria Bela Even as China installs new solar and wind power capacity faster than the rest of the world combined, it is setting new benchmarks for the technologies through innovation. This year alone, Chinese companies and researchers have generated the first electricity from high-altitude winds 4,000 metres above Earth, cleared the last hurdle to commercialising a cheaper and more efficient alternative to silicon solar panels, begun trials of the world’s most powerful floating and fixed-bottom offshore wind... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/plus/news/china/science/article/3366302/chinas-solar-wind-innovations-amid-rapid-green-power-buildout https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/plus/news/china/science/article/3366302/chinas-solar-wind-innovations-amid-rapid-green-power-buildout Fri, 04 Sep 2026 04:00:05 +0000 Victoria Bela Victoria Bela Not even the world’s fastest sprinters could have outrun the devastating floodwaters that struck a border crossing between China and Nepal last week, according to one of the first peer-reviewed assessments of the disaster. Researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) calculated that the surface velocity of the debris flow was 19 metres per second (62 feet per second) when it struck the checkpoint at Gyirong Port in Tibet. This is almost twice Usain Bolt’s average speed when he set the... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3366020/china-nepal-floods-first-research-shows-no-one-could-have-outrun-debris-flow https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3366020/china-nepal-floods-first-research-shows-no-one-could-have-outrun-debris-flow Tue, 01 Sep 2026 14:00:13 +0000 Victoria Bela Victoria Bela As Starship, the world’s largest and most powerful rocket, gears up for an attempt to finally reach Earth’s orbit, experts say the risk of an in-flight catastrophe – and a cloud of debris – “needs to be of concern”. Elon Musk’s SpaceX is expected to launch the Starship spacecraft and Super Heavy booster for the launch system’s 14th test flight and first orbital test flight later this month. According to one aerospace expert, if the Starship’s upper stage explodes in orbit it could produce debris... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3365943/starship-could-create-more-debris-anti-satellite-test-if-it-explodes-orbit https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3365943/starship-could-create-more-debris-anti-satellite-test-if-it-explodes-orbit Tue, 01 Sep 2026 13:00:05 +0000 Victoria Bela Victoria Bela Friction between humans and wild animals at China’s Giant Panda National Park intensified significantly over the past decade as conservation efforts expanded, a new study has found. Farmers reported increasing losses between 2015 and 2024, stemming from damage to property and crops as well as attacks on humans and livestock. The team behind the study said the issue had become the most prominent challenge facing the park’s administrators. The Giant Panda National Park covers 22,000 sq km (8,500... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3365703/human-wild-animal-clashes-rise-chinas-giant-panda-national-park https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3365703/human-wild-animal-clashes-rise-chinas-giant-panda-national-park Sun, 30 Aug 2026 02:00:19 +0000 Victoria Bela Victoria Bela To scientists, the cause of this week’s deadly flash flood on the border between China and Nepal is clear: a glacier high on the Nepal side of the Himalayan range collapsed, sending catastrophic amounts of water and debris downstream. Initial uncertainty over the cause of the event fuelled a wave of misinformation on social media, some of which pinned the blame for the event on Chinese-built infrastructure in the region. But a war of information over China’s activities in the region continued to... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3365633/how-nepal-flash-flood-unleashed-wave-anti-china-misinformation https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3365633/how-nepal-flash-flood-unleashed-wave-anti-china-misinformation Fri, 28 Aug 2026 11:58:16 +0000 Victoria Bela Victoria Bela China has launched the world’s first 100-kilowatt (kW) floating solar farm built with bamboo frames, offering a more environmentally friendly approach to offshore energy. The floating solar platform, named Jilin-2, is made of composite bamboo tubes and pipes. It has been deployed at a demonstration base off the coast of Yantai in the eastern province of Shandong. It will supply power to an integrated hydrogen, ammonia and methanol production project, manufacturer Yantai CIMC Raffles Ocean... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3365347/china-launches-worlds-first-100kw-bamboo-built-floating-solar-farm-shandong-coast https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3365347/china-launches-worlds-first-100kw-bamboo-built-floating-solar-farm-shandong-coast Thu, 27 Aug 2026 01:00:06 +0000 Victoria Bela Victoria Bela Scientists in China have created a self-exercising muscle graft that might allow bedridden people to gain the benefits of working out without any physical exertion. With just an injection of muscle cells below the skin, the cells self-assembled into muscle grafts, which not only improved whole-body muscle mass in mice but also led to improvements in bone density, endurance, liver function and cognitive health. The “myografts” could provide the health benefits of exercise to patients with... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3365356/no-gym-needed-scientists-china-develop-self-exercising-muscle-grafts https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3365356/no-gym-needed-scientists-china-develop-self-exercising-muscle-grafts Wed, 26 Aug 2026 12:53:43 +0000 Victoria Bela Victoria Bela Chinese scientists have developed a new tabletop X-ray ghost imaging method that allows them to capture real-time “see-through” video of fast-moving objects. The team’s system could be used to capture dynamic objects such as rotating aircraft engines or biological movements like a beating heart. Importantly, this could all be accomplished with a lower radiation dose and simpler set-up than traditional X-ray methods. “In contrast to other available X-ray imaging techniques for moving objects, our... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3364808/china-team-brings-x-ray-vision-life-compact-high-speed-ghost-video-cam https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3364808/china-team-brings-x-ray-vision-life-compact-high-speed-ghost-video-cam Mon, 24 Aug 2026 04:00:07 +0000 Victoria Bela Victoria Bela China’s historic Chang’e-7 mission to drill for ice near the moon’s south pole has been delayed, the country’s human space flight programme authority said on Sunday. The Chang’e-7 – carrying an orbiter, a lander, a rover and a hopper – was expected to lift off aboard a Long March 5 rocket from the Wenchang spaceport in southern China’s Hainan province as early as Monday. The China Manned Space Agency said on Sunday evening that the mission would be postponed following a comprehensive assessment... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3364982/china-puts-change-7-mission-lunar-south-pole https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3364982/china-puts-change-7-mission-lunar-south-pole Sun, 23 Aug 2026 12:26:21 +0000 Victoria Bela Victoria Bela Chinese scientists have created an AI-guided platform to engineer custom plant immune receptors to rapidly combat emerging diseases that threaten plants, including commercial crops vulnerable to devastating outbreaks. Their programmable synthetic immune receptors can be introduced into plants to help them detect proteins made by specific bacteria, viruses and fungi, triggering an immune response to neutralise the threat, according to the team. By leveraging protein design guided by artificial... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3364933/china-builds-worlds-first-custom-plant-immunity-system-epidemic-response https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3364933/china-builds-worlds-first-custom-plant-immunity-system-epidemic-response Sun, 23 Aug 2026 02:00:10 +0000 Victoria Bela Victoria Bela Solar expansion policies across China have led to a reduction in bird diversity, with wealthier and non-desert regions bearing the brunt of species loss, according to a study led by researchers in China and the US. They found that solar expansion had eaten into birds’ foraging and breeding grounds, and had left what habitat remained more fragmented, pitting China’s carbon reduction policies against biodiversity conservation. “Our findings highlight a critical green dilemma: without meticulous... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3364721/international-study-finds-solar-panels-china-could-be-harming-birds https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3364721/international-study-finds-solar-panels-china-could-be-harming-birds Fri, 21 Aug 2026 03:00:09 +0000 Ling Xin,Victoria Bela Ling Xin,Victoria Bela In a global first, leading Chinese commercial rocket company LandSpace has recovered a stainless-steel booster after an orbital launch, marking a major step in the country’s efforts to develop lower-cost, reusable rockets. Previous reusable boosters deployed in such launches have been made from aluminium alloys, which can be more expensive to develop due to higher design and raw material costs. China is also the first country to succeed in orbital launch recovery down distinct technological... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3364492/chinas-landspace-beats-spacex-steel-booster-recovery-after-orbital-launch https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3364492/chinas-landspace-beats-spacex-steel-booster-recovery-after-orbital-launch Wed, 19 Aug 2026 00:28:33 +0000 Victoria Bela Victoria Bela As the United States, Russia and China race to turn a melting Arctic into the world’s next major economic gateway, their strategic ambitions face a hidden threat: thawing permafrost. Since returning to office last year, US President Donald Trump has pushed to expand America’s Arctic footprint. This includes investing in icebreakers to counter Russian and Chinese shipping ambitions, unlocking natural resources in Alaska and renewing efforts to buy or annex Greenland. Yet, as the three powers vie... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3364286/why-siberias-warming-landscape-could-shatter-trumps-arctic-ambitions https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3364286/why-siberias-warming-landscape-could-shatter-trumps-arctic-ambitions Tue, 18 Aug 2026 02:00:17 +0000 Victoria Bela Victoria Bela A US laboratory that once dominated the field of superconducting magnets is now hoping to buy Chinese technology used in a leading particle accelerator, official Chinese media reported on Tuesday. The US Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory once “monopolised” this type of specialised technology, according to Science and Technology Daily. But in May last year it contacted the Chinese Institute of High Energy Physics “hoping to purchase the Chinese-made combined superconducting... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3363680/china-says-us-tried-buy-superconductor-magnet-outperforms-american-ones-40 https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3363680/china-says-us-tried-buy-superconductor-magnet-outperforms-american-ones-40 Tue, 11 Aug 2026 12:00:37 +0000 Victoria Bela Victoria Bela Chinese researchers have found a safe way to shrink advanced tumours from an aggressive form of liver cancer, an advance that could see microbubbles used to enhance current treatments. The tiny gas-filled bubbles, typically a few micrometres in diameter, were originally designed as contrast agents in ultrasound imaging, but scientists have recently been exploring their therapeutic potential. According to a paper published by the peer-reviewed Scientific Reports on July 19, the study compared... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3363499/chinese-researchers-use-microbubbles-shrink-aggressive-liver-tumours-paper https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3363499/chinese-researchers-use-microbubbles-shrink-aggressive-liver-tumours-paper Mon, 10 Aug 2026 06:03:18 +0000 Victoria Bela Victoria Bela China is using an artificial intelligence-driven fish identification system to conduct round-the-clock tracking of species passing along a fishway on a dam on Tibet’s largest river. Monitoring the route once relied on labour-intensive manual counts, but it now uses an AI-based “fish facial recognition” system to identify species unique to the Tibet autonomous region, according to a report published by Global Times on Tuesday. Since the 116-metre-tall (381 feet) Zangmu Hydropower Station began... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3363112/china-using-ai-facial-id-track-migrating-fish-tibets-largest-river https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3363112/china-using-ai-facial-id-track-migrating-fish-tibets-largest-river Mon, 10 Aug 2026 02:00:14 +0000 Victoria Bela Victoria Bela In a show of space surveillance strength, a newly launched Chinese satellite tracked a piece of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket crashing into the moon and captured footage of its impact. No visible plume can be seen in the images that appear to show the moment of impact, which is consistent with what other scientists and telescopes reported immediately after the rocket debris struck on Wednesday. China’s Gande-1 01 space debris monitoring satellite, launched on July 24, carried out the tracking. It is... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3363199/chinese-satellite-captures-video-spacex-rocket-debris-crashing-moon https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3363199/chinese-satellite-captures-video-spacex-rocket-debris-crashing-moon Thu, 06 Aug 2026 12:01:27 +0000 Victoria Bela Victoria Bela Following in the footprints of its ambitious Great Green Wall, China is leaning into a solar-powered pivot as part of its decades-long effort to tackle desertification in the arid north. The expanding Great Solar Wall initiative, centred in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, could help to power China’s economic hubs as the country accelerates its transition away from fossil fuels. The idea is to transform the desert into solar power hubs to generate clean energy while at the same time halting... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3363108/great-solar-wall-china-doubles-down-its-ambitious-effort-tame-deserts https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3363108/great-solar-wall-china-doubles-down-its-ambitious-effort-tame-deserts Thu, 06 Aug 2026 04:00:06 +0000 Victoria Bela Victoria Bela British publication The Economist has come under fire across social media for calling China an “eco-authoritarian” state over its Yangtze River fishing ban, with some users calling out the outlet for its use of the “but at what cost” trope. In a piece published on July 27, the publication outlined China’s efforts to restore Asia’s longest waterway, which has experienced decades of environmental degradation, leading to a decline in fish and other species populations. “The Chinese Communist Party,... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3362478/what-cost-economist-draws-backlash-over-eco-authoritarian-china-label https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3362478/what-cost-economist-draws-backlash-over-eco-authoritarian-china-label Fri, 31 Jul 2026 11:00:15 +0000 Victoria Bela Victoria Bela A Chinese-led team has analysed a 240 million-year-old fossil with the oldest known preserved stomach, liver and intestinal soft tissue in reptiles. The complete skeleton fossil has highly specialised body features that indicate it lived in the water, suggesting the marine colonisation of archosaurs was earlier and more extensive than previously believed. The fossil of the Austronaga minuta from the Early Triassic period also offers a “unique opportunity” to study how Triassic reptiles made the... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3362341/triassic-fish-lunch-chinese-fossil-reveals-oldest-preserved-reptile-stomach https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3362341/triassic-fish-lunch-chinese-fossil-reveals-oldest-preserved-reptile-stomach Thu, 30 Jul 2026 08:00:11 +0000 Victoria Bela Victoria Bela Chinese scientists have used detailed satellite imagery analysis to examine damage to US military bases in the Middle East, uncovering discrepancies in both Washington and Tehran’s claims over the scale of the conflict. Using advanced remote sensing and image-processing techniques, researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) also identified damage patterns that exposed vulnerabilities in fixed overseas military installations and highlighted operational shortcomings on both sides. “The... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3362231/chinese-satellite-imagery-analysis-challenges-us-iran-war-claims https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3362231/chinese-satellite-imagery-analysis-challenges-us-iran-war-claims Wed, 29 Jul 2026 12:00:06 +0000