science

Chinese Scientists Find Molecular Water in Lunar Soil for the First Time 

Timely reports on issues and events from across China. Drawing on a vast range of sources, these succinct articles provide insights into the significance of each issue in a wider context.

NEWS

Research has revealed the presence of water and ammonium in lunar soil samples collected by China’s 2020 Chang’e-5 mission, offering exciting prospects for lunar resource utilization and exploration.

Fan Yiying

Is this Light-Up Fiber the Future of Smart Clothing?

Contributions from individuals with unique perspectives to share. Hear from everyone, from experts and commentators to those whose voices are often marginalized.

VOICES & OPINION

Invented by a doctoral student, it has the potential to revolutionize e-textiles.

Wu Haiyun

How China Conquered the Dark Side of the Moon

China’s Chang’e-6 lunar probe has made history by bringing back the first ever samples from the far side of the Moon. This is how the groundbreaking mission took shape.

Ding Rui

The Scientist Trying to Change Sulfur’s Smelly Reputation

Drawing on years of sulfur research, chemistry professor Jiang Xuefeng specializes in making sulfur easier to handle in industrial and medical applications. Now he’s pioneering its use to tackle plastic pollution.

Where Are China’s Women in STEM?

The gender imbalance in STEM fields has less to do with outdated stereotypes about “male reasoning” and more to do with a lack of role models for aspiring female scientists.

Yang Ke

The Researcher Hunting for a Rett Syndrome Cure

Qiu Zilong spent most of the past 20 years researching Rett Syndrome, a rare, severe condition often associated with autism. Now, new gene editing technologies have him optimistic that a cure is near.

Shanghai Study Unlocks Key to Better Pancreatic Cancer Treatment

Published recently in a peer-reviewed international journal, the new study could help minimize the side effects of treatment and potentially improve survival rates for patients battling this aggressive cancer.

Leading Chinese Philosopher’s Brain Cryopreserved in the US

Unlike most people who opt for cryonics, Chinese enlightenment heavyweight Li Zehou was less interested in resurrection than what study of his brain could mean for science.

He Qitong

Lü  Xiaoxi

The Key to Global Warming? It’s Hidden in the Ice.

Chinese researchers are getting more involved in glacier research. Can they help unlock the history of climate change?

Endangered Xizang Cattle Cloned for the First Time 

Scientists hope the accomplishment will save a national strategic resource from extinction.

Ye Zhanhang

UFO Sightings Over Beijing Spark Social Media Frenzy in China

Experts have attributed the phenomenon to SpaceX’s new rocket launch for its Starlink satellites.

Zhu Junxi

Male Mosquitoes Sucked Blood Too — Then Went Plant-Based to Survive: Researcher 

Turns out male mosquitoes were just as blood-thirsty as female ones.

China Keeps Finding Massive Sinkholes Teeming With Strange Wildlife

China’s karst landscapes are pockmarked by gigantic sinkholes that act as safe havens for an extraordinary variety of rare and endangered species. But these unique ecosystems are now under threat.

Li Pasha

Fighting ALS: Former JD.com VP in Race Against Time

Translations, cross-publications, and collaborative projects from Sixth Tone’s external partners. 

SIXTH TONE ×

Cai Lei, the former vice president of e-commerce giant JD.com, has strived to raise awareness and funding to support research into treating the fatal disease.

Shanghai Observer

Playful Bees, Regenerative Hairs Research Awarded China’s Unusual Science Prize

The Pineapple Science Award celebrates interesting and imaginative scientific research from around the world that arouses the public’s enthusiasm for science.

World’s Leading Scientists Gather for Laureates Forum in Shanghai 

This year’s event emphasized intergenerational exchanges between veteran and younger scientists.

Amid Climate Goals, China Zones in on AI’s Growing Energy Needs

In a list of scientific challenges for China in 2023, climate change and energy consumption emerge among focus areas.

China’s Top Science Body to Experts: Don’t Speak Beyond Expertise

In a major overhaul of its code of conduct, the Chinese Academy of Sciences has barred academicians from making comments outside their areas of expertise and misusing their titles for undue benefits.

The Cold Reality of China’s Vanishing Glaciers

As temperatures rise, the melting of the unique Urumqi Glacier No. 1 can be slowed but not stopped, experts say.

The Paper

The Terra-Cotta Army’s Secret Weapon

Articles that cut to the core of contemporary China. In-depth, informed, and carefully crafted, every piece is carried by the voices of the story’s participants.

FEATURES

The ghostly army of China’s first emperor is known for its thousands of clay foot soldiers. But new excavations are revealing that the force was far more diverse — and tactically sophisticated — than previously assumed.