Chinese Academy of Sciences

What does healthy ageing look like, and how can science help us get there? On Nov. 10–11, we joined forces with the @royalsociety to host the 3rd China-UK Early-Career Researchers' Meeting at Newcastle University in the UK. The meeting, which opened on Nov. 10, marked 48 years of CAS-RS scientific cooperation and the passing of the torch to a new generation of researchers. It brought together 32 early-career researchers from 11 CAS-affiliated institutes and universities and 12 UK universities, including 15 women researchers. From ageing biology and biomarkers to public health and healthy ageing interventions, young scientists exchanged ideas, shared insights, and explored new opportunities for collaboration. #CAS #RoyalSociety #ChinaUKCooperation #HealthyAgeing #YoungScientists

🏜️ Xinjiang: Science Across the Dryland | EP3 Deserts may look barren, but they are far from lifeless. In Xinjiang's drylands, plants, animals and microorganisms have evolved to survive drought, extreme heat, salinity and intense radiation. 🌱 Protecting biodiversity in the desert is not simply about protecting grasses or insects. We are protecting precious genetic resources for the future of humanity. 🎬 Watch EP3 and discover the hidden life of Xinjiang's drylands. #ThirdXinjiangScientificExpedition #Drylands #Biodiversity #Ecology

🌌 We've found the first direct evidence of matter flowing in opposite directions along cosmic filaments! These vast filaments connect galaxy clusters, forming a giant cosmic web across the universe. Using data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, we've discovered that matter along a filament flows toward the galaxy cluster at each end, with the flow reversing direction near the midpoint. 🔭 This finding gives us a new way to study how gravity drives matter through the cosmic web and shapes the large-scale structure of our universe. Read more: english.cas.cn/newsroom/rese… #CAS #Astronomy #CosmicWeb #GalaxyClusters #SkySAurvey #Universe

🌍 We've joined the @globalbiodata ! We're excited to work with global partners to advance sustainable biodata infrastructure, improve data accessibility, and strengthen international scientific collaboration. 🤝Together for a more connected and sustainable future for biodata! Read more: english.cas.cn/newsroom/news… #CAS #GlobalBiodataCoalition #Biodata #OpenScience #GlobalCollaboration

⏳ The countdown is on! From rising temperatures to growing health risks, climate change affects us in many ways. How can science help us respond? 🌍 On October 29–30 in Beijing, the 3rd Science for Future (SfF) Conference will bring together experts from China and Germany to explore the links between climate change and health—from extreme weather and disease risks to food security and public health. 🔬 Together, we'll explore how scientific research can help build a healthier, more resilient future. #CAS #Leppoldina #ScienceForFuture #SinoGermanCooperation #ScientificCollaboration #Climate #Health

🔬 Science for Future: Connecting Science, Addressing Global Challenges Together with @Leopoldina , we launched the Science for Future (SfF) series in 2018 to promote Sino-German scientific cooperation and address global challenges. 🌍 Following discussions on basic research, young talent cultivation and carbon neutrality, the 3rd SfF Conference, taking place in Beijing on October 29–30, 2026, will focus on "The Interconnectedness of Climate Change and Health". Together with our German colleagues, we'll explore the connections between climate change and human health, and how scientific cooperation can help us address these shared challenges. #CAS #Leppoldina #ScienceForFuture #SinoGermanCooperation #ChinaGermanyCooperation #ScientificCollaboration

🏜️ Xinjiang: Science Across the Dryland | EP2 Desert management is about more than stopping the sand. Deserts may look static, but they are constantly changing. To manage them, we need to understand how they evolve and how wind, water, soil and vegetation interact. From water-saving afforestation to sand control and salt-tolerant plants, we are exploring ways to combine sand control, salinity management and ecological development. 🎬 Watch EP2 and discover how science is helping us understand Xinjiang's changing deserts. #ThirdXinjiangScientificExpedition #Drylands #Ecology #Deserts

🐋 How do you find a whale in the vast ocean? After years of surveys, we've directly observed 20+ cetacean species in the South China Sea. 🌊 But seeing them is only part of the story. 🎧 Underwater acoustics help us detect whales through their vocalizations. 🧬 DNA + acoustic recordings + other clues can help identify elusive species. Sometimes, a sound from the deep is a calling card. #CAS #Whales #OceanScience #MarineMammals #MarineLife

🦖🐦 We've identified the earliest known flightless bird! The Jurassic species Yuezhuornis yangyuanensis combines striking dinosaur- and bird-like features, showing that early birds explored diverse lifestyles—not just flight. Read more: english.cas.cn/newsroom/rese… #CAS #Paleontology #BirdEvolution #Fossils #Jurassic #Dinosaur

🦪Inspired by clam hinges, we developed a "layer cake" film with alternating light-emitting and tough silicone rubber layers. Hard layers bear the load; soft layers distribute stress and stop cracks from spreading. Stretch, squeeze or rub it—and it lights up. ✨ Potential applications: smart wearables, structural monitoring, anti-counterfeiting and battery-free flexible displays. #CAS #Biomimicry #Mechanoluminescence #FlexibleMaterials #MaterialsScience #SmartMaterials

🌕 We've identified stable gamma-iron, a rare form of iron, in natural lunar samples returned by the Chang'e-6 mission for the first time. Its tiny particles contain a stable magnetic swirl that may preserve a record of ancient magnetic fields on the Moon, offering new clues to the Moon's magnetic history. Read more: english.cas.cn/newsroom/rese… #CAS #ChangE6 #Moon #LunarScience #Magnetism #LunarSample

Drylands cover more than 40% of the world's land surface. How can we better understand and protect these fragile ecosystems? "Xinjiang: Science Across the Dryland" is a new video series exploring the Third Xinjiang Scientific Expedition and its efforts to understand the changing drylands. With its unique mountain–oasis–desert ecosystem, Xinjiang in northwest China offers a valuable window into how dryland environments are changing. 🌱 Understanding how Xinjiang's drylands are changing is not just about understanding one region. It can help us find solutions for drylands around the world. 🎬 Watch EP1 and begin the journey. #ScientificExpedition #Drylands #Ecology #ScienceTok #Xinjiang #Sustainability

🔎Xinjiang. 5 years. 1,000+ expedition teams. 91,232 survey sites. During the Third Xinjiang Scientific Expedition, we've carried out comprehensive field surveys across Xinjiang in northwest China, covering water, land, biodiversity, mineral and energy resources, and the ecological environment. The findings offer new insights into desertification control, dryland biodiversity, agriculture, genetic resources, and ecological restoration, with broader relevance for dryland regions worldwide. 📍 Check out the infographic for more. #CAS #Xinjiang #ScientificExpedition #Drylands #Biodiversity #SustainableDevelopment

Could a real-life "Three-Body Problem" exist? 🌌 In The Three-Body Problem, three stars create a fascinating cosmic puzzle. In real life, we've found a rare triple-star system containing a pulsar, a white dwarf and a Sun-like star. How did these three stars end up in a rare triple system? 🎬 Watch the video to follow their journey through stellar evolution. #ThreeBodyProblem #Astronomy #Pulsar #StellarEvolution #SpaceScience #SciFi

🌌 We've identified the first known pulsar triple system still evolving! Chinese and European teams independently confirmed the system. By combining publicly available data from multiple space missions, we precisely determined its orbital parameters and the masses of all three members. The system contains: 🔭 Pulsar PSR J0435+3233 — ~1.16 or 1.34 solar masses, from two solutions within the same model ⚪ White dwarf — ~0.3 solar masses ⭐ Sun-like star The Sun-like star orbits the inner binary (8-days period) every 73.5 years on an eccentric orbit. A rare laboratory for studying stellar evolution and gravity. 🌌 Read more: doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/ae… #CAS #Pulsar #StellarEvolution #TripleStarSystem #FAST #Astronomy

🌞 First messages from SMILE are here! Together with ESA, we've released the first batch of in-orbit observations from SMILE's four scientific instruments. The data include the first uninterrupted panoramic images of the Northern Hemisphere's auroras, revealing their fine structures, from UVI; an X-ray image of a supernova remnant in the Large Magellanic Cloud from SXI; and the first high-resolution magnetic field and ion measurements obtained from such a high Earth orbit by MAG and LIA. With its in-orbit commissioning review complete, SMILE is now officially on the job — exploring how the solar wind interacts with Earth's magnetosphere and helping us better understand space weather. Read more: english.nssc.ac.cn/focus/202… #SMILE #CAS #ESA #SpaceScience #SolarWind #SpaceWeather #Satellite

🌍 10 years of collaboration. One mission. A new view of space weather. 🚀 SMILE has passed its in-orbit commissioning review and is ready to begin scientific observations, exploring how the solar wind interacts with Earth's magnetic "protective bubble". But SMILE is more than science and engineering — it's also a story of collaboration and trust between the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the European Space Agency. 🎬 Meet the scientists behind the mission. #CAS #ESA #SMILEMission #SpaceWeather #SolarWind #SpaceScience #InternationalCollaboration

#BiosphereStories Meet the new member of UNESCO Biosphere Reserves in China — Zhouzhi 🌏 Designated by UNESCO in 2025 📍 Located in Shaanxi Province, northwestern China 📏 About 20 times the size of Macao 🐼🦌🐒🦅 Home to the Qinling Four Treasures — giant pandas, Qinling takins, golden snub-nosed monkeys and crested ibises 🌲 Core habitat and vital ecological corridor for Qinling giant pandas 🥝 A global hotspot for wild kiwifruit genetic diversity ☯️ Where Qinling ecology and Taoist culture converge #UNESCO #MAB #BiosphereReserve #Zhouzhi #QinlingMountain #GiantPandas #Kiwifruit

👏 Congratulations to Prof. WANG Ding on receiving the 2026 Wolfgang Kiessling International Prize for Species Conservation! A distinguished aquatic biologist, Prof. WANG Ding has devoted his career to protecting the Yangtze finless porpoise and other endangered cetaceans in China. Today, his conservation strategies are also helping protect endangered river dolphins in Cambodia and Bangladesh. Prof. WANG Ding is a researcher at the Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Secretary General of the China National Committee for UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere Programme. The annual prize recognizes individuals advancing species conservation research and developing innovative solutions with international impact. #WolfgangKiesslingPrize #SpeciesConservation #YangtzeFinlessPorpoise #Biodiversity #WildlifeConservation #Cetacean

🔭 10 Years of FAST: Keeping Our Eyes on the Universe Ten years ago, on September 25, 2016, FAST was completed in Guizhou, China. Since then, the world's largest single-dish radio telescope has been listening to the Universe, helping scientists explore pulsars, galaxies, interstellar matter and more. 🌌 Ten years on, the journey of discovery continues. Happy 10th anniversary, FAST! 🎉 #FAST #RadioTelescope #RadioAstronomy #Astronomy #Space #Universe