Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez underscored the vital role of cooperation in driving scientific progress during a visit to the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) on Monday. "Cooperation does not weaken science. It strengthens. It improves its quality, expands its impact, and creates lasting bonds between science communities," Sanchez said as he was awarded an honorary professorship by the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS).

For centuries, scientists have known that tobacco plants produce nicotine -- but no one could figure out exactly how they do it. Now, a team of Chinese researchers has finally solved the puzzle. In a study recently published in the journal Cell, researchers from the Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences (CEMPS) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences mapped out the complete process -- from start to finish -- of how nicotine is made in a wild species of tobacco called Nicotiana attenuata.

Chinese scientists have recently revealed how long-term cultivation impacts soil fauna diversity and the stability of ecological networks in desert agricultural ecosystems, according to the Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources (NIEER) under the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

A team of scientists from China and the United States has provided the first comprehensive explanation of how the magma system beneath the Yellowstone caldera forms and persists over time. The study, conducted by researchers from the Institute of Geology and Geophysics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the University of Illinois, was published in the journal Science on Friday.

Chinese researchers have made a breakthrough for global food security by breeding a new strain of rice that resists disease without sacrificing yield. In recent years, rice bacterial blight has resurged due to global warming and limited resistance sources, threatening stable rice production. To tackle this, a team led by He Zuhua from the Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, successfully cloned a broad-spectrum disease-resistance gene, Xa48, and clarified how rice resistance evolves over long-term cultivation.

Scientists have identified multiple nitrogen-containing organic compounds on the surfaces of lunar soil samples returned by China's Chang'e-5 and Chang'e-6 missions, providing new insights into the evolution of organic matter in the solar system. The findings, released by a research team led by the Institute of Geology and Geophysics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, along with international collaborators, reveal that the moon preserves a detailed record of how organic materials were delivered and transformed in space.

China unveiled a new large model for carbon emission accounting on Wednesday, marking a major technological breakthrough in the global field of carbon accounting. The model is the world's first panoramic carbon emission accounting system covering production-side, consumption-side and natural sources, according to its developer, the Shanghai Advanced Research Institute under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).

Have you ever wondered how your brain manages to switch between remembering a birthday party and focusing on a friend's face right in front of you? Chinese scientists may have found the answer to this question. A research team led by scientists from the Institute of Psychology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences has uncovered an important organizational principle within a large-scale brain network, known as the default mode network (DMN).

A research team from the Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences has developed a self-protecting, non-flammable electrolyte that physically blocks "thermal runaway" in sodium-ion batteries – the first time this level of safety has been achieved in high-capacity cells. This "smart firewall" technology, which automatically solidifies when temperatures exceed 150°C, was detailed in a study published in Nature Energy on Monday.

Chinese scientists have injected artificial intelligence (AI) power into AI-driven snow monitoring research by establishing a large-scale, standardized dataset for nationwide fractional snow cover (FSC), according to its developer. The dataset, named ChinaAI-FSC, has established systematized construction procedures and scientific evaluation standards.

Chinese researchers have developed a new catalytic strategy that enables more efficient conversion of syngas to light olefins under mild conditions, significantly reducing energy consumption. Light olefins are essential building blocks for manufacturing plastics and synthetic fibers. Published in Nature on Wednesday, the study was led by researchers from the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

A new study by Chinese researchers has helped people better understand how microplastics "move" on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and has sustained plastic pollution prevention and control efforts, according to the Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources (NIEER) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Five medical research projects aimed at establishing the world's first space hospital, proposed by a university in south China's innovation hub Shenzhen, were transported to space aboard a test spacecraft on Monday. These projects will complete in-orbit experiments and tests over the next three years.

In a major step toward self-sufficiency in advanced cancer care, scientists at a premier Chinese research facility say they have the capability to produce medical isotopes known as "nuclear warheads" for their ability to destroy tumors with pinpoint accuracy. The breakthrough at the China Spallation Neutron Source in Dongguan, Guangdong province, targets a critical bottleneck in the country's healthcare system: a long-standing reliance on expensive, unstable imports of alpha isotopes.

Chinese researchers have discovered and named one new insect genus and 99 new insect species, shedding fresh light on the diversity of beetles in China, particularly on the Qinghai-Tibet plateau in the west of the country, according to a study published on Wednesday in the international journal Zootaxa.

Scientists in China have created two new atomic nuclei that have never been observed before: Berkelium-235 and Americium-231. Their groundbreaking work pushes the boundaries of the periodic table and helps us better understand the building blocks of matter.

The Shenyang Institute of Automation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, in collaboration with Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, has successfully developed a diatom-derived magnetic biohybrid microrobot for photodynamic therapy of glioblastoma.

A team of researchers has proposed that a large area in central China be recognized as a new global biodiversity hotspot. This designation would serve to highlight its extraordinary plant life and urgent conservation needs. The study, led by researchers from the Institute of Botany under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (IBCAS), in collaboration with scientists from Australia and Britain, was published in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution on Tuesday.