A collaborative project between China and Tanzania is making significant strides in improving the water and air quality in the near-lake areas of Lake Victoria, a vital freshwater resource facing environmental challenges. Recently, a project team led Dr. XIONG Chuanhe from Nanjing Institute of Geography & Limnology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences conducted a 10-day on-site investigation in the Mwanza Lake Bay area of Lake Victoria.

The Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology (TIB) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Belgium's Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie-Flanders Institute of Biotechnology (VIB) renewed their commitment to advancing synthetic biology research through the extension of their Joint Center for Synthetic Biology. The agreement was signed on December 15 in Tianjin, China, by Prof. XIANG Hua, director of TIB, and Dr. Christine Durinx, Managing Director of VIB.

The Hefei Institutes of Physical Science (HFIPS) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Macao University of Science and Technology (MUST), and The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) signed an agreement to jointly establish the Joint Laboratory for Spectroscopic Detection of Matter Composition in Deep Space (Lab-DeepSpec) on December 14 in Hefei of Central China's Anhui Province.

The 11th Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS)–Max Planck Society (MPG) Exploratory Round Table Conference (ERTC) concluded in Shanghai today, charting a course for intensified international collaboration in the rapidly advancing field of organoid research. Under the theme "Organoids, Self-organization and Engineering," the three-day meeting brought together over 60 scientists from China, Germany, and international partner institutions to define future research priorities and concrete collaborative actions.

The Institutes of Science and Development of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CASISD), the National Science Library of CAS, and Clarivate today jointly released two reports, “2025 Research Fronts” and “Research Fronts 2025: Active Fields, Leading Countries/Regions,” at a forum held on December 3 in Beijing.

The "Karst Biodiversity Conservation and Ecosystem Resilience Enhancement Programme" (Karst Biodiversity Programme), led by Professor CHEN Hongsong from the Institute of Subtropical Agriculture (ISA) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, was selected as an implementing initiative for UNESCO's International Decade of Sciences for Sustainable Development (IDSSD) for 2024-2033. The announcement was made on November 28.

The "Green Carbon Programme," led by the Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology (QIBEBT) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, was officially endorsed as an implementation initiative under UNESCO’s International Decade of Sciences for Sustainable Development 2024-2033 (referred to as the "Decade of Sciences") on November 28.

What if those biggest challenges in the world could be solved by the smallest living organisms? We are not just studying life, we are programming it. This shared vision gathered microbiologists from Asia, Europe, America and Africa in Shenzhen on November 18 for a symposium co-hosted by the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) and the Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology (SIAT) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

China has launched a new international science program in Hefei aimed at accelerating the development of fusion energy. The program, initiated by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), was officially unveiled on November 24 alongside the Burning Plasma Experimental Superconducting Tokamak (BEST) Research Plan at a ceremony held in Hefei Future Science Town.

A technology that converts seawater into fully biodegradable plastic was unveiled at the 27th China Hi-Tech Fair (CHTF) in Shenzhen, Guangdong province. The innovation, developed by a research team at the Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology (SIAT) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, offers a sustainable solution for plastic production and carbon capture.

High in the Pamir Mountains, a treasure trove of plant life is being brought into the digital age thanks to a collaborative effort between Chinese and Tajik scientists. A team from the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography (XIEG) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences recently completed a two-week mission to the Pamir Biological Institute in Khorog, Tajikistan, to digitize its invaluable herbarium collection.

The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) convened a joint Science Day in Beijing’s Huairou Science City on November 4, to strengthen collaborative ties, particularly in the realm of large research infrastructure. The event celebrated the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the CNRS China Office and brought together approximately 300 leading scientists, research institute managers, and government representatives from both China and France.

A research team from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) has successfully completed field tests of a newly developed, unmanned vehicle-mounted glacier penetrating radar on the Bayi Glacier in the central Qilian Mountains. The tests, conducted between October 10 and 25, 2025, demonstrate a significant advancement in autonomous glacier monitoring technology.

Schizophrenia is one of the most complex brain disorders, with significant impacts on both mental and physical health. Researchers are intensifying efforts to identify biological biomarkers that could enable earlier diagnosis and intervention for the disease. To bridge the gap between foundational research and clinical application, the symposium "Schizophrenia: Synapses, Circuits, and Biomarkers", held on October 27, 2025, highlighted the critical role of biomarkers in understanding, diagnosing, and potentially preventing schizophrenia.

A new report utilizing Big Earth Data reveals that global progress towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has largely stalled over the past decade, with some areas even experiencing regression. The Global-Scale Sustainable Development Scientific Monitoring Report (2025): A Decade of Progress through the Lens of Big Earth Data, released October 27, 2025, at the World Science and Technology Development Forum, provides a comprehensive assessment, finding that only one of 18 SDG indicators is currently on track to meet its 2030 target.

A Chinese scientific expedition team has successfully completed a manned deep-sea diving mission in the Arctic and returned home safely on Oct. 27.

Scientists worldwide are calling for accelerated development and standardization of energy metabolism measurement technologies to tackle pressing global challenges, from ecology under climate change to public health crises. The call to action came during the 6th Recent Advances and Controversies in the Measurement of Energy Metabolism (RACMEM) conference, held in Shenzhen, China, from October 13-17.

Professor Kazuhito Nishimura, a foreign member at the Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering (NIMTE) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), was awarded the prestigious 2025 Chinese Government Friendship Award. The award, presented at a ceremony held September 30th at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, recognizes Nishimura's exceptional contributions to China's advancement in cutting-edge materials.