China Scientist Awards Blog

  China launches powerful methanol, diesel-powered ship engine SHANGHAI -- China unveiled a high-performance methanol-diesel dual-fuel ship engine in Shanghai on Wednesday. The ship engine, with a maximum designed power output of up to 64,500 kilowatts, is developed and built by subsidiaries of China State Shipbuilding Corporation Limited (CSSC). The giant engine generates 95 percent of its power with methanol fuel, reducing carbon dioxide emissions by more than 7.5 percent compared to traditional diesel-powered models, according to CSSC. It features an advanced digital intelligent control system and a flexible, efficient dual-fuel injection system, offering exceptional energy-saving and emission-reduction capabilities, high operational efficiency, and low maintenance costs. In addition, the engine utilizes 5G communication technology, enabling real-time data transmission and remote monitoring of its operations. CSSC said the engine will be installed on a 16,000-TEU container ship,...

  How does the human brain work? Chinese team’s ‘groundbreaking’ study offers clues “If you wish to prosper, build roads first,” ran a popular slogan during China’s construction spree in the late 1980s. The development of the human brain may follow a similar principle, new “groundbreaking” research by scientists in China suggests. According to their findings, there are three hidden “information highways” in the human brain – and most brain structures can be built around them. Their paper, published in The Journal of Neuroscience earlier this month, reveals how biology and connectivity intertwine to build the brain. Led by Fan Lingzhong of the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Brainnetome Centre, the research team analysed brain imaging data from 100 healthy adults to map structural connections across the cerebral cortex. Using advanced diffusion-tracking technology, the team charted more than 30,000 neural pathways in each hemisphere, revealing patterns so consistent they resembled a bi...

  Hong Kong unveils its first generative AI model HONG KONG -- Hong Kong on Tuesday unveiled its first-ever generative artificial intelligence (AI) model, dubbed HKGAI V1, heralding a new chapter in the city's AI development. The tool was developed by the Hong Kong Generative AI Research and Development Center (HKGAI) under the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government's InnoHK innovation program. As of now, approximately 70 HKSAR government departments have test-run the locally developed AI tool powered by DeepSeek's data learning model. This innovative achievement signifies the successful localization of DeepSeek in Hong Kong, injecting new vitality into the city's AI ecosystem while showcasing the robust collaborative innovation capabilities between Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland in AI, according to an HKGAI press release. Speaking at the launch event, Sun Dong, Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry of the HKSAR government, emphasized...

  China is betting big on energy storage as AI drives surge in power demand China has unveiled plans to boost its energy storage sector as it strives to shore up its energy security and cope with a surge in power demand from emerging industries such as artificial intelligence. The action plan, which was jointly issued by eight government departments, includes measures to step up the development of a slew of next-generation battery technologies and create a small group of leading companies in the field. The hope is that new energy storage solutions can help China increase efficiency in its renewables sector, allowing it to transition away from fossil fuels without making the power grid vulnerable to outages “It is about energy sovereignty – not only ensuring sufficient energy supplies in anticipation of rising demand due to AI, but also maintaining the autonomy to decide the energy mix, energy partners and energy policies China adopts,” said Liang Yan, a professor of economics at Wi...

  China Focus: Chinese scientists find evidence for existence of intermediate-mass black holes BEIJING -- Chinese astronomers have identified a runaway star that was ejected from the M15 globular cluster, providing strong evidence for the existence of intermediate-mass black holes (IMBHs), a long-missing link in our understanding of black hole evolution. The discovery was led by researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences' National Astronomical Observatories (NAOC) in collaboration with multiple institutions, and was published as a cover story in the National Science Review journal. Black holes with masses between those of stellar-mass black holes, which are formed from the collapse of massive stars, and those of supermassive black holes, which reside at the centers of large galaxies, are known as IMBHs, said Huang Yang, an associate professor at NAOC and the University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences who co-led the study. IMBHs are often considered a crucial missing link i...