China Scientist Awards Blog

  Novel low crystallinity guest acceptor boosts efficiency of organic solar cells null A research group led by Prof. Ge Ziyi at the Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering (NIMTE) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), has developed a low-crystallinity guest acceptor D-IDT via tin-free direct C–H activation as a third component of the binary organic solar cells (OSCs), achieving a highly stable OSC with the power conversion efficiency (PCE) up to 19.92 percent. This work was published in Energy & Environmental Science. Thanks to their light weight, good mechanical flexibility, and translucency, OSCs have attracted great attention in the organic electronic device field. Currently, organic photovoltaic materials for OSCs are typically synthesized via Stille coupling reaction, which suffers from drawbacks such as complex procedures, limited cost-effectiveness, and environmental concerns. Therefore, low-cost and eco-friendly methods for synthesizing organic phot...

  Scientists develop human-like robotic hand with smart palm-finger coordination BEIJING -- Imagine a robotic hand that coordinates its palm and fingers with human-like precision -- not only grasping objects with perfect stability but also "feeling" their 3D contours and distinguishing between different materials: This vision has become reality thanks to groundbreaking research from Shanghai Jiao Tong University. The innovation solves a fundamental challenge in robotics. While soft robotic hands with sensing capabilities have shown promise, existing designs primarily focused on finger sensitivity while neglecting the palm's crucial role in manipulation. The palm, as a large and crucial contact region providing mechanical support and sensory feedback, was -- up until this point -- underexplored due to limited sensing density and interaction with the fingers. The research team overcame these limitations by developing a fully integrated system where the palm and fingers work...

  China's space station to study planarian regeneration BEIJING -- China's space station is set to introduce a novel participant in its space science experiments -- the planarian, a creature renowned for its extraordinary regenerative capabilities, China Media Group reported on Saturday. Planarians, flatworms with an evolutionary history spanning over 520 million years, are one of the widely used experimental animal models in biological research. These organisms demonstrate an exceptional capacity for tissue repair: when bisected, planarians can regenerate lost muscles, skin, intestines, and even an entire brain from each segment -- a process that can be repeated indefinitely. The study of planarians holds profound implications for understanding human cellular mechanisms to combat aging and promote longevity, according to the Technology and Engineering Center for Space Utilization under the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Researchers aim to investigate how the space environment af...

  Chinese team develops robot for world's deepest sea trench BEIJING -- A Chinese team has developed a small robot that can operate in the world's deepest sea trench under extremely high pressure. The robot's operational ability is an engineering marvel that was previously achievable only by large, rigid submersibles weighing several tonnes. Drawing inspiration from the movement patterns of the batfish, researchers led by Beihang University faculty members designed a 50-centimeter-long robot capable of swimming, gliding and crawling. While swimming, the robot generates thrust through its tail fin, reaching a maximum speed of 5.5 centimeters per second, and when crawling, it can move at 3 centimeters per second on sandy surfaces using its limbs, according to the study, which was published this week in the Science Robotics journal. In the 10,600-meter-deep Mariana Trench, pressure can reach 110 million pascals — akin to a 1-tonne weight being placed on a thumbnail. The team c...

  Chinese scientists decode genetic variations in tea plants FUZHOU -- Chinese researchers have revealed the genetic basis of key agronomic and metabolic traits in tea plants, shedding light on the future breeding of tea varieties featuring favorable qualities. The research, conducted by scientists from multiple agricultural science academies in China over a period of five years, suggests "the pivotal role of Southwest China as the origin of tea plants, revealing the genetic diversity and domestication status of ancient tea plants," said the article published in the journal Nature Genetics. The research team collected 1,325 tea tree germplasm resources from 14 major tea-producing countries worldwide. Using genome-wide association studies, researchers identified thousands of substantial associations related to leaf shape and metabolite traits — pinpointing candidate genes for crucial agronomic and flavor attributes. Through deep whole-genome resequencing of the samples, a comp...

  Study reveals microbial adaptation mechanism of plateau animals XINING -- A new study has uncovered the substantial impact of altitude on the gut microbiota of the plateau pika, a small mammal, on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in the west of China, helping to reveal the microbial adaptation mechanism of plateau animals. The study, conducted by researchers from the Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology (NWIPB) under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, was published in the journal Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part D: Genomics and Proteomics. The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, with its low oxygen, low temperature and scarcity of food, poses severe challenges to the physiological adaptation of animals -- in which gut microbiota plays a crucial role. An in-depth exploration of how altitude changes affect the gut microbiota of plateau animals is crucial for uncovering the microbial ecological mechanisms involved in the adaption of animals to plateau environments, according to Qu Jiapeng, ...