EurekAlert! Chinese Academy of Sciences

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 9-Jan-2026 19:11 ET (10-Jan-2026 00:11 GMT/UTC)

9-Jan-2026

Researchers achieve breakthrough in transition metal fluorides cathodes for thermal batteries

Chinese Academy of Sciences Headquarters
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A research team led by Profs. WANG Song and ZHU Yongping from the Institute of Process Engineering of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has developed a new approach to suppressing the shuttle effect in transition metal fluoride cathodes. The team's study focused on thermal batteries—a type of battery that operates at 350–550 °C.

Journal: Advanced Science

7-Jan-2026

New study uncovers how rice viruses manipulate plant defenses to protect insect vectors

Chinese Academy of Sciences Headquarters
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A recent study led by Prof. ZHANG Xiaoming's team at the Institute of Zoology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), in collaboration with Prof. Ian T. Baldwin's group at the CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, has uncovered a novel ecological strategy. Rather than passively "hitchhiking" within insect vectors, rice viruses actively manipulate plant defense pathways to protect their insect carriers. This discovery reshapes our understanding of plant–virus–insect–parasitoid interactions and provides new insights for sustainable pest and pathogen management.

Journal: Science Advances

7-Jan-2026

Researchers identify urban atmosphere as primary reservoir of microplastics

Chinese Academy of Sciences Headquarters
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A research team from the Institute of Earth Environment of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (IEECAS) developed a semi-automated microanalytical method to quantify atmospheric plastic particles and their cross-compartmental fluxes—airborne, dustfall, rain, snow, and dust resuspension—in two major Chinese megacities: Guangzhou and Xi'an.

Journal: Science Advances

News from CAS Institutes

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 9-Jan-2026 19:11 ET (10-Jan-2026 00:11 GMT/UTC)

9-Jan-2026

Ocean temperatures reached another record high in 2025

Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new international analysis published in Advances in Atmospheric Sciences on 9 January finds that the Earth’s ocean stored more heat in 2025 than in any year since modern measurements began.

Journal: Advances in Atmospheric Sciences

8-Jan-2026

Dynamically reconfigurable topological routing in nonlinear photonic systems

Light Publishing Center, Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics And Physics, CAS
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Topological photonics promises robust light transport immune to disorder, but existing linear systems are essentially static and cannot be reconfigured after fabrication. Now, a collaboration of researchers have shown that picosecond time-scale reconfigurable topological routing can be achieved using nonlinear physics in driven-dissipative exciton–polariton lattices, and proved its topology using a real-space framework. This advance will enable adaptive and disorder-immune photonic circuitry for next-generation communication, quantum, and ultrafast optical technologies.

Funder: Germany’s Excellence Strategy–EXC2147 “ct.qmat”, U.S. Department of Energy

8-Jan-2026

Handheld ‘pocket microscope’ sees molecules directly -- no staining required

Light Publishing Center, Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics And Physics, CAS
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Scientists at the University of Connecticut have developed a handheld ‘pocket microscope’ that directly visualizes DNA and proteins in living cells without stains or labels. The system uses deep-ultraviolet light to map molecules with femtogram sensitivity, achieving 308-nanometer resolution across centimeter-wide areas. The device enables instant pathology diagnosis, identifies cancer cells, and maps brain neurons -- all while preserving samples’ natural state. This technology could transform medical diagnostics, from operating rooms to space missions.

Journal: eLight
Funder: National Institute of Health, UConn SPARK grant, U.S. National Science Foundation, Department of Energy, National Institute of Health, National Science Foundation CAREER Award

News from Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS)

Trending News Releases

News from CAS Headquarters

Researchers achieve breakthrough in transition metal fluorides cathodes for thermal batteries

New study uncovers how rice viruses manipulate plant defenses to protect insect vectors

Researchers identify urban atmosphere as primary reservoir of microplastics

News from CAS Institutes

Ocean temperatures reached another record high in 2025

Dynamically reconfigurable topological routing in nonlinear photonic systems

Handheld ‘pocket microscope’ sees molecules directly -- no staining required