EurekAlert! Chinese Academy of Sciences - News Releases from CAS Headquarters

News from CAS Headquarters

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 1-Jul-2025 12:10 ET (1-Jul-2025 16:10 GMT/UTC)

Researchers uncover novel mechanism for regulating ribosome biogenesis during brain development

Chinese Academy of Sciences Headquarters
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A collaborative team led by Prof. ZHOU Tao from the Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Prof. SHEN Bin from Nanjing Medical University has revealed that VIRMA, a protein highly expressed in the embryonic brain and various cancers, regulates brain development by modulating ribosome biogenesis.

Journal: Science Advances

New study reveals episodic and gradual patterns in plant diploidization process

Chinese Academy of Sciences Headquarters
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A research team led by Prof. GE Song from the Institute of Botany of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, in collaboration with partners, has investigated the diploidization process in the wild rice allotetraploid, Oryza minuta, using a population genomic approach. Their findings reveal that the tempo of diploidization within a single polyploid species can be both episodic and gradual.

Journal: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Cryo-EM structures reveal how GnRH activates its receptor

Chinese Academy of Sciences Headquarters
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A team led by DUAN Jia and XU Huaqiang from the Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica of the Chinese Academy of Sciences reported high-resolution cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) structures of GnRHR from two species. The researchers also analyzed nearly ten approved drugs targeting this receptor, shedding light on the conserved recognition of GnRH and the molecular mechanisms underlying receptor activation.

Journal: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Researchers reveal how brain amplifies perception of pain from multiple sources

Chinese Academy of Sciences Headquarters
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new study by Dr. KONG Yazhuo from the Institute of Psychology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has uncovered how the human brain's perception of pain is influenced by instructions—such as whether to perceive pain as separate sensations or as integrated multimodal pain. The study also reveals how this process works and identifies the neural mechanisms involved.

Journal: Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences

Scientists reveal timeline and uneven evolution of endemic flora on Qinghai-Tibet plateau

Chinese Academy of Sciences Headquarters
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A team of researchers led by Prof. WANG Wei from the Institute of Botany of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (IBCAS) has revealed how unique native plant life on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) has evolved over time, shedding new light on the origins and development of one of the world's most biologically diverse temperate regions.

Journal: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Study of ancient rocks helps predict potential for future marine anoxia

Chinese Academy of Sciences Headquarters
Peer-Reviewed Publication

An international team led by Prof. CHEN Jitao from the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences studied ancient sedimentary rocks in Naqing, South China, to analyze their chemical compositions.

Journal: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Scientists discover evidence of extensive human fire use 50,000 years ago

Chinese Academy of Sciences Headquarters
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers from the Institute of Oceanology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (IOCAS), alongside collaborators from China, Germany, and France, analyzed the pyrogenic carbon record in a 300,000-year-old sediment core from the East China Sea. Their findings challenge the widely held belief that humans only began influencing environment with fire in the recent past, during the Holocene.

Journal: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

New method revolutionizes beta-blocker production process

Chinese Academy of Sciences Headquarters
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Chinese scientists at the Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have developed a breakthrough process that significantly improves the efficiency and environmental friendliness of beta-blocker production—with a focus on the widely used compound propranolol, which plays a vital role in managing cardiovascular conditions such as hypertension, arrhythmia, and angina.

Journal: Matter

Key evidence links Harbin individual’s nearly complete skull to a Denisovan

Chinese Academy of Sciences Headquarters
Peer-Reviewed Publication

“What Denisovans looked like, despite their genetic contributions to present-day East Asians and Oceanians?” This is one of the most important questions that has arisen since the discovery of the Denisovans 15 years ago. Now, recent research by a team led by FU Qiaomiei from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and JI Qiang of Hebei GEO University has helped answer this question by confirming that a nearly complete hominin skull discovered near Harbin belongs to the Denisovan lineage. It dates back to at least 146,000 years ago.

Journal: Science

Study finds link between nighttime light exposure and depression via specific brain circuit in tree shrews

Chinese Academy of Sciences Headquarters
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new study by Prof. XUE Tian from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), Prof. YAO Yonggang of the Kunming Institute of Zoology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), and Prof. ZHAO Huan of Hefei University has revealed that chronic exposure to artificial light at night (LAN) can trigger depression-like behaviors by activating a specific neural pathway in the brain.

Journal: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

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