Air pollution from secondary organic aerosols (SOA) has now become a greater problem in Chinese cities since 2013 because regulations have successfully reduced fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) emitted directly from, for example, vehicles and industries, according to a study led by Prof. HUANG Rujin at the Institute of Earth Environment of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Prof. Marianne Glasius at Aarhus University.

Researchers from the Institute of Process Engineering (IPE) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, in cooperation with Shenzhen Second People's Hospital, have developed a novel exosome-based therapeutic agent for treating traumatic CNS injuries. This treatment can alleviate neuronal apoptosis, restore glial homeostasis, and remodel glia-neuron networks, offering potent therapeutic benefits in murine (mouse) TBI and SCI models.

A team of Chinese scientists has developed a high-performance iron-based catalyst for these fuel cells that could potentially reduce reliance on platinum. The new design, described as "inner activation, outer protection," enables record efficiency and long-term durability.

The Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory (JUNO) has successfully completed filling its 20,000-tons liquid scintillator detector and begun data taking on Aug. 26. After more than a decade of preparation and construction, JUNO is the first of a new generation of very large neutrino experiments to reach this stage. Initial trial operation and data taking show that key performance indicators met or exceeded design expectations, enabling JUNO to tackle one of this decade’s major open questions in particle physics: the ordering of neutrino masses—whether the third mass state (ν₃) is heavier than the second (ν₂).

A research team co-led by Prof. WANG Faming from the South China Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, along with collaborators from University of Bremen and Harvard University, has discovered that heat can "awaken" this ancient carbon, converting it into a food source for microbes living far below the seafloor. Published in Science Advances on August 20, the findings reshape scientific understanding of both life in extreme environments and the deep Earth's carbon cycle.

Phytoplankton—microscopic algae that form the base of ocean food webs—have long been viewed as transient players in the global carbon cycle: They bloom, die, and the carbon they contain is quickly recycled back into the ecosystem. However, a research team led by Prof. WANG Faming at the South China Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has discovered that these tiny organisms can directly pump "stubborn" carbon into the ocean, where it may persist for centuries.

A research team led by Prof. YANG Yuanhe from the Institute of Botany of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has shown how microbes can stabilize soil carbon and potentially weaken the climate risk.

Researchers led by Profs. YAN Xiaoyuan and XIA Longlong from the Institute of Soil Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, showed that biochar can deliver lasting benefits for food security and climate mitigation when applied to farmland over the long term.

A research team led by Prof. HUANG Qing from the Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has developed a new way to "edit" the internal layers of certain advanced materials, called MAX phases, in a breakthrough that could lead to entirely new kinds of two-dimensional (2D) layered materials with valuable technological uses.

Scientists have turned a longstanding challenge in electronics—material defects—into a quantum-enhanced solution, paving the way for new-generation ultra-low-power spintronic devices.