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

News from CAS Headquarters

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 28-Jan-2026 07:11 ET (28-Jan-2026 12:11 GMT/UTC)

Xigou site discovery challenges long-held views on early human technology in East Asia

Chinese Academy of Sciences Headquarters
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Led by the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the team—which included researchers from China, Australia, Spain, and the United States—conducted multidisciplinary archaeological investigations at the Xigou site in the Danjiangkou Reservoir region of central China. Their work yielded evidence of sophisticated stone tool technologies dating from 160,000 to 72,000 years ago, revealing that hominins in the region were far more innovative and adaptable than previously thought.

Journal: Nature Communications

Scientists reveal gold precipitation mechanism at pyrite–water interface

Chinese Academy of Sciences Headquarters
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Using in situ liquid-phase transmission electron microscopy under conditions that excluded the influence of dissolved oxygen and electron beams, scientists have achieved the first nanoscale, real-time observation of the reaction between pyrite and gold-bearing solutions, providing critical insights into gold enrichment by pyrite.

Journal: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Increased soil salinity alters global inorganic carbon storage

Chinese Academy of Sciences Headquarters
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new global study ed by Prof. XUE Xian from the Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources of the Chinese Academy of Sciences shows that increasing soil salinity is systematically reshaping the storage and distribution of soil inorganic carbon (SIC), providing the first comprehensive global assessment of how soil salinization influences inorganic carbon storage and highlight its implications for the global carbon cycle.

Journal: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Scientists unveil “dissolution barocaloric” cooling, opening new path to zero-carbon refrigeration

Chinese Academy of Sciences Headquarters
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A research team led by Prof. LI Bing from the Institute of Metal Research of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, together with collaborators, has overcome a longstanding bottleneck in refrigeration technology. Their findings, published in Nature on January 22, introduce a novel cooling method based on the "dissolution barocaloric effect," which offers a promising zero-carbon alternative to traditional refrigeration.

Journal: Nature

Scientists reveal splicing-based mechanism driving therapy resistance in pediatric acute myeloid leukemia

Chinese Academy of Sciences Headquarters
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Research teams led by Profs. WANG Qianfei and LIU Zhaoqi from the China National Center for Bioinformation, a research center affiliated to the Chinese Academy of Sciences, in collaboration with researchers from the Children's Hospital of Soochow University, analyzed transcriptome sequencing data from 702 pediatric AML patients. The team identified sequence-dependent ribonucleic acid (RNA) splicing abnormalities in roughly 36% of the cases.

Journal: Cell Reports Medicine

Researchers unlock signal recognition between legumes and rhizobia

Chinese Academy of Sciences Headquarters
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Scientists have elucidated how NodD recognizes flavonoids by resolving, for the first time, the high-resolution crystal structure of the complex formed between the NodD protein of pea rhizobia and the flavonoid compound hesperetin. Through this process, the researchers identified key structural elements in NodD that determine signal specificity.

Journal: Science

Researchers develop biodegradable, self-powered electrical stimulator for muscle repair

Chinese Academy of Sciences Headquarters
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A research team led by Prof. BAI Shuo from the Institute of Process Engineering of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has pioneered a fully biodegradable, self-powered implantable electrical stimulation system designed to enhance muscle repair. The device operates independent of external power sources and does not compromise patient comfort.

Journal: Cell Biomaterials

Researchers highlight role of alternative RNA splicing in schizophrenia

Chinese Academy of Sciences Headquarters
Peer-Reviewed Publication

In an important new study, researchers led by LI Ming from the Kunming Institute of Zoology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have discovered the previously unrecognized role of alternative splicing of the DOC2A gene in schizophrenia.

Journal: Science Advances

New study clarifies microbial role in global soil carbon cycle

Chinese Academy of Sciences Headquarters
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Soils store more carbon than the atmosphere and vegetation combined, with soil microorganisms playing the main role. As a result, the global soil carbon cycle—by which carbon enters, moves through, and leaves soils worldwide—exerts a significant impact on climate change feedback. Now an important study led by researchers from the Institute of Earth Environment of the Chinese Academy of Sciences sheds new light on this cycle by overturning assumptions about the relationship between microbial respiration and carbon storage.

Journal: Science Advances

Chang'e-6 samples reveal how giant asteroid impact affected lunar interior

Chinese Academy of Sciences Headquarters
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A research team led by Prof. TIAN Hengci from the Institute of Geology and Geophysics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (IGGCAS) conducted extensive analysis of lunar basalts collected by Chang'e-6 (CE6) from the South Pole–Aitken (SPA) Basin. These samples exhibit significantly heavier potassium (K) isotopic compositions than all previously documented lunar basalts from the Apollo missions and lunar meteorites.

Journal: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

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