CAS and CNRS Deepen Collaboration on Large Research Infrastructure

The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) convened a joint Science Day in Beijing’s Huairou Science City on November 4, to strengthen collaborative ties, particularly in the realm of large research infrastructure. The event celebrated the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the CNRS China Office and brought together approximately 300 leading scientists, research institute managers, and government representatives from both China and France.

• Chinese Scientists Discover Rare-earth Biomineralization in Ferns, Boosting Prospects for Sustainable Supply

  Chinese scientists have, for the first time, discovered rare-earth biomineralization in ferns — a breakthrough that could pave the way for a cleaner and more sustainable method of extracting rare-earth elements, the Global Times learned on Thursday. The research team, led by Zhu Jianxi from the Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, achieved the milestone through phytomining — a green technique that uses hyperaccumulator plants to extract metals from soil — offering a potential solution to the environmental challenges of traditional rare-earth mining.

• China Launches Ambitious Collaboration to Map Primate Brains—Including Ours

  The human brain is by no means terra incognita. We’ve known for decades that memories form in the hippocampus and our fight-or-flight response stirs in the amygdala. But scientists are nowhere near a thorough inventory of our 86 billion neurons and roughly equivalent number of glial cells, much less a map of how different cell types join up into circuits to enable thought. A new global collaboration intends to chart that terrain in exquisite detail. On 20 September, scientists from around the world gathered at a conference here to launch the International Consortium for Primate Brain Mapping (ICPBM).

• China's "mice astronauts" and Their Challenging Journey to Space

  Footage of four mice living aboard China's space station has recently been transmitted back to Earth, revealing these small animals in good spirits and in an apparent state of well-being. After completing their orbital mission, the "mice astronauts" will return to Earth aboard the Shenzhou-20 spaceship for further analysis.