Chinese scientists have discovered that binary black holes may not always be isolated systems. Instead, some may merge near a third, hidden celestial body -- possibly a supermassive black hole, offering new insights into how such systems form. The findings by researchers at the Shanghai Astronomical Observatory under the Chinese Academy of Sciences were published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters on Friday.

Chang Yuhang, a staff member at Kunming Botanical Garden in Southwest China's Yunnan province, said Rhododendron vialii, despite their small number, have a high ornamental value and breeding potential. The plant features a tubular corolla, bright red petals and comes into bloom during Spring Festival.

A group of Chinese researchers, in collaboration with international partners, have discovered the deepest, most extensive chemosynthesis-based communities of organisms known to exist on Earth during an expedition to the Kuril-Kamchatka Trench and the western Aleutian Trench, according to a recent research article published in Nature.

Using advanced techniques such as three-dimensional laser scanning, high-precision wind tunnel tests and numerical simulations based on actual terrain, teams from the Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources (NIEER) under the Chinese Academy of Sciences have successfully unraveled the sand-spring coexistence mechanism and proposed targeted measures to protect the spring from shifting dunes.

Beneath the deep sea at nearly 10,000 meters, a Chinese-led team has discovered vibrant communities of marine creatures that survive without sunlight, relying instead on chemical reactions for energy. The groundbreaking study was published on Wednesday in the scientific journal "Nature."

Chinese scientists have accurately reconstructed a complete record of glacier melt from 2000 to 2023 in the Muz Taw Glacier of the Sawur Mountains in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

Chinese marine researchers have discovered a new species of deep-sea octopus, which they have named Grimpoteuthis feitiana. The species belongs to the Dumbo octopus family -- named for its resemblance to the popular cartoon elephant.

Chinese researchers have achieved a breakthrough in monitoring methane emissions from landfills, paving the way for more effective global emission reduction strategies. The study was published on Monday in the journal Nature Climate Change.

An upgraded new-generation medical heavy-ion accelerator for cancer treatment is now under construction in a hospital in south China's Huizhou City, shedding light on a homegrown high-end medical facility for more cancer patients. This facility, the second-generation heavy-ion medical machine (SIMM), is expected to enter its installation and commissioning phase this year, according to the Institute of Modern Physics (IMP) under the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) unveiled the ScienceOne model on Saturday at the 2025 World Artificial Intelligence Conference, marking a significant milestone in AI-driven research innovation. Designed to comprehend complex scientific data, including waveforms, spectra and fields, ScienceOne integrates capabilities for literature extraction, knowledge reasoning and tool orchestration, aiming to serve as an intelligent foundation for technological innovation across various sectors.

Chinese researchers have revealed that the responses of subsoil organic carbon (SOC) to climate warming and cooling in alpine grasslands on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, are determined by its microbial community and not its molecular composition. The study provides a new theoretical basis for better understanding and predicting the formation and changes of soil carbon pools in alpine grassland ecosystems against the backdrop of climate change, according to the Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology (NWIPB) under the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Chinese scientists have experimentally observed the quantum friction phenomenon at solid-solid interfaces for the first time, making a significant breakthrough in quantum friction research. The study was conducted by a research team led by Professor Zhang Junyan and Associate Professor Gong Zhenbin at the Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, a part of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The findings have been published in the journal Nature Communications.

The High Energy Photon Source (HEPS), China's flagship synchrotron radiation facility, is set to begin trial operations by the end of 2025, according to the project team. A synchrotron radiation light source is a source of electromagnetic radiation usually produced by a storage ring.

Scientists have recently announced the successful production of pure white sugar using methanol derived from industrial waste gases, a breakthrough that could reduce reliance on traditional sugar crops such as sugarcane and sugar beet. The team, based at the Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, developed what they call a "molecular production line" to synthesize sucrose from carbon dioxide.

China had more than 1.12 billion internet users as of June 2025, according to a report released by the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC) on Monday. The report also noted that internet penetration in China reached 79.7 percent by June 2025, an increase of 1.1 percentage points compared with December 2024.

China's Synergetic Extreme Condition User Facility is opening its doors to more foreign scientists as it seeks to boost global collaboration in fundamental science and expand international experiment time at the site in Beijing over the next five years, experts said.

Chinese researchers have found that the chemical energy instantaneously released by crustal activities like earthquakes can serve as an "alternative fuel" to sunlight for subterranean microorganisms. This latest finding reveals an important energy source for deep-Earth ecosystems and also aids in the search for potential subterranean life on planets like Mars and Europa.

Chinese archaeologists have investigated the lives of nobles from the Qin state during the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, providing new insights into ancient Chinese social hierarchy, dietary customs and cultural integration. Details of the study have been published in Heritage Science, an international journal.