When it comes to Central Asia, people will think of many colors: the yellow of vast deserts, the black of rich oil reserves, and the white of cotton fields. Particularly in Uzbekistan, at the heart of the region, cotton is often referred to as "white gold." Cotton is the natural national wealth of the country, and today it has become a symbol of friendship, marking the scientific cooperation between China and Central Asian countries, as well as their shared commitment to sustainable development.

A Chinese-led team has reported a breakthrough in brain-computer interface (BCI) technology after completing the first-ever clinical trial to precisely locate deep-seated brain tumors using implanted microelectrode arrays. In the world's first trial of its kind, conducted by the Aerospace Information Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, a glioma patient experiencing speech difficulties due to tumor compression showed significant improvement in language ability after surgery guided by BCI technology.

At over 4,000 meters above sea level, Chinese and Tajik scientists braved bitter winds as they followed the tracks of Marco Polo sheep. When a herd appeared along the snow line, the team quickly set up a spotting scope and began recording data. For the joint expedition team, this was a typical day in the high Pamirs. The Marco Polo sheep, made famous in the medieval travelogue of its namesake, is considered a flagship species of the plateau.

Chinese scientists are in a battle to save one of the last large animal species living in the Yangtze River – and a complete ban on fishing in the region is helping them. At the Institute of Hydrobiology in Wuhan, just 5km (3.1 miles) from the banks of the river, the preserved bodies of the now-extinct river dolphin (baiji in Chinese) and paddle fish sit silently behind panes of glass.

Chinese researchers on Wednesday said that they have confirmed the presence of a dugong – one of the oldest marine mammals on Earth and the inspiration behind mermaid legends – in waters off Yongshu Reef in China's Nansha Islands area. This marks the first such sighting in the area and in the central South China Sea over the last three decades.

The world's largest transparent spherical detector began operation in China on Tuesday, making it the world's first operational ultra-large scientific facility dedicated to neutrino research with ultra-high precision. Having completed the filling of its 20,000-tonne liquid scintillator detector, the Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory (JUNO) in south China's Guangdong Province began taking data after more than a decade of preparation and construction.

Chinese and international researchers have been continuing with their second scientific expedition to the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau over the past eight years, with part of their efforts focused on the study of glacier ice cores that hold significant clues about the Earth's climatic and environmental shifts.

​China has achieved a series of milestones in the field of brain-computer interface technology this year, notably in the clinical translation of invasive techniques, bringing new hope to patients with neurological disorders. These developments signify that China is among the forerunners of this cutting-edge field, scientists said.

China's top academic institutions on Wednesday released the list of qualified candidates for the 2025 academician selections. In the list, a total of 639 candidates were qualified for the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) academician selection, while 660 candidates earned qualifications for the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE) academician selection.

A group of Chinese researchers has cooperated with global counterparts in proposing a hybrid downscaling model for deriving high-resolution and high-accuracy precipitation data at a daily scale, according to a research article recently published in the journal IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing.

A recent study of lunar samples collected by the Chang'e-6 mission has revealed the thermal driver behind the moon's young volcanoes, offering new insights into the different evolution of its near and far sides and updating understanding of lunar thermal history, according to a paper published in Science Advances on Saturday.

Based on a recent study of lunar samples collected as part of the Chang'e-6 mission last year, Chinese and international researchers have dated the formation of the Apollo Basin -- a major impact basin on the far side of the moon -- to 4.16 billion years ago. This discovery provides key information that could help explain the apparent early impact flux during the Late Heavy Bombardment (LHB) period of the moon and the solar system. The study was published in Nature Astronomy on Wednesday.

Chinese scientists have recently developed the world's first robot capable of conducting full-process breeding, highlighting deep integration of biotechnology and AI technologies in the agricultural intelligent breeding sector. GEAIR, the name of this new AI-based robot model, is expected to facilitate a breeding shift from experience-driven to precision agriculture. The study was published on Monday in the journal Cell, said the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology (IGDB) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).

A new study by Chinese scientists on lunar samples collected by the Chang'e-6 mission from the far side of the moon has unveiled a startling discovery about the lunar mantle's reduced state. This finding not only provides new insights into the moon's internal composition and evolution but also highlights a significant difference between the near and far sides of the moon.

China's success in finless porpoise ex-situ conservation has reversed international skepticism. This innovation stands as the world's first successful case of small cetacean ex-situ conservation, offering Chinese wisdom and a Chinese model for global conservation efforts.

A Chinese research institute is set to establish a multilingual plant diversity database for Central Asia's arid zones, designed to bridge key gaps in biodiversity data sharing and conservation efforts throughout this ecologically vital region. The initiative, led by the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography (XIEG), is working in collaboration with major research institutions across Central Asia and West Asia.

More than 100 experts from China and around the world on Thursday gathered in Kashgar, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, for a two-day conference to address one of today's most pressing environmental challenges: biodiversity loss in arid and semi-arid ecosystems.

For a long time, scientists believed that when it came to seed dispersal, invertebrates – aside from ants – were mostly bystanders. Occasional sightings of wasps, beetles, wetas or slugs moving seeds were often brushed off as nature's oddities. But new research is challenging that assumption, pointing to a much bigger role for these overlooked creatures. Could invertebrates be the unsung heroes of plant life here on Earth?