A major milestone was reached in the construction of the Burning Plasma Experimental Superconducting Tokamak (BEST), a compact fusion experiment device in Hefei, Anhui Province, with the successful installation of its first key component: the Dewar base. A placement and assembly ceremony was held on October 1st in Hefei to mark the achievement.

Plant diversity loss is a global crisis demanding collective action to protect this vital resource and integrate it into sustainable development practices. The urgent need for global collaboration to conserve plant diversity was a central theme at the Parallel Forum on Integrated Conservation of Plant Diversity, held during the 5th World Biosphere Reserve Congress in Hangzhou.

A new report reveals that China is significantly ahead of global averages in achieving the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). According to the "Big Earth Data in Support of the Sustainable Development Goals: Special Report for a Decade of the SDGs," released on the UN website on September 27, 60.5% of China's tracked indicators are on track or have already met the 2030 targets.

The Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography (XIEG) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and the Institute of Geography, Russian Academy of Sciences (IGRAS) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to strengthen scientific collaboration. The agreement was signed on September 13 by ZHANG Yuanming, director of XIEG, and Academician Olga Solomina, Director of IGRAS.

CHENG Lijing, a researcher at the Institute of Atmospheric Physics (IAP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), was awarded the UNESCO Al Fozan International Prize on September 19 at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, France. The prize recognizes CHENG's significant contributions to ocean and climate change research, providing crucial scientific data for climate risk assessment and human adaptation and mitigation efforts.

The ANSO Green Aral Sea Science Initiative (ANSO IPO) successfully implemented a project to provide safe drinking water to schools in the Republic of Karakalpakstan, Uzbekistan on September 8, addressing a critical need in the drought-stricken region.

Professor SUN Liangting, a researcher at the Institute of Modern Physics (IMP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, received the Brightness Award at the International Conference on Ion Sources (ICIS) held at the University of Oxford on September 12.

The Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory (JUNO) has successfully completed filling its 20,000-tons liquid scintillator detector and begun data taking on August 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.

The Institute of High Energy Physics (IHEP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Spanish Consortium for the Construction, Equipping and Exploitation of the Synchrotron Light Source (CELLS) signed a cooperation agreement on July 26, 2025 in Beijing. This collaboration aims to advance the development of synchrotron science and technology by leveraging the expertise and facilities of both parties, defining the specific collaborative activities and programs between IHEP and CELLS. It will focus on three main areas: accelerator technology, experimental beamline technology, and scientific cooperation.

On June 11, researchers from the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography (XIEG) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences unveiled the Land Cover Atlas of Five Central Asian Countries (1990–2020) at the second Belt and Road Conference on Science and Technology Exchange. This atlas is the first bilingual (Chinese and Russian) professional land cover atlas for Central Asia, compiled by Chinese researchers.

Scientists at the Xinjiang Technical Institute of Physics & Chemistry (XTIPC) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have recently released High Performance Basalt Fiber: Fundamentals and Applications, the first English-language book dedicated to basalt fiber research. Published by Woodhead Publishing, an imprint of Elsevier, this book represents a significant milestone in the field of basalt fiber.

The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) has once again been recognized for its contributions to global scientific research, maintaining a leading position in the Nature Index 2025 Research Leaders rankings, released on June 11. This marks the 13th consecutive year that CAS has held a top position in the index.

The International Meridian Circle Program (IMCP), a major global science initiative, was formally launched with the signing of new cooperation agreements on June 12 during the Second Belt and Road Conference on Science and Technology Exchange. Five prominent international institutions joined the effort, signing agreements with the National Space Science Center (NSSC) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), the program’s lead institute.

Prof. SUN Liangting, a researcher from the Institute of Modern Physics (IMP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, was awarded the Nishikawa Tetsuji Prize at the 16th International Particle Accelerator Conference (IPAC) held in Taiwan on June 5.

The International Centre on Space Technologies for Natural and Cultural Heritage (HIST) is set to embark on its third operational phase (2025–2033) following the signing of a pivotal agreement. This landmark accord was formalized by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), representing the Chinese government, alongside the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and HIST itself.

The International Research Center of Big Data for Sustainable Development Goals (CBAS) and the Aerospace Information Research Institute (AIR), both under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), have been awarded the 2025 GEO SDG Award. The award recognizes their outstanding work leveraging Earth observation (EO) technologies and big data analytics to support Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 15: Life on Land.

Dr. LIU Linyi, an assistant researcher at the Aerospace Information Research Institute (AIR) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, was awarded the Emerging Leader Award by the Group on Earth Observations (GEO) during the GEO Global Forum held in Rome, Italy, on 7 May 2025.

The Shenzhou-20 astronauts, or taikonauts, are set to conduct three new life science experiments during their mission aboard the China Space Station, focusing on zebrafish, planarians and streptomyces. In addition to these experiments, the Shenzhou-20 crew will undertake 59 other experiments and technical demonstrations across various fields, including space life sciences, microgravity physical sciences, and emerging space technologies.