Scientists have recently reconstructed the ancestral karyotype of the banana family, revealing how chromosome numbers decreased stepwise from 17 to 9–11 over evolutionary time. The study was led by scientists from the South China Botanical Garden (SCBG) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), in collaboration with researchers from Sichuan University and other institutions. The findings were published in Current Biology.

A dual-functional BSB-Me single-crystalline layer simultaneously serves as a stable hole-transporting layer and an efficient moisture/oxygen permeation barrier layer for organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). The approach yields record-high efficiencies among single-crystal OLEDs and extends the operational lifetime of blue OLEDs by more than 30 times relative to conventional amorphous counterparts.

A new global forest study that better reflects natural conditions has found that trees do not substantially alter their physiological traits to cope with prolonged drought. The study, led by researchers from the South China Botanical Garden (SCBG) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), is based on 40 throughfall reduction experiments conducted across forests worldwide and represents one of the most comprehensive field-based assessments of drought acclimation to date.

The 4-week individualized, dose-controlled HD-tDCS combined with foot core exercise intervention improved sensorimotor function, reduced cortical activation during dorsi-plantarflexion tasks, and enhanced functional connectivity (FC) within related brain regions in individuals with chronic ankle instability. Lower cortical activation and higher increased related FC are associated with better ankle force sense. These findings indicated that this kind of combined intervention—simultaneously targeting cerebral cortex and peripheral ankle dysfunction—offers greater benefits than traditional functional training alone.

This study provides the first comprehensive estimation of the lifetime risk (LTR) of digestive system cancers in China using the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2023 data. With a 11.36% LTR for incidence and 8.28% for mortality, the findings highlight a profound public health challenge. Significant male-to-female and regional disparities—particularly the high burden in East China—underscore the urgent need for geographically tailored screening programs and primary prevention to mitigate this escalating health threat.

A joint research team from China explored a new paradigm integrating physical models with deep learning, proposing “McLDI-INR: Mask-constraint Lensless Dynamic Imaging by Dual-Domain Collaborative Implicit Neural Representation.” This framework overcomes lensless imaging’s conventional reliance on multiple acquisitions, strong prior assumptions, and high-precision physical models in dynamic scenarios. It enables lensless imaging systems to recover clearer, higher-resolution images of moving samples, paving the way for more flexible and practical lensless imaging applications.

A recent review in the Chinese Medical Journal highlights how tryptophan metabolism regulates female reproductive health via three pathways—kynurenine, serotonin, and indole. These pathways influence ovarian function, immune regulation, and pregnancy outcomes. The review also proposes potential interventions including diet and microbiota modulation, while noting more research is needed for precise mechanisms and clinical applications.

This work presents the first demonstration of a parallel heterodyne light-induced thermoelastic spectroscopy (PH-LITES) sensor for high-speed and high-sensitivity simultaneous multi-gas detection. By synergistically combining signal enhancement at the physical layer with intelligent decoupling at the information layer, the sensor achieves ppb-level simultaneous and fast multi-gas detection based on a single quartz tuning fork (QTF), providing an important reference for the future development of rapid and highly sensitive multi-gas sensing technologies.