Science

"What happened to the economy cannot be allowed to happen to science"

China is striving to become the leader in innovation and high-tech in decades to come. In our interview, Almuth Wietholtz-Eisert from the Leibniz Association describes the implications for German scientists and researchers. International cooperation partners must not close their eyes to the fact that research in China often serves military, economic or repressive purposes of the CCP. Wietholtz-Eisert warns against forced technology transfers and targeted cyberattacks. The interview was conducted by Michael Radunski.

By Michael Radunski

Cargo spacecraft docks with space station

By Ning Wang

Bygone beverage: ancient evidence of beer in southern China

In southern China, Archaeologists have discovered the oldest known evidence that a wake included a beer. The 9,000-years-old remains prove that China, which has found its return to a beer nation in recent decades, has a long tradition of barley and rice juice. Once considered a luxury commodity, the People's Republic now consumes twice as much beer as the USA and more than five times as much as Germany.

By Frank Sieren

Solar power from space

China wants to send a 1-gigawatt solar power station into orbit by the mid-century. Generating solar power in space has long been considered science fiction. But the threat of a climate catastrophe and Beijing's growing ambitions in space are now moving technology to a whole new realm of possibility. First tests are already scheduled for this year. The Chinese are thus further ahead than their international competitors.

By Frank Sieren

Björn Jerdén – The shooting star of Swedish research on China

By Redaktion Table

Human genes for the super potato

A team of Chinese and American researchers has increased the yield of numerous plants. As a side effect, they are even less prone to droughts. This was achieved through the introduction of a human gene into the genetic material of plants. China is keeping the billion-euro market for genetically engineered agricultural products closed as long as its own industry is not internationally competitive. But new developments could bring about a shift.

By Frank Sieren

AI decodes ancient classics

Chinese and US scientists have used artificial intelligence to catalog ancient Chinese texts in a database. The technology helps to identify tens of thousands of forgotten characters to make them readable for today's readers. The effort is paying off by making Chinese classics accessible to millions.

By Frank Sieren

Timo Balz – Exploring the distance from Wuhan

By Michael Radunski

A different truth behind political polls

According to Harvard University, 93 percent of the Chinese population is satisfied with the work of their central government. But figures of social-science studies in an authoritarian-ruled country should be taken with a pinch of salt. There are enough reasons to doubt their validity.

By Marcel Grzanna

Welcoming science and technology

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