Institute of Biophysics Develops Nanoscale 3D Isotropic Super-Resolution Microscope

Recently, the research teams led by CAS Member XU Tao and Researcher JI Wei from the Institute of Biophysics (IBP), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), have developed a 3D Super-Resolution Microscope via Interference Localization (ROSE-3D). As an entirely new 3D multicolor nanoscale resolution imaging technology, ROSE-3D has broken through the bottleneck of resolution anisotropy in traditional optical super-resolution imaging and overcome the problem of inhomogeneity in imaging direction and depth. It holds great significance for analyzing various 3D nanostructures in biological samples and revealing the in-situ assembly mechanisms of biological macromolecules. The relevant research results have been published in Nature Methods, and this technology has been successfully transformed and applied in Huairou Science City (HSC), contributing to the localization of high-end scientific instruments.

Source: Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences

UCAS and Collaborators Reveal Lignin as an Important Methane Source in Peatlands

Recently, a collaborative study by the team led by WANG Yanfen from the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS) and the team led by DONG Xiuzhu from the Institute of Microbiology, CAS, has revealed the important role of lignin in methane emissions from peatlands. The study found that lignin, which was traditionally considered difficult to degrade anaerobically, and its derived phenolic substances can be converted into methane by methanogenic archaea at a certain dosage. This pathway contributes 1.2% to 14.2% of methane emissions from peatlands. Therefore, the degradation of lignin cannot be ignored when assessing methane sources in peatlands. Especially against the backdrop of global warming intensifying shrub invasion, this process may have a significant impact on methane emissions. The relevant research results have been published in Nature Geoscience.

Source: University of Chinese Academy of Sciences

Institute of Atmospheric Physics Independently Develops High-Performance Dynamic Framework LMARSpY

Recently, the research team led by Researcher ChEN Xi from the State Key Laboratory of Earth System Numerical Modeling and Application, Institute of Atmospheric Physics (IAP), CAS, has independently developed a high-performance dynamic framework named LMARSpY. This dynamic framework features both high precision and high stability. It provides a GPU-adapted algorithm solution to key problems encountered in global kilometer-scale non-hydrostatic models and lays a solid foundation for building a new generation of atmospheric general circulation models and regional models. Meanwhile, leveraging its scalable characteristics based on a machine learning framework, LMARSpY can be deeply integrated with large AI models, serving as a powerful engine to advance numerical weather prediction into a new intelligent era. This research received technical support from the Earth System Science Numerical Simulator Facility (EarthLab). The relevant results have been published in Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems (JAMES).

Source: Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences

National Space Science Center Reveals the Influence Mechanism of Lower Atmospheric Scattering on Optical Detection of Thermospheric Wind Fields

Recently, the middle and upper atmospheric research team from the State Key Laboratory of Solar Activity and Space Weather, National Space Science Center (NSSC), CAS, has constructed a lower atmospheric scattered radiation transfer model. By simulating the scattering process of auroral radiation in the lower atmosphere, the team quantitatively evaluated the bias impact of scattering on thermospheric wind observations by optical interferometers. The simulation results basically reproduced the observed characteristics of abnormal wind fields, confirming that lower atmospheric scattering is one of the main pollution factors. This discovery not only deepens the understanding of the mechanism by which optical interferometer observations are affected by light pollution but also provides a theoretical basis and technical approach for identifying wind measurement data from interferometers in mid-latitude regions with frequent red auroras. This research received technical support from the Chinese Meridian Project (CMP). The relevant results have been published in Atmospheric Measurement Techniques.

Source: National Space Science Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences

School of Future Technology, Peking University Reveals the Ubiquity of Gene Redundancy in Microorganisms

Recently, the research team led by ZHU Huaiqiu from the School of Future Technology and the Center for Quantitative Biology, Peking University (PKU), together with collaborators, has revealed the ubiquity of gene redundancy in microorganisms through large-scale analysis of more than 20,000 complete prokaryotic genomes from a global perspective. Further niche comparison analysis showed that redundant genes exhibit specific functional tendencies in different environments such as oceans, land, plants, and animal hosts, highlighting their important role in the environmental adaptation of microorganisms. This research received technical support from the Biomedical Computing Platform of the National Biomedical Imaging Center (NBIC) of Peking University and the High-Performance Computing Platform of Peking University. The relevant research results have been published in Nature Communications.

Source: School of Future Technology, Peking University