Dennis Normile

1 month ago | science.org | Dennis Normile

Five years after its Chang’e-5 mission returned the first samples of soil and rocks from the Moon in nearly 50 years, China has finally begun to share the precious specimens with select groups of researchers outside the country. Seven institutions in six countries will gain access to tiny shares of the lunar material.

2 months ago | science.org | Dennis Normile

Japan’s dominant Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) is out to crimp the independence of the Science Council of Japan (SCJ)—the country’s national science academy. With the LDP leading the country’s ruling coalition, Japan’s cabinet on Friday approved a bill that would replace the current Science Council—an independent public entity that manages its own affairs—with a special corporation subject to increased government oversight.

Jan 15, 2025 | science.org | Dennis Normile

For one small Chinese startup, the U.S. ban on sales of the most advanced artificial intelligence (AI) computer chips to Chinese entities was a spur to innovation. DeepSeek, launched in May 2023 by a former AI student–turned–hedge fund manager, says it has found a way to match the performance of its U.S. rivals in AI using second-tier graphics processing units—and at a fraction of the cost.

Dec 19, 2024 | science.org | Dennis Normile

Journalists have revealed that nine scientists in Japan co-authored journal articles with North Korean researchers in recent years, possibly violating U.N. sanctions that bar scientific cooperation with the isolated country. But those apparent joint efforts, on eight papers, came as a surprise to both the Japanese scientists and their institutions.

Dec 11, 2024 | science.org | Dennis Normile

Berthed in China’s port city of Guangzhou is the future of scientific ocean drilling: the $470 million Meng Xiang, a brand-new, 180-meter-long ship. Starting next year Meng Xiang—Chinese for “Dream”—will begin drilling into seafloor rock and sediment at sites throughout the world’s oceans to investigate plate tectonics, ancient marine climates, and deep-buried microbial life. It will also embark on a daring mission to pierce Earth’s crust and reach the mantle below.