Catch up on some of SCMP’s biggest China science stories of the year. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing.1. China unveils a powerful deep-sea cable cutter that could reset the world order
A compact, deep-sea, cable-cutting device, capable of severing the world’s most fortified underwater communication or power lines, has been unveiled by China – and it could shake up global maritime power dynamics.
2. China tests non-nuclear hydrogen bomb, science paper shows
Chinese researchers have successfully detonated a hydrogen-based explosive device in a controlled field test, triggering devastating chemical chain reactions without using any nuclear materials, according to a study published last month.
3. Chinese team finds coronavirus that could infect humans via same route as Covid
The HKU5 coronavirus was first identified in the Japanese pipistrelle in Hong Kong. Photo: Shutterstock
A Chinese team has found a new bat coronavirus that carries the risk of animal-to-human transmission because it uses the same human receptor as the virus that causes Covid-19.