China-Nepal floods; arthritis drug restores alopecia patients’ hair: 7 science highlights

We have put together stories from our coverage on science from the past two weeks to help you stay informed. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing.1. China’s radar satellites capture sharp images of Glacier Collapse site in NepalWithin hours of a devastating Glacier Collapse on the China-Nepal border, a Beijing-based satellite company had already redirected six of its satellites to survey the disaster zone.2. Chip expert Chen Ye joins China’s Zhejiang University – as it overtakes HarvardZhejiang University has been named the world’s top academic institution by the Nature Index. Photo: ShutterstockChen Ye, a semiconductor quality control expert with more than 16 years of industry experience in the United States, has been appointed as a Qiushi Distinguished Professor at Zhejiang University’s College of Integrated Circuits, the university has announced.3. Arthritis drug restores 100% hair on 1 in 5 Alopecia patients in global trialFor many, losing hair isn’t just a cosmetic worry – it is a deeply personal struggle that can chip away at confidence, social life and mental health. Now, a surprising candidate is offering new hope: a pill originally designed to treat arthritis.4. China-Nepal Floods: first research shows no one could have outrun debris flowThe mudflow was travelling at around 19 metres per second when it struck the Gyirong border crossing. Photo: HandoutNot even the world’s fastest sprinters could have outrun the devastating floodwaters that struck a border crossing between China and Nepal last week, according to one of the first peer-reviewed assessments of the disaster.5. China will never allow any country to achieve AI dominance: Victor GaoThe United States is “weaponising and militarising AI”, according to Victor Gao. Photo: TNSChina will thwart US ambitions for global Artificial Intelligence (AI) dominance, the vice-president of the China-and-globalisation" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="50057" data-entity-type="organization">Centre for China and Globalisation has said, while warning that Washington’s military-focused strategy was pushing towards “AI for evil”.6. The ‘Asian water tower’ is starting to wobble, computer simulations show“Asia’s water tower” is heading towards a more unpredictable and unstable future, according to a new study measuring the Tibetan Plateau’s stability. The study, published on August 21 in Nature Communications, examined the entropy of the region to gauge how much chaos or disorder was building up in a complex system.7. Chinese coastguard has 0.3% chance of using weapons in disputed waters: studyScreenshot from a China Coast Guard social media post showing the Chinese military holding joint naval and air drills in the South China Sea. Photo: The PaperA Chinese coastguard ship is shielding a cluster of fishing boats when several small, fast vessels begin circling – sometimes darting closer, sometimes backing off. Are they just curious fishermen? Or are they probing for a weak spot, trying to lure the patrol ship into a trap?Further Reading