The rare and endangered tree species Phoebe zhennan (commonly known as "golden-thread nanmu") is a unique timber tree of the family Lauraceae endemic to China. It is naturally distributed in Chongqing, Guizhou, Hubei, Hunan, Sichuan, and Yunnan. The wood is highly valued for its golden luster, fragrance, and durability. However, due to historical over‑harvesting and habitat loss, its wild resources have sharply declined. It is now listed as a second-class nationally protected wild plant in China and as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. Previous genetic studies mostly relied on low‑throughput markers such as SSR and AFLP; although these revealed some population structure, they had insufficient resolution. Recently, chromosome‑level genome assemblies have become available, but conventional non‑haplotype‑resolved assemblies cannot distinguish allelic variation from haplotype‑specific structural variants, hindering in‑depth analyses of evolutionary and adaptive mechanisms.

New exploratory research reveals dramatic mesozooplankton differences across bays and within single embayments less than 1 km apart, challenging uniform plankton monitoring practices.

Three Gorges 2025 Climate Report: Second-Hottest Year on Record, Worst Autumn Rains in 43 Years

As global climate scenarios become increasingly unpredictable, drought remains one of the most severe abiotic stresses limiting plant growth and agricultural productivity. While roots are the first organs to perceive water deficits, the precise hormonal mechanisms that allow plants to adapt by elongating their primary roots under drought conditions have remained poorly understood. A new comprehensive review sheds light on this critical survival strategy, revealing how the plant hormone abscisic acid (ABA) integrates with other hormonal signals to drive primary root elongation.

Only 37% of East Asian cold surges cross the equator into the Maritime Continent. A new study reveals that tropical pressure patterns, sea temperatures, the MJO, and Borneo vortex—not surge strength—control this path, shaping regional flood risks.

Polar winter remains the most under-observed season at Earth's high latitudes—and that blind spot, scientists warn, is constraining the accuracy of daily weather forecasts and longer-time environment and climate predictions and projections. In a new Advances in Atmospheric Sciences (AAS) perspective, 23 Earth scientists from 14 nations call for urgent action to fill these long-standing data and research gaps. Extreme cold, polar night, and prohibitive costs have long hindered winter observations, leaving Earth system models incomplete. The team identifies three research priorities and advocates for a sustained, multi-platform observing network, stressing that international collaboration is essential to meet this challenge.

Two Distinct Regional Drivers of the Intensification of Concurrent Hot and Dry Extremes over China

Far above the weather we feel at the surface, enormous waves are constantly shaping the atmosphere. These waves, known as Rossby waves, help steer the jet stream and guide the pathways of cold surges, storms, heavy rainfall, and other high-impact weather events. When Rossby waves grow large enough, they can overturn and “break,” much like ocean waves. Scientists from Florida State University examined Rossby wave breaking in two major global models and find Rossby wave breaking errors are not random technical details, but systematic forecast drifts that vary by region and breaking type.