Climate Change

Counterintuitively, hot days are more likely to produce hail.

A new study highlights how machine learning can effectively identify key factors influencing rice yield for over five decades, emphasizing the importance of tailored management practices and varietal replacement as a response to climate change.

JapanFlux2024 compiles 30+ years of eddy covariance data from 83 sites across the region

On 19 August, World Humanitarian Day, Lingnan University announced the signing of an Agreement of Cooperation with the United Nations University (UNU) to establish the UNU Hub on Humanitarian Innovation and Technology at Lingnan University (UNU Hub at Lingnan University), making it the first higher education institution in Asia to set up a UNU Hub. The Hub is scheduled to open officially in October 2025 and will have an annual operating budget of over HK$8 million. Its Humanitarian Innovation and Technology Laboratory (HIT Lab) will spearhead research and design initiatives, education and training programmes, and international collaborations, and improve living conditions in developing countries and regions of the Global South by leveraging innovative and cutting-edge technologies. Scholarships will be awarded to encourage local youth to fulfil their ambitions through knowledge and innovation.

Lingnan University's science and innovation teams have achieved outstanding results at the 11th Silicon Valley International Invention Festival 2025 (SVIIF) in their first-ever participation. All 13 participating projects, covering areas such as artificial intelligence (AI), smart manufacturing, and intelligent transportation, won awards, including 8 gold and 5 silver medals. One of the projects, the AI-based Fencing Training and Assessment System, led by Prof Sam Kwong Tak-wu, Associate Vice-President (Strategic Research), also received a special award ⸺ Prize of the International Federation of Inventors’ Association (IFIA), making Lingnan the Hong Kong higher education institution that won the highest number of total awards and gold medals at this year’s festival.

The five-day 12th South-South Forum on Sustainability, hosted by the Chinese Institute of Hong Kong and co-organised by the Centre for Cultural Research and Development of Lingnan University, the Global University for Sustainability, the Centre for Film Studies and Cultural Studies of Peking University, and the Tsinghua Institute for Advanced Study in Humanities and Social Sciences of Tsinghua University, and coordinated locally by the Shangyou County People’s Government, is currently being held in Shangyou County, Ganzhou City, Jiangxi Province, China, the first time the Forum has taken place in Jiangxi.

A research team led by Distinguished Professor Hao Li at WPI-AIMR, Tohoku University has reported new findings on copper/cobalt-based catalysts that improve the efficiency of electrochemical nitrate reduction.

The Horizon Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences Research (JHSSR) proudly announces the release of its Special ASAIHL Edition – Volume 7(S), August 2025, themed “University’s Role in Advancing Climate Crisis Reduction.” This commemorative edition captures the pioneering spirit of Southeast Asian academia in addressing one of the 21st century’s most urgent global challenges—climate change. Curated from the prestigious 2024 ASAIHL Conference, hosted by Universitas Airlangga, Surabaya, Indonesia (Nov 19–22, 2024), this issue brings together a diverse body of scholarly contributions from researchers, policymakers, and educators across ASEAN and beyond. It marks a significant milestone in the academic community’s mission to inspire sustainable education, ethical leadership, and climate-responsive innovation.

Tohoku University researchers discovered some new principles that aid the electrochemical conversion of nitrate waste, an unwanted byproduct of modern day ammonia production. Their discovery will advance cleaner, more sustainable forms of ammonia production.

For many years, scientists have struggled to understand the mechanisms behind palladium/platinum catalysts for propylene electrooxidation, a sustainable means of producing valuable oxygen-containing organic compounds used in various industrial processes. Yet a research group has further clarified the matter in a recently published journal.

Tropical cyclones hundreds of kilometers away from the Philippines are often more responsible for heavy rainfall than those that hit the country directly during the annual “Habagat” or southwest monsoon season from July to September.

Households, cars, and factories generate heat, much of which goes to waste. Likewise, the increasing usage of solar panels means heat needs to be stored at large amounts for longer periods of time. Thus, thermal storage is critical for carbon-neurtrality. A collaboration between Tohoku University and Japan Atomic Energy Agency has developed nanosheets of layered manganese dioxide that can store heat even below 100°C.

A daily mismatch between temperature and humidity, observed in certain mountain and waterside regions, helps regulate atmospheric dryness. However, this protective effect may weaken under global warming.

Improved production of compounds from methanol and Komagataella phaffii yeast achieved through DNA alteration

A world-first multi-sensor detection of an intense gamma-ray flash has been observed by researchers from The University of Osaka, when two lightning leaders collided. Observations across a wide radiation spectrum enabled precise measurement of the electric current produced during this extreme event, and demonstrated that the gamma-ray flash preceded the collision of the lightning leaders between the thundercloud and the ground.

A research team has developed a unified theoretical framework to better predict the performance of single-atom catalysts for electrochemical carbon dioxide reduction.

Identification of plant species at high risk of extinction in climate-sensitive alpine ecosystems.

With the rapid development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and increasing environmental challenges, global catastrophic risks have gone beyond traditional natural disasters to raise controversial ethical issues. In view of this, the Hong Kong Catastrophic Risk Centre (HKCRC) of Lingnan University has introduced a new, free, online bilingual self-learning course on Ethics and Global Catastrophic Risks, taught by international authorities in philosophy and ethics. Designed to help people understand and cope with the complex landscape of global disaster risks through eight modules, the new programme, launched in late February this year, incorporates in-depth, real-life examples in AI, the environment, and the sciences, and has already attracted more than 8,000 participants from Mainland China, Hong Kong SAR, South Asia, the US, and Europe. It is now open to the public at no charge.

Smart neural electrode, "Rhinoceros beetle" robot, Halting the thief of sight, Together at last & Lighting hardy plants. Plus latest SciCom Coffee talk. Read all in the latest Editor's Choice.

The Expert Report on the Fifth National Assessment Report on Climate Change Hong Kong and Macao Special Report, organised by the Administrative Center for China’s Agenda 21 (ACCA21) and co-hosted by Lingnan University, was held on Lingnan campus on April 26. Attendees included Vice President Lan Yujie of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC); Deputy Director Zhang Yongtao of ACCA21; Deputy Director Yan Jinding of the National High-tech R&D of NSFC; President and Wai Kee Kau Chair Professor of Data Science Prof S. Joe Qin; Vice-President & Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Academic Development) of The University of Hong Kong (HKU) Prof Gong Peng, Associate Provost (Teaching and Learning) of The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) Prof Jimmy Fung, as well as representatives from relevant departments and experts from mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macao.

Researchers have developed a mesoporous Co₃O₄ catalyst doped with atomically dispersed iridium (Ir) for efficient acidic OER. This unique structure boosts Ir efficiency, minimizes metal leaching, and maintains performance for over 100 hours at just 248 mV overpotential.

Colder temperatures are linked with increased risk of diarrhea among Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, emphasizing the need for climate-sensitive health strategies in refugee settings.

Professor Carlos M. Duarte, Ibn Sina Distinguished Professor of Marine Science, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), has been awarded the Japan Prize. Second time a KAUST scientist receives the award.

Lingnan University has achieved a historic milestone at the 50th International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva, winning a record-breaking number of five awards. A total of six groundbreaking inventions from Lingnan were showcased at the exhibition, earning one Gold Medal with Congratulations of the Jury―the first time the University has achieved this honour―along with two Silver Medals and two Bronze Medals, making the number of Lingnan University's participating and winning projects a record high.

Large-scale multidisciplinary ecological survey reveals long-term changes in the eastern Indian sector of the Southern Ocean

A genomic study of hydrogen-producing bacteria has revealed entirely new gene clusters capable of producing large volumes of hydrogen.

Enhanced westerly winds associated with global warming will strengthen the clockwise circulations and heat transport to the ice sheet in the East Antarctic coastal area.

A recent study evaluating garnet-type solid electrolytes for lithium metal batteries finds that their expected energy density advantages may be overstated. The researchers posited that composite or quasi-solid-state electrolytes may be more viable alternatives.

Key Insights and Actionable Solutions from GDC 2024 Parallel Session on Research Systems

For International Women's Day, we have prepared a list of women experts who have agreed to share their expertise with journalists. Their expertise include AI, astronomy, medicine and public health, sustainability, women’s rights, and more.