Weekly News Bites: AI-ncient drawings, a nuclear battery, and mass myopia

Asia Research News monitors the latest research news in Asia. Some highlights that caught our attention this week are how AI helped uncover mysterious Nazca lines, a battery made from a glowing crystal, and how 1 in 3 children are nearsighted.

Sleep is incredibly important for our health, but also for our babies’ development while in the womb. A study from Anhui Medical University screened 7,000 children and found a potential link between insufficient sleep during pregnancy and risk of developmental delays. This was seen at a much higher rate for boys and could be just one of the multiple factors that contribute to healthy development.

Researchers from Sun Yat-sen University discovered that zooplankton create “fecal pellets” that can store large amounts of CO2 deep in the ocean, helping fight climate change. The zooplankton eat phytoplankton that absorb CO2, transforming them into pellets. These act as a "blue carbon" sink, trapping carbon for centuries.

A modern touch helps find ancient drawings. Yamagata University used AI to discover 303 new Nazca geoglyphs in just six months, a major leap from previous methods that took nearly a century to find 430. Finding these geoglyphs can be difficult by eye since the bumpy terrain can hide lines or provide false positives, which was much less of a problem for the AI.

Wood has the potential for many uses such as bioplastics or fuel, but it has a complex structure that makes transforming it difficult. Researchers from Kobe University have created a new test substrate to study wood-degrading enzymes in fungi so they can find the best strategy to use this versatile resource.

Soochow University has developed a nuclear battery 8,000 times more efficient than previous designs which have also tried leveraging radioactive decay. This battery uses a radioactive crystal paired with a photovoltaic cell converting alpha particles and the crystal’s glow into electricity.

Opticians rejoice! By 2050, nearly 40% of children worldwide will be nearsighted, according to research from Sun Yat-sen University. The rise in myopia is linked to increased screen time and lack of outdoor activities, noticing a spike after COVID-19 lockdowns. Experts recommend taking “eye breaks” every 20 minutes to help your eye health.