New Atlas

Architecture Audio available

China's amazing horizontal skyscraper nears completion

Adam Williams February 25, 2019

Raffles City Chongqing is nearing completion in China. Representing a genuinely impressive engineering achievement, the "horizontal skyscraper" consists of eight towers and a huge connecting skybridge. The project is now structurally complete and is expected to open in the second half of 2019.

Developer CapitaLand says that Raffles City Chongqing's structure is now complete and work is ongoing fitting ...

Architecture

Rocky concert hall rises in the shadow of the Great Wall

Adam Williams February 20, 2019

OPEN Architecture blended architecture with nature for its UCCA Dune Art Museum and now the firm does the same again with the Chapel of Sound. Now under construction in China, the remarkable-looking concert hall seems a natural extension of the landscape and takes the form of a rocky outcrop.

Construction on the Chapel of Sound is already well underway and is expected to be completed ...

Architecture

Curved aluminum facade raises the curtain on Chinese theater

Adam Williams February 13, 2019

Revery Architecture recently completed work on a performing arts center in Hong Kong's Kowloon Cultural District. The Xiqu Centre features a striking facade made up of curved aluminum that envelops glazing. The firm likens the effect to a lantern shimmering behind a beaded stage curtain.

The Xiqu Centre's exterior comprises a modular system of scaled aluminum that was CNC-cut from untreated ...

Environment Audio available

China and India lead the way in "greening" the Earth since 2000

Michael Irving February 12, 2019

A new study of satellite data has shown that the Earth has gotten “greener” in the last 20 years or so, with the biggest contributors being China and India. Before we celebrate though, there are a few caveats to consider.

Satellite data has shown that the Earth has gotten 5 percent greener in recent years, but ...

Medical Audio available

Major Chinese organ transplant ethical breaches prompt calls for mass retraction of scientific papers

Rich Haridy February 5, 2019

A confronting new study has revealed over 400 published research papers may be in violation of international ethical standards regarding the use of donor organs sourced from executed prisoners. The study calls for a mass retraction of hundreds of research papers from mainland China.

Over 400 published papers are under fire for potentially using organs sourced from executed prisoners in ...

Architecture Audio available

Perforated, porthole-packed facade peeks into China's technological history

Adam Williams January 25, 2019

Bernard Tschumi Architects' Exploratorium is a scientific museum dedicated to Tianjin, China's industrial history and is host to different examples of technology, including rockets related to space research. The building is defined by a series of large cones that help reduce its energy-usage.

The Exploratorium measures 33,000 sq m (355,200 sq ft) and is finished in an eye-catching reddish ...

Science

CRISPR gene-edited monkeys cloned in China

Rich Haridy January 24, 2019

New research out of China has confirmed the birth of five-gene-edited monkey clones. Two recently published papers describe how a CRISPR-gene edited long-tailed macaque has been successfully cloned demonstrating the first time in the world a gene-edited monkey has been effectively cloned.

The world's first clones of a CRISPR gene-edited long-tailed macaque have been born in China

Science Audio available

Chinese official investigation condemns scientist behind gene-edited babies

Michael Irving January 21, 2019

Preliminary results of an investigation by the Chinese government into the ethics of experiments that led to the birth of the world's first gene-edited babies have now been released. The report condemns the actions of He and confirming some of the questions previously raised about this strange case.

An investigation by the Chinese government has condemned the actions of He Jiankui, the scientist behind ...

Space Audio available

China's Chang'e-4 probe sprouts the first ever seeds on the Moon

Nick Lavars January 15, 2019

China’s Chang'e-4 spacecraft made history when it landed on the far side of the Moon on January 3. Now a sealed container carried aboard the lander has given rise to the first ever seedlings to sprout on the Moon.

The Chang'e-4 lander, as seen by the Yutu 2 rover

Automotive Audio available

GAC Motor unveils Entranze EV concept SUV in Detroit

Aaron Turpen January 14, 2019

With its unique interior layout, sitting three across up front and two each in the second and third rows, the Entranze EV is conceived as a road-trip-ready family vehicle that can be a daily driver as well.

Nothing says "comfort" like references to airline passenger cabins, or so the GAC Entranze EV hopes