China released a series of brain mapping research results in world-renowned academic journals on Thursday, sharing breakthroughs in high-precision neurological mapping in higher-level species with the global scientific community.
The brain is the most complex and sophisticated organ in the human body, composed of approximately 86 billion neurons and trillions of neural connections. Exploring its inner workings is a crucial area of interest in the international scientific community.
The ground-breaking research, which achieved a leap in single-cell resolution brain maps from rodents to primates, was completed by Chinese research institutions including the Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and the BGI Research, as well as scientists from countries such as France, Sweden, and the United Kingdom, after years of sincere efforts.
Ten landmark findings were published in international academic journals such as Cell and Neuron.
The results cover key species such as reptiles, birds, rodents, non-human primates and humans, significantly advancing the international standard for brain mapping research in cross-species comparisons and spatiotemporal dynamic analysis.
These achievements mark a shift from prior incremental progress, enabling a transition from mere structural understanding to functional research, as well as providing new perspectives and critical tools for unraveling the mysteries of the brain.
"China's brain research plan is broader and more comprehensive than that of other countries, especially Europe and the United States. In addition to basic brain science, we attach great importance to its practical application, that is, the diagnosis and treatment of brain diseases, as well as the promotion of a new generation of brain-like artificial intelligence, including the promotion of brain-computer interfaces, all of which are carried out simultaneously. Therefore, we have a plan of 'one body, two wings'. The one body is basic research, and the two wings are two major application directions," said CAS academician Pu Muming, also director of the CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology.
As one of China's key international mega-science initiatives, the brain mapping project is progressively focusing its core mission toward creating an atlas of whole-brain neural connectivity at single-cell resolution for both non-human primates and humans.
This latest series of achievements under the project represents a collaborative effort by more than 300 researchers across over 30 domestic and international research institutions, which will provide crucial support for understanding brain function mechanisms, according to the researchers behind the breakthroughs.
"The study of brain maps is of great significance. It provides important support for our understanding of the working principles of the brain, understanding diseases, and developing targets and plans for treating diseases. Another very important significance is that we can draw on the architectural principles of the human brain or primate brain to inspire the development of brain-like artificial intelligence," said Sun Yangang, deputy director of the CAS research center.
China publishes groundbreaking achievements in brain mapping
European countries and international organizations have widely condemned Israeli air strikes on Lebanon which have resulted in more than 1,000 civilian casualties, including children, and have caused damage to civilian infrastructure.
Israel launched large-scale air raids across Lebanon on Wednesday, saying it had carried out 100 strikes within a matter of minutes on positions they claimed belonged to the Hezbollah group.
Lebanon's Ministry of Public Health reported more than 300 had been killed in the attacks, with roughly 1,150 wounded.
The attacks came after a two-week ceasefire agreement was reached by the United States and Iran. However, both Israel and the United States have maintained Lebanon is not included in the truce.
Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares on Thursday accused Israel of violating international law to carry out the air strikes on Lebanon, calling the attacks "a shame on the conscience of all humanity".
Earlier on Thursday, Albares announced that Spain would reopen its embassy in Tehran in the hope of achieving peace in the region.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said that Israel had "disrespected" the two-week ceasefire with Iran by carrying out the strikes.
Meloni also warned of further economic turmoil if U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran flare up again, and said the European Union should consider a temporary suspension of the Stability and Growth Pact, an agreement which ensures economic stability within the European Union, in order to handle the potential monetary consequences.
Meanwhile, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Thursday warned that Israel's military operations in Lebanon could cause the entire peace process as a whole to fail, telling a press conference in Berlin "that must not happen."
Merz announced that the German government will resume direct talks with Iran in order to support the newly agreed two-week ceasefire between Washington and Tehran.
He also stated that a window of opportunity for a negotiated solution has opened for the first time since the outbreak of the conflict, though he cautioned that the situation in the Middle East remains "fragile."
The UK's Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said on Thursday that she is "deeply troubled" by Israel's escalating attacks on Lebanon, expressing hope that Lebanon will be included in the current ceasefire arrangement.
Cooper also reiterated the importance of reopening the Strait of Hormuz, saying that the effective closure of the vital shipping chokepoint had been "deeply damaging for the world", while stressing how crucial the passageway is to the entire global economy.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot described the Israeli strikes on Lebanon as "intolerable."
In a radio interview, Barrot said France strongly condemns "the massive strikes" which seriously undermine the temporary ceasefire reached earlier between the United States and Iran. The European Union's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Thursday that Israel's latest strikes on Lebanon, which killed hundreds overnight, could not be considered as an act of self-defense.
"Israel's right to defend itself does not justify inflicting such massive destruction," Kallas said in a post on the social media platform X. She warned that the strikes risk further destabilizing the region and added that Israel's actions were putting the U.S.-Iran ceasefire under severe strain.
Despite this widespread criticism, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted on Thursday there would be no ceasefire in Lebanon, signaling that Israel will continue its military operations while pursuing planned negotiations with Beirut.
"There is no ceasefire in Lebanon," Netanyahu said in a video address to residents of northern Israel, adding: "We continue to strike Hezbollah with force and we will not stop until we restore your security."
Netanyahu said he had instructed his cabinet to open direct talks with Lebanon following what he described as repeated requests from the Lebanese government.
The negotiations, which are expected to begin next week in Washington, aim to disarm Hezbollah and reach a "historic and lasting" peace agreement, Netanyahu added. Delegations will be led by the Lebanese and Israeli ambassadors to the United States.
Israel and Lebanon have no formal diplomatic relations and technically remain in a state of war.
European Leaders widely condemn Israeli attacks on Lebanon
