Ancient adobe structures in Peru have come under threat due to El Nino-triggered rains, which could severely damage archeological sites that the country has strived to preserve.
Chan Chan, the ancient city in the Moche Valley outside Trujillo was once a thriving capital of the Chimor Empire, built to make use of the valley's precious water resources and irrigation systems over a thousand years ago.
Located on the northern coast of present-day Peru, about 480 km north of Lima, the ancient city is one of the largest and most important pre-Hispanic earthen architecture cities in the Americas. In 1986, it was inscribed on the World Heritage List for its extensive, hierarchically planned remains, which include remnants of the industrial, agricultural, and water management systems that sustained it.
Today, however, the clay architecture built centuries ago is vulnerable to flooding, soil erosion, and moisture damage.
"As the buildings are made of earth, rainwater erodes the surface of the walls and then seeps into the interior, creating grooves and voids through water-flow erosion. In the most severe cases, it may even affect the core structure of the walls, leading the wall or the whole structure to collapse," said Henry Gayoso Rullier, head of the Research, Conservation and Enhancement Unit of the Chan Chan Archaeological Complex Special Project.
To prevent rain erosion, archaeological conservators have installed roofs with drainage systems in key areas of the ancient city. Staff regularly repair the wall surfaces with chemical curing agents and mud.
"Depending on the specific area and conditions, we install roofs with drainage systems over certain sections to prevent rainwater from falling directly onto the walls, particularly those with decorative elements. For undecorated walls, we apply a protective layer to the top and then cover the sides and surfaces with a sacrificial layer, namely a thick coating of adobe and mud, to encase the entire structure. This ensures that when it rains, the water erodes this protective layer first, sparing the original wall from direct damage," said Rullier.
El Nino-triggered weather threatens preservation of Peru's world heritage site Chan Chan
The winners of the 2026 World Laureates Foundation Prize (WLF Prize) were announced in Shanghai on Thursday, with a total of 11 scientists honored, the most in the award's history, following the introduction of a new prize category.
Established in 2021, the WLA Prize is an international science award recognizing exceptional individuals in the fields of computer science, mathematics, life science or medicine.
Ingrid Daubechies of Duke University won the 2026 WLF Prize in Computer Science or Mathematics for her major contributions to applied harmonic analysis, wavelet theory and image compression, as well as her leadership in the international mathematics community.
Yuan Junying of the Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Wang Xiaodong and Shao Feng of the National Institute of Biological Sciences, and Vishva Dixit at Genentech Inc. won the 2026 WLF Prize in Life Science or Medicine.
They shared the award for elucidating the molecular pathways of distinct forms of programmed cell death and analyzing how those pathways govern diverse physiological functions and disease pathogenesis.
Shao was the first Chinese national to win the award.
The prize introduced a new category this year. Six young scientists under 40 won the WLF Prize for Young Scientists.
The winners are: Raphaele Juliette Clement from the Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research for advances in solid-state systems for electrochemical energy storage and conversion; Chen Peining from Fudan University for contributions to flexible electronic materials and devices; Ding Shiqian from Tsinghua University for experimental achievements in nuclear quantum precision measurement; Wu Jiajun from Stanford University for work on embodied AI and world models; Xie Weidi from Shanghai Jiao Tong University for AI applications in rare disease diagnosis and treatment; and Zhuang Ziquan from Johns Hopkins University for fundamental contributions to K-stability and birational geometry.
While spotlighting frontier breakthroughs in basic science, this year's prize selection also actively focused on the development of disruptive technologies and the application of innovative achievements.
"The WLF Prize also encourages important contributions to theories. Many applications we see today may stem from mathematics developed decades or even a century ago. So there should be greater investments in this area, which will provide more important safeguards for the development of our large models in industrial applications, safety, and other aspects," said Hua Xiansheng, executive dean of the Institute of Engineering Intelligence, Tongji University.
The 2026 prize was organized by the WLF, with exclusive prize funding from Hongshan and support from the Shanghai Lingang Science and Technology Innovation and Development Foundation.
The formal award presentation will take place during the World Laureates Forum scheduled for Oct 30 to Nov 1 in Shanghai.
China unveils winners of prize for global scientists
