Nobel laureate calls for open global scientific exchange amid geopolitical tensions

Physics Nobel Laureate Konstantin Novoselov has expressed hope that international scientific collaborations will grow deeper and overcome disruptions brought on by geopolitical tensions.

In an exclusive interview with China Media Group (CMG) that aired Friday, Novoselov addressed the mounting complexities of the current global landscape, noting how these external pressures are creating major obstacles for researchers worldwide.

"We do see very unpleasant cases where the collaboration stalled because of geopolitics. And that really makes me very sad. I've been collaborating with many scientists across many countries and many continents. So I would really love to [see that continue]. And the progress of our science is always relying on this collaboration. I really hope that it can continue in the future," he said.

Novoselov discovered graphene in 2004 together with fellow University of Manchester physicist Andre Geim, using a simple mechanical exfoliation method. Their groundbreaking work earned them the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physics, with Novoselov becoming one of the youngest Nobel laureates in history at the age of 36.

Since the discovery, Novoselov has remained active in international efforts to advance graphene technology, which has found applications in numerous fields from electronics to aerospace.

Nobel laureate calls for open global scientific exchange amid geopolitical tensions

The Pentagon acknowledged late Friday, local time, that the number of U.S. troops who had died during its operations against Iran was higher than previously reported, raising the official death toll to 21.

The revised figure includes two additional noncombat deaths: an Army National Guard major who died in Kuwait in March and a Navy service member who died in September.

The Pentagon's publicly available database had previously listed a lower death toll. According to the latest data, 865 service members had been wounded in the related operations as of October 9.

Sources familiar with the matter say official statistics fail to fully capture U.S. military casualties from the war with Iran.

Since the start of the war, actual U.S. casualty numbers have exceeded those recorded in the Pentagon's official database, with the records omitting information on hundreds of U.S. service members who were killed or injured, they said.

US troop death toll in Iran war raised to 21