China’s innovation blitz, kung fu bot goes open source: 7 science highlights

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1. China solves F-22’s stealth coating cracks with 3,000-year-old silk weaving tech

While US stealth fighters like the F-22 Raptor grapple with delaminating radar-absorbent coatings – a vulnerability likened to “moulting cicada wings” – China claims to have found an ancient solution for its fifth-generation jets.

2. Chinese maths star Wang Hong solves ‘infamous’ geometry problem

Chinese mathematician Wang Hong has solved an “infamous” geometry problem called the Kakeya conjecture within three dimensions. It is considered a breakthrough that could have implications for imaging, data processing, cryptography and wireless communication.

3. Another DeepSeek moment? China’s kung fu bot goes open source