Two important research achievements from Wuhan University in Central China's Hubei province were published simultaneously in the world-renowned scientific journal "Nature" in the form of a long article on June 14.

This is the first Wuhan University has reached such a milestone in its 130-year history, and no other university in Hubei province has managed such a feat to date. 

Zhang Pingwen, president of Wuhan University and a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, told Hubei Daily on June 15 that the simultaneous publication of these two high-level papers represents a significant milestone in the university's development of talent and scientific disciplines. 

One of the published papers is a study titled "Synthesis of Nanoparticles in High-Entropy Alloy by Liquid Metals" by a team led by Professor Fu Lei from the College of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences and the Institute for Advanced Studies at Wuhan University. This research has important significance for atomic manufacturing in the field of material science. 

High-entropy alloys are a new type of alloy made up of five or more primary metal elements with important application prospects in extreme conditions such as structural mechanics, energy conversion and storage, and medical equipment. The research team led by Fu used liquid metals to achieve atomic manufacturing in high-entropy alloys. 

According to Fu, traditional high-entropy alloys are limited by elemental ratios and harsh growth conditions, and the manufacturing of new materials can only be selected within a relatively narrow range. However, this research shows that theoretically, most elements can synthesize high-entropy alloys, and its applications will increase exponentially. 

"Based on the different properties of high-entropy alloys, they can be used to make teeth, braces, and even spacecraft wings. The future applications of high-entropy alloys are limitless," Fu said. 

The other published paper is a study titled "Self-Regulation of Trimeric NLR Immunity Receptors by Action-Induced Spacers" from a team led by Professor He Guangcun from the State Key Laboratory of Hybrid Rice at the College of Life Sciences. The study highlighted the molecular mechanisms behind rice that are resistant to brown planthoppers, which is of great significance for cultivating high-yield, pest-resistant rice varieties.

The brown planthopper is a small insect, with the largest female adult measuring only 4-5 millimeters in length. Though small, it is the number one pest in China and in Asian rice production.

Wuhan University has been addressing the worldwide challenge of controlling this major agricultural pest, the brown planthopper, by focusing on genetic discoveries and breeding rice that is resistant to it. 

By discovering anti-brown planthopper genes in traditional rice varieties and wild rice, and by breaking through the mechanisms in rice that can resist brown planthoppers, thus creating new germplasms and breeding technologies, the university has developed new rice varieties that can effectively ward off brown planthoppers.