KIZ located in one of the planet's most vibrant biological hotspots, here, groundbreaking research in primatology, evolutionary genetics, and biodiversity conservation isn't just theoretical. It's transforming how we understand health, sustain our planet, and innovate for the future.

Founded in April 1959, the Kunming Institute of Zoology, affiliated with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, is a comprehensive research institution in China focusing on biodiversity evolution, conservation, and sustainable utilization.

In the era of global climate change, estuarine ecosystems face unprecedented threats from rising temperatures and salinity intrusion. Understanding how different land-use types buffer or exacerbate these stressors is critical for biodiversity conservation. This study employs a trait-based scenario simulation model approach to predict the vulnerability of fish assemblages across mangrove and agricultural landscapes in the Irrawaddy Delta. By extracting species-specific physiological tolerance limits (thermal and salinity thresholds) and applying scenario-based predictive modeling, we simulated projected threshold exceedance risks under sequential thermal stress intervals (+0.2 to +2.0 °C). Our results reveal a stark contrast in ecosystem resilience. Fish assemblages in agricultural lands exhibited critically low Thermal Safety Margins (TSM) and experienced a rapid 100% projected loss in species richness by +1.2 °C. Conversely, natural mangrove habitats functioned as robust climate refugia, sustaining higher predicted species richness and mitigating species loss to approximately 32.5–52.4% even under severe +2.0 °C thermal stress. This high-resolution spatial vulnerability assessment provides actionable insights for spatial prioritization and coastal conservation in Myanmar.

The Irrawaddy mangrove ecosystem in Myanmar is a crucial habitat for aquatic biodiversity, yet its ecological dynamics remain understudied. This research explored the seasonal variation, spatial dynamics, and trophic structure of fish assemblages in Pyapon and Bogale townships, Myanmar. Seasonal and market surveys recorded 129 fish species from 64 families, with Mystus gulio, Oryzias dancena, Coilia dussumieri, and Glossogobius giuris dominating the community. Seasonal shifts significantly influenced species diversity. Winter exhibited the highest species richness and diversity, while summer displayed the lowest. Nevertheless, species evenness remained highly stable across all seasons, suggesting a consistently balanced community. Moving beyond basic water parameters, multivariate analyses demonstrated that habitat complexity and food web dynamics are likely key drivers of community structuring. Permutational multivariate analysis of variance revealed a highly significant spatial separation of fish assemblages between mangrove and agricultural land habitats. Furthermore, indicator species analysis identified specific taxa driving this divergence, while functional feeding guild analysis revealed a marked dominance of benthivores and detritivores in mangrove sites. This highlights the critical role of mangrove-derived organic matter in supporting the estuarine food web. The presence of four threatened species, including the Endangered Eleutheronema tetradactylum and Johnius macrorhynus, demonstrates that preserving the physical integrity and trophic inputs of mangroves is paramount for sustaining estuarine fish diversity and supporting sustainable local fisheries management.

In a study published in Molecular Psychiatry on September 4, 2026, a team led by Xiao Xiao from the Kunming Institute of Zoology (KIZ) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, along with collaborators from Jinan University and Xi'an Jiaotong University First Affiliated Hospital, integrated genome-wide association study data, whole-exome sequencing data, and human brain cortical developmental multi-omics data to identify cortical cell types underlying schizophrenia genetic risk. The researchers built an atlas of approximately 3 million nuclei from 325 neurotypical donors, using 22 public single-nucleus RNA sequencing datasets. The data spanned from early embryonic development to adulthood, covering the cingulate, frontal, motor, temporal, and visual cortices.