Peng Jiamu (simplified Chinese: 彭加木; pinyin: Péng Jiāmù, born 19 May 1925, disappeared 17 June 1980) was a Chinese biochemist and explorer.
Peng Jiamu | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 19 May 1925 |
| Disappeared | 17 June 1980 (aged 55) Lop Nur, China |
| Occupation(s) | Biochemist, explorer |
| Known for |
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Biography
editPeng was born in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, in 1935.[1] He received a biology degree from Central University of China (now Nanjing University), graduating in 1947 and subsequently joined the Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry, where he studied and worked under Cao Tianqin.[2] He joined several scientific expeditions to Xinjiang organized by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), starting in 1956. On the expeditions, he catalogued species of flora and fauna and measured potassium accumulation in the Lop Nor desert.
In 1979, a year before he disappeared in the Lop Desert, he was promoted to the Vice President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. “Science,” he said, “is to walk a road not travelled by other people.”[3]
Disappearance
editPeng led a 1980 expedition to the Lop Nur desert, where he disappeared on 17 June, leaving a note saying he had gone out to find water.
A large-scale hunt for him was unsuccessful and widely covered by Chinese media. A TV documentary series named Searching for Peng Jiamu covered the events up to and after his disappearance.[4] On six occasions between 2005 and 2007, human remains were discovered that could have been his, but could not be proven as such.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Memories of great desert explorer live on". People's Daily Online. People's Daily. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
- ^ Zhang, Youshang (June 2010). "In memory of Professor Tianqin Cao (Tien-chin Tsao)". Protein & Cell. 1 (6): 507–509. doi:10.1007/s13238-010-0074-2. ISSN 1674-8018. PMC 4875321. PMID 21246905.
- ^ "Disappearance of Peng Jiamu".
- ^ "In Search of Peng Jiamu". CCTV.com English. China Central Television. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
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