Name Peng Jiamu | Died 1980 | |
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Peng Jiamu (simplified Chinese: 彭加木; pinyin: Péng Jiāmù, 1925–1980) was a Chinese biochemist and explorer.
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Biography
Peng was born in Guangdong Province in 1925. He received a biology degree from Central University of China (now Nanjing University), graduating in 1947 and subsequently worked at Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology. 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.
Disappearance
Peng led a 1980 expedition to Lop Nur where he disappeared on June 17, leaving a note to say he had gone to find water.
Investigation and aftermath
A large scale hunt for him or his remains 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. On six occasions between 2005 and 2007 human remains were discovered that could have been his, but could not be proven as such.