Speculation swirls over deaths, vanishing of top scientists in US, China

After the US, it’s happening in China.

After mysterious disappearances and deaths of at least 10 scientists associated with sensitive nuclear and aerospace research in the US over the last few years, it is learned that a similar pattern has emerged in China as well. There, at least nine scientists engaged in space, defence and nuclear technology have also perished.

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In many of these instances, the situations seem ordinary in documentation — accidents, illnesses, or mysterious reasons — yet collectively, they are garnering heightened scrutiny. Certain specialists are beginning to question whether there exists a more profound pattern underlying these occurrences. Speculation has also exploded online, and investigators are burning the midnight oil to find a clue.

In the US, among the specialists who either died or vanished are: a nuclear physicist and professor at MIT who was shot dead outside his residence in Massachusetts; a retired Air Force general who went missing from his residence in New Mexico; and an aerospace engineer who disappeared while hiking in Los Angeles.

FBI leads probe

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has confirmed that it is “leading the initiative to investigate links between the missing and deceased scientists”. It is also collaborating with the departments of energy and defence, besides the state and local police, to crack the cases.

The FBI’s announcement follows the declaration by the House Oversight Committee that it will investigate reports concerning the disappearance and deaths of the scientists, the LA Times reported. The committee has, the report added, sent letters requesting information from the agencies involved in the federal investigation, as well as from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), which is the owner of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory located in La Cañada Flintridge, where three of the scientists who are either missing or deceased were employed.

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Even President Donald Trump called it “pretty serious stuff”.

NASA said on X that it is “coordinating and cooperating with the relevant agencies” regarding the scientists.

“At this time, nothing related to NASA indicates a national security threat,” the space agency's official, Bethany Stevens, said.

James Comer, a Republican and chair of the House Oversight Committee, ruled out any coincidence in the occurrences during an interview with Fox News on Sunday (April 20).

He said the Congress is very worried and the committee views it as a threat to the US's national security.

The Chinese scientists, who have died over the last few years, include drone, space and hypersonic experts, among others, and the causes of deaths have been medical conditions, illness and even a late-night car crash. They were aged between 26 and 68.

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In the Chinese media, headlines have candidly scrutinised the trend, characterising the fatalities as “extremely uncommon”. Online discussions have escalated over conspiracy theories, with some speculating that a subtle “scientist war” might be emerging with goals to eliminate the rivals' scientific minds.

In November last year, the South China Morning Post came up with a report saying a database monitoring the fatalities of young Chinese scientists has sparked an intense discussion, raising increasing worries about the potential emergence of a troubling trend within the academic community.