Death of famed 'seed man' plants new hope

The "seed man's" mission took him to the greatest heights - that is, to the roof of the world - to lead a team collecting 40 million seeds from hundreds of thousands of species.

Zhong Yang often undertook research in harsh environments, where few biologists dared tread, especially Qomolangma, known in the West as Mount Everest.

The botanist also was celebrated as an educator and popular-science communicator, who cultivated a passion for science among the public and potential PhDs before his recent death in a car accident last September.