2 nuclear scientists suspended for failing to stop Taoist ritual

The Chinese Academy of Sciences announced on Monday that it had suspended two scientists who were present during a Taoist ritual - meant to convey blessings of safety and success - at the groundbreaking ceremony for its advanced nuclear facility in Gansu province on Thursday.

The academy sees such blessings as pseudoscience.

The two scientists, He Zhanjun and Cao Yuxiang, were staff members of the academy's Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, the institute said in a statement on Monday. It said it will increase supervision to prevent similar incidents in the future.