Peng Jiamu


Peng Jiamu was a Chinese biochemist and explorer.

Biography

Peng was born in Guangdong Province in 1925. He received a biology degree from Central University of China, graduating in 1947 and subsequently joined Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry, where he studied and worked under Cao Tianqin. He joined several scientific expeditions to Xinjiang organized by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, 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 the Lop Nur desert where he disappeared on June 17, 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. On six occasions between 2005 and 2007, human remains were discovered that could have been his, but could not be proven as such.