Science Now

BEIJING—As the scalpel sliced into the towering celebrity, a throng of people strained against a belt stanchion to glimpse history in the making. A few cuts later, just before 9:00 p.m. on 28 May, Niu Xia removed a 5-centimeter-square chunk of green flesh and inserted a syringe. The crowd was riveted. No matter whether the operation was a success, Niu knew that her patient had only hours to live.