2021十大科技进展新闻揭晓！网友我开脑洞都想不出来

　　近日，由中国科学院、中国工程院主办，中国科学院学部工作局、中国工程院办公厅、中国科学报社承办，中国科学院院士和中国工程院院士投票评选的2021年中国十大科技进展新闻（the top 10 news stories of scientific and technological progress）于2022年1月18日在京揭晓。
　　此项年度评选活动至今已举办了28次。评选结果经新闻媒体广泛报道后，在社会上产生了强烈反响，使公众进一步了解国内外科技发展的动态，对普及科学技术起到了积极作用。
　　此次评出的2021年中国十大科技进展新闻分别是：
　　1我国首次火星探测任务取得圆满成功
　　6月11日，中国国家航天局公布了＂祝融＂号火星车拍摄的首批火星图像，标志着中国的火星任务取得圆满成功。三张照片是由＂祝融＂号的相机拍摄的，包括着陆点全景、火星地形地貌、＂中国印迹＂（即着陆平台）影像图。另一张是由祝融释放出车底部的分离相机拍摄的＂着巡合影＂图，为火星车与着陆平台的合影。
　　着陆点全景图 图源：国家航天局
　　火星地形地貌图 图源：国家航天局
　　＂中国印迹＂图 图源：国家航天局
　　On June 11, the China National Space Administration unveiled the first batch of Mars images taken by the Zhurong Mars rover, marking the success of the country’s Mars mission. Three pictures taken by Zhurong displayed a panoramic view of the landing site, the surrounding terrain and the landing platform. Another photo shot by a second camera deployed by Zhurong on Martian soil, showed the rover and the landing platform together.
　　天问一号于2020年7月23日由长征五号重型运载火箭从最南端海南省的文昌航天发射中心发射，启动了中国首次火星任务。Tianwen 1 was launched by a Long March 5 heavy-lift carrier rocket on July 23 in 2020 from the Wenchang Space Launch Center in Hainan province, kick-starting China＂s first mission to Mars.
　　2中国空间站开启有人长期驻留时代
　　天和核心舱 图源：中国科学报 航天科技集团五院供图
　　6月17日，神舟十二号载人飞船发射升空，与中国空间站核心舱天和成功对接。3名航天员进驻核心舱，进行了为期3个月的驻留，开展了一系列空间科学实验和技术试验，在轨验证了航天员长期驻留、再生生保、空间物资补给、出舱活动、舱外操作、在轨维修等空间站建造和运营关键技术。On June 17, the Shenzhou XII manned spacecraft successfully docked with China’s space station core module Tianhe, carrying three astronauts for a three-month stay. During the flight, the astronauts performed two spacewalks, tested Shenzhou XII’s mechanical arm and conducted a number of extravehicular activities. The 3-month residency tested key aspects of the mission including long-term residence in space, recycling of resources and life support mechanisms.
　　图源：中国载人航天官方微信公众号
　　10月16日，神舟十三号发射升空，将另外三名宇航员送往天宫空间站，开启为期6个月的在轨驻留，期间将开展一系列科学实验，进一步验证在轨长期居住的情况，中国空间站有人长期驻留时代到来。
　　On Oct 16, Shenzhou XIII carried another three astronauts to the Tiangong Space Station. The astronauts will stay for six months, carrying out a series of scientific experiments and further testing the effects of long-term stays in space, marking the beginning of a long-term manned space station mission.
　　3我国实现二氧化碳到淀粉的从头合成
　　科研人员观察试管中的人工合成淀粉 图源：中国科学报 中科院天津工业生物技术研究所供图
　　淀粉是＂粥饭＂中最主要的碳水化合物，是面粉、大米、玉米等粮食的主要成分，也是重要的工业原料。其主要合成方式是由绿色植物通过光合作用固定二氧化碳来进行。长期以来，科研人员一直在努力改进光合作用这一生命过程，希望提高二氧化碳的转化速率和光能的利用效率，最终提升淀粉的生产效率。
　　Starch is the main carbohydrate in porridge and is a major component of flour and grains like rice and maize, as well as an important industrial raw material. It is synthesized by plants through photosynthesis. Researchers have been working for a long time to improve photosynthesis in the hopes of increasing the efficiency of carbon dioxide conversion and absorption of light to increase starch production.
　　中国科学院天津工业生物技术研究所研究人员提出了一种颠覆性的淀粉制备方法，不依赖植物光合作用，以二氧化碳、电解产生的氢气为原料，成功生产出淀粉，在国际上首次实现了二氧化碳到淀粉的从头合成，使淀粉生产从传统农业种植模式向工业车间生产模式转变成为可能，取得原创性突破。相关研究成果9月24日在线发表于《科学》杂志。
　　Chinese scientists from the Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, which is part of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, have developed a new method to create starch from scratch using carbon dioxide, hydrogen and electricity, rather than photosynthesis. The study was published in the journal Sciencein September. This technique may revolutionize the production of starch, bringing it from the farm to the factory.
　　4我国团队凭打破＂量子霸权＂的超算应用摘得2021年度＂戈登贝尔奖＂
　　获奖现场 图源：中国科学报 之江实验室、国家超算无锡中心供图
　　11月18日于美国密苏里州圣路易斯举行的全球超级计算大会（SC21）上，国际计算机协会（ACM）将2021年度＂戈登贝尔奖＂授予中国超算应用团队。这支由之江实验室、国家超算无锡中心等单位研究人员组成的联合科研团队，基于新一代神威超级计算机的应用＂超大规模量子随机电路实时模拟＂（SWQSIM）获此殊荣。
　　The Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) gave the 2021 Gordon Bell Prize, an annual award for outstanding achievement in high-performance computing, to a Chinese supercomputing team at the Supercomputing Conference (SC21) held in St. Louis on Nov 18, for their project entitled ＂Closing the ‘Quantum Supremacy’ Gap: Achieving Real-Time Simulation of a Random Quantum Circuit Using a New Sunway Supercomputer.＂
　　量子优越性，或称量子优势，指的是一个量子设备可以在任何可行的时间内解决任何经典计算机无法解决的问题。谷歌和中国科技大学的研究人员都曾声称他们已经开发出了达到量子优势的设备。
　　Quantum supremacy, or quantum advantage, refers to a device capable of solving problems standard computers cannot in a feasible amount of time. Researchers at Google and the University of Science and Technology of China have both claimed to have developed devices that achieve quantum supremacy.
　　确定一个设备是否在给定任务下实现量子优势，首先要对随机量子电路（RQC）中不同量子比特的相互作用进行采样。由于随机量子电路中的量子比特之间可能存在大量的相互作用，对其相互作用进行建模只能由高性能计算机解决。
　　Determining whether a device achieves quantum dominance in a given task starts with sampling the interactions between quantum bits in a random quantum circuit (RQC). Due to the large number of interactions possible, modeling the interactions of the quantum bits can only be carried out by high-performance computers.
　　在这项工作中，中国研究人员介绍了一个设计过程，涵盖了模拟所需的算法、并行化和架构。使用新一代神威超级计算机，他们有效地模拟了10x10x（1+40+1）的随机量子电路，这也被认为是模拟RQC的一个新的里程碑，远远超过了谷歌＂顶点＂超级计算机的表现。
　　In their prizewinning project, Chinese researchers introduced a design process encompassing algorithms and parallelization as well as the architecture required for the simulation. Using the new-generation Sunway Supercomputer, they effectively simulated a 10x10x (1+40+1) random quantum circuit, which is considered a new milestone for simulation of RQC, far outpacing the most recent achievements of Google’s Summit supercomputer.
　　51400万亿电子伏特 我国科学家观测到迄今最高能量光子
　　2021年7月，LHAASO全阵列建成并投入运行 图源：中国科学报 中科院高能物理研究所供图
　　中国科学院高能物理研究所牵头的国际合作组依托国家重大科技基础设施＂高海拔宇宙线观测站（LHAASO）＂，在银河系内发现12个超高能宇宙线加速器，并记录到能量达1.4拍电子伏（PeV，拍=千万亿）的伽马射线光子，这是迄今为止能量最高的光。
　　Using the Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory (LHAASO), an international research team led by the Institute of High Energy Physics, which is part of the Chinese Academy of Sciences detected a dozen ultra-high-energy cosmic accelerators within the Milky Way, and discovered gamma ray photons registering at up to 1.4 petaelectronvolts (PeV), the highest energy light ever registered.
　　研究成果突破了人类对银河系粒子加速的传统认知，揭示了银河系内普遍存在能够把粒子加速到超过1PeV的宇宙线加速器，开启了＂超高能伽马天文＂观测时代。相关成果5月17日发表于《自然》。
　　The findings overturn the traditional understanding of the Milky Way by proving the existence of cosmic accelerators capable of accelerating charged particles to more than 1 PeV, and open up an era of ultra-high-energy gamma astronomy. The study was published in the journal Naturein May.
　　6嫦娥五号样品重要研究成果先后出炉
　　扫描电子显微镜下进行成分分析 图源：中国科学报 中科院地质与地球物理研究所供图
　　10月19日，中国科学院地质与地球物理研究所和国家天文台主导，联合多家研究机构发布了围绕月球演化重要科学问题取得的突破性进展。相关研究成果发表在《自然》。
　　On Oct 19, scientists from the Institute of Geology and Geophysics and the National Astronomical Observatories, which are both part of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, released groundbreaking findings on the evolution of the moon based on studies of the lunar samples brought back by the Chang’e 5 mission. The results were published in the journal Nature.
　　科研人员利用超高空间分辨率铀 — 铅（U-Pb）定年技术，对嫦娥五号月球样品玄武岩岩屑中50余颗富铀矿物（斜锆石、钙钛锆石、静海石）进行分析，确定玄武岩形成年龄为20亿年，表明月球直到20亿年前仍存在岩浆活动，比以往月球样品限定的岩浆活动延长了约8亿年。
　　Using dating techniques, researchers analyzed more than 50 uranium-rich minerals in the basaltic rock samples and determined they were over 2 billion years old, indicating that lunar volcanism was still occurring about 800 million years later than previously thought.
　　研究显示，嫦娥五号月球样品玄武岩初始熔融时并没有卷入富集钾、稀土元素、磷的＂克里普物质＂——生热元素，嫦娥五号月球样品富集这些生热元素的特征，是由于岩浆后期经过大量矿物结晶固化后，残余部分富集而来。这一结果排除了嫦娥五号着陆区岩石的初始岩浆熔融热源来自放射性生热元素的主流假说。
　　The study also showed that the high content of heat-producing elements in the samples — potassium, rare earths and phosphorus — did not originate in the moon’s mantle where lava would ordinarily have formed, but came from the remnants of crystallized magma. This finding ruled out the hypothesis that the heat responsible for the initial rock melt at the Chang’e 5 landing site was generated by radioactive heat-generating elements.
　　7异源四倍体野生稻快速从头驯化获得新突破
　　异源四倍体野生稻与二倍体栽培稻的植株表型 图源：中国科学报 中科院种子创新研究院/遗传与发育生物学研究所供图
　　随着世界人口的快速增长，至2050年粮食产量或将增加50%才能完全满足需求。与此同时，近年来世界气候变化加剧，全球气候变暖、极端天气频发等都为粮食安全带来了巨大挑战。在此背景下，如何进一步提高作物单产成为亟待解决的严峻问题。
　　With the rapid growth of the world’s population, it is believed that food production may have to increase 50 percent by 2050 to meet demand. At the same time, climate change, global warming and frequent instances of extreme weather pose additional challenges to food security. In this context, increasing crop yields has become a serious issue that needs to be addressed.
　　中国科学院遗传与发育生物学研究所李家洋院士团队首次提出了异源四倍体野生稻快速从头驯化的新策略，旨在最终培育出新型多倍体水稻作物，这是一种一直令科学家渴望培育出的水稻品种，其活力和环境稳健性有助于大幅提高粮食产量并增加作物环境变化适应性。本项研究为未来应对粮食危机提出了一种新的可行策略，相关研究成果2月4日发表于《细胞》。
　　Scientists led by academician Li Jiayang from the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology of Chinese Academy of Sciences proposed a route to de novo domestication of wild allotetraploid rice, a strategy aimed ultimately at producing polyploid rice, a variety coveted for its vigor and robustness that can help significantly increase yields and adaptability to environmental change. The study, published in the journal Cellin February, proposed a new approach to dealing with future food crises.
　　8我国研发成功-271 超流氦大型低温制冷装备
　　液氦到超流氦温区大型低温制冷系统（模型） 图源：中国科学报 中科院理化技术研究所供图
　　4月15日，由中国科学院理化技术研究所承担的国家重大科研装备研制项目 ＂液氦到超流氦温区大型低温制冷系统研制 ＂通过验收及成果鉴定，标志着我国具备了研制液氦温度（零下269摄氏度）千瓦级和超流氦温度（零下271摄氏度）百瓦级大型低温制冷装备的能力。液氦到超流氦温区大型低温制冷系统可满足航空航天工业、氢能储运、氦资源开发等领域的迫切需要。
　　A major scientific research project undertaken by the Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry at the Chinese Academy of Sciences to develop a large-scale cryogenic refrigeration system in the liquid and superfluid helium temperature ranges, passed appraisal in April, demonstrating that China is capable of developing large-scale cryogenic refrigeration equipment that work at a liquid helium temperature of -269 C kilowatt level and a superfluid helium temperature of -271 C kilowatt level. Large-scale liquid and superfluid helium temperature range cryogenic refrigeration equipment is indispensable to the aerospace industry, hydrogen energy storage and transportation, the development of helium resources and other fields.
　　9植物到动物的功能基因转移首获证实
　　Cell论文机理图 图源：中国科学报 张友军团队供图
　　中国农业科学院蔬菜花卉研究所张友军团队经过20年追踪研究，发现被联合国粮农组织（FAO）认定的迄今唯一＂超级害虫＂烟粉虱，从寄主植物那里获得了防御性基因。这是现代生物学诞生100多年来，首次研究证实植物和动物之间存在功能性基因水平转移现象。
　　A team of scientists led by Zhang Youjun of the Institute of Vegetables and Flowers at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, found that a common pest known as whitefly (Bemisia tabaci) has acquired a gene from one of the plants it feeds on. The gene, which originally helped the plant produce a toxin to repel pests, now protects the bug. The finding is the first report of horizontal gene transfer between a plant and an animal in more than a century of modern biology.
　　这是我国农业害虫研究领域在《细胞》杂志的首篇论文，揭示了昆虫如何利用水平转移基因来克服宿主的防御，为探索昆虫适应性进化规律开辟了新的视角，也为新一代基因导向的害虫防控技术研发提供全新思路。The results were published in the journal Cellin March and appeared as the journal’s cover article on April 1. This is the first paper in the field of agricultural pest research from China to be published in the journal. It reveals how insects use horizontal gene transfer to overcome host defense, providing new perspectives for exploring the evolutionary laws of insect adaptation as well as new ideas for the development of gene-related pest prevention and control technologies.
　　10稀土离子实现多模式量子中继及1小时光存储
　　稀土离子掺杂晶体在低温环境下工作的实拍照片 图源：中国科学报 中国科学技术大学供图
　　光纤中的光子损耗阻碍了量子信息在地面的长距离传播。量子中继器是一种解决方案，但由于量子中继器方案的系统复杂性，到目前为止，通信距离仍然有限。另一种解决方案包括可运输的量子存储器和装有量子存储器的卫星，其中长寿命的光量子存储器是实现全球量子通信的关键部件。然而，迄今为止的光存储器的最长存储时间约为1分钟。
　　Photon loss in optical fibers prevents long-distance distribution of quantum information on the ground. Quantum repeaters have been proposed as a means of overcoming the problem, but communication distance is still limited because of the complexity of the system. Alternative solutions include transportable quantum memory and quantum-memory-equipped satellites, where long-lived optical quantum memories are key components in realizing global quantum communication. Until recently however, it had not been possible to store optical memories demonstrated for longer than a minute.
　　中国科技大学郭光灿院士领导的研究团队开发了基于稀土离子掺杂晶体的高性能固体量子存储器，成功将光的存储时间提高至1小时，为未来基于长寿命固体量子存储器的大规模量子通信提供了方案。该成果分别于4月22日和6月2日发表于《自然通讯》和《自然》。
　　A research team led by academician Guo Guangcan of the University of Science and Technology of China, has developed high-performance solid quantum memory based on rare-earth ion-doped crystals that successfully increased the coherent storage of light to an hour, paving way for future large-scale quantum communication based on long-lived solid quantum memories. The results were published in the journals Nature CommunicationsandNatureon April 22 and June 2, respectively.
　　记者：张洋菲
　　编辑：陈月华
　　实习生：申乐
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