20 18 interpretation of the top ten international science and technology news

Using CRISPR gene regulation technology to directly manipulate the cell genome, the researchers turned mouse skin cells into induced pluripotent stem cells.

Bending accelerating beam

The research teams in the United States and Israel have realized the beam trajectory migration. This experiment can be used to simulate the phenomenon of general relativity.

neutrino

A high-energy neutrino from space passes through the ice cube Neutrino Observatory in Antarctica, and scientists think its source may be a bright variety.

Visit "Benu"

The human probe visited the asteroid "Benu" for the first time and found traces of water-hydroxyl hidden under its rock surface.

transit

100 years ago, scientists first observed the most basic transition in hydrogen atoms, and now this transition is realized and observed in anti-hydrogen atoms.

The discovery of scientific and technological innovation has changed life on earth and changed our view of reality. The top ten international science and technology news in 20 18 once again proved to us the profundity of human thinking and endless creativity: graphene rotates a variable superconductor at a specific angle, accurately locates the origin of "ghost particles", visits asteroids for the first time, and discovers water ... If you haven't understood these latest scientific advances, it's time now. These achievements are providing inspiration for countless scientists and leading them to constantly break through the limits of human ability.

Delivery 1 49 qubit superconducting test chip

Another technology company is close to achieving the goal of "quantum hegemony".

This year, Intel Corporation announced the successful design, manufacture and delivery of the 49 qubit superconducting test chip "Tangle Lake". The name comes from Lake Alaska, which means that these qubits need to work at extremely cold temperatures and other conditions, which will enable researchers to evaluate and improve error correction techniques and simulate some calculation problems.

Quantum computing, a "rookie" in the field of computing, has great potential. At present, the best supercomputers need months or years to solve problems, such as drug development, financial modeling, climate prediction and so on. The future quantum computer is expected to be solved in a short time.

"Quantum hegemony" is regarded as a singularity in the development history of quantum technology. "Quantum hegemony" means that the computing power of quantum computers exceeds that of traditional computers, thus achieving "hegemony" over traditional computers. Some people think that after more than 50 qubits, the power of quantum computers will be exhausted, which makes traditional computers look at the ocean and sigh. At present, "quantum hegemony" has attracted giants such as Intel, IBM and Google. At the end of last year, IBM announced the successful development of a 50 qubit processor prototype; Google also plans to launch a 49 qubit product soon.

The ideal is full, but the reality is very skinny. At present, quantum computing is still in its infancy. Industry insiders estimate that quantum computing may be 5-7 years away from solving the project scale problem; In order to have commercial practical value, it may need 654.38+0 million or more qubits.

What kind of "blood rain" will the quantum computer that "realizes hegemony" set off? We will wait and see.

It is the first time to accelerate the laser beam in curved space.

This is the first demonstration of bending acceleration beam, but the operation is very simple, and it can be realized by emitting laser into the bulb shell of incandescent lamp.

The team of American and Israeli physicists realized the beam trajectory migration this year. Previously, scientists have confirmed that the light beam can be accelerated on a plane, and the acceleration makes it travel along a curved trajectory instead of a straight line. The new research found that the accelerated beam did not move along geodesic (also called geodesic or geodesic, which can be defined as the local shortest or longest path of two points in space), but shifted.

The trajectory of plane accelerated beam is completely determined by beam width, while new research shows that the trajectory of curved accelerated beam is determined by beam width and surface curvature.

This seemingly "inexplicable" experiment is actually a breakthrough. It has various potential applications, one of which is to simulate the phenomenon of general relativity, so as to further study the phenomena such as gravitational lens effect, Einstein ring, gravitational blue shift or red shift. In addition, it can provide a new technology for controlling nanoparticles in blood vessels, microchannels and other curved environments.

This is just the beginning, and the joint team has now begun to study the possibility of light propagating in extremely thin curved films.

3 Double-layer Graphene Spindle Variable Superconductor

According to the superconducting theory of 1957, some materials can conduct electricity with zero resistance. But many materials show so-called unconventional superconductivity, which cannot be explained by this theory.

This year, scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology found that when two layers of graphene are rotated and superimposed at a "magic angle" of 1. 1 degree, the superconducting behavior of copper-based materials called cuprates can be simulated. In other words, the research team found a new electronic state in two layers of graphene, which can simply realize the transition from insulator to superconductor.

This "magic corner" graphene will not only form a superconducting state, but also form another electronic state. In the second paper published at the same time, the team showed that a new insulation state-Mott insulation state will appear in the overlapping double-layer graphene system.

These two systems can be easily adjusted by changing the rotation angle and electric field. This means that this achievement will provide a brand-new two-dimensional platform for scientists to understand the origin of high-temperature superconductivity, which has long plagued the physics community, and open a door to study unconventional superconductors, paving the way for the development and engineering of new electrical properties.

This discovery caused a sensation in the industry and was called a major progress in graphene superconductivity. What's even more surprising is that the first author of two papers in Nature, whose manuscript mortality rate is as high as 90%, is only 22 years old. He is the young Chinese physicist Cao Yuan.

"Gene Scissors" transformed skin cells into stem cells for the first time.

In 2006, shinya yamanaka of Gladstone Institute treated ordinary skin cells with four key protein called transcription factors and produced induced pluripotent stem cells, which indicated that immature cells could develop into all types of cells. On the basis of the above research, Gladstone's team did not use transcription factors, but created induced pluripotent stem cells by adding chemical mixtures to cells.

In the study of 20 18, Gladstone team provided a third method to make induced pluripotent stem cells-directly manipulating the genome of cells by using CRISPR gene regulation technology to turn mouse skin cells into induced pluripotent stem cells. The new method not only helps scientists to obtain important cells more conveniently, but also can further understand the reprogramming process of cells.

In fact, induced pluripotent stem cells, like embryonic stem cells, have the potential to differentiate into various cells and can be used to repair damaged tissues and organs. Gene scissors can accurately find the position of a string of codes in the genome and delete or modify them.

Now the new method is completely different from the previous one, which can help people to make induced pluripotent stem cells more simply and quickly, and in the future, skin cells can be reprogrammed directly into heart cells or brain cells, which provides great help for the treatment of many diseases.

Scientists accurately located the origin of "ghost particles" for the first time.

From September 2065438 to September 2007, a high-energy neutrino from space passed through the ice cube Neutrino Observatory in Antarctica, and a stone stirred up a thousand waves, and scientists scrambled to trace the source. In July this year, dozens of scientific research teams wrote in Nature and Science that this "falling spirit" may have originated from a Blaja star about 3.78 billion light years away from the Earth. Brilliant variable star is a violent astronomical phenomenon caused by the accumulation of a large amount of matter by a huge black hole in the center of a galaxy.

Scientists say that a dazzling variety of neutrinos can help solve a century-long mystery in astronomy: where do cosmic rays that visit the earth from time to time come from?

Cosmic rays are charged particles (mainly protons) thrown by "explosion events" in the universe, and they are the particles with the highest energy in nature. 100 For many years, scientists have been hoping to find its source, but it is impossible to trace its travel path, because its flight path has been seriously reversed by the earth's magnetic field before reaching the earth.

However, no matter where cosmic rays originate, high-energy neutrinos called "ghost particles" are likely to be "interdependent". Neutrinos have almost no mass and can remain stable, which makes them excellent "messengers" for studying cosmic rays. Neutrinos show scientists a way through the fog, but the key is to catch them when they reach the earth.

The main scientific goal of ice cube Observatory is to find the origin of high-energy cosmic rays with neutrinos, which has made great contributions this time. If the result is correct, then this brilliant variant may be the source of the first "identification" of cosmic rays.

There is liquid water under the polar ice sheet of Mars.

"Without water, there is no life." At least for now, this is still the standard when people are looking for extraterrestrial life.

In 20 15, the Mars reconnaissance orbiter told us that the gullies on the red planet were probably caused by the flow of high-concentration salt water, which is the "strongest evidence so far" for the existence of flowing liquid water on Mars. But this is not empirical.

Until this year, Italian scientists reported the first discovery of the underground saltwater lake of Mars, which is located under the Antarctic ice sheet of Mars and has a diameter of about 20 kilometers. The researchers said that this is the first time that Mars has found traces of persistent water bodies, which has solved the long-standing debate about whether there is liquid water on the red planet.

The discovery of this water body not only increased people's expectations for life on Mars.

In the long run, although the temperature of Mars is not very good and the atmosphere is not enough, it will not be completely unchangeable like some wonderful planets. Moreover, Mars is at a suitable distance from us, and its surface area is equivalent to the land area of the earth. When humans consider emigrating to other planets, Mars is often the first choice. Now, the discovery of liquid water makes this situation more likely.

From a short distance, it is very important for scientists to use the ice sheet to interpret the history of climate change on Mars, which is the scientific goal of astrobiology research in the next few years. At the same time, it will also be the most important base construction resource before human beings land on Mars in this century.

The transition of internal reference energy in antihydrogen is realized for the first time.

One of the biggest mysteries in physics is: Where did antimatter go?

The laws of physics show that the huge energy generated by the Big Bang should create equal amounts of matter and antimatter. When the same amount of matter meets antimatter, it will "cancel out", but after the Big Bang, the universe is still full of various celestial bodies composed of matter. Since matter is still there, where is antimatter?

Hydrogen atom is the simplest, so antimatter research begins with anti-hydrogen atom.

100 years ago, scientists first observed the most basic and important transition in hydrogen atoms-α (Lyman-α transition, that is, when an electron of a hydrogen atom shifts from a low orbit to a high orbit, it will emit a series of ultraviolet radiation.

On August 22nd, Canadian and European Nuclear Research Center (CERN) physicists wrote in Nature that they realized and observed the Lyman-α transition in antihydrogen atoms for the first time, which is a step closer to cooling and manipulating antihydrogen atoms, and is expected to open a new era of antimatter science.

What's the point of manipulating antihydrogen atoms? Theoretically, 500 grams of antimatter is more powerful than the world's largest hydrogen bomb. Although scientists have been able to make and capture antimatter, its existence time is too short and its cost is too expensive. If antimatter can be manipulated, it will become an inexhaustible new energy source for mankind!

Scientists have created a new form of light matter.

Can optical behavior "bend" physical rules?

Photons, as elementary particles with almost no mass, are a kind of "transcendental" existence-if you put two lasers opposite each other, photons will only pass through each other without saying hello. But in 20 13, the joint team of MIT and Harvard University made photon interaction produce a material form. People don't know what it is, but they all say it is like a real version of "lightsaber"-beams of light will push and pull each other to produce confrontation.

In 20 18, the same team published a paper in Science magazine, announcing that they had realized the interaction between three photons, that is, they stuck together to form a brand-new photonic substance, which had never been observed before.

The researchers found that they did not pass through the dense ultracold rubidium atomic cloud as a single randomly separated photon under the weak laser irradiation, but were combined in pairs or three photons-which indicates that there is interaction between photons. The combined photons actually gain some electronic mass, and the propagation speed of these light particles with mass is slower, which is 65438+ million times slower than that of conventional photons without interaction.

The "main business" of this team is actually the research of quantum computers. Their experimental results tell people that photons can really attract or entangle each other; Moreover, if they can interact in other ways, they will be used in ultra-fast quantum computing and complex crystals composed of light in the future.

Nine human probes visited the asteroid Benu for the first time.

Who am I? Where did it come from? Where are you going? All human pursuits are just trying to answer these three "heavenly questions".

Where is the land I come from? That is how life originated. Legend has it that about 4.5 billion years ago, the solar system was just formed, and the earth was still a planet full of lava, like hell. Suddenly, an asteroid "strayed into the depths of the lotus", broke into the solar system and had a violent collision with the earth. The "butterfly effect" caused by this impact may have brought organic matter and water, which provided key conditions for life on earth.

Asteroids are debris left over from the formation of the solar system about 4.5 billion years ago. Some scientists believe that atomic analysis of asteroid samples is expected to provide important evidence for the above hypothesis. Therefore, in 20 16, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) shouldered the important mission of "OSIRIS-Rex" and set out for the asteroid "Benu Bird".

On 65438+February 10, NASA announced excitedly that OSIRIS-Rex had found traces of hydroxyl groups composed of hydrogen molecules and oxygen molecules hidden under the surface of asteroid rocks, which made Benu, with a diameter of 500 meters, have the potential to give birth to life, and may contain clues about the origin of life on earth.

In 2023, the detector will send samples of these substances back to Earth. By then, scientists will get valuable information related to the history and evolution of the solar system, which will help mankind to further understand the past and future of the earth and better understand the origin of life.

10 Chang 'e IV visits the back of the moon

At 2: 23 on February 8, 65438, China's Chang 'e IV was successfully launched on the Long March 3B, and will make a soft landing and patrol survey on the back of the moon in June+next year 10, 5438. If successful, it will realize the first time in human history to place a lander and a lunar rover on the back of the moon; At the same time, it will realize measurement, control and relay communication for the first time in the world.

Who hasn't looked up at the starry sky and longed to exhaust the mysteries of the universe? The moon, a neighbor who has been with the earth for more than 4 billion years, has been entrusted with the vision of China people's reunion since ancient times, and China people are therefore more emotional about it.

But as Wang Chong of the Eastern Han Dynasty pointed out in Lun Heng, "Tao rises and falls with the moon." Because of the tidal locking effect of gravity, only one side of the moon faces the earth, and no one has ever seen the back of the moon, which casts a mysterious veil on it. Moreover, due to the barrier of the moon itself, any aircraft will lose its communication ability after reaching the back area of the moon.

Faced with such a mysterious moon, China successfully launched the "Queqiao" relay satellite in May this year, and built a bridge to transmit signals and data between the Chang 'e-4 probe and the ground monitoring station.

Chang 'e IV undertakes the important mission of exploring the Von Kamen Crater in aitken Basin, which is considered as the oldest impact feature of the moon. This unprecedented trip to space exploration will provide first-hand data and clues for human beings to understand the evolution of the moon, the earth and the solar system.

It has also injected new passion and vitality into space exploration. Relevant personnel of the European Space Agency (ESA) said that the Chang 'e-4 lander and lunar rover are expected to have a new understanding of the composition and history of the moon, which will be a milestone in solving the mystery of the moon.

Science magazine called the Chang 'e mission "ambitious" and a great pioneering project. (Zhang Liuxia)