1. The first cloned monkey using tissue cells

The Institute of Neuroscience

Scientists produced two genetically identical long-tailed macaques, named Zhong Zhong and Hua Hua, using the same technique that created Dolly the sheep, the world’s first cloned mammal. The feat is a first in nonhuman primates.

The experiment could lead to batches of genetically uniform monkeys for biomedical research, which would improve experimental accuracy in studying disease mechanisms and screening drugs, and reduce the cost and need to hunt wild monkeys, protecting the environment in the process.

2. The first healthy mice born from same-sex parents

The Institute of Zoology

The feat pushed the boundaries of reproductive science by proving that mammals may not always need genetic material from the opposite sex to produce healthy offspring.

The breakthrough may provide better understanding of, and possibly cures for, some forms of infertility and birth defects, as well as being used to preserve critically endangered animals that cannot find mates.

3. The first synthesized single-chromosome yeast

The Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology

Yeast naturally has 16 separate chromosomes, thread-like structures that carry protein and DNA. However, last year, scientists managed to fuse many of these genetic materials end-to-end to create a functional, living yeast strain with only a single chromosome.

Hailed as a major milestone in synthetic biology, the research may shed light on the complex mechanisms of aging, cancers and genetic diseases.

4. The first baby born from an infertile mother treated with stem-cell therapy

The Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology

Researchers used stem cells from a human umbilical cord to rehabilitate a 34-year-old woman diagnosed with premature ovarian failure, enabling her to give birth to a healthy boy in January at the Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Jiangsu province.

POF is a rare, hard to treat condition that prevents women age 40 or younger from releasing eggs. Stem-cell therapy may provide an effective alternative to existing treatments, such as hormone therapy and egg donation.

5. The first potent new drug for Alzheimer’s disease in 16 years

The Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica

After more than two decades of work, scientists announced in July that a new drug, called GV-971, had passed Phase III clinical trials, the most difficult phase that assesses a drug’s efficacy and safety before it enters the market.

Alzheimer’s disease is a chronic neurodegenerative disorder characterized by a progressive loss of cognitive function. GV-971 will provide new hope for patients. Last year, 50 million people worldwide had Alzheimer’s.

6. The most precise timepiece－The Cold Atomic Clock in Space

The Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics

The world’s first cold atomic clock was carried into orbit in Tiangong II, China’s second space lab, in September 2016. It uses atomic physics, lasers and microgravity in space to keep time. Last year, the experiment was officially deemed successful, after more than 15 months of smooth operation.

It will take 30 million years before the clock loses a single second. The ultra-precise timepiece can be used for calibrating extremely sensitive electronic devices, such as global positioning systems, or conducting experiments in the field of physics that rely on extreme accuracy.

7. The discovery of Majorana anyon in iron-based superconductors

The Institute of Physics

Typically, when a particle－the basic building blocks of matter－and an antiparticle, its identical twin but with an opposite charge, collide, they annihilate each other, releasing a burst of energy. However, Majorana fermion is a puzzling exception, because it can exist simultaneously as a particle and as its own antiparticle.

Scientists discovered that a single Majorana fermion can be split into two Majorana anyons, which are quasiparticles that possess particle-like properties. Using this strange property, scientists may be able to create more fault-proof quantum computers－powerful machines that use quantum mechanics for calculations.

8. The China Spallation Neutron Source－a new “super microscope”－opens

The Institute of High Energy Physics

Located in Dongguan, Guangdong province, the massive facility uses beams of neutrons－particles with no electrical charge and of similar mass to protons－to study the interiors of delicate materials such as DNA without damaging them with ionizing radiation during the process.

Most of the world’s neutron sources were built decades ago. China’s latest facility will be a powerful platform for scientists conducting fundamental research into materials science, biology and medicine, chemistry, new energy and other high-tech fields.

9. The oldest, highest proof of early human activity on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

The Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology

Archaeologists discovered more than 3,600 stone artifacts made from black slate at Nwya Devu, about 4,600 meters above sea level in the Changthang region of the Tibet autonomous region.

The tools were made around 30,000 to 40,000 years ago, a testimony to the astonishing resilience of the early humans who inhabited one of the harshest environments on Earth at least 15,000 years earlier than had previously been thought.

10. China becomes one of the world’s leading nanotech nations

The National Center for Nanoscience and Technology

Scientists made several breakthroughs in nanotechnologies last year, including new energy-dense power batteries, environmentally friendly nanoprinting factories, nanomaterial catalyzers, drugs and medical gear.

The breakthroughs were the result of the academy’s pilot program in 2013 to develop innovative nanotechnologies and support the nation’s industrial and manufacturing needs.

In 2017, China produced more than one-third of the world’s scientific papers related to nanoscience and technology.

Sources: Chinese Academy of Sciences, Journals (Nature, Science, Cell)