BEIJING — The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) on Jan 15 released the top 12 achievements of 2020.
— FIGHTING COVID-19
Innovative achievements have been made in genome sequencing, information sharing, molecular mechanism study, quick detection, and vaccine development during the battle against COVID-19.
— LUNAR EXPLORATION
China's Chang'e-5 probe was launched on Nov 24 and retrieved about 1,731 grams of samples from the moon on Dec 17.
The Chang'e-4 probe, still working on the far side of the moon, has made a series of scientific discoveries.
— MANNED DEEP-DIVING
Fendouzhe, China's deep-sea manned submersible, successfully reached the Mariana Trench, going to a depth of 10,909 meters and setting a new record for China's manned deep-diving.
— BDS-3
China declared the official commissioning of the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) on July 31, marking the formal launch of the newly- completed BDS-3 system for global users.
CAS researchers participated in the development and construction of all aspects of the BDS-3 system.
— SCIENTIFIC EXPEDITION TO THIRD POLE
CAS researchers launched the second scientific expedition to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau to assess the changes due to climate change and human activities in the past decades. The results have supported the construction of China's ecological civilization.
— FAST STARTS FORMAL OPERATIONS
China's Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST) started formal operations on Jan 11, 2020 after a three-year trial. FAST, as the world's largest single-dish radio telescope, will gradually open to astronomers around the world.
— QUANTUM COMMUNICATION, COMPUTING
The "Micius" quantum satellite was used to achieve the first international entanglement-based quantum key distribution at the 1,000-km level.
A quantum computing prototype "Jiuzhang" was built, via which up to 76 photons were detected. The achievement marks China's first milestone on the path to full-scale quantum computing.
— MYSTERY OF LOCUST SWARMS
Scientists have identified a chemical compound — 4-vinylanisole — released by locusts that causes them to form a swarm, offering a new possible way to prevent these insects from devouring crops vital to human survival, as they have done for thousands of years.
— ANCIENT DNA
Genome-wide data from 26 ancient individuals from northern and southern East Asia dating back 9,500 to 300 years indicate human population shifts and admixture in northern and southern China.
— MAGNETIC FIELD IN UNIVERSE
Using China's Hard X-ray Modulation Telescope (HXMT), scientists discovered the strongest magnetic field ever observed in the universe, on the surface of a neutron star named GRO J1008-57.
— BIG EARTH DATA REPORT
The 2020 Report on Big Earth Data in Support of the Sustainable Development Goals, drafted by CAS, showcases China's use of innovation-driven technologies to implement the 2030 Agenda, and in particular, the prospect of utilizing Big Earth Data for monitoring and evaluating the implementation of SDGs.
— LOCALIZED SPIN-ORBIT POLARON
Scientists first studied localized excitations from single vacancies of a type of magnetic Weyl semimetal, using ultra-low temperature scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy with spin-polarized tip and low temperature atomic force microscopy.
