Scientific Advances
A list of the top 10 scientific advances in China in 2021 and another similar list for those in the world were unveiled in China. The entries were selected by members of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and members of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Xinhua News Agency reported on January 19.
Among the scientific breakthroughs listed, China’s progress in its first Sun-probing mission stands out. Also on the list is the country’s successful first Mars exploration mission. Other advances include progress in long-term stays onboard China’s space station, research into synthesizing starch from carbon dioxide, research in lunar samples brought back by the Chang’e-5 mission, the use of gene technologies in the domestication of wild rice, as well as the prevention and control of the agricultural pest, the tobacco whitefly.
Ranking first on the list of the world’s top 10 scientific advances is the development of the first living robots with the ability to reproduce. The millimeter-sized living machines, called Xenobots 3.0, are neither traditional robots nor a species of animal, but living, programmable organisms. Other notable advances include research on the accurate prediction of protein structures, a genetic engineering technique for treating genetic diseases, using human stem cells to grow sesame-seed-sized heart models, and the recreation of early structures of the human embryo from stem cells.
reported on January 18.
The crucian carp is famous for its tender and flavorful flesh but its intermuscular bones, which are too small to pick from the flesh, easily get caught in the throat and make industrial processing difficult.
The research group pinpointed the key gene that controls the development of intermuscular bones from over 1,600 related candidates, and used geneediting technology to produce the new variety.
In 2021, the group was able to cultivate a generation of the variety capable of passing its new genetic trait on to its offspring, while developing normally in all other aspects.