The "Top Ten Science and Technology Terms Selection Campaign of 2024" jointly initiated by the National Committee for the Review of Scientific and Technological Terminology and the National Language Resources Monitoring and Research Center and other institutions was announced in Beijing on the 16th. Artificial intelligence+, low-altitude economy, lunar back sampling, quantum technology, embodied intelligence, mixed reality, biomanufacturing, near-zero carbon, real-life three-dimensional, micro-RNA, and other scientific and technological terms were selected.
Scientific and technological terms are the crystallization of scientific knowledge in language, bearing a distinct mark of the times, reflecting the pulse of scientific and technological development and the trajectory of social progress. The selection of the top ten scientific and technological terms of the year is not only to record current scientific and technological hotspots and innovative achievements, but also to look forward to future development trends and stimulate the public's interest in scientific exploration and technological innovation.
The selection activity was launched in November 2024, and the corpus sources covered the entire Internet content in 2024, including policy reports, news corpora, academic databases, social media, encyclopedia knowledge bases and search indexes. During the selection process, quantitative analysis was focused on, and the timeliness, innovation, attention, influence, academic value, subject affiliation and future development potential of the candidate words were comprehensively examined. After four rounds of inventory and evaluation, including data collection and preliminary screening, in-depth screening and data analysis, expert review and public voting, comprehensive assessment and result interpretation, the top ten scientific and technological terms were finally selected.
The specific interpretation is as follows:
1. Artificial intelligence+ (AI+)
Refers to the concept and practice of deeply integrating artificial intelligence technology with all walks of life to promote industrial transformation, upgrading and innovative development. It is not only about applying artificial intelligence to a specific field, but also about realizing the comprehensive empowerment and reconstruction of traditional industries through the integration and innovation of technology. As an important part of digital infrastructure construction, artificial intelligence is the core driving force of a new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial revolution. From a technical perspective, "artificial intelligence +" emphasizes the coordinated development of artificial intelligence and other advanced technologies, such as combining with the Internet of Things, big models, cloud computing, etc. to form a comprehensive technical solution. In 2024, the State Council's "Government Work Report" clearly pointed out: "Deepen the research and development and application of big data, artificial intelligence, etc., carry out the 'artificial intelligence +' action, and create a digital industry cluster with international competitiveness." This policy orientation provides a solid foundation and broad space for the development of "artificial intelligence +". "Artificial intelligence +" will not only promote the transformation, upgrading and innovative development of economic industries, but also profoundly promote scientific research breakthroughs, improve public services and medical levels, optimize the allocation of educational resources, improve people's quality of life, comprehensively improve the efficiency and well-being of society, and help build an intelligent, sustainable and inclusive future.
2. Low-altitude economy
A new type of comprehensive economic form. It takes low-altitude flight activities as the core, and interacts with airspace, market and other factors with new quality productivity composed of technologies such as manned or unmanned flight and low-altitude intelligent network, driving the development of low-altitude infrastructure, low-altitude aircraft manufacturing, low-altitude operation services and low-altitude flight support. Its related products mainly include drones, electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft (eVTOL), helicopters, traditional fixed-wing aircraft, etc., involving various application scenarios such as municipal management, resident consumption and industrial applications. In 2024, from March when "low-altitude economy" was written into the "Government Work Report" of the State Council, to July when the Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee decided to "develop general aviation and low-altitude economy", to November when the "Low-altitude Economy Pavilion" shined at the Zhuhai Air Show. The policy environment continues to optimize, market demand continues to grow, technological innovation breaks through layer by layer, and the industrial ecology prospers and grows. The low-altitude economy has moved from concept to reality, from "flying in the air" to "landing", and ushered in opportunities for rapid development.
3. Lunar far-side sampling
Refers to the scientific activities of collecting lunar soil, rock and other samples on the back of the moon through lunar probes, and sending these samples back to the earth safely through return capsules or other technical means. The back of the moon has unique geological features and contains rich scientific information, which can provide important clues to the formation and evolution of the moon and its relationship with other celestial bodies in the solar system. In June 2024, the Chang'e-6 probe successfully implemented the lunar back sampling mission and retrieved 1935.3 grams of lunar soil samples. This is the first feat in human history to collect samples from the back of the moon and return them to the earth. These precious lunar back samples can not only fill the gaps in the study of the back of the moon, but also provide key data for revealing the early evolution of the moon, and open up a new perspective for understanding the geological differences between the back and front of the moon. The successful completion of the Chang'e-6 exploration mission demonstrated China's leading position in lunar exploration technology and promoted scientific research cooperation between China and other countries.
4. Embodied artificial intelligence (EAI)
An intelligent system that perceives and acts based on physical entities. It obtains information, understands problems, makes decisions and performs actions through the interaction between the intelligent agent and the environment, thereby demonstrating intelligent behavior and adaptability. Traditional artificial intelligence usually relies on abstract symbolic computing, while embodied intelligence emphasizes cognition through the perception, movement and interaction of the physical body with the external environment. In 2024, domestic and foreign research institutions and enterprises have made important progress in the field of embodied intelligence, and successfully launched a number of embodied intelligent robots that can perform autonomous perception and decision-making in uncertain environments. At the same time, the application of embodied intelligence in autonomous driving has also been further deepened, especially in dynamic traffic environments. The perception and decision-making capabilities have been significantly improved, and unmanned vehicles have achieved city-level application. With the help of embodied intelligence's multimodal perception technology, surgical robots have achieved more accurate judgment and operation in complex medical environments. With the continuous maturity of related technologies, embodied intelligence will further promote the transformation and upgrading of all walks of life and provide important support for the construction of a future intelligent society.
5. Quantum technology
A new type of scientific and technological system. It integrates the principles of quantum mechanics with information science, computing science, materials science and other disciplines, and is committed to achieving information acquisition, processing and transmission through quantum effects (such as quantum superposition, quantum entanglement, quantum tunneling, etc.). It breaks through the limitations of traditional classical physics and provides new ideas and methods for solving complex problems. It is mainly used in quantum computing, quantum communication, quantum encryption, quantum sensing and other fields. In 2024, quantum technology has ushered in major breakthroughs worldwide, and research has entered a transition period from theory to application. Multiple quantum computing platforms have achieved new milestones. The number and quality of quantum bits have been greatly improved; quantum computing power has been applied to computational fluid dynamics, finance, biomedicine and other fields. Quantum communication trunk lines have realized the practical application of quantum secure communication, which not only provides encrypted communication infrastructure for industries such as finance and electricity, but also lays the foundation for the future quantum Internet. Quantum sensing and quantum simulation have also made significant progress. As quantum technology continues to break through theoretical and technical bottlenecks, its widespread application will promote the next generation of scientific and technological revolution and provide new tools and perspectives for human beings to explore the unknown world.
6. Mixed reality (MR)
A technology that deeply integrates the virtual world with the real environment. It combines virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR), and interacts with the real world in real time through computer-generated virtual objects. It can overlay virtual elements into the real environment and give these virtual objects the physical properties of the real world (such as real-time physical interaction and dynamic response). In 2024, head-mounted displays achieved a revolutionary breakthrough, with significant improvements in sensor accuracy, resolution, real-time rendering capabilities, and wearing comfort. At the same time, cutting-edge technologies such as gesture recognition and eye tracking are constantly optimized to make the user's interactive experience more natural and immersive. In terms of software and content creation, developers use emerging technologies such as generative artificial intelligence to create a richer and more diverse virtual world. Mixed reality has not only made breakthroughs in the consumer market, but also has shown great application potential in industries such as industry, medicine, education, and construction. As hardware devices gradually become lighter and product prices become more affordable, mixed reality is accelerating towards practical applications and constantly changing people's work and lifestyles.
7. Biomanufacturing
A technology that uses cells, active molecules and biomaterials as basic forming units to achieve in vitro manufacturing of the physiological properties, structure and function of biological tissues and organs. In a broad sense, biomanufacturing covers related technologies such as bionic manufacturing, biomass conversion and biological processing; in a narrow sense, it specifically refers to a technical system that achieves product production by controlling cells or biological processes. The core advantage of biomanufacturing is that it imitates natural processes and uses biocatalytic reactions to efficiently and environmentally friendly produce various chemicals, materials and energy. In 2024, the field of biomanufacturing has made rapid progress, especially in the use of microbial synthesis for green chemical and drug research and development, additive manufacturing technology for the production of personalized medical implants, and the application of biomaterials in the fields of energy and environment. Biomanufacturing not only provides impetus for the construction of a low-carbon economy, but also provides an important technical path for the green transformation of modern industry. As an important part of the new round of global scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation, biomanufacturing is fundamentally changing traditional production methods and promoting the innovative development of production materials, manufacturing processes and product properties.
8. Near-zero carbon
Refers to achieving a basic balance between carbon dioxide emissions and absorption within a certain period of time through a series of effective carbon emission reduction measures and carbon absorption means. It is different from the "zero carbon" goal of completely eliminating carbon emissions. It does not require carbon dioxide emissions to be completely zero, but while ensuring the quality of production and life, it minimizes carbon emissions through efficient emission reduction technologies, optimizing energy structure, improving energy utilization efficiency, and strengthening carbon capture and storage. To achieve near-zero carbon, a series of cross-sector measures must be taken, including energy transformation, transportation optimization, building energy conservation, resource recycling, etc., while promoting the synergistic effect of pollution reduction and carbon reduction. In 2024, China has made significant progress in promoting the "dual carbon" goals. Many cities have launched near-zero carbon construction pilot projects and achieved positive results. For example: in the construction of near-zero carbon parks, distributed energy systems, low-carbon processes, carbon credits and other measures are adopted to achieve a dynamic balance between carbon emissions and carbon absorption in the park; near-zero carbon factories achieve near-zero greenhouse gas emissions in the production and service process through autonomous emission reduction and external emission reduction projects or carbon credit offsets. With technological advancement and policy promotion, near-zero carbon is expected to become the new normal for global development and provide strong support for addressing climate change and achieving sustainable development.
9. 3D real scene (ReS3D)
Refers to the spatiotemporal information that reflects and expresses production, life and ecological space in a real, three-dimensional and time-sequential manner. As a standardized product of new basic surveying and mapping, it provides a unified spatiotemporal basis for economic and social development and the informatization of various departments, and provides support for the realization of life planning, production scheduling and government decision-making in digital and physical spaces. As an important part of the construction of Digital China, Realistic 3D China has been incorporated into the overall layout plan and fully implemented. In July 2024, the CPC Central Committee and the State Council's "Opinions on Accelerating the Comprehensive Green Transformation of Economic and Social Development" clearly proposed to "promote the construction of Realistic 3D China and the empowerment of spatiotemporal information applications". Realistic 3D promotes the precise and scientific matching of various production factors in time and space through "human-machine compatibility, IoT perception, and ubiquitous services", giving birth to new industries, new models and new momentum. It will play an increasingly important role in supporting natural resource management, empowering government decision-making, helping the development of the digital economy, serving the people's better life, serving the construction of digital culture, and supporting digital ecological civilization.
10. MicroRNA (miRNA)
MicroRNA is also called microRNA. It is a type of endogenous small RNA produced in eukaryotes, which is recognized by sequence complementarity and has post-transcriptional gene regulation function. It is about 22 nucleotides in length and inhibits post-transcriptional gene expression by specifically binding to target mRNA. It plays an important role in regulating gene expression, cell cycle, and timing of organism development. The 2024 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to American scientists Victor Ambos and Gary Rufkun in recognition of their contributions to the field of microRNA, which has enabled the concept of microRNA to be widely spread. Its discovery overturned the traditional view that gene expression is dominated by proteins, and also revealed that RNA is not only a carrier of genetic information, but also directly involved in gene regulation, opening up a new research direction. With the continuous deepening of research on microRNA regulatory networks, microRNA is expected to provide more solutions for personalized medicine, precision treatment, and early warning of diseases. At the same time, with the advancement of related technologies, its application in future drug development and clinical treatment will be more extensive, and its role in promoting human health will be more significant.
