The calendar is torn to the last few pages, and 2023 is coming to an end.
This year, the technology industry remains lively, with new phenomena, technologies, characters, and stories appearing one after another. As a "non serious" commentary on the big and small issues of technology, the Sichuan Daily's all media "Too Good for Science" column has continuously released more than 60 short videos, ranging from "Why does' Fat House Happy Water 'make people happy" to "Double 11" when major equipment is put on the shelves, conducting interesting and informative timely science popularization, and ending a "lively" year.
The most surprising, heartwarming, and proud... At the end of the year, Sci Tech Future will take stock of the "best" of 10 years, review the "knowledge points", and talk about new developments.
The most surprising
Gongga, the 'King of Shu Mountains', has become nearly 50 meters shorter
In October of this year, the Ministry of Natural Resources and the State Forestry and Grassland Administration jointly released elevation data for nine mountain peaks, including Gongga Mountain. This is the first time since the first measurement in the 1960s that these peaks have been updated with their 'latest height'.
Compared to previous public data, Gongga Mountain, known as the "King of Shu Mountain," has become nearly 50 meters shorter, and Siguniang Mountain, known as the "Queen of Shu Mountain," has also become several meters shorter. Yang Maiyong has grown taller and become the leader of the "Three Divine Mountains".
Why do mountain peaks grow taller and shorter? According to the relevant person in charge of the Sichuan Provincial Surveying and Mapping Geographic Information Bureau, the most direct reason for the implementation of the "height measurement" project for mountain peaks is the advancement of surveying and mapping technology, which has made the measurement of mountain peak elevation more accurate. Over the past 60 years, the precision of basic control has increased, the mapping mode has become more advanced, and the mapping accuracy has significantly improved.
Simply put, in the past it was "cameras installed on airplanes", but now it is "sensors installed on satellites", so the measurement of peak elevation is naturally more accurate. In addition, factors such as earthquakes causing mountain subsidence and climate warming leading to glacier melting have all had a certain impact on the "shortening" of mountain peaks.
The Most Magical
Invisible magic enters reality
In an activity on October 28, Chu Junhao, an academician of the CAS Member, introduced the "effect test of various optical stealth methods", and at the same time demonstrated the "stealth" realized by using special materials - through a square panel, the lower body of a person could be seen at the beginning, but when it was rotated 90 degrees, the lower body "disappeared".
This is not the magic of an invisibility cloak, behind it lies the law of optics: by macroscopically controlling the direction of light, light can bypass the object it wants to hide.
The panel used by Academician Chu Junhao is a magical material called "cylindrical grating" that allows light to refract in a regular manner. It is composed of rows of tiny cylindrical convex lenses arranged in a row, and each vertical cylindrical convex lens can shrink and thin objects parallel to it, producing several images that are so thin that they are ignored by the eyes, achieving the effect of visual invisibility.
In fact, perfect invisibility requires not only evading the naked eye, but also maintaining low detectability to any electromagnetic waves. Metamaterials "are a feasible solution that can alter the conventional properties of light and electromagnetic waves by designing and restructuring the fine structures of materials.
The most outrageous
The research on room temperature superconductivity continues to 'reverse'
At the March meeting of the American Physical Society, Associate Professor Langa Diaz from the University of Rochester announced the realization of the long-awaited "room temperature superconductivity" in the global scientific community. Meanwhile, the Diaz team published a paper in the journal Nature, claiming to have developed a material containing lutetium, hydrogen, and nitrogen that exhibits superconducting properties at room temperature of approximately 20.6 degrees Celsius and pressure of 10 kilobars (equivalent to 10000 times standard atmospheric pressure).
However, the "reversal" is coming soon - many research groups at home and abroad have argued from different perspectives, but there are no experimental results to support Diaz.
Superconductivity means zero resistance and diamagnetism, but it has always required specific conditions such as low temperature and high voltage. Once room temperature superconductivity is achieved, it will bring disruptive changes in fields such as electricity and transportation. In July, a South Korean research team also claimed to have synthesized a room temperature superconducting material called "LK-99", which also raised many doubts.
In November, the journal Nature published a statement revoking Diaz 'paper published in March. Amidst the hustle and bustle, there is a constant 'reversal'. Currently, significant progress in this field may take some time.
The most convenient
The Chinese speed of 'charging one kilometer per second'
During the National Day holiday, Huawei Digital Energy's fully liquid cooled supercharging stations were officially launched in multiple locations along National Highway 318 and the Litang Yading Highway.
Full liquid cooling "refers to the cooling method of the charging station. Compared with traditional air-cooled fast charging, full liquid cooling supercharging sets up a dedicated liquid circulation channel between the cable and the charging station. Cooling liquid is added to the channel, and the cooling liquid is circulated through a power pump to achieve efficient heat dissipation of the charging station.
Fully liquid cooled supercharging is fast, with a maximum output power of 600kW at the terminal, which is more than three times that of traditional fast charging piles. For new energy vehicles with high voltage platforms greater than 800V, they can be fully charged in less than 10 minutes when operating at maximum power, which is equivalent to replenishing one kilometer of range in one second at the fastest. The equipment has high reliability and long service life. It can achieve high temperature resistance, high humidity resistance, dust prevention, and corrosion prevention in high-altitude areas. It can also adapt to various complex working conditions along the line, and its service life can reach more than 15 years. In addition, it also has the advantages of high adaptability and lightweight charging gun, truly helping new energy vehicle owners to "have a cup of coffee and start on full charge".
The scariest
The hair stands upright like a hedgehog, possibly locked in by lightning
In August, while playing in the desert of Turpan, Xinjiang, a tourist suddenly had their hair all erect, like hedgehogs and sea urchins. Everyone realized something was wrong and quickly evacuated, and their hair returned to normal.
Suddenly exploding in an open area, be careful - you may have already been exposed to the strong electric field of thunderstorm clouds. Especially for this group of tourists, the distortion of the electric field above their heads is already very severe, causing static electricity induction in their hair. In the most extreme case, the human body may be struck by lightning.
How to deal with similar situations? Experts suggest that one should avoid becoming a high ground in open areas, and should not stand under trees or eaves. At the same time, one should not step or run, otherwise it is easy to generate step voltage. The correct approach is to "hold your head, merge your feet, and squat down". If there are cars nearby, entering the car is the safest option because the metal casing can shield strong electric fields.
The most dedicated
Space to Earth Communication Technology Helps Astronaut Mentors and Students' Continuous Connection '
On September 21st, the fourth lesson of "Tiangong Classroom" officially began. As a doctoral supervisor at Beihang University, astronaut Gui Haichao from Shenzhou-16 met his students again on the "podium".
In fact, it is not as difficult as imagined to contact the mentor of 'heaven'. For example, students can go to the confidential rooms of the Chinese Astronaut Research and Training Center or the Beijing Aerospace Flight Control Center to have voice communication with their mentors according to their schedule.
To seek guidance from a "heavenly" mentor for a paper, it is necessary to first submit the relevant questions to the space station. Before the content can be uploaded, it must be approved. The ground staff will send an email to the supervisor, inserting documents, pictures, and even videos into the "attachments". After receiving them, the supervisor can directly view them on a tablet or laptop.
In fact, the Shenzhou-9 spacecraft had already achieved two-way visual communication. In 2016, on the Tiangong-2 spacecraft, astronauts were able to communicate with the ground almost at any time, send and receive emails, and engage in audio and video communication with family and friends. The technology of communication between heaven and earth is constantly advancing, and guiding papers by astronaut mentors is not a problem.
The most exaggerated
OpenAI's senior management shake attracts attention
In November, the top management of the American artificial intelligence company "Open Artificial Intelligence Research Center" (OpenAI) experienced a personnel shock: Sam Altman, one of the founders and former CEO of the company, was "resigned", then joined Microsoft, and soon returned to OpenAI as his former post.
Previously, OpenAI launched the large language model ChatGPT, sparking a wave of generative artificial intelligence. Therefore, this series of changes continues to ferment, attracting attention from the industry and the public.
It is reported that the key factor causing this shock is the tense relationship between Altman and OpenAI board members. Altman has a more aggressive attitude towards developing artificial intelligence, while board members hope to take more cautious actions. However, after Altman's resignation, hundreds of OpenAI employees issued open letters demanding the resignation of the company's board of directors, accusing them of handling Altman's dismissal. Subsequently, Altman "returned" to OpenAI.
A grand play has temporarily come to an end. Fundamentally, it is the extreme manifestation of different technological directions evolving towards different business outcomes after the development of large models reaches a technological watershed.
The most stubborn
Starship launch, repeated failures and battles
On April 20th local time, the Starship heavy rocket, developed by SpaceX and known as the "largest and most powerful carrier rocket in human history," was launched for the first time. Three minutes after launch, the rocket experienced an unplanned disintegration, followed by an explosion and forced the mission to be terminated.
Seven months later, the "Starship" was launched again but still ended in failure. However, the flight altitude of this launch exceeded 100 kilometers, marking that the "Starship" has officially entered space. In addition, from takeoff to the separation of the first and second stages, all 33 engines of the first stage rocket did not shut down, and the rocket launch pad successfully withstood the test of 33 engine flames.
The United States plans to use a "starship" to complete a series of missions such as lunar exploration and Mars colonization. Despite repeated defeats, the "Starship" has indeed taken a big step forward in every launch mission, but there is still a long way to go.
The warmest
A building in Shenzhen is specially equipped with "polka dot costumes" for birds
In October, Tencent Binhai Building in Shenzhen was upgraded to a "wave point installation" so that migrating birds could "see clearly" the glass and prevent "bird collision" incidents, which attracted likes from netizens.
In fact, a clean glass curtain wall is prone to reflecting nearby images, such as trees or the sky, causing some birds to mistakenly believe that they can pass through. At night, the bright light emitted by buildings can cause birds to lose their direction and fly towards the buildings. In China, the research team and relevant institutions of the "National Bird Strike Prevention Action Network" conducted investigations on nearly 1041 buildings from autumn 2022 to spring 2023, and found a total of 190 bird strike incidents. Among the deceased individuals, there are second-class protected wild birds such as the Red throated Song Robin and the Red browed Embroidered eyed Bird.
Building 'wave point installation' is actually a 'bird strike prevention renovation'. Stick polka dot pattern stickers on glass windows with a spacing of no more than 5 centimeters, and birds will avoid flying in the middle due to the small "space" between adjacent windows. In addition, "bird friendly buildings" can be constructed, such as reducing the area of glass curtain walls, using semi transparent and opaque glass, and setting inclined surfaces to create contrast and uneven reflections.
The proudest
The world's deepest and largest underground laboratory has officially been put into scientific operation
On December 7th, the civil engineering and public works of the national major scientific and technological infrastructure and the second phase of the China Jinping Underground Laboratory's extremely deep underground extremely low radiation background cutting-edge physics experimental facility (hereinafter referred to as the "Jinping Large Facility") were completed, and the first batch of 10 experimental project teams were welcomed to settle in. This marks the official launch of the world's deepest and largest underground laboratory into scientific operation.
The Jinping Underground Laboratory is located 2400 meters underground in the middle of the Jinping Mountain Tunnel of the Jinping Hydropower Station in Liangshan, Sichuan. It is built on the natural platform of Jinping Mountain and the deep buried long tunnel of the hydropower station. One of the important purposes of the Jinping facility is to study dark matter, which will help us gain a better understanding of the world and the universe. As a "national treasure" in the fields of particle physics and nuclear physics, the Jinping facility provides extremely low radiation background experimental conditions for cutting-edge physics research such as dark matter, neutrinos, and nuclear astrophysics. At the same time, it also provides an excellent research platform for deep earth sciences such as rock mechanics and deep earth medicine.
Compiled by Sichuan Online journalist Wen Lumin