Frontier Express Station | Chinese scientists discovered molecular water in lunar soil for the first time, observed "time crystals" for the first time, and independently developed the first high-speed built-in...

Frontier Express Station, see the cutting-edge technology early~

Hello everyone! I am Xiao Ke from Science China. Starting today, I will regularly bring you the latest and most interesting cutting-edge technology trends at home and abroad, so that you can learn about the world's technological events without leaving home.

The following is the content of this issue.

• Introduction:
• my country's "East Data West Computing" project has made positive progress
• Chinese scientists discover molecular water in lunar soil for the first time
• Scientists observe 'time crystals' in room-temperature Rydberg gas for the first time
• New AI model may predict Alzheimer's disease earlier
• my country independently develops the first high-speed internal bogie
• Why is the diamondback moth immune to all kinds of poisons? Scientists have made a new discovery

my country's "East Data West Computing" project has made positive progress

Image source: National Development and Reform Commission

The latest data from the National Bureau of Data shows that as of the end of March this year, the total computing power of the 10 national data center clusters exceeded 1.46 million standard racks, and the overall rack utilization rate was 62.72%, an increase of 4 percentage points from 2022; the network delay between the eastern and western hub nodes has basically met the 20 millisecond requirement; the proportion of green electricity in data centers exceeds the national average, and the green electricity utilization rate of some advanced data centers has reached about 80%, and the PUE (power utilization efficiency) of newly built data centers has dropped to as low as 1.10.

"East Data West Computing" is to guide the computing power demand in the east to the west in an orderly manner by building a new computing power network system integrating data centers, cloud computing, and big data, optimize the layout of data center construction, and promote coordinated linkage between the east and the west. In February 2022, my country started the construction of national computing power hub nodes in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the Yangtze River Delta, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Chengdu-Chongqing, Inner Mongolia, Guizhou, Gansu, and Ningxia, and planned 10 national data center clusters. The "East Data West Computing" project was officially launched.

The implementation of the "East Data West Computing" project has driven the development of industrial chains such as IT equipment manufacturing, information and communications, basic software, and green energy, and improved the country's overall computing power.

Water-rich minerals found in lunar soil

Figure: Photos and composition of ULM-1. a. Photo of CE5 soil sample, b. Photo of ULM-1 single crystal, c. EDS spectrum, d. EPMA spectrum, e. Raman spectrum, f. IR spectrum Image source: Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Whether there is water on the moon is crucial to lunar evolution research and resource development.

In recent years, remote sensing data has shown that there are signs of water molecules in the illuminated areas of the moon. Using highly sensitive characterization techniques, scientists have found "water" (H+, OH- or H2O) in some glasses and minerals at the level of one part per million, but there is no conclusive evidence of the existence of water molecules.

Recently, Chen Xiaolong, a researcher at the Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences/Beijing National Research Center for Condensed Matter Physics, and other researchers, together with researchers from the University of Science and Technology Beijing, Tianjin University, Qinghai Institute of Salt Lakes, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Zhengzhou University and other institutions, discovered an unknown mineral crystal on the moon, ULM-1, which is rich in water molecules and ammonium, in the lunar samples brought back by Chang'e 5. This marks the first time that scientists have discovered molecular water in lunar soil, revealing the true existence form of water molecules and ammonium on the moon.

The discovery of this hydrated mineral reveals a possible form of water molecules on the moon - hydrated salt. Unlike volatile water ice, this hydrate is very stable in high-latitude areas of the moon (Chang'e 5 sampling site). This means that this stable hydrated salt may exist even in the vast sunlight-exposed areas of the moon. This provides new possibilities for the future development and utilization of lunar resources.

The relevant research results were published in Nature Astronomy.

Chinese scientists observed "time crystals" in room temperature Rydberg gas for the first time

Figure: (a) Actual photo of the experimental device. The atomic gas in the device is at room temperature and does not require additional cooling. (b) Schematic diagram of the experimental device. The coupling light (Coupling) and the probe light (Probe) incident in opposite directions will excite the ground state atoms to the Rydberg state and form electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) to the probe light. Another reference beam (Reference) is used for differential measurement. (c) Typical time crystal oscillation signal

Image source: Tsinghua University

In 2012, Nobel Prize winner in Physics Frank Wilczek first predicted the existence of "time crystals", that is, a physical system in the "time crystal" phase will repeat itself over time, showing continuous periodic oscillation behavior. Since then, the discussion about "time crystals" has been a hot topic in quantum many-body physics. However, many theoretical analyses have pointed out that due to quantum fluctuations, it is difficult for the continuous "time crystal" phase to exist stably in a system in equilibrium.

Recently, Professor You Li's team from the Department of Physics at Tsinghua University, in collaboration with domestic and foreign research institutions such as the Beijing Institute of Quantum Information Science, observed for the first time a sustained and stable "time crystal" signal in a strongly interacting room-temperature Rydberg gas, with no attenuation of its oscillation amplitude during the experimental observation time. Unlike traditional finite-temperature systems, the system constructed by the institute is a non-equilibrium system, in which the synergy between long-range interactions between Rydberg atoms, coherent external field drive, and dissipation such as spontaneous radiation of atoms is the key to the stable existence of "time crystals". This special "time crystal" is also called a "dissipative time crystal."

The relevant research results were recently published in the journal Nature Physics.

New AI model may predict Alzheimer's disease earlier

More than 55 million people worldwide suffer from dementia, the most common type of which is Alzheimer's disease. Currently, accurate early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease generally relies on invasive or expensive testing methods, such as lumbar puncture or positron emission tomography. However, not all medical institutions have such testing conditions. As a result, up to one-third of patients may be misdiagnosed, and even more patients cannot receive effective treatment because they are diagnosed too late.

Researchers from the University of Cambridge and other institutions in the UK have developed a new artificial intelligence (AI) model that provides a non-invasive and low-cost method to effectively predict whether research subjects will develop Alzheimer's disease within the next three years.

When the model was tested using real-world data from multiple clinics in the UK, Singapore and other countries, the test results showed that the model had an 82% accuracy rate in identifying people who would develop Alzheimer’s disease within three years, and an 81% accuracy rate in identifying people who would not develop Alzheimer’s disease within three years.

The relevant research has been published in the British journal Electronic Clinical Medicine.

my country independently develops the first high-speed internal bogie

CRRC Corporation Limited is the first Chinese company to independently develop a high-speed internal bogie. Image source: China National Radio

The bogie is the running system of rail vehicles and one of the core components of high-speed EMUs.

Recently, CRRC Corporation Limited officially released the first high-speed internal bogie independently developed by my country over three years. Compared with the traditional external bogie, the internal bogie is 20% lighter, consumes 15% less energy when the vehicle is running, reduces wheel-rail wear by about 30%, reduces wheel-rail noise by about 2 decibels, and reduces the cost of line maintenance and bogie maintenance by 15% during the entire life cycle. It is lightweight, green, energy-saving and low-cost.

The launch of this product marks a new breakthrough in my country's in-depth control of high-speed rail core technologies and the development of key components, which will help China's high-speed rail to develop steadily and for a long time.

Why is the diamondback moth immune to all kinds of poisons? Scientists have made a new discovery

Image source of Plutella xylostella larvae: Vegetable Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences

The diamondback moth is a major agricultural pest that harms cruciferous vegetables such as radish, cabbage, and rapeseed. When it breaks out, it can cause a significant reduction in crop yields or even a complete crop failure. Therefore, people usually use pesticides to control it, but there is a problem with long-term and large-scale use of pesticides: pests will continue to evolve pesticide resistance. The diamondback moth is the first insect in the world reported to have developed high resistance to Bt biopesticides in the field.

So how did the diamondback moth develop resistance to insecticides? Researchers found that the increased level of molting hormone (20E) in the diamondback moth is a key factor. But why does the 20E level in the diamondback moth increase? Recently, Zhang Youjun's team from the Institute of Vegetable and Flower Research of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences has cracked the molecular mechanism of the adaptive evolution of the diamondback moth and revealed for the first time a regulatory mechanism of a midgut transcriptional regulation loop mediating Bt resistance in the diamondback moth.

The research team found that PxDfd is a key transcription factor, and its decreased expression level will lead to an increased expression level of miR-8545 in the midgut, while the increased expression level of miR-8545 will inhibit the expression of a glucose dehydrogenase (GLD) gene.

(Contents are compiled from the National Development and Reform Commission, the Institute of Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tsinghua University, Xinhuanet, People's Daily Online, CCTV.com, Guangming Online, China National Radio, China Science Daily, etc.)