Keep your feet on the ground and look up at the stars

In 2022, the world enters the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic, and unfortunately, we haven't seen where it ends yet.

While the pandemic will continue to change the world, medicine and science will bring us new hopes and surprises.

What scientific events are worth looking forward to in the new year?

Upgrading of vaccines

This year, researchers will continue to monitor the emergence of new variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the long-term effects of the virus on patients who recover from infection.

With the expansion of the number of infected people in the past and the popularization of vaccines, many people have gained a certain degree of immunity, and the infection of the virus to the human body has become more difficult. It also means that emerging mutants, such as Omikeron, can often escape existing immunity. To prevent the rapid development of the virus, vaccine developers have set their sights on the next generation of vaccines, such as vaccines for specific variants, as well as other vaccines based on protein or DNA.

In addition to protection against the coronavirus, there is also promise for vaccines against other major viruses and diseases, including HIV, malaria and Lyme disease.

A global effort for biodiversity

Due to the impact of the epidemic, the postponed second phase of the fifteenth conference of the Parties (COP15) to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity is currently tentatively scheduled to be held in Kunming, China in the first half of 2022.

Habitat loss and other factors associated with human activities have put about a million species of flora and fauna at risk of extinction. In 2010, the international community set the global biodiversity conservation targets for 2011-2020, also known as the "Aichi Targets", but at present, none of the 20 action goals of the Aichi Targets have been fully achieved, and only 6 goals have been partially achieved.

In October 2021, the first phase of COP15 adopted the Kunming Declaration, which committed itself to developing, adopting and implementing an effective post-2020 global biodiversity framework, putting biodiversity on a path to restoration by 2030 at the latest, and fully realizing the vision of "harmonious coexistence between man and nature" by 2050.

A surprise for quantum computers

This year, a number of advances and breakthroughs have been made in the research of quantum computers. The "Zuchong-2" and "Jiuzhang-2" quantum computing superiority experiments led by the team of academician Pan Jianwei of the University of Science and Technology of China have reached milestones in the quantum computing superiority of superconducting quantum and optical quantum systems, respectively. Google's quantum processor "Planewood" achieved an exponential increase in error suppression, a big step towards error-correcting quantum computers.

While this is still a long way from a universal quantum computer, and objectively speaking, a general-purpose quantum computer will not come in the short term, some optimistic researchers believe that 2022 may have a chance to see a bigger breakthrough in quantum computing, such as demonstrating quantum superiority on a useful problem.

Regression of large-scale physics experiments

After years of shutdowns and extensive maintenance work, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is expected to resume operations in June. The main experimental ATLAS and CMS have been upgraded and expanded, which will allow them to collect more data from the 40 million proton collisions generated per second per experiment.

In addition to the LHC, four gravitational wave detectors in Japan, Italy and the United States will also begin a new round of observation operations after the upgrade is completed.

In addition to this, in 2022, the Rare Isotope Beam Device (FRIB) is expected to be operational. This multistage accelerator aims to synthesize new isotopes of thousands of known elements, opening up new opportunities for foundational and physics, astrophysics and medical diagnostics.

The journey of the sea of stars

Next year, we will continue to march towards the universe. China plans to complete the construction of the Tiangong space station around 2022 and officially put it into use, and many scientific experiments will be planned to be carried out in the space station in the future.

At the same time, the moon will become a popular destination, including India, Japan, South Korea and other countries of space agencies plan to launch orbiters or landers to the moon. Some private space companies also have plans for such projects.

In addition, the Mars Life Exploration Program (ExoMars) is expected to begin a journey to Mars in the second half of the year, and it will carry the Rosalind Franklin rover in search of possible signs of past life. Rovers such as Zhu Rong and Perseverance, which are currently working on Mars, will also bring more news about the Red Planet.

#创作团队:

Written by: Takeko

Typography: Wenwen

#参考来源:

https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg25233661-800-2022-preview-what-will-the-coronavirus-do-next/

https://www.nature.com/articles/456852c

https://news.un.org/zh/story/2021/07/1087882

http://www.gov.cn/xinwen/2021-10/11/content_5641761.htm

https://news.un.org/zh/story/2021/10/1092712

https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg25233661-700-2022-preview-quantum-computers-may-finally-become-useful-tools/

#图片来源:

First and cover images: Pixabay