Per reporter: Ding Zhouyang Per editor: Liu Yanmei
What kind of sparks will collide when the Nobel Prize, the highest award for scientific achievement on Earth, meets the Hugo Award, which is known as the "Nobel Prize in science fiction literature"? The world of the Nobel Prize, can it contain the brain hole of the Hugo Award?
On September 10, the first Science and Science Fiction Innovation Forum kicked off in Chengdu, where scientists, science fiction writers and primary and secondary school teachers and students in the audience spent a "brain-opening" Teachers' Day. Michael Levitt, a world-renowned scientist, winner of the 2013 Nobel Prize in Chemistry and tenured professor at Stanford University, and young Chinese science fiction writers Jiang Bo and Haizhang, shortlisted for the 2023 Hugo Award, completed a dialogue between science and science fiction.
The third from the left: Michael Levitt, Jiang Bo, Haizhang Image source: provided by the organizer
Levitt made great research in mathematics, physics, and finally biology and chemistry. When he was asked by the elementary and middle school students present how he conducts interdisciplinary research. Levitt responded that he knew less about chemistry than any other discipline. "But these historic disciplines are no longer distinct today, and if you average medicine and mathematics, you get chemistry." A lot of good research comes from cross-exploration between different disciplines. ”
As for the knock of scientific inspiration, it is more often inadvertent. "Maybe it's when you're cooking or bathing, maybe it's reading an ancient Chinese poem, or reading a science fiction work." Levitt said.
After the forum, Wu Xiankui, chairman of the Sichuan Science Writers Association and winner of the first Science Fiction Galaxy Award, said in an interview with the "Daily Economic News" reporter that today, science fiction should not only be regarded as a niche fun. "We should form a consensus that imagination is productivity. Start with the child, take care of the imagination and protect it. ”
Wu Xiankui, chairman of the Sichuan Science Writers Association and winner of the first Science Fiction Galaxy Award Image source: provided by the organizer
"If someone tells me I can't make mistakes, I'll get bored"
Although he was called "Grandpa Levitt" by the primary and secondary school students present, the 76-year-old Levitt did not show the slightest "inability to keep up with the times". He has no assistant accompanying him, carries a backpack on his shoulder, wears a smart watch on his wrist, and translates the content of the venue in real time with smart software on his mobile phone.
The buzzword AI is ancient. In 1967, when Levitt was studying for his doctorate at Cambridge University, he read a lot of related content in the library, and in his opinion, artificial intelligence has really achieved a qualitative leap because computers are becoming more and more powerful.
As a pioneer in interdisciplinary "computational biology", Levitt pioneered molecular dynamics simulation methods for proteins and DNA, working on the critical evaluation of protein structure prediction techniques. He and two other scientists won the 2013 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for "creating multiscale models for complex chemical systems."
Simply put, computational biology, which begins with DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) structure and protein structure, is about using different methods to understand the numbers obtained from living things. Under this breakthrough in basic science, the application fields such as antibody design and drug development have been greatly promoted.
For Levitt, warmth, curiosity and asking questions are qualities that will always be cherished. "Passion means that you love something very much. Do what you love to do, there's nothing better than that. ”
"When I was 12 years old, computers were just coming out, and computers were the size of our lecture halls. I was very fortunate to find out early on that this was something I was passionate about. Levitt recalled. Now, Levitt still likes to "play with mobile phones", he is proficient in using WeChat, Alipay, Taobao and other application software, and has also opened an account on station B to be the master of popular science UP.
Levitt believes that the world has changed drastically in the past year. "I've been writing computer code for 60 years, I'm getting older, but with the help of ChatGPT, I've been 10 times more efficient at programming. So I think every field will interact with this new intelligence. Artificial intelligence will be very smart friends around each of us, and we must continue to ask questions and remain curious. ”
When it comes to his message to young students, Levitt puts "don't be afraid to make mistakes" first.
"Advise everyone to stay enthusiastic while trying things you're not good at. Usually we are taught not to make mistakes, but it is important to make mistakes, and if you are doing something very difficult, you are bound to make mistakes. If someone tells me that you can't make mistakes, I'll get bored. Therefore, it is very important to accept that you can make mistakes and learn from falls just as you learn to walk as a learning baby. "In addition, exercise is also important, enhancing sports, and teaching us how to get along with people and increase our emotional intelligence." One of the biggest dangers for young scientists is overwork. ”
Science fiction reading volume is small, can hobbies be eaten as food?
Jiang Bo, from chip engineer to science fiction writer; Haizhang, from banker to science fiction writer. These two "Slash Youths" shortlisted for the 2023 Hugo Awards are very encouraging for readers who want to try their hand at writing science fiction.
"Busy banking can help me solve the material base, but continuing to write science fiction is a channel for me to realize my self-worth outside of my ordinary life." Haizhang said, "I have loved reading Science Illustrated since I was a child, and the magazine "Science Fiction World" that I loved in junior high school is more like a spiritual enlightenment for me, and the desire to explore and learn about science is really the most important driving force for me to embark on science fiction creation." ”
The professional background of microelectronics at Tsinghua University brings a "hardcore" background to Jiang Bo's science fiction writing. In addition to his part-time work as an engineer, he now devotes the rest of his time to science fiction.
Science fiction writer Jiang Bo graduated from Tsinghua University majoring in microelectronics Image source: provided by the organizer
"Once you can write a bestseller, the return is not an issue, and I haven't written a bestseller yet." Jiang Bo told the "Daily Economic News" reporter frankly that like many science fiction authors, writing science fiction is Jiang Bo's hobby, and whether this hobby can be eaten as a meal has always been discussed. "I think it's important to be prepared to make a clear judgment about whether the minimum income from writing can sustain a basic living before you can write a bestseller."
"I've never supported young budding authors quitting their jobs to write science fiction, because once you have a financial problem, your mentality becomes impetuous and you bring a lot of utilitarian stuff in. I think you need to have a foundation on which to live and devote the rest of your time to writing. Jiang Bo said.
Whether science fiction creation can be turned into a profession or even a career depends on the soil of the science fiction industry.
According to the "2022 China Science Fiction Industry Report", the total revenue of China's science fiction industry in 2022 will be 87.75 billion yuan. Wu Xiankui analyzed that movies accounted for 8.35 billion yuan, games accounted for about 56.5 billion yuan, science fiction derivatives accounted for 4.83 billion yuan, the total revenue of science fiction culture was 15.03 billion yuan, and science fiction reading accounted for only 3.04 billion yuan. "What problems can be seen here? The first is that the volume of science fiction reading is small, the second is that there are too few influential science fiction blockbusters, and the third is that science fiction derivatives are obviously insufficient. ”
Image source: 2023 China Science Fiction Industry Report
How to guide the development of science fiction as an industry, Wu Xiankui believes that it is first necessary to gather consensus - the development of imagination is the development of productive forces. "We must care for imagination and love imagination, imagination is the source of science fiction literature, and a good science fiction reading ecology is the source of science fiction industry."
Daily economic news