On November 28th, 2023, China Academy of Sciences Science and Technology Strategy Consulting Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences Literature and Information Center and Kerui Wei ‘an jointly released the report "Research Frontiers in 2023" and the report "Research Frontiers Heat Index in 2023", which selected 128 research frontiers that were active or developing rapidly in the world in 2023, and judged the development trends and key issues of related disciplines.

The 128 research frontiers selected in the report include 110 hot frontiers and 18 emerging frontiers, covering 11 highly aggregated disciplines such as agricultural science, botany and zoology, ecology and environmental science, earth science, clinical medicine, biological science, chemistry and materials science, physics, astronomy and astrophysics, mathematics, information science, economics, psychology and other social sciences.

110 hot frontiers and 18 emerging frontiers:

The fields of agricultural science, botany and zoology are widely distributed in the top 10 hotspots, involving six sub-fields: food science and engineering, plant immune regulation, plant abiotic stress response mechanism, plant growth and development regulation, plant genome and animal nutrition.

One direction in the fields of agricultural science, botany and zoology has been selected as a new frontier, which is "the identification and positioning method of fruit picking robots".

Top 10 hotspots in the field of ecology and environmental science are mainly distributed in two sub-fields, and the research direction of new environmental problems and new solutions is the main focus this year.

One direction in the field of ecology and environmental science has been selected as a new frontier, namely "Detection and exposure of microplastics in human tissues".

Earth science is a discipline highly dependent on observation technology. In 2023, among the Top10 hot spots in the field of earth science, six belong to geography-related research, three are atmospheric science research and one is planetary geology research, and most of them use advanced technical methods and models such as earth system model and earth observation technology to promote new scientific discoveries.

One research in the field of earth science was selected as an emerging frontier, namely "Study on the Global Impact of Tonga Volcanic Eruption".

The top ten hotspots in the field of clinical medicine focus on tumor immunotherapy, targeted therapy and molecular-specific PET imaging, gene therapy for genetic diseases, and related drug therapy and vaccine evaluation in COVID-19. Tumor immunotherapy and targeted therapy have maintained a high degree of popularity over the years, which is the core topic of this year’s hot frontier.

The five emerging frontiers selected in the field of clinical medicine in 2023 mainly involve five aspects: monkey pox epidemiological research, immunotherapy of melanoma, cardiovascular risk of tofacitinib treatment, combined treatment of prostate cancer and treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus. The specific research directions are shown in the table below.

The top ten hot frontiers in the field of biological sciences include leading editing technology, new sequencing technology, prediction of protein structure by artificial intelligence, pan-cancer analysis of human genome, blood biomarkers of Alzheimer’s disease, biological function of exosomes and novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) infection.

Four studies in the field of biological sciences have been selected as emerging frontiers. The main research topics include Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) as the main cause of multiple sclerosis, the complete sequence of human genome, copper death: the mechanism of copper-induced tumor cell death and tryptophan metabolism: a new target for disease treatment.

Top10 hotspots in the field of chemistry and materials science are mainly distributed in electrochemistry, nanomaterials, organic chemistry, emerging intersections and other research directions. There are four electrochemical directions, namely, seawater electrolysis catalyst, electrocatalytic nitrate reduction to synthesize ammonia, anion exchange membrane fuel cell and electrocatalytic synthesis of hydrogen peroxide. There are three directions of nano-materials, namely high entropy alloy catalyst, quantum dot light emitting diode and two-dimensional transistor. There are two directions in organic chemistry, namely artificial molecular machines and supramolecular adhesives. There is one emerging cross direction, which is mechanochemistry. Among them, artificial molecular machines and mechanochemistry were selected as the Top10 hot spots for the second time.

In the field of chemistry and materials science, there are two research projects, both of which are related to energy conversion and storage. "Development of high-performance HER and ORR photocatalyst and its application in solar fuel synthesis" mainly involves the conversion of solar energy into green fuels such as hydrogen and hydrogen peroxide by hydrogen reduction reaction (HER) and oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) using photocatalysts, such as covalent organic framework compounds and metal oxide semiconductors (mainly BiVO4). The preparation of polymer dielectric capacitor mainly involves using polymer as the dielectric of capacitor, adjusting its composition and structure, and improving the energy density and discharge efficiency of capacitor at the same time.

The top 10 hotspots in physics mainly focus on condensed matter physics, theoretical physics, high-energy physics, optics and quantum physics. There are four hot frontiers in condensed matter physics, and the research of new superconducting materials is outstanding, including caged superconducting material AV3Sb5, infinite layer nickelate and rich hydride. In addition, the Mohr superlattice of transition metal sulfides has become a new hot front. There are two hot frontiers in theoretical physics, focusing on the information paradox and entanglement entropy of black holes and the study of scattering amplitude in quantum field theory. There are two hot frontiers in high-energy physics, and the partial quantum distribution function is a new hot frontier, and the measurement of muon abnormal magnetic moment has been selected as the hot frontier for two consecutive years. Optics and quantum physics each have a new hot frontier, focusing on AlGaN deep ultraviolet light emitting diode and two-field quantum key distribution respectively.

One research in the field of physics has been selected as a new frontier, that is, "theoretical research based on the accurate measurement results of W boson mass".

The top ten hot topics in astronomy and astrophysics involve gravitational wave observation and theory, original black holes, observation during the re-ionization period of the universe, fast radio bursts, weak gravitational lens surveys, string theory and cosmology, galactic stellar halo and other research topics. Generally speaking, the research on gravitational waves is still the most prominent research topic, with both observation and theoretical research, and a number of hot frontiers have emerged, such as the results of gravitational wave observation activities of "Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory" and "European Gravitational Wave Detector", the properties of neutron stars based on GW170817 gravitational wave event observation constraints, the properties of original black holes and gravitational wave observation, black hole shadows and four-dimensional Einstein-Gauss-Bonnet gravity theory. The observation and theoretical study of fast radio bursts are once again on the list. The emerging frontier string theory swamp conjecture and cosmology in 2020 will enter the forefront of hot spots in 2023. The output of the large-scale scientific mission platform is still eye-catching. Except for the two gravitational wave detectors, the results of the "Gaia" release stage are on the list.

Two studies in astronomy and astrophysics were selected as emerging frontiers.

The top ten hotspots in the field of mathematics mainly focus on the research directions of extended physical information neural network, proof of Onsager conjecture, nonlinear time fractional reaction-diffusion equation, optimal estimation method of sample mean, second-order energy-stable BDF numerical scheme, convergence research of nonlinear dynamic system, community discovery based on random block model, high-dimensional partial numerical algorithm based on deep learning, regression discontinuity design, Bayesian multi-level model and application research. Compared with previous years, the Top10 hotspots in 2023 have both continuity and development. The research on the properties and solutions of partial differential equations and many hot frontiers in the direction of nonlinear systems have been selected as hot frontiers or emerging frontiers in this field for many years. The proof of Onsager conjecture is an outstanding representative of the bright research results in this field.

The top ten hotspots in the field of information science mainly focus on the basic theoretical methods of artificial intelligence, 6G communication, human-computer interaction, brain-like intelligence, medical information processing and so on. There are five hot frontiers in the basic theoretical methods of artificial intelligence, and the new hot frontiers are generative confrontation network, width learning system and federated learning for edge computing, which can explain that artificial intelligence has become the hot frontier this year from the emerging frontier last year. The related frontiers of reinforcement learning have appeared in the hotspots many times. This issue focuses on MuZero algorithm to promote reinforcement learning to solve real-world problems. There are two hot frontiers in 6G communication. The application of deep learning in physical layer communication has become the hot frontier for the first time, and the reconfigurable intelligent hypersurface has entered the hot frontier this year from the emerging frontier last year. In terms of human-computer interaction, the next generation VR/AR real-time holographic near-eye display method has become a hot front for the first time. In the aspect of brain-like intelligence, impulsive neural network and its neuromorphological chip appeared for the first time. In medical information processing, convolutional neural network used for EEG signal analysis has become a hot front for the first time.

The top 10 hotspots in economics, psychology and other social sciences reflect the trend of economic and social transformation to digitalization and greening. The three hotspots, namely, supply chain risk management and application of blockchain technology in it, research on consumers’ use and acceptance of online ordering service and artificial intelligence (AI) ethics, focus on the analysis of the changes and impacts of digitalization and intelligence on the economy and society. Green sustainable development is another prominent theme in the hot frontier in this field, and there are three frontier directions related to it, including "Study on the Uncertainty of Green Energy Consumption and Economic Policy", "Land Use Efficiency and Sustainable Development" and "Green Innovation and Environmental Performance". "Sports psychology research" is the only hot frontier in the field of psychology. In addition, "Research on Intervention Measures for Children and Adolescents’ Physical Exercise" has also become a hot front in 2023.

One research in the fields of economics, psychology and other social sciences has been selected as a new frontier, namely "people-oriented, sustainable and flexible industrial 5.0 development".

Original title: Academic Information | China Academy of Sciences Releases 128 Frontiers of Scientific Research.

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