Scientists in Shanghai put the pulse of human destiny: the 21st century is the biological century

"We all say that the 20th century is the century of physics, and the 21st century is the century of biology. That's not to say physics doesn't matter, chemistry doesn't matter, other disciplines don't matter. On
30, the 3rd World Forum of Top Scientists, which brings together more than 140 of the world's top science award winners, was held in Shanghai. Roger Kornberg, winner of the 2006 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, opened the ceremony with a new explanation of what was widely said.
believes that the 21st century is the century of biology, which means that all science needs to better understand the biological mechanisms of mankind and work together to find solutions to the challenges of physical illness, mental illness, aging, and so on. The answers to these important questions often come from accidental discoveries. "The pursuit of knowledge in pursuit of knowledge, there will be such accidental discovery, the previously unable to solve the problem will have an answer."
, for example, believes that the greatest discovery of human intelligence to date is Einstein's general theory of relativity, which is entirely the result of Einstein's personal mind. Scientists in other fields have developed satellite navigation applications based on general relativity.
in this part of the forum, distinguished guests only need to answer one question, that is, what is the common destiny of mankind? Kornberg concludes that the hope of humanity's common destiny lies in the pursuit of progress, and that scientific discovery is an important part of global progress.
, an experimental high-energy physicist and China's
, also believes that one of the common destinys of mankind is that under the interweaving development of science and technology in different fields, people all over the world will have a better life. In addition, human beings will learn more about the nature of the universe.
logic of the intersection of these two points is similar to that of Kornberg. "I study the origins of the universe, and ordinary people may not be interested in this issue. But over the past few decades, we have gained a better understanding of the structure of matter and the functioning of the universe, developing technologies that are very useful to other disciplines and to the lives of ordinary people. He said.
, for example, synchronic radiation devices and free electron lasers, now widely used in biomedical research, were actually the first to come from the field of high-energy physics. "Shanghai Light Source" is a synchronic radiation device that uses technology derived from the accumulation of particle physics devices, including the Beijing positive and negative electron collider.
, basic and applied sciences are intertwined, and we should not lose sight of any one area. Wang said.
this year's outbreak, Shanghai's light source helped "light up" the key protein structure of the new coronavirus, perhaps the best footnote to Wang's view.
the future ideal human society, which
the winner of the Turing Prize and the future vision of China's Yao Zhi, also contains elements of multidisciplinary cross-integration. "Scientific development has reached an important turning point, and in the next thirty or forty years, many innovations may come from multi-science cross-integration, with a 1-plus-one greater than two."
from a historical point of view, Yao believes that philosophy was the sum of human knowledge hundreds of years ago, and later divided the disciplines of physics, chemistry and biology. "It is a productive practice for independent disciplines to focus on narrow areas. But in recent years, thanks to some combination of physics and engineering, we have many tools that can solve problems in a multidisciplinary way. "
he sees a new trend in which more and more scientific achievements are difficult to define specific segments." We need to bring all disciplines together. "
to this end, yao encourages freshmen to find the intersection of what they want to do and what they do best in their four years of college." I hope that everyone can realize this ideal, so that human society will also achieve the ideal state. He said.