The science and technology undertaking of New China started almost from scratch. In 1956, the central government issued a great call for "advancing into science." Under the guidance of the "focus on development and catching up" policy, the country initially( 初 步 ) established a government-led science and technology system to break down the blockade and strenuous efforts have laid a solid foundation for the development of China's scientific and technological undertakings and injected a self-improving soul.

Preliminary layout of science and technology system

At the beginning of the founding of New China, the country was abolished( 百废俱兴) and the scientific and technological foundation was extremely weak, and it needed to be improved. In 1949, represented by the establishment of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, various regions and departments began to set up a number of scientific research institutions.In 1956, the new for the first time in Chinese history, the National Science and Technology Conference was convened, and the country's first long-term science and technology development plan, the National Science and Technology Development Prospects Plan 1956-1967, was devoted to research and deployment of science and technology development issues, and formulated a number of major technologies that were urgently needed at the time. The mission became the first milestone in the history of China's scientific and technological development. Prior to the "Cultural Revolution", national scientific research institutions had increased from more than 30 at the beginning of the founding of the People's Republic of China to more than 1,700, and the number of professionals dedicated to scientific research had increased from less than 500 to 120,000 .It has initially formed a scientific and technological system consisting of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, universities, industrial departments, local scientific research units and national defense departments.

The impact of hard work is profound(深远的)

The establishment of new China has inspired a large number of overseas students to report their national ambitions. Overseas experts and scholars represented by Qian Xuesen, Hua   Luogeng,   Zhu Guangya, etc. broke all difficulties and obstacles(障碍), embraced their deep feelings for the motherland, and returned to China to work for the technology of New China. He has made outstanding contributions to career development. By 1957, more than 3,000 overseas scholars returned home, accounting for more than half of all overseas students and scholars before the founding of the People's Republic of China. Most of them became science in various(各种各样的) fields of New China. The founder or pioneer of technological development, in the era of   enthusiasm and burning, led scientific researchers across the country to work independently and arduously under extremely difficult conditions, creating a series of world-renowned scientific and technological miracles, and left precious for future generations.

The first achievements to inspire(振奋) the country

In this period, under the national system of focusing on major events, a number of major scientific and technological achievements that catch up with the world level quickly emerged. In 1958, China's first electron tube computer was successfully trial-produced. Subsequently, semiconductor triodes and diodes were successively developed; 1959 In 1995, Li Siguang and others proposed   the theory of "land-phase oil", which broke the Western scholars' theory of "lean oil in China"; in 1960, Wang Xichang and others discovered anti-sigma negative supersonons; in 1964, the first atomic bomb device exploded successfully. A self-designed and manufactured carrier rocket was successfully launched; in 1965, the first artificial synthesis of bovine insulin in the world; in 1967, the first hydrogen bomb was successfully air-blasted; in 1970, the "Dongfanghong-1" artificial earth satellite was successfully launched; in the 70s In the early days, Chen Jingrun proved Goldbach's "1 + 2" conjecture ... these important achievements under extremely difficult conditions have written a strong mark in the history of China's scientific and technological development.

——Adapted from CCTV and Taiwan Straits Network

There are many cookery shows on TV and you wish you could reach through your screen and taste the delicious dishes yourself. Now, some scientists from a Japanese university have taken a huge step towards making that a reality, with the development of a lickable TV screen.

The machine is called Taste the TV (TTTV). It is just what it sounds like, a TV with a screen that you can lick to taste different flavours. The machine has 10 different flavour containers, and the flavours are sprayed onto a thin film that is placed on the screen, ready for the user to taste!

The scientists developed this product with hopes to make a platform where tastes from around the world can be tasted by users around the world. In the COVID-19 era, this kind of technology can increase the way people connect and communicate with the outside world, said the scientist. “The goal is to make it possible for people to have the experience of something like eating at a restaurant on the other side of the world, even while at home,” he said.

They have also been in talks with companies about using their spray technology for use. For example, a machine that can apply a pizza or chocolate taste to a piece of bread. A member of the team, aged 22, showed TTTV for reporters, telling the screen she wanted to taste sweet chocolate. After a few tries, the flavour was rolled on a thin film. After tasting it, she said, “It’s kind of like milk chocolate. It’s sweet like a chocolate sauce.”

It is not yet clear whether this product will be approved of by the public. But possible uses are endless, and could even one day help astronauts on long-distance journeys have a wide flavour combination.

African elephants can now be counted from space, using high resolution images (高清图像). The researchers say the new technology can be used to protect the animals better.

The researchers used satellites (卫星) 372 miles above the earth to take some of the highest resolution images. They then made a computer program that could identify (识别) elephants within the images (图像). Dr Olga Isupova, from the University of Bath, told the BBC, “We could train the machine to see small details that we wouldn’t be able to pick up with our eyes.”

Usual ways of counting elephants are to fly above them in the planes or get humans to count the animals on satellite images. This can be difficult, because elephants are hard to be seen when they are among trees or tall grass. It takes a long time and mistakes can be made. The new technology means elephants can be counted more correctly and the work is much faster. The computers can do the same amount of counting in a few hours by the new technology instead of (代替) humans’ monthly work. Clouds still are a challenge, because they can block (遮挡) the satellites’ view. Luckily though, most places where the elephants live do not have much cloud.

The researchers say the new technology can help to save elephant populations from being hunted (捕猎), because it is easier to find where the elephants are and so plans can be made to protect them.