【文/观察者网 齐倩】 香港英文媒体《南华早报》11月19日刊文称，瑞士《前沿》杂志首席执行官弗雷德·芬特尔认为，中国 在科研产出和某些前沿领域正超越美国，硅谷和美国顶尖大学在塑造科学未来方面的主导地位可能正在 终结。《前沿》杂志是全球领先学术出版商之一。 芬特近期在一次采访中表示："根据全球最大互联研究数据库Digital Science的数据，2024年中国研究人 员发表了110万篇论文，美国为88万篇，中美科研产出差距正在扩大。" 他提到，尽管美国传统上被视为医学研究领导者，但近期的出版趋势显示不同景象。 数据显示，2023年，中国在医学领域论文占比达40%，2024年进一步升至略超50%。在能源研究领域， 中国已是全球领导者，占该领域论文约35%，且影响力显著。 "毫无疑问，中国现在是科学出版和产出的领导者，"芬特称，"专利等其他指标进一步表明，中国不仅 在数量上，还在高质量科研产出上超越了美国。" 芬特提到，中国的科学崛起正成为其他国家的榜样，尤其是越南。他说："我们最近会见了越南代表 团，他们有雄心勃勃的计划，要大幅增加研发投资，希望复制中国过去15到20年所获得的成果。" 弗雷德·芬特尔近期接受 ...

Core Viewpoint - A research team from the University of Tokyo has developed a new method for synthesizing ammonia from nitrogen and water at ambient temperature and pressure, potentially revolutionizing the ammonia production process and contributing to a "nitrogen cycle society" [1][2]. Group 1: Traditional Ammonia Production Challenges - Traditional ammonia synthesis relies on the Haber process, which requires high temperature and pressure, leading to high energy consumption and carbon emissions [1]. - The current method is heavily dependent on fossil fuels for hydrogen extraction, primarily from coal and natural gas [1]. Group 2: New Ammonia Synthesis Method - The Tokyo University team previously created a thermal-driven system that bypasses hydrogen as an intermediate, achieving ammonia synthesis with a nearly 100-fold increase in efficiency compared to traditional methods [2]. - The new light-driven ammonia synthesis system utilizes an iridium-based compound to harness solar energy, allowing for ammonia production under mild conditions without CO2 emissions [2]. Group 3: Future Prospects and Challenges - The research team aims to develop an artificial nitrogenase to enhance ammonia synthesis efficiency and achieve scalability [3]. - Current challenges include improving reaction efficiency, optimizing material selection, and ensuring system durability and recyclability [3][4]. - Ammonia is viewed as a more suitable energy carrier than hydrogen due to its easier storage and transportation, making it a crucial component in the future hydrogen economy [4].

Group 1: Emerging Technologies - The World Economic Forum released the "Top 10 Emerging Technologies Report" for 2025, highlighting technologies that could address global challenges in the next 3 to 5 years [1] - Structural battery composite materials are set to revolutionize the transportation sector by combining mechanical load-bearing capabilities with electrochemical energy storage, potentially transforming electric vehicles and aircraft [1] - Salinity gradient power generation technology utilizes the difference in salinity between two water sources to generate electricity, marking a significant breakthrough in clean energy [2] - Innovations in nuclear energy, including small modular reactors, are driving a new wave of development aimed at reducing costs and optimizing designs, with the ultimate goal of achieving controlled nuclear fusion [3] Group 2: Healthcare Innovations - Scientists are transforming probiotics into micro "pharmaceutical factories," which could lead to more economical and sustainable disease treatment options, reducing production costs by 70% [4] - GLP-1 receptor agonists, initially developed for type 2 diabetes and obesity, show promising potential in treating neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's by reducing brain inflammation and clearing harmful proteins [5] - Smart biochemical sensors are capable of real-time monitoring of specific biochemical indicators, expanding their applications from diabetes management to food safety [6] Group 3: Agricultural and Environmental Technologies - New nitrogen fixation technologies are being developed to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions associated with traditional nitrogen fixation processes, which currently consume 2% of global energy [7][8] - Nanozymes, synthetic materials mimicking natural enzymes, offer advantages such as stability and cost-effectiveness, with applications in water purification and cancer research [8] - Collaborative sensing technologies are reshaping urban management by enabling interconnected devices to optimize traffic flow and environmental monitoring [8] Group 4: Digital Security Technologies - Generative watermarking technology embeds invisible markers in AI-generated content to help distinguish authenticity, although challenges such as user manipulation and ethical dilemmas remain [9]