1. Largest Ancient Human Gene Bank Created

An international research team analyzed the bones and teeth of almost 5,000 humans who lived across western Europe and Asia up to 34,000 years ago, and created the world's largest ancient human gene bank. By comparing ancient human DNA to modern-day samples, the team mapped the historical spread of genes and diseases over time as populations migrated.

2. First Human Brain Chip Implanted

American entrepreneur Elon Musk announced on January 29 that his brain-chip startup Neuralink had implanted the first brain computer interface device in a person the previous day and the recipient was recovering well. "Preliminary results show promising neuron spike detection," Musk posted on social media platform X.

3. OpenAI's Text-to-Video Tool Sora Stuns the World

Introduced in February 2024, OpenAI's generative AI model Sora can create realistic videos from text. It teaches AI to understand and simulate reality, which is of great importance for developing models that can interact with the physical world. However, if misused it can exacerbate misinformation and false content.

4. World's Biggest Neuromorphic Computer Developed

Intel has developed the world's largest neuromorphic computer system, Hala Point. It has 1.15 billion neurons and is powered by more than 1,000 Loihi 2 processors, which can perform AI workloads using 100 times less energy at speeds as much as 50 times faster than conventional computing systems.

5. First Bose-Einstein Condensate Created from Molecules

A team of physicists has successfully created a unique quantum state of matter called a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) out of molecules. This first molecular BEC's greater period of stability will facillitate testing longstanding theories in quantum phenomena, including superconductivity, superfluidity and more. Molecular BECs also hold the potential to help the development of new types of quantum computers.

6. Chang'e 6 Returns with Moon's Far Side Samples

On June 25, the Chang'e 6 mission achieved the world's first lunar far-side sampling and return, collecting 1,935 grams of material. The samples revealed volcanic activity 2.8 billion years ago, and provided the first-ever ancient magnetic field data on the moon's far side, advancing lunar research.

7. CAR-T Cell Therapy for Autoimmune Diseases

A turning point in the long history of humanity's struggle against autoimmune disease came with Chinese and German researchers using chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy to treat deadly autoimmune diseases with positive effects. The success brings hope for the mass production of cutting-edge CAR-T therapies.

8. SpaceX Starship Pulls Off 'Chopstick' Rocket Catch

SpaceX pulled off a bold test flight of its enormous Starship rocket. Its super heavy booster passed through the atmosphere and returned to its launchpad, where the launch tower caught it using mechanical arms that SpaceX nicknamed the "chopsticks." It was a revolutionary breakthrough in aerospace engineering.

9. Third Type of Magnetism's Existence Confirmed

Scientists have proved the existence of a new type of magnet dubbed "altermagnetism," after previously believing it impossible. The international team discovering the magnet says it could be used to develop more efficient electronic devices. The discovery of altermagnetism provides researchers with the opportunity to explore superconductivity and spintronics, key aspects of rapidly developing supercomputers and magnetic memory technology.

10. Breakthrough in Quantum Chip's Error Correction Capability

Google's latest generation quantum chip Willow managed to keep errors below a critical threshold, a breakthrough in error correction capability. This quantum error correction function is considered a necessary condition for real applications of quantum computing in the future, according to a paper published in Nature.