疾病是人類有史以來最大的敵人，疾病所造成的傷亡人數多於歷史上任何戰爭。時至今日，人類仍然需要不斷抵抗疾病。我們會分享三位致力對抗疾病的中國科學家的故事，他們的研究包括精準基因編輯、創造新的動物模型開發新藥治療阿兹海默症及柏金遜症、找出空氣污染與腎病的關係，以及以再生量身訂造的器官爲目標的幹細胞研究。他們的努力有機會改善全球人口的生活。 Our war on disease, is one that’s been fought throughout human history.  It’s killed and maimed more people than any other conflict, and continues to challenge us. This is the story of three Chinese scientists who are working on the frontline of our battle with disease. From precision gene editing to create new animal models for testing novel drugs designed to defeat Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, to the scientists working to combat kidney disease by tackling air pollution, and cutting edge STEM cell research that promises to grow brand new, tailor-made organs to replace those damaged by disease; these ambitious goals have the potential to improve lives across the globe.

過去數十年間，不同的全球定位系統衛星陸續加入環繞地球軌道的行列，但中國名叫北斗的新型衛星網絡，設計上特別為自動駕駛車輛作出考慮，利用了氫鐘大幅提高其精確度。但這些導航及通訊用的衛星網絡，曝露於太空中時而受太陽噴發出的高能粒子威脅，不免令我們的日常生活倍受太空天氣影響。因此，中國與歐洲太空總署聯手把SMILE 衛星送上地球極地上空的軌道，研究太陽風暴對衛星的潛在影響。另一邊廂，中國由２０００年代初起運作的探月計劃，歷年來已送了各兩顆衛星到月球軌道以及月球地表，當中更包括一輛月球車到月球背面的艾托肯盆地，成為人類航天史上的創舉。中國期望能在這些衛星所收集的月球樣本到手後，開展載人登月任務，正式進入新一輪的宇宙競賽。 Constellations of global positioning system satellites have been orbiting the Earth for decades, but China’s new satellite network called BeiDou, which harnesses atomic hydrogen clocks for extra precision, has been built with the new age of self-driving cars in mind.   These networks of satellites for navigation and communication, make our lives increasingly susceptible to space weather; the large outbursts of charged particles which the Sun periodically hurls towards Earth.  So China has teamed up with the European Space Agency to mount a mission that will orbit the Earth’s polar regions, to shed light on how such Solar Storms might affect future satellites. China’s Moon exploration program, in operation since the early 2000s, has now placed two satellites in lunar orbit, and two more on the Moon’s surface; including a robotic rover in the ancient Aitken Basin the lunar far side; a first in spaceflight history.  A Moon sample return mission is next, and China hopes human explorers could follow.  Welcome to a new race for space.

科學在過去數百年皆是最能推動社會改變的力量，當中不少進步也是來自純科學研究，皆在追求知識，非以應用價值為考慮。在此單元我們將介紹三位投身純科學研究的中國科學家，細看他們眼中的深空、深海以及原子世界：先回顧興建世上最大型、將能令人類已知脈衝星數目翻倍的無線電望遠鏡的艱巨過程，然後來見證建造位於南中國地底深處、敏感度足以測量次原子粒子質量的微中子探測器所面對的重重挑戰，最後我們將跟隨航海工程師兼潛水員闖進深海，一看他如何研發尖端新型潛艇，讓科學家能定期探索前人未至的深海水域。 Science is the driving force that’s changed society the most in the last few centuries.  Many of these advances have come from pure science research, done simply in the pursuit of knowledge, without applications in mind.  This is the story of three Chinese scientists who’ve devoted their lives to pure scientific research; looking deeper into the Cosmos, the ocean, and the atom. We reveal just what it took to build the world’s largest radio telescope; set to double the number of pulsars discovered in our galaxy. We follow the challenges of constructing the world’s most sensitive neutrino detector, deep underground in Southern China, that’s designed to measure the mass of these elusive subatomic particles. And we dive to the deep ocean with an aquanaut and marine engineer, who’s creating a new type of submarine for regular trips to the largely unexplored deep sea floor.

科技通常都是逐步發展的，但科學及工程學某些領域正準備迎來飛躍式的進步，將會為世界帶來翻天覆地的改變。本集將介紹三位引領這些領域的中國科學家及工程師。量子物理學催生出一門名爲量子信息學的科學分支，包括中國在内的許多國家都爭相開展研究。與許多西方國家一樣，中國亦一直在研發先進的語音識別系統，結合人工智能演算法，已經開始將其應用到教育及醫療診斷等各個領域中。工業機械人技術是中國近幾十年的另一項偉大創新，加速了它在全球工廠中的應用，將會在未來改變我們所有人的工作方式。 Technology usually advances in small steps, but there are spheres of science and engineering which are on the brink of making giant leaps that could change the world in dramatic ways.  This is the story of three Chinese scientists and engineers who are leading such fields. Quantum physics has given rise to a new branch of science called quantum information, which many countries, including China, are now racing to develop.  Like many western countries China has also been building advanced voice recognition systems, and coupled with the algorithms of artificial intelligence, they are already putting these to use to revolutionise everything from teaching to medical diagnostics.  Industrial robotics is China’s other great innovation of the past few decades, accelerating their adoption in factories around the world; in a movement that will change the way we all work in coming years.

全球人口在2025年將會達到一百億，如何為全球人口提供糧食是世界各地需要面對的最大挑戰之一。未來三十年來，我們所需要生產的糧食量相等於人類歷史上生產的食物量的總和。我們會分享三位中國科學家在務農及畜牧方面的突破。他們的研究包括為農作物進行基因編輯，以改善抗病能力及延長保質期，以及改佔地少的善垂直農場環境，以種植更多不同的農作物。他們的努力已經改善了全球的糧食生產。而利用大數據及人工智能，科學家亦正改變養豬方法，包括以演算法控制餵食量及檢測健康情況來防治豬瘟等疾病。 One of the greatest problems facing society today is how to feed a population set to reach ten billion by 2050.  We will need to produce as much food in the next thirty years as we have done in all human history.  This is the story of three scientists in China who are pushing new frontiers in farming to rise to this challenge.  From the genetic editing of crops, to improve their disease resistance and prolong produce shelf life, to increasing the diversity of crops grown inside space saving vertical farms, their work is already having an impact on food production around the world.  And through the surprising application of big data and artificial intelligence pig farming is also being transformed; as algorithms regulate feeding and monitor animal health, to guard against diseases such as Swine Flu.