By Gabby Chen

(JW Insights) Mar 21 -- The High-Tech Research and Development Center, affiliated with China's Ministry of Science and Technology(MOST), unveiled China's top 10 scientific advances of 2022 on March 17, featuring breakthroughs in basic research ranging from materials science to chemistry, according to reports by Xinhua and China Daily.

At the top of the list is the Martian subsurface structure revealed by Mars rover Zhurong's radar instrument. The study not only showed detailed subsurface features of Mars but also provided the observation evidence of the water presence, which helps to shed light on the planet's geologic history and climate conditions, said the Xinhua report.

The detection of active, repeating, fast radio bursts by the FAST (Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope) ranked second. This discovery has laid the observation foundation for revealing the origin of the mysterious radio waves.

The third place went to a new principle and technology for hydrogen generation directly from seawater. It solves a technical problem that has long plagued the industry, said Xinhua.

Other advances include research on COVID-19 variants and immune escape mechanisms, the development of high-efficiency perovskite solar cells, the synthesis of the organic compound ethylene glycol, a new method to store a massive quantity of computational data, and new developments in quantum physics, nano-materials, superconductors.

The center said the goal of the list is to showcase China's latest and biggest achievements in basic research, encourage Chinese scientists and engineers to work hard in fundamental research, and promote public awareness and support for these types of scientific undertakings, said the China Daily report.

Meanwhile, President Xi Jinping said last month strengthening basic research is an imperative for achieving quality self-reliance in science and technology and building China into a global scientific and technological powerhouse, according to China Daily.