China's Future Science Prize on Wednesday recognized eight scientists, including three laureates in the Life Science Prize, three in the Physical Science Prize and one in the Mathematics and Computer Science Prize.

Life Science Prize

Paleontologists Ji Qiang, Xu Xing and Zhou Zhonghe were recognized for their groundbreaking discoveries on the origin of birds after finding fossil evidence that supports the thesis birds evolved from dinosaurs. Their work "transformed a long-standing debate into a widely accepted scientific theory, reshaping our understanding of vertebrate evolution," according to the prize.

The idea that birds are descendants of theropod dinosaurs was first proposed in 1868 and remained controversial for many years. Key breakthroughs occurred in the 1990s when Ji and the late Chinese paleontologist Piji Chen independently discovered the first feathered dinosaur fossils in northeastern China. Building on this, Xu and Zhou conducted extensive research, uncovering a series of transitional species that illustrated the evolutionary shift from dinosaurs to birds. Through rigorous analysis and studies, they demonstrated the morphological and functional connections between the two groups.

Physical Science Prize

Fang Zhong, Dai Xi and Ding Hong were honored for their contributions to the computational prediction and experimental realization of topological electronic materials.

The discovery of topological electronic materials represents one of the most significant advancements in condensed matter physics in recent decades, with implications for fields like spintronics, quantum computing and energy technologies.

These materials exhibit unique topological properties in their electronic band structures, leading to robust conducting surface states. Fang and Dai "pioneered a suite of computational methods that enabled the prediction of a series of topological materials," while Ding's innovation has confirmed Weyl fermions in the semimetal predicted by Fang and Dai, turning theory into experimental reality.

Their methods have been widely adopted by scientists worldwide.

"We can apply topological materials to the design of many electronic devices," Dai said. "They can greatly reduce power consumption and enable many unique functionalities."

Dai also noted that within the field of topological materials research, two new directions are particularly important beyond seeking materials with superior performance. These include the artificial design and discovery of new topological electronic states, and expanding electronic "dances" from "solos" to "duets," or even group performances – for example, topological superconducting states is a typical electronic "duet."

"But actual experimental confirmation will require much more effort," Dai added.

Mathematics and Computer Science Prize

The prize went to Lu Chih-yuan for his innovations and leadership in developing new-generation non-volatile memories. The breakthroughs he and his team achieved have led to the creation of powerful new products and laid the groundwork for the future of memory technologies, enabling advancements in fields like AI, mobile devices, cloud computing and edge computing.

Established in 2016, the prize is a privately-sponsored award initiated by scientists and entrepreneurs. It is set to reward those who have made outstanding achievements in science. To date, a total of 46 scientists have been awarded the prize. (CGTN)