In this week's Science Saturday, from quantum computing to the first COVID-19 vaccine, let's take a look at what's making news in the world of science. 

Quantum computing

Chinese scientists say they've built the fastest quantum computer in the world. They say it can perform at least one task 100 trillion times faster than the world's fastest supercomputers. If so, it will beat Google's first machine, unveiled last year, to achieve "quantum supremacy". Scientists hope to use the computer to invent alternative medicines, explore space, and predict climate change, among others goals.  

Coronavirus vaccine

A 90-year-old woman has received the first COVID-19 vaccine in the UK, outside of trials. Margaret Keenan received the jab in Coventry, marking the start of an historic mass vaccination program. The UK is the first Western country to authorize the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine. The shots will be given to medical care workers, as well as those aged over 80, before it becomes widely available to the general population. 

Space exploration

A Japanese probe has returned to Earth with samples from a distant asteroid. Hayabusa-2 landed in the South Australian desert last Saturday. It brought back samples from the Ryugu asteroid, which scientists hope will provide clues to the origin of life and the formation of the solar system. The probe took more than a year to travel back from the asteroid, which is around 300 million kilometers away from Earth. 

Artificial intelligence 

An Artificial Intelligence system has solved a 50-year-old protein folding problem in hours. AlphaFold, created by DeepMind, can rapidly and accurately predict how proteins fold to get their 3D shapes. This complex problem had plagued researchers for decades. The breakthrough will help scientists design drugs and understand diseases. The company first gained fame for designing computer systems that could beat humans at games.  

"Science Saturday" is part of CGTN's science and technology series "Tech It Out." The segment brings you the latest news about innovations and technological breakthroughs in the past two weeks from across the world.