Power of Scientific Innovation: Tencent releases 'Digital Germplasm Bank'

Eight of the world's top scientists have shared breakthroughs in the fields of physics, life and geographical sciences at the Tencent Science WE Summit held in Beijing on Saturday. CGTN's Zheng Chunying has the details.

Committed to sharing the greatest scientific achievements of humankind over the past decade, this year's WE summit not only takes the audience to explore the deeper reaches of the universe, but also focuses on topics impacting life on Earth, especially the role of technology in society.

In a speech, the winner of the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physics, Professor Sir Andre Geim, shared his ground-breaking work as the father of graphene, and spoke highly of China's potential in the research and development of the sector.

Also during the summit, Tencent released its "Digital Germplasm Bank," based at the Tencent Science and Technology Museum.

The project promotes research into agricultural and public science. It plans to use digital technologies, such as 3D modelling, to digitally scan germplasm resources into the National Crop Germplasm Bank.

After that, it will present the resources in 3D, allowing the public to observe the entire life cycle of seed growth and explore the complexity of them in detail.

Over the past decade, the WE Summit has communicated some of the world's most significant scientific findings and research to the general public. In total, the annual WE Summit has had a combined 100 million views online and offline.

LI HANG Head of Tencent Science WE Summit "I believe it is very important for scientists to become stars in the eyes of the whole society. They're an important part of the soil and cultural atmosphere, helping the whole society pay attention to science and promote scientific development. So our goal is to turn scientists into stars, and turn science into a new fashion for the whole society."

ZHENG CHUNYING Reporter "And looking ahead, organizers say they will continue using science and technology to solve major societal challenges and develop frontier technology for the betterment of humankind. ZCY, CGTN, BJ."