(1) Information technology mainly refers to information acquisition, transmission, processing and other technologies, including microelectronics, computer technology, communication technology and network technology. In the new technological revolution, information technology is in the core and leading position.
(2) Biotechnology is a technical system that applies modern biological science and some engineering principles to other technical fields to produce products for human use. Modern biotechnology mainly includes genetic engineering, cell engineering, enzyme engineering, fermentation engineering and protein engineering. Biotechnology is considered as one of the most important high-tech technologies that may change the future of mankind.
(3) New material technology mainly studies the synthesis of new materials. New material technology plays a key role in high technology, and the development of high technology is closely related to the development of new materials.
(4) New energy technology mainly focuses on the research and development of new energy, and explores ways to develop new energy from various aspects. The new energy sources being developed at present mainly include nuclear energy (atomic energy), solar energy, geothermal energy, wind energy, ocean energy, biological energy, hydrogen energy and so on.
(5) Space technology, also known as space technology, usually refers to a comprehensive engineering technology for human beings to study outer space and develop and utilize space resources, mainly including satellites, spaceships, space stations, space shuttles, manned spaceflight, etc. Space technology is a high degree of integration of modern science and technology and basic industries, which embodies the comprehensive strength of a country.
(6) Marine technology includes marine investigation and scientific research, marine resources development and marine space utilization, involving many disciplines and technical fields, mainly including: submarine oil and gas development technology, marine living resources development and utilization, seawater desalination technology, marine energy power generation technology, etc.
basic feature
So far, it is difficult to make a comprehensive summary of the basic characteristics and development laws of new science and technology. However, it can be seen that this new scientific and technological revolution itself has the following basic trends:
Comprehensive development of science and technology
With the development of modern science and technology, disciplines are highly differentiated, and there is also a trend of high integration. It is mainly manifested in three aspects: first, the mutual infiltration and integration of natural science and social science, and as Lenin said, "natural science rushes to the powerful trend of social science" (Complete Works of Lenin, Volume 20, page 189), such as laser technology, computer science, remote sensing technology and so on. It has penetrated into the field of archaeology and exploration to find out the exact location and capacity of ancient underground sites and underground treasures. In addition, due to the mutual penetration of natural science and social science, some emerging disciplines have emerged, such as the application of mathematics and computers in the economic field, and technical economics and econometrics have emerged. Second, many disciplines cross each other to form a comprehensive science. Such as environmental science, energy science, marine science, materials science, etc. These sciences cover a wide range, taking marine science as an example, involving meteorology, hydrology, geology, physics, chemistry, biology and so on. Due to the emergence of interdisciplinary science, this new technological revolution is not a single technological revolution, but a new technological revolution group. Third, the two disciplines intersect to form a marginal science. Such as biophysics, geophysics, quantum chemistry and quantum biology. The rapid development of these marginal disciplines plays an increasingly important role in solving major economic and social problems. As Engels predicted: "Physicists and chemists admit that they are incompetent at the contact point between molecular science and atomic science, but they should expect the greatest results at this point." (Engels' Dialectics of Nature, p. 247). Facts have proved that many biological and chemical phenomena have been accurately explained by the theoretical viewpoint of physics because of their combination with physics, thus making the basic theories of physics, chemistry and biology begin to show a unified trend.
The rapid development of science and technology
The development of the new scientific and technological revolution can be said to be "rapid progress" and "changing with each passing day". Mainly manifested in three aspects: First, the number of new scientific and technological discoveries and new inventions has increased rapidly. According to the statistics of UNESCO "UNISIST", the annual growth rate of scientific knowledge has increased from 9.5% to 10.6% since 1960s. By the 1980s, the annual growth rate reached 12.5%. The data shows that there are about 5 million scientific papers published every year in the world, which means that the average number of papers published every day (including new knowledge papers) reaches 1.3- 1.4 million; More than 300,000 patents for invention-creation are registered every year, with an average of 800-900 patents published every day and a new book published every minute. Judging from the development of electronic technology in the eight technical fields of the new technological revolution, according to the introduction of Electronic Science in the United States, during the one-year period from June198/kloc-0 to September 1982, 39 major achievements have been made in the field of electronic technology in the world, with an annual working day of 300 days, that is, one every 7.7 days on average. If we count the theoretical and technological discoveries and creations in the other seven scientific and technological fields, the speed of the new scientific and technological revolution we are facing is not calculated in years, months and days, but in hours, minutes and seconds. Second, the cycle of transforming new scientific and technological discoveries and inventions into direct productivity has been greatly shortened. For example, it took 65 years from the establishment of electromagnetic theory to the use of motor, 6 years from the establishment of atomic fission theory to the manufacture of atomic bomb, 3 years for transistor and less than 1 year for laser. Third, the updating speed of equipment and products caused by the development of science and technology has also been greatly accelerated. According to the data, about 50% of the equipment and products are updated every year. Among them, electronic equipment and products are updated faster, such as electronic computers. The first electronic computer was made in the early 1940s. In less than 33 years, it has gone through five generations.
Metrology of scientific and technological development
The so-called scientometrics means that mathematical methods have entered the research field of natural science and even social science, especially the field that has always been considered irrelevant to mathematics, which has brought about the further mathematization, formalization and axiomatization of the whole science and technology, and made mathematics play an increasingly important role in the practice of understanding and transforming the world.
"Science and technology-production" integration
Due to the development of science and technology, a large number of emerging technologies have been applied to production, making production scientific. Therefore, compared with the previous two times, this new scientific and technological revolution has more obvious characteristics: from physical liberation to spiritual liberation; From a single technological revolution to multiple technological and comprehensive technological revolutions; From using the first natural resource to creating the second resource; From conquering the earth to conquering the ocean and space. So some people say that this is a great historical revolution.