Review

. 2021 Oct 28;2(4):100179.

doi: 10.1016/j.xinn.2021.100179. eCollection 2021 Nov 28.

Artificial intelligence: A powerful paradigm for scientific research

Yongjun Xu^{1

2}, Xin Liu^{3

2}, Xin Cao⁴, Changping Huang^{5

2}, Enke Liu^{6

7}, Sen Qian⁸, Xingchen Liu⁹, Yanjun Wu^{10

2}, Fengliang Dong^{11

2}, Cheng-Wei Qiu¹², Junjun Qiu^{13

14}, Keqin Hua^{13

14}, Wentao Su¹⁵, Jian Wu¹⁶, Huiyu Xu¹⁷, Yong Han¹⁸, Chenguang Fu¹⁹, Zhigang Yin²⁰, Miao Liu^{6

7}, Ronald Roepman²¹, Sabine Dietmann²², Marko Virta²³, Fredrick Kengara²⁴, Ze Zhang²⁵, Lifu Zhang^{5

25}, Taolan Zhao²⁶, Ji Dai^{27

2

28}, Jialiang Yang²⁹, Liang Lan³⁰, Ming Luo^{31

32}, Zhaofeng Liu^{8

2}, Tao An³³, Bin Zhang⁹, Xiao He⁸, Shan Cong³⁴, Xiaohong Liu³⁵, Wei Zhang³⁵, James P Lewis⁹, James M Tiedje³⁶, Qi Wang^{1

2

37}, Zhulin An^{1

2}, Fei Wang^{1

2}, Libo Zhang^{10

2}, Tao Huang³⁸, Chuan Lu³⁹, Zhipeng Cai⁴⁰, Fang Wang^{41

2}, Jiabao Zhang^{41

2}

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Computing Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China.
² University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
³ Academy of Mathematics and Systems Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China.
⁴ Zhongshan Hospital Institute of Clinical Science, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China.
⁵ Aerospace Information Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100094, China.
⁶ Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China.
⁷ Songshan Lake Materials Laboratory, Dongguan, Guangdong 523808, China.
⁸ Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
⁹ Institute of Coal Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Taiyuan 030001, China.
¹⁰ Institute of Software, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China.
¹¹ National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, Beijing 100190, China.
¹² Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117583, Singapore.
¹³ Department of Gynaecology, Obstetrics and Gynaecology Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200011, China.
¹⁴ Shanghai Key Laboratory of Female Reproductive Endocrine-Related Diseases, Shanghai 200011, China.
¹⁵ School of Food Science and Technology, Dalian Polytechnic University, Dalian 116034, China.
¹⁶ Second Affiliated Hospital School of Medicine, and School of Public Health, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China.
¹⁷ Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing 100191, China.
¹⁸ Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital, Hangzhou 310014, China.
¹⁹ School of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China.
²⁰ Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Fuzhou 350002, China.
²¹ Medical Center, Radboud University, 6500 Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
²² Institute for Informatics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA.
²³ Department of Microbiology, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland.
²⁴ School of Pure and Applied Sciences, Bomet University College, Bomet 20400, Kenya.
²⁵ Agriculture College of Shihezi University, Xinjiang 832000, China.
²⁶ Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.
²⁷ The Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China.
²⁸ Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen 518055, China.
²⁹ Geneis (Beijing) Co., Ltd, Beijing 100102, China.
³⁰ Department of Communication Studies, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China.
³¹ South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China.
³² Center of Economic Botany, Core Botanical Gardens, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China.
³³ Shanghai Astronomical Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200030, China.
³⁴ Suzhou Institute of Nano-Tech and Nano-Bionics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Suzhou 215123, China.
³⁵ Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing 400714, China.
³⁶ Center for Microbial Ecology, Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.
³⁷ Zhejiang Lab, Hangzhou 311121, China.
³⁸ Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China.
³⁹ Department of Computer Science, Aberystwyth University, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion SY23 3FL, UK.
⁴⁰ Department of Computer Science, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA.
⁴¹ Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China.

PMID: 34877560
PMCID: PMC8633405
DOI: 10.1016/j.xinn.2021.100179

Review

Artificial intelligence: A powerful paradigm for scientific research

Yongjun Xu et al. Innovation (Camb). 2021.

. 2021 Oct 28;2(4):100179.

doi: 10.1016/j.xinn.2021.100179. eCollection 2021 Nov 28.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Computing Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China.
² University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
³ Academy of Mathematics and Systems Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China.
⁴ Zhongshan Hospital Institute of Clinical Science, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China.
⁵ Aerospace Information Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100094, China.
⁶ Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China.
⁷ Songshan Lake Materials Laboratory, Dongguan, Guangdong 523808, China.
⁸ Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
⁹ Institute of Coal Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Taiyuan 030001, China.
¹⁰ Institute of Software, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China.
¹¹ National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, Beijing 100190, China.
¹² Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117583, Singapore.
¹³ Department of Gynaecology, Obstetrics and Gynaecology Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200011, China.
¹⁴ Shanghai Key Laboratory of Female Reproductive Endocrine-Related Diseases, Shanghai 200011, China.
¹⁵ School of Food Science and Technology, Dalian Polytechnic University, Dalian 116034, China.
¹⁶ Second Affiliated Hospital School of Medicine, and School of Public Health, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China.
¹⁷ Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing 100191, China.
¹⁸ Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital, Hangzhou 310014, China.
¹⁹ School of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China.
²⁰ Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Fuzhou 350002, China.
²¹ Medical Center, Radboud University, 6500 Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
²² Institute for Informatics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA.
²³ Department of Microbiology, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland.
²⁴ School of Pure and Applied Sciences, Bomet University College, Bomet 20400, Kenya.
²⁵ Agriculture College of Shihezi University, Xinjiang 832000, China.
²⁶ Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.
²⁷ The Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China.
²⁸ Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen 518055, China.
²⁹ Geneis (Beijing) Co., Ltd, Beijing 100102, China.
³⁰ Department of Communication Studies, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China.
³¹ South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China.
³² Center of Economic Botany, Core Botanical Gardens, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China.
³³ Shanghai Astronomical Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200030, China.
³⁴ Suzhou Institute of Nano-Tech and Nano-Bionics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Suzhou 215123, China.
³⁵ Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing 400714, China.
³⁶ Center for Microbial Ecology, Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.
³⁷ Zhejiang Lab, Hangzhou 311121, China.
³⁸ Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China.
³⁹ Department of Computer Science, Aberystwyth University, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion SY23 3FL, UK.
⁴⁰ Department of Computer Science, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA.
⁴¹ Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China.

PMID: 34877560
PMCID: PMC8633405
DOI: 10.1016/j.xinn.2021.100179

Abstract

Artificial intelligence (AI) coupled with promising machine learning (ML) techniques well known from computer science is broadly affecting many aspects of various fields including science and technology, industry, and even our day-to-day life. The ML techniques have been developed to analyze high-throughput data with a view to obtaining useful insights, categorizing, predicting, and making evidence-based decisions in novel ways, which will promote the growth of novel applications and fuel the sustainable booming of AI. This paper undertakes a comprehensive survey on the development and application of AI in different aspects of fundamental sciences, including information science, mathematics, medical science, materials science, geoscience, life science, physics, and chemistry. The challenges that each discipline of science meets, and the potentials of AI techniques to handle these challenges, are discussed in detail. Moreover, we shed light on new research trends entailing the integration of AI into each scientific discipline. The aim of this paper is to provide a broad research guideline on fundamental sciences with potential infusion of AI, to help motivate researchers to deeply understand the state-of-the-art applications of AI-based fundamental sciences, and thereby to help promote the continuous development of these fundamental sciences.

Keywords: artificial intelligence; chemistry; deep learning; geoscience; information science; life science; machine learning; materials science; mathematics; medical science; physics.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

**Figure 1**
The general framework of AI

**Figure 2**
The knowledge graph of the AI framework

**Figure 5**
AI is expected to power the development of materials science

**Figure 6**
Applications of AI in hydraulic resource management

**Figure 7**
Integration of AI and remote sensing in smart agriculture

**Figure 9**
A closed loop workflow to enable automatic and intelligent design, synthesis, and assay of molecules in organic chemistry by AI

See this image and copyright information in PMC

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Artificial intelligence: A powerful paradigm for scientific research

Affiliations

Artificial intelligence: A powerful paradigm for scientific research

Authors

Affiliations

Abstract

Conflict of interest statement

Figures

References

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources

Full Text Sources