China, US leaders in research fronts

The United States and China occupy the top positions in 88 percent of the research fronts across 11 major scientific fields, with other countries around the world comprising the remaining 12 percent, according to a report released recently.

According to the 2024 Research Fronts: Active Fields, Leading Countries/Regions report — part of the 2024 Research Front report released on Wednesday — the US leads in more than half of the 110 research fronts and ranks first in seven scientific fields: ecology and environmental sciences; geosciences; clinical medicine; biological sciences; astronomy and astrophysics; mathematics; and economics, psychology and other social sciences.

China ranks second overall, leading in more than 30 percent of the research fronts. Compared to the US, China has a distinct advantage in the field of chemistry and materials science.