Iran’s Science Grows Fastest in the World

According to a recent report published by Science-Metrix, via newscientist.com, via Azg daily, scientific output has grown 11 times faster in Iran than the world average, faster than any other country. A survey of the number of scientific publications listed in the Web of Science database shows that growth in two of Armenia’s neighbors – Turkey and Iran – is nearly four times faster than the world average.
Science-Metrix, a data-analysis company in Montreal, Canada, has published a detailed report on "geopolitical shifts in knowledge creation" since 1980. "Asia is catching up even more rapidly than previously thought, Europe is holding its position more than most would expect, and the Middle East is a region to watch," says the report's author, Eric Archambault.
Emerging Asia
World scientific output grew steadily, from 450,000 papers a year in 1980 to 1,500,000 in 2009. Asia as a whole surpassed North America last year.
Archambaut notes that Iran's publications have emphasized inorganic and nuclear chemistry, nuclear and particle physics and nuclear engineering. Publications in nuclear engineering grew 250 times faster than the world average – although medical and agricultural research also increased.
Science-Metrix also predicts that this year, China will publish as many peer-reviewed papers in natural sciences and engineering as the US. If current trends continue, by 2015 China will match the US across all disciplines – although the US may publish more in the life and social sciences until 2030.
China's prominence in world science is known to have been growing, but Science-Metrix has discovered that its output of peer-reviewed papers has been growing more than five times faster than that of the US.
European Resistance
Meanwhile, "European attitudes towards collaboration are bearing fruit", writes Archambaut. While Asia's growth in output was mirrored by North America's fall, Europe, which invests heavily in cross-border scientific collaboration, held its own, and now produces over a third of the world's science, the largest regional share. Asia produces 29 per cent and North America 28 per cent.
Scientific output fell in the former Soviet Union after its collapse in 1991 and only began to recover in 2006. Latin America and the Caribbean together grew fastest of any region, although its share of world science is still small. Growth in Oceania, Europe and Africa has stayed at about the same rate over the past 30 years. Only North American scientific output has grown "considerably slower" than the world as a whole.
Quantity vs. Quality
"The number of papers is a first-order metric that doesn't capture quality," admits Archambaut. There are measures for quality, such as the number of times papers are cited, and "Asian science does tend to be less cited overall."
But dismissing the Asian surge on this basis is risky, he feels. "In the 1960s, when Japanese cars started entering the US market, US manufacturers dismissed their advance based on their quality" – but then lost a massive market share to Japan. The important message, he says, is that "Asia is becoming the world leader in science, with North America progressively left behind".
Iran’s Space Program Advances
One of the areas that Iranian science has made considerable progress in recent years, partly due to the government’s militaristic ambitions, is space.
On 3 February 2010, Iran fired a rocket into space carrying living organisms — a rat, two turtles and worms.
According to the Iranian state-run Press TV, via the New York Times, the test involved a rocket described as the Kavoshgar-3, which is capable of carrying satellites.
Press TV said that the Kavoshgar, or Explorer, was the third of its type to be launched since February 2008 and was carrying an experimental capsule to transfer telemetric data, live pictures and other information to Earth. The model launched on 3 February was described as an updated version of the earlier rockets.
State television broadcast what it said were images of the Kavoshgar-3 hurtling from a desert launching pad, leaving a thick vapor trail. Before the launching, officials were shown putting what looked like living organisms inside a capsule placed in the rocket.
The Iranian Aerospace Organization said live video transmission from the latest launching would “enable further studies on the biological capsule” that was carrying the rat, turtles and worms, Press TV reported.
On the same day Iran also unveiled another satellite carrier, Simorgh-3 (Phoenix), and three new domestically built satellites. The satellite launch and the unveiling of the new prototypes came as Iran marked "Space Technology Day" as part of celebrations for the 31st anniversary of the Islamic revolution.
Defeating the West
The milk-bottle shaped rocket, emblazoned in blue with the words "Satellite Carrier Simorgh," is equipped to carry a 100-kilogram satellite 500 kilometers into orbit, the Iranian television, via France 24, report said.
Iran's president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Iran was "going to send a satellite 500 kilometers up. The next steps are 700 and 1,000 kilometers. Everyone knows that reaching the 1,000 kilometer orbit allows you to reach all orbits."
Iranian Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi revealed details of three new satellite prototypes -- the Toloo (Dawn), Navid (Good News), and Mesbah-2 (Lantern) -- as well as of Simorgh.
"Toloo is a satellite used for remote survey and weighs 100 kilograms. It is planned to be placed in 500 kilometer orbit for three years," Vahidi said.
"The Simorgh rocket is able to place a satellite weighing 100 kilos in 500 kilometer orbit," Vahidi said, adding that a further refinement of the same design would allow satellites to be placed in a 1,000-kilometer orbit.
Such scientific experiments will help Iran break the "global domineering system" of Western nations, Iran's president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is reported to have said on state TV. "The scientific arena is where we could defeat the [West's] domination."
Iran hopes to send astronauts into space soon, he added.
Science-Metrix, a data-analysis company in Montreal, Canada, has published a detailed report on "geopolitical shifts in knowledge creation" since 1980. "Asia is catching up even more rapidly than previously thought, Europe is holding its position more than most would expect, and the Middle East is a region to watch," says the report's author, Eric Archambault.
Emerging Asia
World scientific output grew steadily, from 450,000 papers a year in 1980 to 1,500,000 in 2009. Asia as a whole surpassed North America last year.
Archambaut notes that Iran's publications have emphasized inorganic and nuclear chemistry, nuclear and particle physics and nuclear engineering. Publications in nuclear engineering grew 250 times faster than the world average – although medical and agricultural research also increased.
Science-Metrix also predicts that this year, China will publish as many peer-reviewed papers in natural sciences and engineering as the US. If current trends continue, by 2015 China will match the US across all disciplines – although the US may publish more in the life and social sciences until 2030.
China's prominence in world science is known to have been growing, but Science-Metrix has discovered that its output of peer-reviewed papers has been growing more than five times faster than that of the US.
European Resistance
Meanwhile, "European attitudes towards collaboration are bearing fruit", writes Archambaut. While Asia's growth in output was mirrored by North America's fall, Europe, which invests heavily in cross-border scientific collaboration, held its own, and now produces over a third of the world's science, the largest regional share. Asia produces 29 per cent and North America 28 per cent.
Scientific output fell in the former Soviet Union after its collapse in 1991 and only began to recover in 2006. Latin America and the Caribbean together grew fastest of any region, although its share of world science is still small. Growth in Oceania, Europe and Africa has stayed at about the same rate over the past 30 years. Only North American scientific output has grown "considerably slower" than the world as a whole.
Quantity vs. Quality
"The number of papers is a first-order metric that doesn't capture quality," admits Archambaut. There are measures for quality, such as the number of times papers are cited, and "Asian science does tend to be less cited overall."
But dismissing the Asian surge on this basis is risky, he feels. "In the 1960s, when Japanese cars started entering the US market, US manufacturers dismissed their advance based on their quality" – but then lost a massive market share to Japan. The important message, he says, is that "Asia is becoming the world leader in science, with North America progressively left behind".
Iran’s Space Program Advances
One of the areas that Iranian science has made considerable progress in recent years, partly due to the government’s militaristic ambitions, is space.
On 3 February 2010, Iran fired a rocket into space carrying living organisms — a rat, two turtles and worms.
According to the Iranian state-run Press TV, via the New York Times, the test involved a rocket described as the Kavoshgar-3, which is capable of carrying satellites.
Press TV said that the Kavoshgar, or Explorer, was the third of its type to be launched since February 2008 and was carrying an experimental capsule to transfer telemetric data, live pictures and other information to Earth. The model launched on 3 February was described as an updated version of the earlier rockets.
State television broadcast what it said were images of the Kavoshgar-3 hurtling from a desert launching pad, leaving a thick vapor trail. Before the launching, officials were shown putting what looked like living organisms inside a capsule placed in the rocket.
The Iranian Aerospace Organization said live video transmission from the latest launching would “enable further studies on the biological capsule” that was carrying the rat, turtles and worms, Press TV reported.
On the same day Iran also unveiled another satellite carrier, Simorgh-3 (Phoenix), and three new domestically built satellites. The satellite launch and the unveiling of the new prototypes came as Iran marked "Space Technology Day" as part of celebrations for the 31st anniversary of the Islamic revolution.
Defeating the West
The milk-bottle shaped rocket, emblazoned in blue with the words "Satellite Carrier Simorgh," is equipped to carry a 100-kilogram satellite 500 kilometers into orbit, the Iranian television, via France 24, report said.
Iran's president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Iran was "going to send a satellite 500 kilometers up. The next steps are 700 and 1,000 kilometers. Everyone knows that reaching the 1,000 kilometer orbit allows you to reach all orbits."
Iranian Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi revealed details of three new satellite prototypes -- the Toloo (Dawn), Navid (Good News), and Mesbah-2 (Lantern) -- as well as of Simorgh.
"Toloo is a satellite used for remote survey and weighs 100 kilograms. It is planned to be placed in 500 kilometer orbit for three years," Vahidi said.
"The Simorgh rocket is able to place a satellite weighing 100 kilos in 500 kilometer orbit," Vahidi said, adding that a further refinement of the same design would allow satellites to be placed in a 1,000-kilometer orbit.
Such scientific experiments will help Iran break the "global domineering system" of Western nations, Iran's president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is reported to have said on state TV. "The scientific arena is where we could defeat the [West's] domination."
Iran hopes to send astronauts into space soon, he added.














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