A Breakthrough Year in Science
A Breakthrough Year in Science
As 2023 fades into the rearview, I want to take a moment to reflect on some of the most groundbreaking and consequential scientific advancements that occurred over the past year. It was a big year for science, with major breakthroughs in the fields of artificial intelligence, climate change, medicine and more.
In no particular order, here are the 10 scientific advances of 2023 that will drive discovery in the new year. Please note that this list is solely the opinion of the Director of Science Experiences.
Supermassive black holes collide - The detection of gravitational waves was first published in 2016, but this year was the first time that waves originating from colliding supermassive black holes have been detected. Understanding supermassive black holes is key to understanding the formation of galaxies.
WHO endorses second malaria vaccine - In 2021, the World Health Organization endorsed the RTS,S malaria vaccine for children under age 2. With malaria cases surging and an estimated 500,000 children dying from the disease every year, demand for the vaccine is unprecedented. The approval of a second vaccine, R21, with a higher efficacy rate, will help meet demand and save lives.
Chandrayaan-3 reaches the lunar south pole - In August 2023, the Chandrayaan-3 mission landed the first spacecraft on the lunar south pole, an unexplored region of the Moon thought to be one of the oldest on the surface. The combination of a lander and rover will explore the south pole to understand more about the formation and evolution of the lunar surface.
2023 was the hottest year on record - Record heat waves across the globe lead to 2023 being named the hottest year ever recorded. Climate scientists agree that this is a dire warning sign that climate change has reached irreversible and dangerous levels.
Data reveals that species across the globe, including insects, birds, reptiles, and mammals are facing the threat of extinction. Plant species are especially at risk, with over 40% of dicots and conifers, and approximately 80% of cycads of concern.
Data and chart sourced from The Guardian.
The biodiversity crisis reaches new extremes - Almost half of all species on Earth are experiencing rapid population decline, according to a study published this year. This is due primarily to the destruction of wild habitats for agriculture and human settlement, as well as the warming climate. The dramatic loss of biodiversity has led some scientists to warn that we are entering a sixth mass extinction event.
Oldest known wooden structure discovered in Zambia - Two wooden logs were cut, shaped, and laid by non-human hands more than 476,000 years ago. Over 150,000 years before the emergence of Homo sapiens, these logs are thought to form the foundation of a wooden platform or structure used by our pre-human ancestors. Scientists argue that this finding indicates that early humans and human ancestors may have led less nomadic lifestyles than previously thought.
ChatGPT leads the AI charge - I don’t have a specific article for this, but just look around you. Students are using ChatGPT and similar AI chatbots to write essays, doctors are using machine learning to identify cancer cells, programmers are using ChatGPT to write entire software programs, and workers across the employment spectrum are concerned about how AI could impact their job prospects. In 2023, we saw AI reach into every aspect of our lives, and it appears to be here to stay.
NASA scientists surrounding the OSIRIS-REx sample return capsule. The capsule, containing samples from asteroid Bennu, safely touched down in the Utah desert in September.
Photo from NASA via Space News.
OSIRIS-REx returns samples to Earth - OSIRIS-REx took off on its voyage to asteroid Bennu in 2016. After successfully collecting samples from Bennu’s surface in 2020, OSIRIS-REx returned to Earth In September of this year. These samples will shed light on the formation and evolution of life in our solar system.
Record low Antarctic sea ice - Winter in the southern hemisphere saw record low sea ice levels in the Antarctic ocean. Sea ice extent reached a maximum in September, but that maximum was still nearly 1 million square kilometers less than the previous record low from 1986. This extreme loss of sea ice, paired with this year’s record breaking global heat, further emphasizes the imminent threat that climate change poses to life on Earth.
Four dots on a depiction of a bull from an Ice Age cave in Europe. The dots are thought to correspond to lunar months and may relate to the life and reproduction cycle of wild cattle.
Oldest known writing system discovered across Europe - Prehistoric cultures across Europe recorded the life cycles of animals in their environment on the walls of caves using detailed sequences of dots and lines. These markings date back at least 20,000 years to the last ice age and show that our ancestors not only structured the passage of time into a calendar, but recorded their knowledge for future generations.