2023 in science

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The following scientific events occurred or are scheduled to occur in 2023.

Events

January

Main article: January–March 2023 in science § January

February

Main article: January–March 2023 in science § February

March

March

14 March: Launch of GPT-4, an artificial intelligence software able to generate human-like text. 15 March: Evidence of active volcanism on Venus is presented. 1 March Biological organoid intelligence (see 28 Feb), 'Brainoware', is demonstrated to solve computational tasks in a preprint, with implications for bioethics and potential bottlenecks and limits of nonbio-AI. A new record for the closest and oldest ultracool dwarf binary pair is reported. The newly discovered stars, in a system named LP 413-53AB, orbit each other in just 17 hours and are believed to be billions of years old. An ICIJ-led investigation 'Deforestation Inc.' shows or reaffirms how an unregulated greenwashing industry overlooks deforestation and human rights (HR) violations when granting environmental certifications that are used to claim compliance to environmental standards, labor laws and HR. A U.S. DNI report concludes that the 'anomalous health incidents' (AHIs) termed 'Havana syndrome' are "very unlikely" to get induced by a foreign adversary. A previous report declassified on 28 March considered directed energy as in directed energy weapons as a plausible cause. Bioengineers show bodily system changes can induce anxiety, in specific altered heart rate by itself in risky contexts, after earlier studies also implicated immune system elements. An "adversarial collaboration" study shows larger financial incomes increase mental wellbeing beyond a previously believed flattening threshold, except for a ceiled "unhappy" minority. A study about global spatiotemporal PM2.5 fine particle air pollution suggests that in 2019, only "0.001% of the global population had an annual exposure to PM2.5 at concentrations lower than 5 μg/m3 [WHO annual limit]". On 14 March, the annual IQAir World Air Quality Report that uses a sensor network suggests of the countries assessed, six countries may have met the WHO guideline specific to this type of air pollution. Air pollution is one of the largest causes of early deaths. The largest study of ancient Europeans' DNA (356 UP–neolithic hunter-gatherers) is published, with implications for the history of ancestry changes during the last Ice Age. On 23 March, geneticists report on immune function (MHC) and pigmentation (SLC24A5) as targets of adaptation in neolithic admixture, with farmers inheriting many immunity genes. Science results of the first test of asteroidal planetary defense, DART (see 26 Sep 2022), are published. 2 March A study reports boreal fires, "typically accounting for 10% of global fire carbon dioxide emissions, contributed 23% [...] in 2021". After a study (27 Feb) indicated pathological changes to subcortical motor and cognitive hubs in (fatigued) long COVID cases, a small comparative study shows differences in volumes of brainstem regions are similar for ME/CFS and long COVID patients, being larger than in 10 healthy subjects. 3 March – After a study (31 Jan) indicated that in building heating in the EU, the feasibility of staying within planetary boundaries is possible only through electrification, with green hydrogen heating being 2–3 times more expensive than heat pump costs, a study indicates that replacing gas boilers with heat pumps is the fastest way to cut German gas consumption, despite of "gas-industry lobbyists and [...] politicians" at the time making "the case for hydrogen" amid some HT policy changes, for which the former study revealed a need to "mitigate increased costs for [many of the] consumers". 6 March – The highest-granularity study on food GHGs reports that global food consumption alone would lead to failed climate goals with constant patterns, with ~75% of the projected warming due to ruminant meat, dairy and rice, albeit consumption currently shifts towards higher emissions overall as economic development is expected to facilitate acquisitions of undifferentiated goods like beef. 16 March: A global rise of high-risk pathogen labs raises pandemic prevention concerns. 8 March A new way of capturing carbon, which transforms the gas into bicarbonate of soda and stores it safely in seawater, is shown to be three times more efficient than existing methods. Nitrogen-doped lutetium hydride is demonstrated as a viable superconducting material at 20 °C (room temperature) under a pressure of 1 GPa (10 kbar). A bacterial hydrogenase enzyme, Huc, for biohydrogen energy from the air is reported. The first global precise global time series of ocean surface plastic pollution is released. 9 March – Researchers report the development of a fuel cell implant powered by blood glucose. It can also release insulin at certain levels and have enough energy to allow smartphone implant control. 10 March The entire brain of a fruit fly larva is mapped in complete detail for the first time, showing all 3,016 neurons and 548,000 synapses. News outlets report on a study (27 Feb), alongside related reports, that concludes "Russia's role as a major player in the global nuclear power sector has remained largely below the [Russian invasion of Ukraine related] sanctions radar". On 7 March, news reports of a study (28 Feb) that uses ICIJ data to investigate offshore networks of oligarchs, suggesting sanctioning of professional intermediary wealth managers. 20 March: The concluding synthesis of the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report is published. 13 March A study affirms total intensity of extreme weather events is strongly correlated with global mean temperature during 2002–2021, not using mainly models but historical data. An analysis concludes there is large potential (~9,400 TWh/yr) for floating solar photovoltaics on reservoirs, at the upper range of the prior 2020 study. The first comprehensive assessment of 'bottom marine heat waves' is published. An analysis concludes there is large potential for mycoforestry incorporation for carbon sequestration, ecosystem support, and food production. 14 March Progress in healthy sustainable food research: Medical researchers report a 24% reduction of heart disease risk in women on a Mediterranean-type diet. A study (1 Mar) reports average carbon footprints of average diets in a US cohort that can be called vegan (~0.69 CO2-eq/1000 kcal), vegetarian (~1.16), pescatarian (~1.66), omnivore (~2.23), paleo (~2.62) and keto (~2.91) diets. Pescatarian diets were the healthiest before the two other plant-based diets. There may also be substantial variation within diets. A study (7 Mar) using data of 0.5 M participants strengthens the association between ultra-processed foods and cancer risks. A post-mortem study (8 Mar) finds green leafy vegetable intake inversely correlates with Alzheimer's disease pathology. Scientists report (22 Mar) fMRI results showing daily consumption of a high-fat/high-sugar snack alters, similar to drug addiction and likely directly, brain reward circuits, altering food preferences. Progress relating to AI research: The LLM GPT-4 is launched by OpenAI. It and ChatGPT based on it continue to receive major global media attention. Researchers suggest that growing influence of industry in AI research means that "public interest alternatives for important AI tools may become increasingly scarce" (2 Mar). Google reveals PaLM-E, an embodied multimodal language model with 562 billion parameters (7 Mar). Google releases chatbot Bard due to effects of the ChatGPT release, with potential for integration into its Web search and, like ChatGPT software, also as a software development helper tool (21 Mar). DuckDuckGo releases the DuckAssist feature integrated into its search engine that summarizes information from Wikipedia to answer search queries that are questions (8 Mar). The experimental feature is shut down without explanation on 12 April. Around the time, a proprietary feature by scite.ai is released that delivers answers that use research papers and provide citations for the quoted paper(s). It may demonstrate an alternative approach to ChatGPT whose fundamental algorithms are not designed to generate text that is true, including for example "hallucinations" and fake citations or misinformation more generally. Elicit.org may provide a free alternative to this tool. A broader alternative approach to the software's Q&A applications and use of text generation for assignments may be the improvement of media literacy and Web search skills in education systems. A method for editing NeRF scenes, a novel media technique from 2020, with natural language commands is demonstrated by Nvidia (22 Mar). An open letter "Pause Giant AI Experiments" by the Future of Life Institute calls for "AI labs to immediately pause for at least 6 months the training of AI systems more powerful than GPT-4" due to "profound risks to society and humanity". It received substantial media attention and also contributed to speculations about perceived large LLM potential (22 Mar). At the time there is extensive media coverage of views that regard ChatGPT as a potential step towards AGI or sentient machines, also extending to some academic works (e.g. a popular 22 Mar preprint by a company). The coverage focused on such views may not represent the majority expert views and, for example, some researchers note that e.g. the ability to generate coherent text and imitations are not the same as understanding language. A set of techniques under development include self-refining code or text. The first clear evidence of active volcanism on Venus is presented, based on a reanalysis of old images from the Magellan spacecraft. On 24 March, a second study finds that Venus hosts far more volcanoes than previously mapped, creating a new catalog. A news outlet reports on a two/multi-robot and beacons mesh communication paradigm (11 Feb) for exploration by robotic probes, drones, spacecraft, disaster recovery rovers or underwater robots. 15 March The structure of olfactory receptor protein OR51E2 is found, the first elucidation of the structure of any human olfactory receptor to date. A technique for offspring from two male mice via skin cells (differentiated to oocytes) and many embryo transfers is demonstrated. 16 March – The first Global Biolabs Report documents a rapid rise of high-risk pathogen labs around the world, many of which in urban areas or with particularly weak biorisk management, with BSL-4 labs doubling within a decade. Its results raise concerns about contemporary pandemic prevention measures for which the report makes broad key recommendations to prevent reckless, accidental – for which there are track-records – or malicious releases. 17 March – A study suggests in developed countries (Sweden) wealth (lottery winning) increases marriage formation and fertility (likely via desirability) for males, with the only discernible effect on female winners being increased short-run (but not long-run) divorce risk. 19 March – A news outlet reports on a systematic study of major issues in popular currently available commercial VPNs for Internet privacy and security. On 3 March, researchers report on their paper about 'digital resignation', calling for regulations and education reform. 20 March The final synthesis of the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report is published. It summarises the state of knowledge relating to climate change with assessed levels of confidence. Conclusions in the summary for contemporary policy-makers include that the extent to which both current and future generations will be impacted depends on choices now and in the near-term, with "high confidence" that policies implemented by the end of 2020 are "projected to result in higher global GHG emissions in 2030 than emissions implied by NDCs" and would fail to meet global climate goals. The CDC reports of rising concerns over the accelerating (95% increase in 2021) spread of antimicrobial-resistant C. auris fungus in U.S. healthcare facilities. On 13 March, a study reports the first case of C. purpureum causing disease in a human – a mycologist, highlighting cross-kingdom human pathogen potential. A consciousness- and psychedelics science study shows the most comprehensive view of the acute brain action of psychedelics during trips with the first EEG-fMRI neuroimaging results about DMT effects on the brain. 21 March Analysis of samples from the near-Earth asteroid Ryugu reveals the presence of uracil, one of the four nucleobases in RNA needed for life. A university reports on a study (23 Feb) that concludes that "the public has more-positive attitudes towards [fossil fuel] subsidy removal if optimal use of the saved fiscal revenues is specified". 22 March – Astronomers report that ʻOumuamua, an interstellar object discovered in 2017 passing through the Solar System, was a comet after all, "originating as a planetesimal relic"; the observed acceleration was "due to the release of entrapped molecular hydrogen that formed through energetic processing of an H2O-rich icy body". 23 March Progress in health literacy and communication: A review about mitochondria and health is published, suggesting that "a normalization of a lack of physical activity in our modern society has led to the perception that exercise is an 'intervention'" instead of part of a modus vivendi engrained in human bodies and that lessons learned from elite athlete research (healthy subjects) could be translated to the betterment of populations' health. On 2 March, a report projects more than half of the global population will be obese within 12 years, assessing the situations in 187 countries, including their obesity prevention policies commitment. On 21 March, a psychologist reports on a study (10 Feb) that hypothesizes mental health awareness efforts (in current forms) or glamorised and romanticised mental disorders on social media (e.g. quotes about depression on aesthetically appealing backgrounds shared widely on certain social media) may contribute to the recent rise in reported mental health problems – by intensifying and over-diagnosing of such – beyond e.g. increased reporting of previously under-recognised symptoms or mental health-related issues. A study, as part of a series and alongside a WHO fact sheet (21 Mar), robustifies the recent concept of "commercial determinants of health" suggesting "transnational corporations", facilitated by economic and governance systems and a "shift towards market fundamentalism", are responsible for escalating rates of avoidable ill health, planetary damage, and social and health inequity", with just four industry sectors "already account[ing] for [or being involved in] at least a third of global deaths". It concludes that while policy-related capacities "have been impoverished and disempowered or captured by commercial interests", "many policy solutions [to some degree of adoptability] are available [but are] not being implemented". On 22 March, a news outlet reports on a paper (25 Jan) that contributes to an understanding of already-existing law that suggests that fossil fuel companies may be chargeable with homicide due to climate change effects and e.g. partly their deception of the public and proactive prevention of regulations. The paper is focused on corporate actors and does not address e.g. politicians' and policymakers' responsibilities, media people or issues, economic pressures or incentives, and responsibilities for facilitations of solutions to these underlying economic conditions. The first (9) multi-organ-based human virome, of (31) post-mortem healthy individuals, is published, including a dark virome from body sites previously considered to be sterile. Positive and negative long-term consequences of such resident DNA viruses, including reactivation factors and issues, are largely unknown. 28 March – A new viable lithium-ion battery recycling method is reported. On 21 March, a university and one news outlet report on a study (21 Feb) suggesting incentives and regulations are needed for producers to design solar panels that can be more easily recycled. 29 March A study of ~90,000 adults finds that increased physical activity levels can reduce the mortality risks associated with short or long sleep duration. Astronomers identify an "ultramassive" black hole, one of the largest ever discovered, and the first to be confirmed through gravitational lensing, at the centre of the galaxy Abell 1201 BCG. News outlets report on a study (19 Feb) that indicates the language connectome is shaped by factors that include native language characteristics. A study reports a bacterial new PVC injection system-based way of protein delivery, one of the biggest unsolved problems of gene editing. 30 March A study of the deep ocean currents around Antarctica finds they could slow by 40% by 2050, with significant implications for the global climate. On 27 March, a study attempts to provide estimations of the tipping point(s) of the Greenland ice sheet. Botanists report plants emit ultrasonic sounds under stress which can be interpreted, relevant to agriculture. A news outlet reports on a DVGW report that suggests gas pipeline infrastructures (in Germany) are suitable to be repurposed to transport hydrogen, showing limited corrosion. 31 March Parts of Twitter's recommender algorithms become open source, welcomed and requested by many albeit with several issues related to code exclusion and verifiability. Around that time, the free version of its API, which was also used for research, is shut down – followed shortly thereafter by Reddit's – proprietary verification checkmarks cause controversy, parts of its source code are leaked, and applications of a "state-affiliated media" label – which purportedly uses "publicly funded broadcasters" data which, like the label, does not differentiate and list the shares of funding sources – cause controversy. A university reports on a study (14 Jan) demonstrating functional integration of a magnetically steered microbot containing neurons, 'Mag-Neurobot', in a mouse "organotypic hippocampal slice" (OHS) as physical (semi-)artificial neurons. Promising innovations relating to global challenges are demonstrated: a low-cost open source air pollution sensor (Flatburn) (1 Mar), a second biotech company commercializes sustainable MS mycelium protein after Quorn in 1983 (Meati Foods) (6 Mar), another agrivoltaic greenhouse which outperforms a conventional glass-roof greenhouse (6 Mar), first kWh by a TLP floating airborne wind turbine system (X30) possibly as part of a "new wave of startups" in this area (7 Mar), WHO recommendations on two new types of insecticide-treated nets for Malaria prevention (14 Mar), a biodegradable and biorecyclable glass (17 Mar), a COTS demining drone (~21 Mar), nonalcoholic first powdered beer (Dryest Beer) (23 Mar), a reforestation drone (AirSeed) (24 Mar), a phase-change materials embedded in wood-based energy-saving building material (27 Mar), cultivated meat from extinct mammoths as demonstration of potential (28 Mar), media reports on a study (17 Jul 2022) demonstrating a CNC radiative cooling film (29 Mar). Promising results of therapeutic candidates are reported: mice-tested CMD diet with RSL3 against cancer (2 Mar), a phase 1 trialed tuberculosis vaccine (6 Mar), trialed pulsed field ablation (PFA) against atrial fibrillation (6 Mar), mice-tested FGF21 (also activated by β-klotho) for alcohol intoxication recovery (7 Mar), a mice-tested mRNA vaccine against potential antibiotic-resistant plague which may also be useful for other antibacterial vaccines (8 Mar), a study (28 Feb) indicates Naloxone access does not promote high-risk opioid use behaviors (9 Mar), rat-tested mitochondrial transplantation (MTx) for cardiac arrest recovery (16 Mar), an EEG BCI headgear (16 Mar), mice-tested menin target against aging (16 Mar), a mice-tested novel-type CRISPR gene editing system PESpRY against RP vision loss (17 Mar), a mice-tested wearable patch for accelerated cutaneous chronic wound healing (24 Mar), phase 3 trialed pembrolizumab addition against recurrent endometrial cancer (27 Mar), a phase 3 trialed percutaneous approach against chronic limb threatening ischemia without amputation (30 Mar), a mice-tested self-charging battery ROS-emitting implant against cancer (31 Mar).

April

12 April: Researchers demonstrate an 'AI scientist' that can rediscover physical laws from axioms and data.

14 April: Launch of the JUICE mission to Jupiter.

• 3 April
  • Five employees at the National Hurricane Center publish a tropical cyclone report (TCR) on Hurricane Ian, which officially upgrades the hurricane from a Category 4 to a Category 5 on the Saffir–Simpson scale. The TCR also stated that Hurricane Ian caused, with 90% confidence, $112.9 billion worth of damage to the United States, which made Ian the third-costliest United States hurricane on record as well as the costliest hurricane to strike Florida on record.
  • An unexplained rise of emissions of five chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), successfully banned by the Montreal Protocol of 1989, is reported. Their climate impact in 2020 is roughly equivalent to that of the CO₂e from Denmark in 2018.
  • A study affirms and explains why a moderate decrease in body temperature extends lifespan.
• 5 April
  • The NOAA reports that greenhouse gases continued to increase rapidly in 2022 and that CO₂ levels in the atmosphere are now the highest in 4.3 million years.
  • An umbrella review summarizes scientific results on the extensive health effects of added-sugar foods and makes recommendations such as limiting sugar-sweetened beverages which are "the largest source of added sugars" and developing of policy such as advertising restrictions.
• 6 April – A study shows neurons take up glucose (from food) and metabolize it by glycolysis. There was only limited research on how neurons get their energy in the context of links between glucose metabolism and cognition (brain health and performance).
• 10 April – A study expands upon the role of elites' unsustainable consumption in urban water crises. In Cape Town, for example, the wealthiest 14% of the population use half of the city's water, while the poorest 62% use just a quarter.
• 11 April – A study reports that genomic surveillance (GS) shows that a clonal lineage of the wheat blast fungus has spread worldwide and that there is a need for GS to track and mitigate the potential pandemic threat to the global food supply as it may become fungicide-insensitive.
• 13 April
  • The direct imaging of HIP 99770 b, a new exoplanet found 133 light years away, is reported by astronomers.
  • A global trend towards more rapid-onset "flash droughts" hindering forecasting is reported.
• 14 April
  • Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) is launched by the European Space Agency (ESA) to search for life in the Jovian system, with an expected arrival date of 2031.
  • A review reports that a gender-affirming therapy in adolescents – gender transition for "rapidly growing numbers" of gender-dysphoric youth – is not supported by the evidence, and asks the field to honor principles of evidence-based medicine.
• 17 April
  • A new technique for improving the resolution of post-mortem MRI brain scans "by 64 million times" is reported by researchers, who capture the sharpest ever images of an entire mouse brain.
  • A study expands upon the international Earth heat inventory from 2020, which provides a measure of the Earth energy imbalance (EEI) and allows for quantifying how much and where heat has accumulated in the Earth system with comprehensive data. It suggests that the EEI is the "most fundamental global climate indicator" to gauge climate change mitigation efforts.
• 18 April
  • Astronomers conclude that "... planets in the habitable zones of stars with low metallicity are the best targets to search for complex life on land."
  • A university reports a study (29 Mar) affirming the high level of economic losses from biological invasions, showing they have risen to the level of economic damage costs from floods or earthquakes, which are also rising.
• 19 April
  • A bolide is observed over Ukraine and Belarus for about five seconds. It is first observed at an altitude of 98 km above Velyka Dymerka, then passes directly above Kyiv at an altitude of 80 km and continues to the southwest with a speed of 29 km/s. A bright flare occurs at an altitude of 38 km, when the bolide's absolute magnitude reaches approximately –18.
  • The likely cause of grey hair is shown to be pigment-making cells losing their ability to mature into melanocytes.
  • Researchers show parrots can and enjoy to use a videocalling system.
  • A study with mice shows that microplastics pass the blood–brain barrier (BBB), entering and accumulating in the brain, and identifies a key determinant for whether or not they pass the BBB.
• 20 April
  • A new 29-year record of ice sheet mass in Greenland and Antarctica is published as part of the IMBIE collaboration. It finds that the combined ice loss in these regions has more than tripled since the early 1990s, with 2019 seeing the greatest losses of any year on record. These findings have implications for future sea level rise.
  • Paleoneurologists publish the first neuroevolutionary timeline about correlations of changes in the shape of the cerebral cortex and functions, showing "variability in surface geometry relates to species' ecology and behaviour" and cognition. It characterizes many of the neuromorphological events in the origin of distinct human intelligence over the past 77 million years.
  • A UNICEF report indicates "public perception of the importance of vaccines for children declined during the COVID-19 pandemic in 52 out of 55 countries studied" with causal factors including "growing access to misleading information". On 26 April, news outlets report that Twitter is warned by EU digital policy-makers after a report indicated its recent policies "boost" Russian disinformation-based propaganda. On 17 April, Twitter introduces labels for rationales when tweets are made less visible which previously were semi-censored without any explanation. On 5 April, the first review of interventions against false conspiracy beliefs, with interventions "that fostered an analytical mindset or taught critical thinking skills" being most effective and preventive action being important.
• 21 April – Researchers report the development of neuromorphic AI hardware using nanowires (see also 2020-04-20) physically mimicking the brain's activity in identifying and remembering an image from memory. On 26 April, a university reports on a demonstration (11 Mar) of multisensory motion cue integration by a neuromorphic nerve for robots.

Image version of this section

• 24 April
  • Astronomers release close-up global images, for the first time, of the Martian moon Deimos that were taken by the Mars Hope orbiter.
  • The first review of issues identified in meta-science of metascience is published, providing an overview of ten "questionable" practices (QMPs) in the field such as "overplaying the role of replication in science" and preregistration potential.
  • A policy study identifies reduction of car travel activity as the most important transportation policy option in reducing GHG emissions to levels comparable to carbon budget levels, with a "decrease car distance driven and car ownership by over 80% as compared to current levels" by 2027 being effective in "edging close to the designated carbon budget" in their case-study of London and electrification being highly insufficient. On 20 April, an international study indicates that the contemporary domestic policy-proposal of a general speed limit on highways in Germany, the only large country in the world without such, for a quick GHG emissions reduction would also be economically beneficial. It points to a climate change mitigation law (KSG) that mandated emission reductions in this sector that was changed in 2023 so as to remove these obligations.
• 25 April
  • Scientists, based on new evidence, conclude that Rosalind Franklin was a contributor and "equal player" in the discovery process of DNA, rather than otherwise, as may have been presented subsequently after the time of the discovery.
  • The first gene silencing approach to Alzheimer's disease is reported, with a drug called BIIB080 used on the microtubule-associated protein tau (MAPT) gene. Patients in a Phase 1 trial were found to have a greater than 50% reduction in levels of harmful tau protein after taking the drug.
• 26 April
  • Astronomers present an image, for the first time viewed together, of the shadow of the black hole in the center of the Messier 87 galaxy, and its related high-energy jet.
  • The first-ever global assessment of glacier mass loss from satellite radar altimetry is published. It shows that glaciers lost 2,720 gigatonnes of ice, about 2% of their volume, between 2010 and 2020.
• 28 April – Progress in AI software:
  • ChatGPT is shown to outperform human doctors in responding to online medical questions when measured on quality and empathy by "a team of licensed health care professionals", albeit the chatbot may have previously been trained with these reddit question and answers threads.
  • Further LLM developments during what has been called an "AI boom" include: local or open source versions of LLaMA which was leaked in March, news outlets report on GPT4-based Auto-GPT that given natural language commands uses the Internet and other tools in attempts to understand and achieve its tasks with unclear or so-far little practicality, a systematic evaluation of answers from four "generative search engines" suggests their outputs "appear informative, but frequently contain unsupported statements and inaccurate citations", a multi-modal open source tool for understanding and generating speech, a data scientist argues that "researchers need to collaborate to develop open-source LLMs that are transparent" and independent, Stability AI launches an open source LLM.
  • On 12 April, researchers demonstrate an 'AI scientist' that can create of models of natural phenomena from knowledge axioms and experimental data, showing the software can rediscover physical laws using logical reasoning and few data points.
• Promising results of therapeutic candidates are reported: a review suggests daily vitamin D₃ may reduce cancer mortality by around 12% (31 Mar), review of experimental phototherapies against dementia cognitive decline (5 Apr), mice-tested L. reuteri-and-tryptophan-diet for checkpoint inhibitor potentiation (6 Apr), doxycycline post-exposure prophylaxis against STIs (6 Apr), an engineered probiotic against alcohol-induced damage (11 Apr), phase 2 trialed AXA1125 against long COVID fatigue (14 Apr), review finds cranberry products useful against UTIs in women (17 Apr), and macaques-tested low-intensity focus ultrasound delivery of AAV into brain regions against brain diseases (19 Apr). Progress in screening: an α-synuclein SAA (assay) against Parkinson's disease (12 Apr), and exogenously administered bioengineered sensors that amplify urinary cancer biomarkers for detection (24 Apr).
• Promising innovations relating to global challenges are reported: a laser-using drone-based methane plume localization method, approval of the first yeast-based cow-free dairy (Remilk), a Tor browser-equivalent Web browser for privacy-protected browsing when using a VPN (Mullvad browser), a concentrated solar-to-hydrogen device approaching viability, a method for fat tissue cultured meat, flexible organic solar cells on balloons in the 35 km stratosphere.

May

1 May: A new non-invasive brain-reading method for "semantic decoding" based on fMRI is demonstrated.

• 1 May
  • A new brain-reading method for "semantic decoding" is demonstrated. The non-invasive system, based on 16 hours of fMRI data per participant and a transformer, is able to translate a person's neural activity into a continuous stream of text.
  • News outlets report the first study (6 Feb) modelling contemporary detectability of human civilization from afar which suggests overall radio-leakage from mobile towers would still be too weak to be detectable with humanity's next-generation radio telescopes from three of Earth's current closest nearby star-systems. Radar systems are not yet included in their model, while radar emissions during – and possibly since – the Cold War are thought to be the first most detectable cue by which hypothetical extraterrestrials could detect humanity.
  • The second study, after one from early 2022 with similar results, about EEG data of dying humans finds a surge of gamma waves and increased functional connectivities in two of four patients. It provides data and analysis about the brain process of dying (terminal loss of sentience and life) and near-death experiences.
• 2 May
  • A new AI algorithm developed by Baidu is shown to boost the antibody response of COVID-19 mRNA vaccines by 128 times.
  • A single-molecule valve is demonstrated, a breakthrough in nanoscale control of fluids.
  • Scientists report economic factors of neurology or mental health and cognition during child development: association of low income with brain structure and hippocampal volume, stronger associations in U.S. states with higher cost of living, and lower associations for stronger social safety nets for low-income-affected people.

8 May: Infrared view of three asteroid belts around the star Fomalhaut.

17 May: A more complex model of human evolution.

• 3 May
  • Drug company Eli Lilly reports that donanemab can slow the pace of Alzheimer's disease by 35%, following a Phase 3 study in human patients.
  • Astronomers using the Gemini South telescope report the first direct evidence of an exoplanet being swallowed by an ancient Sun-like star, a fate that likely awaits the Earth in five billion years.
• 4 May – Westinghouse Electric's nuclear division announces the AP300, a miniature version of its signature AP1000 nuclear reactor.
• 5 May – The World Health Organization announces that COVID-19 is no longer considered a global health emergency.
• 8 May
  • The first infrared image of an asteroid belt outside our Solar System is captured by the James Webb Space Telescope. Three distinct rings of debris are shown to exist around Fomalhaut, a young star 25 light years away.
  • AI successfully identifies people at the highest risk for pancreatic cancer up to three years before diagnosis, using solely the patients' medical records.
• 10 May
  • A rough draft of the human "pan-genome" is presented, consisting of 47 genomes from a cohort of genetically diverse individuals. This aims to improve medical research by building on the earlier Human Genome Project.
  • Scientists demonstrate with experimental evolution how macroscopic multicellularity could have emerged on Earth.
• 11 May – The discovery of 62 new moons of Saturn is reported, taking its total confirmed number to 145 and overtaking Jupiter.
• 15 May
  • The National Institutes of Health begins a Phase 1 trial of an mRNA-based universal influenza vaccine, enrolling 50 volunteers.
  • A study shows most extensively the neuro-molecular mechanics of how a fungal parasite affects behavior of insects.
  • A study found that, of 70,000 monitored species, some 48% are experiencing population declines from human activity, whereas only 3% have increasing populations.
  • By publishing virome-related results, researchers close a major gap in the acceleratingly accumulating research into centenarians' microbiome characteristics for life extension.
• 16 May – A software tool called Allegro is reported to accurately simulate 44 million atoms, running on the Perlmutter supercomputer.
• 17 May
  • Astronomers confirm the existence of MACS1149-JD1 (JD1), one of the farthest known galaxies from Earth.
  • Scientists report, based on genetic studies, a more complicated pathway of human evolution than previously understood. According to the studies, humans evolved from different places and times in Africa, instead of from a single location and period of time.
  • The newly discovered exoplanet LP 791-18 d is theorised to be covered with volcanoes, due to the extreme gravitational pull of a super-Earth in the same system.
  • A study proposes school curricula start including useful basic life support, noting that e.g. complemented video lessons could be effective.
• 18 May
  • Astronomers map the paths of potentially hazardous asteroids for the next 1,000 years. At least 28 asteroids of 1 km diameter or larger are found to have non-zero probabilities of a 'deep encounter' with Earth.
  • A study reports that more than 50% of freshwater lakes and reservoirs lost volume since 1992 due to human and climatic drivers.
• 19 May
  • A policies study review, based on a systematic examination of existing methane policies across sectors, concludes that both only "about 13% of methane emissions are covered by methane mitigation policies" and that the effectiveness of these policies "is far from clear".
  • Researchers propose a methodological approach and quantifications for reparations from fossil fuel producers. Cross-disciplinary researchers propose academics make universities implement, leadingly, the plant-based dietary transition that an increasingly large and confirmed corpus of studies, to which these contributed to, concludes is vital (7 May).
  • Metascience-related events
    • Nature reports China has "overtaken the United States as the number one ranked country or territory for contributions to research articles published in the Nature Index group of high-quality natural-science journals", remaining at second place overall. The Nature Index, since 2016, evaluates contribution by the number of articles published in a subgroup of their journals – other potential or less popular approaches and metrics for quantifications of success or impact can or could produce different rankings or annual tables and conclusions.
    • 34% of neuroscience papers and 23% of medical papers published in 2020 were probably fabricated or plagiarized, according to a preprint study, stemming from paper mills (9 May).
    • A time-use research study (10 May) estimates the costs of manuscript (re)formatting to fit journal guidelines, ~$230 million or ~75 million hours of lost academics' time in 2021. As researchers, usually with little time, usually conduct these tasks themselves and manually and the, largely cosmetic, unstandardized changes are required before, not after, the paper is accepted for publication, the study proposes journals start allowing "free-format submissions".
    • A study (25 May) highlights a list of problematic persuasive methods in academic articles, such as exaggerating the importance of the work or insufficient contextualization by "Not citing previous work that decreases the perceived novelty of the current work".

22 May: 2.7 °C global warming could by 2100 leave every third outside the human climate niche (MAT ≥29 °C).

25 May: Artificial intelligence is reported to have designed a new antibiotic, effective against Acinetobacter baumannii (pictured).

• 21 May – IBM announces that it will begin development of a 100,000-qubit quantum computer, the world's largest and most powerful, to be completed by 2033.
• 22 May – A study quantifies "the human cost of global warming", showing current policies "leading to around 2.7 °C global warming could by 2080–2100 leave one-third (22–39%)" of people outside their climate niche (see also 4 May 2020) – humans' long-time range of mean annual temperatures to which their physiology may have largely adapted to. It indicates meeting the 1.5 °C goal would decrease the population exposed to unprecedented heat ~5-fold and ties itself to earlier research by initially noting that quantifying the social cost of carbon in monetary terms, as related or economics studies tend to do, may be inadequate.
• 23 May
  • Using the Hubble Space Telescope and Gaia spacecraft, an analysis of proper motions of the closest known globular cluster, Messier 4, reveals an excess mass of roughly 800 solar masses in the center. This appears to not be extended, and could thus be the best kinematic evidence for an intermediate-mass black hole (even if an unusually compact cluster of compact objects, white dwarfs, neutron stars or stellar-mass black holes cannot be completely discounted).
  • The first survey study of academics' perception of the topic of "unidentified aerial phenomena" – also called UAP and one type of "anomalous phenomena" – suggests few academics are knowledgeable about the existing academic literature on UAP, such as studies by Knuth, Nolan and Loeb or of The Galileo Project. The majority was not or only slightly aware of the 2021 US Intelligence UFO Report. Results indicate "more academic research about UAP" is rated by the respondent population (~4% of ~40,000 contacted) most commonly as "Of Average Importance", below and before "Very Important".
  • A study identifies plastic chopping boards as a substantial source of ingested microplastics. Researchers show plastic recycling facilities are a major source of microplastic water pollution (1 May).
  • Computational neuroscientists show that people with higher intelligence scores in HCP cognitive tests took more time to solve difficult problems and that their higher synchrony between brain areas allowed for better integration of evidence (or progress) from preceding working memory sub-problem processing. Reducing synchrony in "avatar" simulations, that were adjusted and tuned towards personalization, "led decision-making circuits to quickly jump to conclusions". Their codified results may be useful for an understanding of cognition to replicate or imitate in bio-inspired computing.
  • Researchers report trends in reasons for HPV vaccine hesitancy during 2010–20.
• 24 May
  • Scientists show how gene 'FAAH'-related disruption via genetic or epigenome editing can enable pain insensitivity (see also 10 March 2021). Their analyses, mainly about long non-coding RNA 'FAAH-OUT', following from decade-long study of a woman who can't feel pain or anxiety, could also enable novel therapeutic developments against other neurological problems.
  • One of the first empirical studies on what real users are shown during their typical use of popular Web search engines interprets its results to show that choices for unreliable news sources for their queries are driven primarily by users' own choices and less by the engine's algorithms. The Web scientists link their findings to the concept of filter bubbles which emphasizes the role of design- and personalization algorithms. On 2 May, a report accompanied by an open letter concludes that Alphabet Inc, against its voluntary promises, still runs climate misinformation ads. Statements by Elon Musk in 2022 suggest YouTube may also show ethically disputed advertising other than science-related misinformation such as extensively showing "scam ads".
• 25 May
  • 5,000 marine species new to science are discovered in the Clipperton Fracture Zone, a proposed deep sea mining hotspot in the Pacific Ocean.
  • AI is used to develop an experimental antibiotic called abaucin, which is shown to be effective against A. baumannii.
  • Evidence for the existence of a second Kuiper Belt is presented by NASA scientists, which the New Horizons spacecraft could potentially visit during the late 2020s or early 2030s.
  • A study reports observational evidence for problematic fast slowdown of the Antarctic bottom water current.
  • Neuroengineers demonstrate induction of a torpor-like state in mice via ultrasound stimulation.
• 29 May
  • A new record high efficiency of 19.3% for organic solar cells is reported.
  • MBR Explorer is announced by the United Arab Emirates Space Agency, an uncrewed mission to explore seven asteroids, which includes an attempted surface landing on 269 Justitia in 2034.
  • Scientists provide details of H5N1 bird flu's fast viral evolution of clade 2.3.4.4b including reassortment after "explosive geographic expansion in 2021 among wild birds", with relevance to measures such as existing candidate vaccines.
• 31 May
  • The first X-ray of a single atom is reported.
  • An international study, using modelling and literature assessment, codifies, integrates into and quantifies "safe and just Earth system boundaries" (ESBs) with the context of Earth system stability and minimization of human harm. They expand upon earlier boundary frameworks by incorporating concepts such as intra- and intergenerational justice, propose that their framework may better enable a quantitative foundation for safeguarding the global commons, and report many of the ESBs are already exceeded.
• Healthcare systems related results are published: large increases in medication prices via sustained decrease in their use can cause poorer disease control (8 May), widespread implementation of the particular Alzheimer's disease therapeutic solution lecanemab may increase annual U.S. Medicare spending by $2.0 to $5.1 billion (11 May), mailed HPV self-collection kits with scheduling assistance can lead to greater uptake of cervical cancer screening (11 May), cost-related medication nonadherence occurs in approximately 1 in 5 older adults in the U.S. in 2022 (18 May), and a QALY-based health economics study evaluates the cost-effectiveness of U.S. population-wide screening for CKD (23 May).
• Research on potential current public risk sources is published: the common DBP and BPAF appear to have "substantial impact on the integrity of the sperm nucleus and DNA structure" in mice via oxidative stress (5 May), a preliminary study contextualizes "time spent on social media" as one of the "least influential factors in adolescent mental health" (8 May), ubiquitous environmental contaminant TCE appears to be a risk factor for Parkinson's disease (PD) (15 May), various pesticides are identified as potential risk factors for PD (16 May), researchers demonstrate a two zero-day vulnerabilities-based quick low-cost method – "BrutePrint" – for bypassing common smartphones' fingerprint authentication (18 May), and common sucralose impurity sucralose-6-acetate appears to be DNA damaging with sucralose-sweetened drinks potentially far exceeding the threshold of toxicological concern (29 May).
• Promising innovations relating to global challenges are demonstrated: an open source automated experimentation science platform (BacterAI) for predicting microbial metabolism with little data (4 May), a pesticide alternative against wheat seed loss (22 May), a low-cost smartphone-attachment (BPClip) for blood pressure measurement (29 May), an open source transfer learning-based system (Geneformer) for predicting how networks of interconnected human genes control or affect the function of cells (31 May).
• Promising results of therapeutic candidates are reported: phase I trialed ultrasound BBB-opening device against brain cancer (1 May), phase I trialed personalized mRNA vaccine against pancreatic cancer recurrence (10 May), a novel antibiotic (Streptothricin F) against ABR bacteria (9 May), an e-skin for prosthetic sensing (18 May), two-dose JYNNEOS vaccine against mpox appears ~86% (19 May) or ~66% (18 May) effective, and a xenografted mice-tested pan-KRAS-inhibitor against cancer (31 May).

June

• 1 June – Caltech reports the first successful beaming of solar energy from space down to a receiver on the ground, via the MAPLE instrument on its SSPD-1 spacecraft, launched into orbit in January.
• 2 June – Physicist Lucas Lombriser proposes a controversial alternative way of interpreting the available scientific data which suggests that the notion of an expanding universe may be more a "mirage" than otherwise.
• 5 June
  • Scientists report potential evidence that Homo naledi, an extinct species of small-brained archaic human discovered in 2013 in South Africa, and living as long as 500,000 years ago, buried their dead, created art in their caves and used fire.
  • A 'chef' robot developed is trained to watch and learn from cooking videos, and recreate dishes itself.
  • A first global estimate suggests that an equivalent of ~36% of current annual CO₂ emissions from fossil fuels is stored by soil mycelium of mycorrhizal fungi yearly.
• 6 June – A study finds that the first complete disappearance of Arctic sea ice could occur during the 2030s, a decade earlier than previously forecast.
• 7 June – Scientists report a new mechanism of central nervous system viral diseases including COVID-19 – fusion of brain cells.
• 8 June
  • US scientists confirm that the next El Niño has begun, likely resulting in higher global temperatures in late 2023 and into 2024. Various statistics show the year is unusual and climate change is already having significant impacts such as an Antarctic sea ice extent anomaly and record-high ocean surface temperatures.
  • Taurine given to a range of animal species is found to boost health and extend lifespan by up to 12%.
• 12 June – A time-use study provides the first comprehensive bird's-eye view of what humans currently spend their time on. The "global human day" framework enables better understanding, across fields of research, of the global human system in contexts such as technological change, civilization sustainability, global challenges or goals, societal changes, and economic time allocation. It identifies some factors of variations and activities "for which there is significant potential for change".
• 14 June
  • Teams of researchers report creations of synthetic human model embryos from stem cells, without the need for sperm or egg cells (see also 1 Aug 2022), challenging legal, ethical, and biological concepts.
  • Scientists report evidence that the planet Earth may have formed in just three million years, much faster than the 100 million years thought earlier.
  • Astronomers report that the presence of phosphates on Enceladus, a moon of the planet Saturn, has been detected, completing the discovery of all the basic chemical ingredients for life on the moon.
  • IBM computer scientists report that a quantum computer produced better results for a physics problem than a conventional supercomputer.
  • A machine learning model is trained to recognise the key features of chemicals with senolytic activity. It finds three chemicals – ginkgetin, periplocin and oleandrin – able to remove senescent cells without damaging healthy cells.
• 16 June – Researchers report an fMRI study (31 May) that identifies circuitries and changes which may be crucial for consciousness in humans – or the loss and the recovery thereof in disorders of consciousness e.g. in coma patients.
• 17 June – Researchers report that a single gas-stove burner can raise the indoor concentrations of benzene, related to cancer risk, to more than that found in secondhand tobacco smoke.
• 19 June – Researchers review research on the substantial links between social isolation (HR ~1.32) and loneliness (HR ~1.14) and mortality.
• 21 June – The first successful transplant of a functional cryopreserved mammalian kidney is reported. The study demonstrates a "nanowarming" technique for vitrification for up-to-100 days preservation of transplant organs.
• 22 June – A study projects that by 2050, the worldwide number of adults with diabetes will more than double, from 529 million to over 1.3 billion. No country is expected to see a decline.
• 26 June
  • Retatrutide, an experimental drug against obesity, is shown to achieve a more than 24% mean weight reduction in human adults during a Phase 2 trial.
  • Astronomers detect, for the first time, methenium, CH₃⁺ (and/or carbon cation, C⁺), basic ingredients of life as we know it, in interstellar space.
• 28 June
  • Astronomers report the possible detection of a gravitational wave background (GWB) in the Universe.
  • A study with controlling finds substantial links between reading for pleasure during childhood and later cognition.
  • Researchers report in a preprint the CRISPR alternative Fanzor naturally present in eukaryotes with several potential advantages over CRISPR in genome editing, notably smaller size and higher selectiveness. A separate team further demonstrates in a preprint (14 June) the potential of this class of genome editors.
• 29 June – Astronomers report using a new technique to detect, for the first time, the release of neutrinos from the galactic plane of the Milky Way galaxy.
• Hazard research is published: study results suggest high-temperature cooking could cause DNA damage within food (especially meat) which in turn could cause human DNA damage (1 June), a study concludes the Italian Phlegraean Fields could be heading towards a first eruption since 1538 (9 June), a small team of researchers evaluates the credibility of net-zero climate targets as currently low (9 June), an AHA review shows that exposure to contaminant metals contributes to cardiovascular diseases (12 June), a study in the context of the opioid epidemic shows males are substantially (2–3 times greater) more vulnerable to or affected by drug overdose mortality than females (15 June), loss of Y chromosome can drive cancer growth (21 June), a study indicates nearly 40% of U.S. females age 12 to 21 may have iron deficiency (27 June), researchers show how bird flu could mutate to overcome a human antiviral protein to start another pandemic (28 June), shortages of medications – including some against cancer – are reported across countries, articles in science outlets like Nature suggest contemporary viral concerns about hypothetical existential risk of AI "plays into the tech companies' agenda" – partly in the form of 'criti-hype' – and that this "hinders effective regulation of the societal harms AI is causing right now" and in the near-future.
• Promising results of therapeutic candidates are reported: first phase 3 trialed chikungunya vaccine (VLA1553) (12 June), mice-tested inoculation against a potential infectious contributor to endometriosis (14 June), new evidence regarding still-unclear vaginal seeding interventions (15 June), phase 2 trialed orforglipron against obesity (23 June), mice-tested gene-therapy against hearing loss (28 June).
• Promising innovations relating to global challenges are demonstrated: an overview of "the nascent industry of AI-designed drugs" (1 June), after moderators of the Web content aggregation-based platform Reddit strike against the site's introduction of API pricing and the ensuing closing of several mobile client apps, several novel decentralized open source aggregation platforms gain substantial numbers of users – most notably Lemmy and Kbin which can synchronize their posts via interoperability (12 June), the first upgrade of the Global Earthquake Model data for disaster risk reduction is reported (13 June), first approval for two cultured meat products in the U.S. and two of the first worldwide (21 June), transgenic soya beans containing pig protein (Piggy Sooy) are reported (28 June), a new type of glass (LionGlass) that is substantially more damage-resistant and more sustainable is reported (30 June).

July

• 1 July – The ESA space telescope Euclid is launched, beginning a six-year mission to study dark energy and dark matter.
• 3 July – Researchers demonstrate encoding and storing data – small images – as DNA without new DNA synthesis by recording light exposure into bacterial DNA via optogenetic circuits. The 'biological camera' extends chemical and electrical interface techniques.
• 5 July
  • Harvard astronomer Avi Loeb reports the possibility of a Galileo Project expedition having found first interstellar material.
  • A first evolution experiment of synthetic 'minimal cells' – JCVI-syn3B bacterial cells whose genomes were trimmed to 493 essential genes and are the smallest of any known free-living organism – shows they survive and mutate vitally with their >50% decrease in fitness to JCVI-syn1 being regained after ~2,000 generations under accelerated evolution.
• 6 July – A study indicates release of methane from Arctic glacial retreat will result in Arctic emissions much higher than expected.

5 July: A first evolution experiment of synthetic bacterial 'minimal cells' JCVI-syn3B shows "life finds a way".

• 10 July
  • Dynamic shell formation is demonstrated experimentally for the first time. Researchers claim their technique is a feasible target for mass production of fusion energy.
  • The highest albedo ever measured for an exoplanet is confirmed using data from the CHEOPS space telescope. The ultra-hot Neptune LTT 9779 b is shown to reflect 80% of incoming light from its star (compared to 75% for Venus), due to the high metal content of its clouds.
• 11 July
  • Three possible "dark star" candidates are reported, at times ranging from about 320 million to 400 million years after the Big Bang, based on analysis of observations by the James Webb Space Telescope.
  • Berkeley Earth reports that June 2023 was the warmest June since records began in 1850, and broke the previous record by 0.18 °C. Its temperature dataset suggests that 2023 is now 81% likely to become a new record year for global warming.
  • A study suggests that carbon taxation approaches or instruments would be more effective and fairer when distinguishing between luxury- and basic goods and services. A separate study (17 July) finds that for energy demand reduction (EDR), "capping energy use of the top quintile of consumers" would be effective, more equitable, and increase public acceptance of transformative climate action in Europe.
• 12 July
  • Astronomers report considerable success of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) after its first year of operations.
  • In what could be the first global scientific analysis of plastic pollution of lakes and reservoirs that is not limited to recently increasingly studied microplastics, a large team of researchers reports high prevalence and vulnerability factors.
  • In what could be the first global scientific analysis of agricultural pesticide pollution, scientists report that of the studied third of the three million metric tons of pesticides used annually, ~10% remains as toxic residue in soil while rivers receive at least 730 tons where they nearly do not degrade.
  • A study suggests chemical alternatives to age reversal via Yamanaka factors gene therapy are feasible via early in vitro fibroblasts data. On 3 July, researchers report subcutaneous administration of longevity factor α-klotho enhanced cognition in old rhesus macaques. On 27 July, a study shows rejuvenation effects in mice from heterochronic parabiosis endure after the joined mice are detached.

18 July: Naturally occurring graphene is reported for the first time.

• 13 July
  • Air pollution particles are shown to reduce insects' ability to find food and a mate, in experiments. This may be contributing to the dramatic fall in global insect populations, the scientists conclude.
  • Scientists use CRISPR gene-editing to reduce the lignin content in poplar trees by as much as 50%, offering a potentially more sustainable method of fiber production.
• 14 July – The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully launches its Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft towards the Moon, aiming to become the fourth nation to achieve a soft landing on the lunar surface.
• 17 July – Astronomers of the Breakthrough Listen project report the development of a novel technique that can help distinguish between potential deliberate artificial alien signals and Earth-based radio interference via unique signatures from passing through ionized plasma of interstellar medium.
• 19 July – Astronomers report the discovery of a bizarre 'two-faced' star, with one side made up of hydrogen and the other consisting of helium. The object, designated ZTF J203349.8+322901.1, is a white dwarf located about 1,000 light years away.
• 18 July – The first example of naturally occurring graphene is reported, at a gold mine in South Africa.
• 19 July – Researchers report the discovery of self-healing of fatigue cracks in metals in vacuum.

21 July: A first study investigates theories popularized in 2018 that involve jobs being viewed as objectively useless to society.

Hazard research: An analysis relating to the Rotterdam Convention shows illegal trade of highly hazardous chemicals continues.

• 21 July – A study provides evidence for elements of the theory of 'Bullshit Jobs', which was formalized and popularized in 2018, showing that many workers consider their jobs of contemporary economics as objectively useless to society.
• 24 July
  • The first detection of water in the terrestrial region of a disk already known to host two or more protoplanets is announced. The discovery, in a young system called PDS 70, is based on data from the James Webb Space Telescope.
  • A study reports a 226% improvement in a memory test of healthy older adults (60–85) from overnight odorant diffuser use for 6 months. The olfactory sense is known to be linked to memory, but its stimulation was previously not trialed where application occurs during sleep.
• 25 July – A controversial study finds that a collapse of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) is highly likely this century, and may occur as early as 2025. The 95% confidence interval is between 2025 and 2095.
• 26 July – DARPA, in collaboration with NASA, begins work on the first in-orbit demonstration of a nuclear thermal rocket engine.
• 27 July – The longest known cryptobiosis in a nematode is reported, with an organism revived after 46,000 years in Siberian permafrost.
• 28 July – A phylogenetic study proposes a hybrid of the farming and steppe hypotheses for the origin of Indo-European languages, contradicting elements of both.
• Hazard research is published: news outlets start reporting on a study from June finding high levels of PFAS in half of U.S. tap water (5 July), an analysis of the efficacy of the Rotterdam Convention in curbing illegal trade of highly hazardous chemicals shows that large-scale trade of chemicals like tetraethyllead continues (10 July), a researcher reports subterranean climate change urban heat islands may affect the durability of infrastructure and buildings (11 July), a study indicates consumer protection-related validation and quality control for a set of advanced sports supplements such as Dynamine is insufficient, finding most of the tested products either did not contain a detectable amount of the labeled ingredient or substantially deviated from the declared dosage (17 July), a study for the first time determines a wet-bulb temperature threshold where it may be physiologically too hot for daily activity by young healthy adults due to an increase in cardiovascular strain, showing this limit is crossed at a lower temperature than thought previously (20 July), researchers elaborate in a scientific journal why they conclude that "new nuclear is a costly and dangerous distraction" in climate change mitigation (21 July), a study affirms recent findings that suggest revived ancient pathogens from either potential lab-leaks or from permafrost thawing represent significant risks (27 July), scientists provide data about the genetic basis of induced parthenogenesis in sexually reproducing fruit flies which could inform pest control (28 July).
• Promising innovations relating to global challenges are reported: a viable real-time pathogen air quality (pAQ) sensor is demonstrated (10 July), a performant open source AI software for protein design (RFdiffusion) is introduced (11 July), metaresearchers show that AI trained with study-author-networks data could generate scientifically promising "alien" hypotheses that would likely not be considered otherwise (13 July), a study affirms that novel wearable more accessible TD-fNIRS headgear can be used instead of stationary fMRI with new findings about neurological effects of psychedelics (19 July), researchers demonstrate a DNA-sequencing-based technique to more effectively curb illegal sealife trade at warehouses and boats (19 July), a study provides an overview and living review of open source LLMs, assessing the levels of openness of their differentiated elements and reviewing the risks of relying on proprietary software or the importance of open source AI (19 July), news outlets start reporting on study from June demonstrating record solar-to-hydrogen efficiencies (20 July), multimodal biomedical Med-PaLM M is introduced (26 July).
• Promising results of health and medical research are reported: further evidence that breastfeeding is important for the cognitive child development due to its unique ingredients (11 July), trialed hydroxyapatite toothpaste – which can also include fluoride in addition – against caries (18 July), gene therapy eyedrops of Vyjuvek, which was approved in May, against blindness (24 July), the second release from the global WikiGuidelines, a practically oriented guideline on the diagnosis and management of infective endocarditis, demonstrates a novel approach that incorporates uncertainties more than conventional guideline reviews (31 July).

August

1 August: Record high ocean temperatures are reported, along with the hottest July on land.

• 1 August
  • Global warming: The world's oceans reach a new record high temperature of 20.96 °C, exceeding the previous record in 2016. July is also confirmed as having been the hottest month on record for globally averaged surface air temperatures by a considerable margin.
  • Astrobiologists theorise that low-oxygen planets would be unlikely to produce advanced civilisations, as the discovery of fire requires easy access to open air combustion, which is only possible when oxygen partial pressure is above 18%.
  • Researchers list and correct common misconceptions about the human microbiome.
• 2 August
  • A small star called TOI-4860 is found to host an unusually large gas giant, named TOI-4860 b. Astronomers believe this pair to be the lowest mass star hosting such a high mass planet, challenging theories of planetary formation.
  • Scientists report the discovery of an up to now unknown ancient human hominin that may have lived 300,000 years ago in China.
  • Whale Perucetus colossus of the Eocene is shown to potentially be Earth's heaviest-ever animal with 85–340 t.

3 August: Dogxim, the first known fox–dog hybrid is reported.

• 3 August – Dogxim, the now-dead first known hybrid of a fox and a domesticated dog discovered in the wild in Brazil during 2021, is reported. There has been earlier research into domestication of foxes.
• 8 August
  • Walking more than 3,967 steps each day is shown to reduce the risk of dying prematurely of any cause, based on a study of 226,000 people around the world. This is considerably less than previous recommendations, which have sometimes cited a figure of 10,000+ steps being needed each day.
  • A study shows activating astrocyte cells in mice with a novel technique makes them stay awake for much longer without making them sleepier or impacts on cognition-associated EEG markers.
• 10 August – Scientists at Fermilab report the most precise measurement yet of the magnetic moment of the muon. The particles are shown to wobble faster than predicted by the Standard Model, hinting at a possible fifth fundamental force.
• 11 August – The rise in photosynthesis rates around the world caused by the increase of carbon dioxide is found to have slowed dramatically in the 21st century, as the atmosphere has grown drier.
• 12 August – Amateur astronomer Hideo Nishimura announces the discovery of Comet Nishimura (officially, "C/2023 P1 (Nishimura)"), a long-period comet that may be observable in the first days of September 2023 before sunrise.
• 14 August – Researchers report the first ever image of quantum entanglement.
• 16 August – LK-99 is shown to lack the properties required for a room-temperature superconductor under ambient pressure, following weeks of speculation among the scientific community and in the media.
• 17 August – Scientists publish what could be the first study both investigating climate-polluting investments and proposing taxation thereof as transformative revenue for climate finance, i.a. indicating "40% of total U.S. emissions were associated with income flows to the highest earning 10% of households" in 2019 with a growing emissions inequality.
• 18 August – A study investigating public policies and spending as well as lobbying activities regarding a transition to a sustainable food system finds that governments "largely ignore the climate-mitigation potential of animal product analogs" and that food production has 'lock-in' problems.
• 23 August
  • India's Chandrayaan-3 becomes the first spacecraft to land near the south pole of the Moon, where frozen water is believed to exist.
  • The complete sequencing of a human Y chromosome with the discovery of 41 additional genes is announced in Nature.
  • A study indicates factors contributing to the longevity of long-living organisms can be transferred between species, particularly from naked mole-rats to mice.
• 28 August
  • A study by Western University estimates that global warming of 2 °C could result in the mass deaths of 1 billion people by 2100.
  • Astronomers film an impact event, likely by an asteroid, on the planet Jupiter.
• 30 August – Autonomous drones win first races against human champions of FPV drone racing.
• 31 August – Researchers report, based on genetic studies, that a human ancestor population bottleneck (from a possible 100,000 to 1,000 individuals) occurred "around 930,000 and 813,000 years ago ... lasted for about 117,000 years and brought human ancestors close to extinction."

September

11 September: NASA reports that the exoplanet K2-18b (artist's impression) may be covered in oceans of water.

• 2 September – Astrophysicists question the overall current view of the universe, in the form of the Standard Model of Cosmology, based on the latest James Webb Space Telescope studies.
• 5 September – Astronomers identify a vast, bubble-like structure known as Hoʻoleilana in the distribution of relatively nearby galaxies, estimated at 1 billion light-years in diameter and described as the first observation of an individual baryon acoustic oscillation.
• 6 September
  • The discovery of specialized astrocytes that mediate glutamatergic gliotransmission in the central nervous system is announced.
  • Geologists report the discovery of what may be the largest known deposit of lithium, located in the crater of a dormant volcano along the Nevada–Oregon border, and estimated to contain 20 to 40 million tonnes of the metal.
• 11 September – The James Webb Space Telescope detects carbon dioxide and methane in the atmosphere of K2-18b, a potentially habitable exoplanet around 8.6 times the mass of Earth. Webb’s data suggests that it might be a hycean planet covered in oceans of water, with a hydrogen-rich atmosphere.

18 September: LCLS-II becomes the world's most powerful X-ray laser (illustration of an undulator, the core of a free-electron laser)

• 14 September
  • NASA releases the first public study on UAPs (also known as UFOs), and appoints Mark McInerney as the first Director of UAP, to scientifically and transparently study further such occurrences.
  • A new record time for quantum coherence is reported, with a single-photon qubit encoded in a novel superconducting cavity for 34 milliseconds.
  • A genetically engineered marine microorganism is shown to break down polyethylene terephthalate in salt water. This plastic, used in everything from water bottles to clothing, is a significant contributor to microplastic pollution in oceans.
  • A study by Penn State finds that rivers are warming and losing oxygen faster than oceans. Of nearly 800 rivers, warming occurred in 87% and oxygen loss occurred in 70%. The study projects that within 70 years, river systems could "induce acute death" in aquatic organisms due to low levels of oxygen.
  • Astronomers report studies related to the Hubble tension, a disagreement in results attempting to measure the Hubble constant, and find that the results from the James Webb Space Telescope support earlier results from the Hubble Space Telescope. According to astronomer Adam Riess, "With Webb confirming the measurements from Hubble, the Webb measurements provide the strongest evidence yet that systematic errors in Hubble's Cepheid photometry do not play a significant role in the present Hubble tension ... As a result, the more interesting possibilities remain on the table and the mystery of the tension deepens."
• 18 September
  • A new palm oil substitute called PALM-ALT is presented by researchers at Queen Margaret University in Scotland. The plant-based ingredient is shown to be 70% better for the environment than conventional palm oil and is described as "the holy grail to replace it."
  • The Linac Coherent Light Source at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory is upgraded to LCLS-II and successfully demonstrates its first X-rays, which are fired 8,000 times faster and are 10,000 times brighter than the previous version.
  • Scientists calculate that animal genera are going extinct at a rate 35 times faster than expected background rates over the past million years, which they say indicates the planet is experiencing a human-driven sixth mass extinction event and that it is accelerating.
  • A triple-junction solar cell with perovskite-perovskite-silicon subcell configuration is demonstrated with open-circuit voltage of over 2.8 V, which compares to conventional cells with values ranging between 0.7 V and 0.8 V.
• 19 September
  • RNA is recovered from a Tasmanian tiger, or thylacine (Thylacinus cynocephalus), the first isolation and decoding of such molecules from an extinct species.
  • The iconic genus Rafflesia, which includes the world's largest flower, is reported to be at risk of extinction due to habitat loss.
• 20 September – Archaeologists in Zambia find the world's oldest wooden structure, dating back 476,000 years.
• 21 September – Carbon is reported to be present in the subterranean ocean of Europa, based on observations by the James Webb Space Telescope.
• 22 September – Astronomers report studies of the TRAPPIST-1 b exoplanet, finding no signs of an atmosphere, and commenting that the "planet could be a bare rock, have clouds high in the atmosphere or have a very heavy molecule like carbon dioxide that makes the atmosphere too small to detect."
• 24 September – Scientists report the successful return of samples from NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission to the asteroid 101955 Bennu. Shortly after the sample container was retrieved and transferred to an "airtight chamber at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas", the lid on the container was opened. Scientists commented that they "found black dust and debris on the avionics deck of the OSIRIS-REx science canister" on the initial opening. Later study was planned. A news conference on the asteroid sample is scheduled for 11 October 2023.
• 25 September
  • A study on Pangaea Ultima finds that the hypothetical supercontinent will make Earth uninhabitable to most life forms in 250 million years, due to extreme temperatures and radiation.
  • Biologists report the discovery of a ninth species of pangolin, a mammal which is covered with large, protective keratin scales.
• 26 September – Work begins on the seventh and final primary mirror of the Giant Magellan Telescope, which is expected to provide quadruple the image resolution of previous observatories when completed.
• 27 September
  • Physicists report studies, for the first time, supporting the notion that antimatter particles behave in a similar way as normal matter in a gravitational field.
  • Astronomers report studies suggesting that the rings of Saturn may have resulted from the collision of two moons "a few hundred million years ago".
  • A breakthrough in desalination is achieved by engineers from MIT and China, using a solar-powered device to create freshwater at lower cost than tap water.

Predicted and scheduled events

See also: 2023 in spaceflight

• Search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) and ufology
  • First major observational campaign of the SETI project COSMIC.
  • Expected public first release of results from the international UFO investigation project The Galileo Project led by astronomer Avi Loeb.
  • Rocket Lab's Venus probe is scheduled to be launched and to arrive on Venus in October, partly to search for signs of life on Venus.
• Expected start of the Vera Rubin Observatory, the Qitai Radio Telescope, the European Spallation Source and the Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory.
• Nature has listed 11 clinical trials to watch in 2023. Results of the Participatory Evaluation (of) Aging (With) Rapamycin (for) Longevity Study (PEARL) clinical trial investigating a life extension intervention are expected to be released.
• Science-related budgets
  • US: several fields, research topics and agencies are provided with increased budgets, including the new Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H). Various changes to the budgets of US institutions like NASA, FDA, EPA and NIH have been described.
  • UK:
    See also: Advanced Research and Invention Agency

Awards

Main article: Lists of science and technology awards

Deaths

Main article: Deaths in 2023

Further information: Category:2023 deaths

See also

• Category:Science events
• Category:Science timelines
• List of emerging technologies
• List of years in science

External links

• Media related to 2023 in science at Wikimedia Commons