2018 in science: Difference between revisions
Content deleted Content added
| Line 54: | Line 54: | ||
* 9 February – Human eggs are grown in the laboratory for the first time, by researchers at the [[University of Edinburgh]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ed.ac.uk/news/2018/lab-grown-eggs-could-aid-fertility-treatments|title=Lab-grown eggs could aid fertility treatments|date=9 February 2018 |work=University of Edinburgh|accessdate=10 February 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-42976858|title=First human eggs grown in laboratory|date=9 February 2018 |work=BBC News |accessdate=9 February 2018}}</ref> |
* 9 February – Human eggs are grown in the laboratory for the first time, by researchers at the [[University of Edinburgh]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ed.ac.uk/news/2018/lab-grown-eggs-could-aid-fertility-treatments|title=Lab-grown eggs could aid fertility treatments|date=9 February 2018 |work=University of Edinburgh|accessdate=10 February 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-42976858|title=First human eggs grown in laboratory|date=9 February 2018 |work=BBC News |accessdate=9 February 2018}}</ref> |
||
* 13 February – Scientists at [[Rockefeller University]], writing in the journal ''[[Nature Microbiology]]'', describe how compounds in soil known as [[malacidins]] can overcome [[antibiotic resistance]] in mice with [[MRSA]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-43032602|title=New antibiotic family discovered in dirt|date=13 February 2018 |work=BBC News |accessdate=15 February 2018}}</ref> |
* 13 February – Scientists at [[Rockefeller University]], writing in the journal ''[[Nature Microbiology]]'', describe how compounds in soil known as [[malacidins]] can overcome [[antibiotic resistance]] in mice with [[MRSA]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-43032602|title=New antibiotic family discovered in dirt|date=13 February 2018 |work=BBC News |accessdate=15 February 2018}}</ref> |
||
* 14 February |
|||
* |
**By studying the orbits of [[Stellar_kinematics|high-speed stars]], researchers in Australia calculate that the [[Andromeda galaxy]] has only one-third as much [[dark matter]] as previously thought, making it similar in mass to the [[Milky Way]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.astronomy.com/news/magazine/2018/02/adromeda-is-the-same-size-as-the-milky-way|title=Just how big is the Andromeda galaxy?|date=14 February 2018 |work=Astronomy.com |accessdate=15 February 2018}}</ref> |
||
**A study published by the ''Journal of Experimental Medicine'' shows that blocking the enzyme beta-secretase ([[BACE1]]) in mice can substantially reduce the formation of plaques responsible for Alzheimer's disease.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://jem.rupress.org/content/early/2018/02/13/jem.20171831|title=BACE1 deletion in the adult mouse reverses preformed amyloid deposition and improves cognitive functions |date=14 February 2018 |work=Journal of Experimental Medicine |accessdate=16 February 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/health/ct-therapy-alzheimers-mice-20180214-story.html|title=Therapy successfully reverses Alzheimer's in mice, researchers report. What does that mean for humans? |date=14 February 2018 |work=Chicago Tribune |accessdate=16 February 2018}}</ref> |
|||
== Predicted and scheduled events == |
== Predicted and scheduled events == |
||
Revision as of 08:34, 16 February 2018
| |||
|---|---|---|---|
| +... |
A number of significant scientific events have occurred or are scheduled to occur in 2018.
Events
January
- 1 January – Researchers at Harvard, writing in Nature Nanotechnology, report the first single lens that can focus all colours of the rainbow in the same spot and in high resolution, previously only achievable with multiple lenses.[3][4]
- 2 January – Physicists at Cornell University report the creation of "muscle" for shape-changing, cell-sized robots.[5][6]
- 3 January
- Computer researchers report discovering two major security vulnerabilities, named "Meltdown" and "Spectre," in the microprocessors inside almost all computers in the world.[7][8][9]
- Scientists in Rome unveil the first bionic hand with a sense of touch that can be worn outside a laboratory.[10]
- 4 January – MIT researchers devise a new method to create stronger and more resilient nanofibers.[11][12]
- 5 January – Researchers report images (including image-1) taken by the Curiosity rover on Mars showing curious rock shapes that may require further study in order to help better determine whether the shapes are biological or geological.[1][2]
- 8 January – The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reports that 2017 was the costliest year on record for climate and weather-related disasters in the United States.[13][14]
- 9 January
- A pattern in exoplanets is discovered by a team of multinational researchers led by the Université de Montréal: Planets orbiting the same star tend to have similar sizes and regular spacings. This could imply that most planetary systems form differently from the Solar System.[15]
- Analysis of the stone Hypatia shows it has a different origin than the planets and known asteroids. Parts of it could be older than the solar system.[16]
- A new study by researchers at Stanford University indicates the genetic engineering method known as CRISPR may trigger an immune response in humans, thus rendering it potentially ineffective in them.[17][18]
- 10 January – Researchers at Imperial College London and King's College London publish a paper in the journal Scientific Reports about the development of a new 3D bioprinting technique, which allows the more accurate printing of soft tissue organs, such as lungs.[19][20]
- 11 January
- In a study published in the journal Cell, University of Pennsylvania researchers show a method through which the human innate immune system may possibly be trained to more efficiently respond to diseases and infections.[21]
- A NASA experiment, Station Explorer for X-ray Timing and Navigation Technology (SEXTANT), shows how spacecraft may possibly determine their location by focusing on millisecond pulsars in space.[22][23]
- 15 January
- Artificial intelligence programs developed by Microsoft and Alibaba achieve better average performance on a Stanford University reading and comprehension test than human beings.[24][25][26]
- University of Washington scientists publish a report in the journal Nature Chemistry of the development of a new form of biomaterial based delivery system for therapeutic drugs, which only release their cargo under certain physiological conditions, thereby potentially reducing drug side-effects in patients.[27]
- University of Pennsylvania announces in the United States National Library of Medicine human clinical trials, that will encompass the use of CRISPR technology to modify the T cells of patients with multiple myeloma, sarcoma and melanoma cancers, to allow the cells to more effectively combat the cancers, the first of their kind trials in the US.[28][29]
- 17 January – Engineers at the University of Texas at Austin, in collaboration with Peking University scientists, announce the creation of a memory storage device only one atomic layer thick; a so-called 'atomristor'.[30]
- 18 January
- NASA and NOAA report that 2017 was the hottest year on record globally without an El Niño, and among the top three hottest years overall.[33][34]
- Researchers report developing a blood test (or liquid biopsy) that can detect eight common cancer tumors early. The new test, based on cancer-related DNA and proteins found in the blood, produced 70% positive results in the tumor-types studied in 1005 patients.[35][36]
- Sharks are shown to move and feed across the world's oceans in characteristic ways as demonstrated by a global-scale study of stable isotopes in shark tissues led by the University of Southampton and published in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution.[37]
- According to a new report published by the US National Science Foundation (NSF), the US is facing increasing competition in scientific endeavours from China, with the latter now publishing more annual scientific papers, but the US still leads in research and development (R&D) and venture capital (VC).[38][39]
- Medical researchers at the Gladstone Institutes discover a method of turning skin cells into stem cells, with the use of CRISPR.[40][41]
- 19 January – Researchers at the Technical University of Munich report a new propulsion method for molecular machines, which enables them to move 100,000 times faster than biochemical processes used to date.[42]
- 22 January
- 24 January – Scientists in China report in the journal Cell the creation of two monkey clones, named Zhong Zhong and Hua Hua, using the complex DNA transfer method that produced Dolly the sheep, for the first time.[31][32][48][49]
- 25 January
- Researchers publish a new dating of fossil evidence that suggests the earliest known modern humans left Africa 185,000 years ago, around 80,000 years earlier than previously thought.[50]
- Scientists working for Calico, a company owned by Alphabet, publish a paper in the journal eLife which presents possible evidence that Heterocephalus glaber (naked mole-rat) do not face increased mortality risk due to aging.[51][52][53]
February
- 2 February – A study published in the journal Science by researchers from the United States Geological Survey and the University of California, Santa Cruz reports the severe degradation of the health of polar bears in the Arctic, due to the effects of climate change.[54]
- 5 February
- Researchers find additional evidence for an exotic form of water, called superionic water, which is not found naturally on Earth, but could be common on the planets Uranus and Neptune.[55][56]
- Astronomers report evidence, for the first time, that extragalactic exoplanets, much more distant than the exoplanets found within the local Milky Way galaxy, may exist.[57][58]
- 6 February
- SpaceX successfully conducts its maiden flight of its most powerful rocket to date, the Falcon Heavy, from LC39A at John F. Kennedy Space Center.[59]
- The National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) reports that global sea ice extent has fallen to a new record low.[60]
- 8 February – Astronomers report the first confirmed findings from the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) project, with the discovery of 2018 CL, a small near-Earth asteroid.[61][62]
- 9 February – Human eggs are grown in the laboratory for the first time, by researchers at the University of Edinburgh.[63][64]
- 13 February – Scientists at Rockefeller University, writing in the journal Nature Microbiology, describe how compounds in soil known as malacidins can overcome antibiotic resistance in mice with MRSA.[65]
- 14 February
- By studying the orbits of high-speed stars, researchers in Australia calculate that the Andromeda galaxy has only one-third as much dark matter as previously thought, making it similar in mass to the Milky Way.[66]
- A study published by the Journal of Experimental Medicine shows that blocking the enzyme beta-secretase (BACE1) in mice can substantially reduce the formation of plaques responsible for Alzheimer's disease.[67][68]
Predicted and scheduled events
February
- 15 February – A partial solar eclipse will occur.
March
April
- The Gaia collaboration plans its second data release including positions, parallaxes and proper motions for about a billion stars.[71]
May
July
- June–July – Hayabusa 2 will arrive at its target asteroid Ryugu.[73]
- 13 July – A partial solar eclipse will occur.
- 27 July – A total lunar eclipse will occur.
August
- 11 August – A partial solar eclipse will occur.
- August – OSIRIS-REx will arrive at its target asteroid Bennu.[74]
- August – Dragon 2 is scheduled to launch US astronauts to space, the first astronauts launched to orbit by private companies.
Date unknown
- The Belle II experiment is expected to start taking data to study B mesons.[75]
- China plans to start construction of its modular space station.[76]
- CST-100 Starliner is planned to launch US astronauts to space in late 2018 or early 2019.[77]
- The Event Horizon Telescope is expected to release the first image of a black hole.[78]
See also
References
- ^ a b David, Leonard (5 January 2018). "Structures on Mars". Space.com. Retrieved 5 January 2018.
- ^ a b Edwards, Christopher (3 January 2018). "Sols 1913-1924: Curiosity's Working Holiday". NASA. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
- ^ "Single metalens focuses all colors of the rainbow in one point". Harvard. 1 January 2018. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
- ^ Shelby Rogers (7 January 2018). "Harvard Researchers Have Developed a Metalens That Could Revolutionize Optics". Interesting Engineering. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
- ^ "Physicists build muscle for shape-changing, cell-sized robots". EurekAlert!. 2 January 2018. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
- ^ Marc Z. Miskin; Kyle J. Dorsey; Baris Bircan; Yimo Han; David A. Muller; Paul L. McEuen; Itai Cohen (2018). "Graphene-based bimorphs for micron-sized, autonomous origami machines". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. doi:10.1073/pnas.1712889115.
- ^ Metz, Cade; Perlroth, Nicole (3 January 2018). "Researchers Discover Two Major Flaws in the World's Computers". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
- ^ Warren, Tom (3 January 2018). "Intel's processors have a security bug and the fix could slow down PCs". The Verge. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
- ^ Bright, Peter (5 January 2018). "Meltdown and Spectre: Here's what Intel, Apple, Microsoft, others are doing about it". Ars Technica. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
- ^ "Woman receives bionic hand with sense of touch". BBC News. 3 January 2018. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
- ^ "Ultrafine fibers have exceptional strength". MIT. 5 January 2018. Retrieved 7 January 2018.
- ^ "U.S. researchers develop new technique to produce ultra-strong, resilient nanofibers for protective armors". Xinhua. 7 January 2018. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
- ^ "Most expensive year on record for US natural disasters". BBC News. 8 January 2018. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
- ^ "2017 was 3rd warmest year on record for U.S." NOAA. 8 January 2018. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
- ^ "Planets around Other Stars are like Peas in a Pod". Université de Montréal. 9 January 2018. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
- ^ "Extra-terrestrial Hypatia stone rattles solar system status quo". 9 January 2018. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
- ^ "You May Already Be Immune to CRISPR". The Atlantic. 9 January 2018. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
- ^ "Most People May Already Be Immune to CRISPR". Popular Mechanics. 11 January 2018. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
- ^ "3D printing creates super-soft structures that replicate brain and lungs". Imperial College London. 10 January 2018. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
- ^ "Scientists 3D Print Super Soft Brain Like Tissue". The University Network. 30 January 2018. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
- ^ "By Altering Bone Marrow, 'Training' Can Prepare Innate Immune System for Future Challenges". University of Pennsylvania. 11 January 2018. Retrieved 17 January 2018.
- ^ "NASA Team First to Demonstrate X-ray Navigation in Space". NASA. 11 January 2018. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
- ^ "NASA Test Proves Pulsars Can Function as a Celestial GPS". Scientific American. 17 January 2018. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
- ^ "Microsoft creates AI that can read a document and answer questions about it as well as a person". Microsoft. 15 January 2018. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
- ^ "Computers are getting better than humans at reading". CNN. 15 January 2018. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
- ^ "Alibaba's AI Outguns Humans in Reading". Bloomberg. 15 January 2018. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
- ^ "Researchers program biomaterials with 'logic gates' that release therapeutics in response to environmental triggers". University of Washington. 15 January 2018. Retrieved 17 January 2018.
- ^ Stadtmauer, Edward (15 January 2018). "NY-ESO-1-redirected CRISPR (TCRendo and PD1) Edited T Cells (NYCE T Cells)". US National Library of Medicine. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
- ^ "U.S. Doctors Plan to Treat Cancer Patients Using CRISPR". MIT Technology Review. 17 January 2018. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
- ^ "Ultra-Thin Memory Storage Device Paves Way for More Powerful Computing". University of Texas at Austin. 17 January 2018. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
- ^ a b Liu, Zhen; et al. (24 January 2018). "Cloning of Macaque Monkeys by Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer". Cell. doi:10.1016/j.cell.2018.01.020. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
{{cite journal}}: Explicit use of et al. in:|author=(help) - ^ a b Normile, Dennis (24 January 2018). "These monkey twins are the first primate clones made by the method that developed Dolly". Science. doi:10.1126/science.aa1066. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
- ^ "2017 Ranked Among Three Hottest Years Ever". Scientific American. 18 January 2018. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
- ^ "2017 was the hottest year on record without El Niño boost". The Guardian. 18 January 2018. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
- ^ Kaiser, Jocelyn (19 January 2018). "'Liquid biopsy' for cancer promises early detection". Science. 359 (6373): 259. doi:10.1126/scinece.359.6373.259. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
- ^ Netburn, Deborah (18 January 2018). "This new blood test can detect early signs of 8 kinds of cancer". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
- ^ Bird, Christopher S.; Veríssimo, Ana; Magozzi, Sarah; Abrantes, Kátya G.; Aguilar, Alex; Al-Reasi, Hassan; Barnett, Adam; Bethea, Dana M.; Biais, Gérard (2018). "A global perspective on the trophic geography of sharks". Nature Ecology & Evolution. 2 (2): 299–305. doi:10.1038/s41559-017-0432-z. ISSN 2397-334X.
- ^ "State of US science enterprise report shows US leads in S&E as China rapidly advances". US National Science Foundation. 18 January 2018. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
- ^ "China Publishes More Scientific Articles Than the U.S." MIT Technology Review. 18 January 2018. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
- ^ "Researchers Create First Stem Cells Using CRISPR Genome Activation". Gladstone Institutes. 18 January 2018. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
- ^ "Researchers create first stem cells using CRISPR genome activation". Science Daily. 18 January 2018. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
- ^ "A self-assembled nanoscale robotic arm controlled by electric fields". Science. 19 January 2018. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
- ^ "Amazon Go". Amazon. 22 January 2018. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
- ^ "Amazon doesn't care if you accidentally shoplift from its cashier-less store". The Verge. 22 January 2018. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
- ^ "People are lining up to shop at Amazon Go's new "queue-free" concept store". news.com.au. 23 January 2018. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
- ^ "Engineers design artificial synapse for "brain-on-a-chip" hardware". MIT. 22 January 2018. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
- ^ "An artificial synapse could make brain-on-a-chip hardware a reality". MIT Technology Review. 22 January 2018. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
- ^ Briggs, Helen (24 January 2018). "First monkey clones created in Chinese laboratory". BBC News. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
- ^ Associated Press (24 January 2018). "Scientists Successfully Clone Monkeys; Are Humans Up Next?". The New York Times. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
- ^ "Modern humans left Africa much earlier". BBC News. 25 January 2018. Retrieved 25 January 2018.
- ^ "Calico Scientists Publish Paper in eLife Demonstrating that the Naked Mole Rat's Risk of Death Does Not Increase With Age". Calico. 25 January 2018. Retrieved 27 January 2018.
- ^ "Naked mole rats defy the biological law of aging". Science Magazine - AAAS. 26 January 2018. Retrieved 27 January 2018.
- ^ Ruby, Graham; Smith, Megan; Buffenstein, Rochelle (25 January 2018). "Naked mole-rat mortality rates defy Gompertzian laws by not increasing with age". eLife. Retrieved 27 January 2018.
- ^ "Polar bears could face extinction faster than thought, study says". CNN. 2 February 2018. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
- ^ Millot, Marius; et al. (5 February 2018). "Experimental evidence for superionic water ice using shock compression". Nature Physics. doi:10.1038/s41567-017-0017-4. Retrieved 5 February 2018.
{{cite journal}}: Explicit use of et al. in:|author=(help) - ^ Chang, Kenneth (5 February 2018). "Newly Discovered Form of Water Ice Is 'Really Strange' - Long theorized to be found in the mantles of Uranus and Neptune, the confirmation of the existence of superionic ice could lead to the development of new materials". The New York Times. Retrieved 5 February 2018.
- ^ Zachos, Elaine (5 February 2018). "More Than a Trillion Planets Could Exist Beyond Our Galaxy - A new study gives the first evidence that exoplanets exist beyond the Milky Way". National Geographic Society. Retrieved 5 February 2018.
- ^ Mandelbaum, Ryan F. (5 February 2018). "Scientists Find Evidence of Thousands of Planets in Distant Galaxy". Gizmodo. Retrieved 5 February 2018.
- ^ "Elon Musk's Falcon Heavy rocket launches successfully". BBC News. Retrieved February 6, 2018.
- ^ "Sea ice tracking low in both hemispheres". NSIDC. 6 February 2018. Retrieved 16 February 2018.
- ^ Kulkarni, S.R.; et al. (7 February 2018). "The Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) begins - ATel #11266". Astronomer's Telegram. Retrieved 8 February 2018.
{{cite web}}: Explicit use of et al. in:|author=(help) - ^ Ye, Quan-Zhi; et al. (8 February 2018). "First Discovery of a Small Near Earth Asteroid with ZTF (2018 CL) - ATel #11274". Astronomer's Telegram. Retrieved 8 February 2018.
{{cite web}}: Explicit use of et al. in:|author=(help) - ^ "Lab-grown eggs could aid fertility treatments". University of Edinburgh. 9 February 2018. Retrieved 10 February 2018.
- ^ "First human eggs grown in laboratory". BBC News. 9 February 2018. Retrieved 9 February 2018.
- ^ "New antibiotic family discovered in dirt". BBC News. 13 February 2018. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
- ^ "Just how big is the Andromeda galaxy?". Astronomy.com. 14 February 2018. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
- ^ "BACE1 deletion in the adult mouse reverses preformed amyloid deposition and improves cognitive functions". Journal of Experimental Medicine. 14 February 2018. Retrieved 16 February 2018.
- ^ "Therapy successfully reverses Alzheimer's in mice, researchers report. What does that mean for humans?". Chicago Tribune. 14 February 2018. Retrieved 16 February 2018.
- ^ Kuroda, K.; et al. (April 2010). "Status of LCGT" (PDF). Classical and Quantum Gravity. 27 (8): 084004. Bibcode:2010CQGra..27h4004K. doi:10.1088/0264-9381/27/8/084004.
- ^ Collaboration, KAGRA; Akutsu, T; Ando, M; Araya, A; Aritomi, N; Asada, H; Aso, Y; Atsuta, S; Awai, K; Barton, M. A; Cannon, K; Craig, K; Creus, W; Doi, K; Eda, K; Enomoto, Y; Flaminio, R; Fujii, Y; Fujimoto, M. -K; Furuhata, T; Haino, S; Hasegawa, K; Hashino, K; Hayama, K; Hirobayashi, S; Hirose, E; Hsieh, B. H; Inoue, Y; Ioka, K; et al. (2017). "The status of KAGRA underground cryogenic gravitational wave telescope". arXiv:1710.04823 [gr-qc].
- ^ "SNEAK PEEK OF GAIA'S SKY IN COLOUR". Retrieved 2017-12-10.
- ^ NASA. "Send Your Name to Mars: InSight". mars.jpl.nasa.gov. Retrieved 2017-10-21.
- ^ "Asteroid Explorer "Hayabusa2"". Retrieved 21 October 2017.
- ^ Ray, Justin (9 September 2016). "OSIRIS-REx probe launched to asteroid in compelling search for the origins of life". Astronomy Now. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
- ^ Bansal, Vikas (16 October 2017). "Belle II Update" (PDF). Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
- ^ Jones, Andrew (10 March 2017). "China's Space Station: Tianhe-1 module to be followed by Tianzhou-2, Shenzhou-12". Global Times.
- ^ "Crewed Starliner test flight could slip to 2019". 27 September 2017. Retrieved 14 December 2017.
- ^ "Event Horizon Telescope ready to image black hole".
External links
Media related to 2018 in science at Wikimedia Commons
