new events discovories in science

Events, discoveries and inventions

[edit]January

1 January 2012: NASA's twin GRAIL satellites (artist's impression shown) begin studying the Moon's gravitational field.

• • (PNAS)
  • Scientists at the University of Southern California develop a method for generating accurate 3D models of cellular genomes. (PhysOrg)
  • Researchers at Oxford University report promising results in human trials of a prototype hepatitis C vaccine. (Fox News) (Sci. Transl. Med.)
  • Scientists at Cornell University use a specialised lens to cloak an object from view for 40 trillionths of a second by altering the speed of light. (AP via MSNBC) (Nature)

4 January 2012: scientists create genetically engineered silkworms capable of producing bulk quantities of steel-strong spidersilk.

• 5 January
  • Mae Jemison, the first African-American female astronaut, is selected to head the DARPA- and NASA-sponsored 100-Year Starship project, which aims to conduct research into the technological and human elements needed for manned interstellar travel. (BBC)
  • Classified documents are leaked detailing a range of advanced non-lethal weapons proposed or in development by the United States Armed Forces. Among the systems described are a laser-based weapon designed to divert hostile aircraft, an underwater sonic weapon for incapacitating SCUBA divers and a heat-based weapon designed to compel crowds to disperse. (BBC)
  • American scientists report that they have bred the first-ever monkeys grown from cells taken from different embryos. Such "chimeric" hybrid monkeys could give valuable insights into the development of human embryos. (BBC) (Cell)
  • A team of international researchers reports that low-resistivity electrical wires can be produced at the nanometer scale by chaining phosphorus atoms together and encasing them insilicon. In future, the 
  • A team of American, French and Italian researchers demonstrate working transistors made from cotton fibers, doped with gold nanoparticles and a conductive polymer. The invention could permit the creation of a range of electronic-fabric devices, including clothing capable of measuring pollutants, T-shirts that display dynamic information, and carpets that sense how many people are crossing them. (IEEE Spectrum)
• 6 January
  • The human brain's ability to function can start to deteriorate as early as age 45, according to a study published in the British Medical Journal. (BBC) (BMJ)
  • Scientists have refuted a Greenpeace claim that genetically modified corn has caused a new insect pest. (PhysOrg) (J. Integr. Pest Manag.)

11 January 2012: astronomers report that nearly every star in the Milky Way galaxy may hostexoplanets (artist's impression of Upsilon Andromedae d pictured).

• 9 January
  • Human emissions of carbon dioxide will defer the next Ice Age, according to a new study. (BBC) (Nat. Geosci.)
  • Researchers in California have produced a cheap plastic capable of removing large amounts of carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the air. The new material could enable the development of "artificial trees" that lower atmospheric concentrations of CO₂ in an effort to lessen the effects of climate change. (Science Mag) (J. Am. Chem. Soc.)
• 10 January
  • The 2012 Consumer Electronics Show opens in Las Vegas, Nevada. Among the new products and technologies showcased are large-screen OLED televisions, quad-core tablet computers and consumer-ready 3D printers. (BBC)
  • Climate change, in the form of reduced snowfall in mountains, is having a major impact on mountainous plant and bird communities, through the increased ability of elk to stay at high elevations over winter and consume plants, according to a study in Nature Climate Change. (Science Daily) (Nat. Climate Change)
• 11 January
  • An international team of astronomers report that each star in the Milky Way Galaxy may host "on average ... at least 1.6 planets", suggesting that over 160 billion star-bound planets may exist in our galaxy alone. The team used gravitational microlensing to discover the gravitational effects of planets orbiting distant stars. (BBC) (Space.com) (Nature)
  • American astronomers discover three rocky exoplanets smaller than Earth, the smallest such worlds yet found, orbiting a red dwarf star 130 light-years from Earth. (Wired)
  • Researchers report the discovery of a natural hormone that has a similar effect to exercise on muscle tissue – burning calories, improving insulin processing, and perhaps boosting strength. (Technology Review) (Nature)
• 12 January
  • Scientists formally describe the world's smallest known vertebrate species, Paedophryne amauensis – a frog that measures just 7 millimeters in length. The species was first discovered in Papua New Guinea in 2009. (The Guardian) (PLoS ONE)
  • A University of Connecticut researcher who studied the health benefits of resveratrol, a compound found in red wine, has been found to have falsified data on numerous occasions. (Medical News Today)

12 January 2012: Paedophryne amauensis, the world's smallest known vertebrate, is formally described.

• 13 January
  • IBM researchers successfully store a single bit of data in a group of just 12 supercooled iron atoms; current commercial hard disks require over 1 million atoms to store one bit of data. The breakthrough, which was achieved with the use of a scanning tunnelling microscope, may permit the production of ultra-high-density computer storage media in future.(BBC) (E-Commerce Times)
  • German scientists convert a gold sphere just 60 nanometres in diameter into an ultra-sensitive listening device, potentially allowing the sounds of bacteria and other single-celled organisms to be recorded. (New Scientist) (Phys Rev. Lett.)
• 14 January – Researchers at the University of Cambridge repair myelin sheath damage in ageing mice with multiple sclerosis by injecting the blood of younger mice into them, reactivating the older mice's regenerative stem cells. (New Scientist) (Cell Stem Cell)
• 15 January – Russia's Fobos-Grunt Martian sample return spacecraft, which became stranded in orbit after a post-launch malfunction in November 2011, re-enters Earth's atmosphere.(BBC)
• 18 January
  • Astronomers report the discovery of the most distant dwarf galaxy yet found, approximately 10 billion light-years away. (Christian Science Monitor) (Nature)
  • A British amateur astronomer discovers a new Neptune-sized exoplanet, just days after the BBC's Stargazing Live program makes a public appeal for volunteers to assist scientists in the search for potential exoplanets. Over 100,000 volunteers are reportedly taking part in the ongoing search. (BBC)
  • Archaeologists find a novel tulip-shaped fossil, formally named Siphusauctum gregarium, in the Middle Cambrian Burgess Shale in the Canadian Rockies. The 20-centimetre-long creature reportedly possessed a unique filter feeding system. (Science Daily) (PLoS ONE)
  • A working 9-nanometer transistor is developed by IBM engineers, demonstrating that nanotubes could serve as a viable alternative to silicon in future nanoelectronic devices.(Technology Review) (Nano Lett.)
• 19 January
  • Austrian researchers develop a quantum computer capable of performing calculations without revealing any of the data involved, using encoded strings of photons designed to appear random. This method of "blind quantum cryptography" may permit sensitive data to be processed and transferred without any danger of interception or decryption, leading to ultra-secure cloud computing. (New Scientist) (Science)
  • NASA data shows that in 2011, temperatures in the Arctic rose beyond the record established in 2010 — setting a new record. (Skeptical Science)
• 20 January – Virologists agree to a temporarily hiatus on experiments on the H5N1 influenza virus, due to fears that an airborne strain of the lethal virus could be used by bioterrorists. (New Scientist) (Science)
• 22 January
  • American researchers report that nanoparticles can be successfully engineered to mimic part of the body's immune system, improving its response to vaccines. (BBC) (Nat. Mater.)
  • An international team of scientists concludes that anthropogenic CO2 emissions over the last 100 to 200 years have already raised ocean acidity far beyond the range of natural variations. (Science Daily) (Nat. Climate Change)

23 January 2012: stem cell therapy is successfully used to ease the symptoms ofblindness in human volunteers (human embryonic stem cell shown).

• 23 January
  • South Korean scientists develop touchscreens that can recognise the existence and concentration of DNA molecules placed on them. The invention could allow the development ofsmartphones with the ability to diagnose users' medical conditions. (ABC) (Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. Engl.)
  • The Lancet reports that a human medical trial of embryonic stem cells successfully eased a degenerative form of blindness in two volunteers, and showed no signs of any adverse effects. (Medical Xpress) (The Lancet)
  • Brain scans of people under the influence of psilocybin, the active ingredient in magic mushrooms, have given scientists the most detailed picture to date of how psychedelic drugswork. (Imperial College London) (PNAS) Brit. J. Psychiatry
  • Scientists demonstrate a terahertz antenna 100 nanometers across – 30,000 times smaller than the previous smallest antenna. The invention could permit the production of lightweight, handheld devices able to accurately scan for bombs, chemicals and even subcutaneous tumors. (ExtremeTech) (PopSci) (Nat. Photon.)
• 24 January
  • Earth is struck by the largest solar storm since 2005, creating huge aurorae and potentially interfering with satellite communications worldwide. (BBC)
  • A nest of dinosaur eggs 100 million years older than the previous oldest site is found in South Africa. The fossils are of the prosauropod species Massospondylus, a relative of the long-necked sauropods. (BBC) (PNAS)
• 25 January
  • University of Washington scientists report that injecting sulfate particles into the stratosphere will not fully offset climate change. (Science Daily) (J. Climate)
  • A study in Japan finds that green tea can significantly reduce disability in the elderly, likely due to its antioxidant content. (MedicalXpress) (Am. J. Clin. Nutr.)
• 26 January – American researchers successfully "cloak" a three-dimensional object, making it invisible from all angles, for the first time. However, the demonstration works only for waves in the microwave region of theelectromagnetic spectrum. (BBC) (N. J. Phys.)

27 January 2012: the most detailed 3D image of the Amazon rainforest yet produced is published.

• 27 January
  • An international team of scientists reports that graphene, already widely known for its conductive properties, is also able to selectively filter gases and liquids. The material could thus potentially find use in industrial distillation and water purification. (BBC) (The Register) (Science)
  • A study published in the journal Carcinogenesis shows that in both cell lines and mouse models, grape seed extract (GSE) kills head and neck cancer cells, while leaving healthy cells unharmed. (MedicalXpress) (Carcinogenesis)
  • Using an airborne LIDAR system, scientists produce the most detailed 3D image of the Amazon rainforest yet recorded, allowing the accurate measurement of the rainforest's ecoystem and rate of deforestation. (The Guardian)
  • 2012 BX₃₄, an asteroid between 8 metres (26 ft) and 11 metres (36 ft) across, passes within 60,000 kilometres of the Earth, performing one of the closest asteroid flybys yet recorded. (BBC) (NASA)
  • British animators develop a new algorithmic method of creating highly realistic CGI trees, allowing films and video games to easily display realistic 3D foliage. (New Scientist)(ACM Trans. Graph.)
• 29 January – Using stem cells generated from patients with schizophrenia, bipolar depression and other mental illnesses, scientists at the University of Edinburgh create neurones with brain tissue genetically identical to the person's brain. The breakthrough could allow new treatments for mental illnesses to be accurately tested without endangering patients. (The Guardian)
• 30 January
  • A UN report warns that time is running out to ensure there is enough food, water and energy for a rapidly rising global population. By 2030, the world will need at least 50 percent more food, 45 percent more energy and 30 percent more water, according to estimates. (Reuters) (UN)
  • The British Royal Navy begins development of a new anti-missile defence system, the Sea Ceptor, capable of intercepting and destroying supersonic missiles within an area of 500 square miles (1,300 km²). The system is likely to enter service by 2017. (BBC)
  • American researchers report that ultrasound waves can be used effectively to kill sperm, potentially offering a new male contraceptive method. (HealthcareGlobal) (Reprod. Biol. Endocrinol.)
  • Ozone from anthropogenic air pollution in North America leads to the annual loss of 1.2 million tonnes of wheat in Europe alone, according to a study published by British universities. (PhysOrg) (Biogeosciences)
  • A NASA study reports that changes in solar activity cannot be responsible for the current period of global warming. The sun's total solar irradiance has in recent years dipped to the lowest levels recorded during the satellite era.(ScienceDaily) (Atmos. Chem. Phys.)
  • According to genetic studies, modern humans seem to have mated with "at least two groups" of ancient humans: Neanderthals and Denisovans. (New York Times) (Nature)

31 January 2012: American scientists demonstrate a method of decoding human thoughts by studying the superior temporal gyrus(indicated).

• 31 January
  • American scientists successfully demonstrate a method of decoding thoughts by studying activity in the human brain's superior temporal gyrus, which is involved in linguistic processing. Using this method, a device which reads and transmits the thoughts of brain-damaged patients could become a reality in the future. (The Telegraph) (BBC) (PLoS Biol.)
  • Microchip designer AMD launches its Radeon HD 7950 graphics card, based on a 28 nanometer manufacturing process – a more advanced die shrink of the current 32 nanometerstandard. (The Inquirer)
  • Poyang Lake, China's largest freshwater lake, has almost completely dried up due to a combination of severe drought and the impact of the recently built Three Gorges Dam. (The Guardian)

[edit]February

3 February 2012: the Very Large Telescopearray enters operation in northern Chile.

• 1 February – Researchers report that the eruption of supervolcanoes could be predicted several decades before the event by detecting the seismic and chemical signs of a massivemagma buildup. (BBC) (Nature)
• 2 February
  • The European Commission issues a 225-million-euro (US$330 million) contract to an Anglo-German consortium for eight additional satellites to expand Europe's Galileo satellite navigation system. (BBC)
  • Astronomers report the discovery of a large exoplanet orbiting within the habitable zone of a star 22 light-years distant. This is the fourth potentially life-supporting exoplanet discovered since May 2011. (San Francisco Chronicle)
  • Researchers reportedly create the world's thinnest pane of glass, a sheet of silicon and oxygen just three atoms wide. The glass formed in an accidental reaction when the scientists were synthesizing graphene on copper-covered quartz. (ScienceMag) (Nano Lett.)
• 3 February
  • The European Southern Observatory successfully activates its Very Large Telescope (VLT) by linking four existing optical telescopes to operate as a single device. The linked VLT is the largest optical telescope yet built, with a combined mirror diameter of 130 metres (430 ft). (BBC)
  • Physicists at Germany's Max Planck Institute unveil a microscope that can image living brain cells as they function inside a living animal. (PhysOrg) (Science)
  • American scientists demonstrate a medical procedure that may allow patients suffering from nerve damage to recover within weeks, rather than months or years. The procedure makes use of a cellular mechanism similar to that which repairs nerve axons in invertebrates. (Science Daily) (J. Neurosci Res.)
  • MIT researchers develop high-temperature photonic crystals capable of efficiently converting heat to electricity, potentially allowing the creation of pocket-sized microreactors with ten times the efficiency and lifespan of current commercial batteries. As photonic crystals are already a relatively mature technology, the new invention could be commercialised in as little as two years. (ExtremeTech)
  • A Lancet study reports that global malaria deaths may be badly underestimated, giving a revised 2010 malaria death toll of 1.24 million. By contrast, the World Health Organisation estimated that 655,000 people died of malaria in 2010. (BBC) (The Lancet)
• 4 February – Dutch doctors successfully fit an 83-year-old woman with an artificial jaw made using a 3D printer. This operation, the first of its kind, could herald a new era of accurate, patient-tailored artificial transplants. (BBC)

4 February 2012: Dutch doctors successfully fit the first artificial jaw made with a 3D printer(ORDbot Quantum 3D printer pictured).

• 6 February
  • After nearly 20 years of intermittent drilling, Russian scientists reportedly break through to the surface of the subterranean Lake Vostok, buried 2.5 miles (4.0 km) under theAntarctic ice. The lake, which has not been uncovered for over 15 million years, may harbour a unique prehistoric ecosystem. (The Guardian) (The Washington Post)
  • A team of engineers and biologists develop a working WORM computer memory out of salmon DNA molecules by combining the DNA with silver nanoparticles. (ExtemeTech)(Appl. Phys. Lett.)
• 7 February
  • Scientists report that rapid declines in some British and European ladybird species are being caused by the spread of the invasive harlequin species. (BBC) (Divers. Distrib.)
  • The entire genome of an extinct species of human – the 40,000-year-old Denisova hominin – has been decoded from a fossil. (PhysOrg)
• 8 February – NASA data reveals that the total land ice lost from Greenland, Antarctica and Earth's glaciers and ice caps between 2003 and 2010 totalled about 4.3 trillion tons (1,000 cubic miles), adding about 0.5 inches (12 millimeters) to global sea levels. Such a quantity of ice would be sufficient to cover the entire United States to a depth of 1.5 feet (0.5 meters).(NASA/JPL)
• 9 February – Researchers at Case Western Reserve University discover that bexarotene, a drug normally used to treat skin cancer, can quickly reverse the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease in mice, removing over 50% of the disease's trademark amyloid plaque from the brain within 72 hours. (CNN) (Science)
• 10 February – Scientists at the University of California, San Diego report the creation of the tiniest telecommunications laser yet built, just 200 nanometers wide. The highly efficient nanolaser could be used to develop optical computers and ultra-high-resolution imaging systems. (PopSci) (Nature)
• 13 February
  • A new UN report warns that 24 percent of global land area has declined in productivity over the past 25 years due to unsustainable land-use, and soil erosion rates are about 100 times greater than nature can replenish. (UPI)(UNEP)
  • The European Space Agency successfully conducts the maiden launch of its new Vega rocket, transporting several satellites into orbit, including the first Polish, Hungarian and Romanian satellites. (The Telegraph)
  • BAE Systems engineers unveil a carbon-fiber-based structural battery capable of being integrated into a device's framework, reducing weight while maintaining structural strength and power capacity. (BBC)
• 14 February – In a groundbreaking human trial, American scientists report that damaged heart tissue in heart attack patients can be repaired with infusions of the patient's own stem cells. The treatment halved the amount of extant scar tissue within a year. (BBC) (The Lancet)

15 February 2012: Nevada becomes the first US state to release official regulations for the public testing of autonomous cars (prototype autonomous Audi pictured).

• 15 February – Nevada becomes the first US state to allow the testing of autonomous vehicles on US public roadways. (DMV)
• 16 February – The speed at which someone walks may predict their likelihood of developing dementia later in life, according to researchers in the US. (BBC) (Neurology)
• 20 February – Scientists report regenerating Silene stenophylla from 32,000-year-old remains. This surpasses the previous record of 2,000 years for the oldest material used to regenerate a plant. (Discovery News) (PNAS)
• 22 February
  • Scientists have extended the life of male mice by 15%, using an enzyme called SIRT6. (KurzweilAI) (Nature)
  • Engineers at Stanford reveal a wirelessly powered, self-propelled medical device that can travel through the bloodstream to deliver drugs, perform diagnostics or microsurgeries.(Science Daily) (Stanford)
  • NASA reports the detection of the solid form of buckyballs (buckminsterfullerene) in deep space. (Space.com) (NASA)
• 24 February – British-Italian researchers demonstrate a giant 3D printer capable of constructing a full-sized house in a single 24-hour session. The machine, which uses sand and a chemical binder as its working material, prints structures from the ground up, including stairs, partition walls and even piping cavities. (Gizmag)
• 26 February
  • Researchers publish the first images of the charge distribution in a single molecule, precisely showing the motion of electrons. The observed distribution apparently corresponds closely with predictive models. (BBC) (Nat. Nanotechnol.)
  • It may be possible to one day create an "unlimited" supply of human eggs to aid fertility treatment, US doctors say. (BBC) (Nat. Med.)
• 27 February
  • The remains of two new species of prehistoric penguin are discovered – Kairuku grebneffi and Kairuku waitaki. Standing nearly 5 feet (1.5 m) tall, Kairuku grebneffi is the largest penguin ever discovered. (Discovery) (J. Vertebr. Paleontol.)
• 28 February
  • IBM announces a breakthrough in quantum computing, demonstrating a qubit microchip that can preserve its quantum states up to four times longer than previous designs. (IBM) (KurzweilAI)
  • Researchers estimate that Tyrannosaurus rex's bite force could exceed 57,000 newtons, more than three times that of a great white shark. (Telegraph) (Biol. Lett.)

[edit]March

7 March 2012: scientists sequence the genomeof the Western gorilla.

• 1 March – New research concludes that the Earth's oceans may be growing more acidic at a faster rate than at any time in the past 300 million years. (MSNBC) (Science)
• 2 March
  • A cheap antibiotic usually used to treat acne could alleviate the symptoms of schizophrenia, and a major study is launched to investigate. (Daily Mail)
  • A NASA spacecraft has detected oxygen around one of Saturn's icy moons, Dione. (BBC)
  • Meta-analysis of 42 previous studies concludes that some consumption of chocolate may be good for the heart. (Reuters) (Am. J. Clin. Nutr.)
• 5 March – A study finds a correlation between snoring as a toddler and behavior problems later in childhood. (BBC) (Pediatrics)
• 7 March
  • Physicists from Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory report data suggesting that the elusive hypothesized Higgs boson ("God particle", with a mass of 115 to 135 GeV/c²) may have been detected. (New York Times) (Interactions.org)
  • Scientists successfully decode the gorilla genome, the last of the Great Ape genuses to be sequenced. (BBC) (Nature)
• 8 March
  • A study suggests that donor stem cells may prevent organ rejection in imperfectly matched transplant cases. (Los Angeles Times) (Sci. Transl. Med.)
  • The international Daya Bay neutrino experiment announces the discovery of a new type of neutrino oscillation. (ScienceNOW) (Phys. Rev. Lett.)
• 9 March – US researchers annnounce a breakthrough in curing AIDS, using a cancer drug to attack HIV in its hardest-to-reach places, inside certain immune-system cells.(Bloomberg) (AIDS2012)
• 12 March
  • Researchers at the Vienna University of Technology (TU Vienna) have made a breakthrough in 3D printing, with a machine that can print at the nano-scale and is orders of magnitude faster than previous devices. (Science Daily)
  • A diet high in red meat can shorten life expectancy by increasing the risk of death from cancer and heart problems, according to a study of more than 120,000 people by researchers at Harvard Medical School. Substituting red meat with fish, chicken or nuts lowered the risks, the study found. (BBC) (Arch. Intern. Med.)
• 13 March
  • A California-based company has developed solar panels that are half the price of today’s cheapest cells, and therefore cheap enough to challenge fossil fuels. (Extreme Tech)
  • Scientists have identified a potential drug that speeds up trash removal from the cell's recycling center, the lysosome, one of the causes of aging and degenerative diseases. (Medical Xpress) (Nat. Commun.)

15 March 2012: scientists send the first coherent message using neutrinos (first recorded neutrino event pictured).

• 14 March
  • A fly species, kept in complete darkness for 57 years (1,400 generations), showed genetic alterations that occurred as a result of environmental conditions, offering clear evidence ofevolution. (Discover Magazine) (PLoS ONE)
  • A pill which doubles the length of time that patients with advanced skin cancer can survive has gone on sale in Britain for the first time. (The Telegraph)
  • America's coastlines are even more vulnerable to sea level rise than previously thought, according to a pair of new studies. Up to 32% more real estate could be affected by a 1-meter rise in sea level, while the population exposed to rising water is 87% higher than previously estimated. (Christian Science Monitor) (Environ. Res. Lett. 1) (Environ. Res. Lett. 2)
  • A process to "unprint" toner ink from paper has been developed by engineers at the University of Cambridge, using short laser pulses to erase words and images. (BBC) (Proc. Roy. Soc. A)
• 15 March – American scientists use a particle accelerator to send a coherent neutrino message through 780 feet of rock. This marks the first use of neutrinos for communication, and future research may permit binary neutrino messages to be sent immense distances through even the densest materials, such as the Earth's core. (PopSci) (Mod. Phys. Lett. A.)
• 16 March – Physicists found no discernible difference between the speed of a neutrino and the speed of light in latest test of the faster-than-light neutrino anomaly. (New York Times)(BBC) (ArXiv)
• 18 March
  • Researchers have identified why a mutation in a particular gene can lead to obesity. (BBC) Nat. Med.
  • NEC has developed "organic radical battery" (ORB) technology with a thickness of just 0.3mm. (PhysOrg)
• 19 March
  • Even if humankind manages to limit global warming to 2 degrees C (3.6 degrees F), as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change recommends, future generations will have to deal with sea levels 12 to 22 meters (40 to 70 feet) higher than at present, according to research published in the journal Geology. (Rutgers) (Geology)
  • Researchers at the RIKEN Advanced Science Institute (Japan) have developed a way to create full-color holograms with the aid of surface plasmons. (PhysOrg)
  • The amount of photovoltaic solar panels installed in the US more than doubled from 2010 to 2011, according to a report by the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and GTM Research. (PhysOrg)
  • Seagate claims it has paved the way for 3.5-inch hard drives with 60TB capacities, after breaking the 1TB/square inch density threshold. (PC Pro)

19 March 2012: researchers report that the number of solar panels in the United States more than doubled between 2010 and 2011.

• 20 March
  • Astronomers have discovered the first known rectangular-shaped galaxy: LEDA 074886. (Technology Review) (Astrophys. J.)
  • New analysis by MIT shows that there is enough room underground to safely store at least a century’s worth of U.S. fossil fuel emissions. (MIT) Template:Doi-inliine
• 24 March – Humans hunted Australia's giant vertebrates to extinction about 40,000 years ago, the latest research published in Science has concluded. (BBC) (Science)
• 25 March
  • Global temperatures could rise by 3.0°C (5.4°F) by 2050, a new computer simulation has suggested. (BBC) (Nat. Geosci.)
  • Canadian film director James Cameron reaches the Challenger Deep, the deepest known point in Earth's oceans, in the Deepsea Challenger submersible. Cameron is the first person to visit the Deep, which is located in the Pacific Mariana Trench, since 1960. (National Geographic) (New York Times) (MSNBC)
  • Physicists report that the largest molecules yet tested (molecules containing 58 or 114 atoms) also demonstrate quantum wave behavior using the classic double-slit experiment.(LiveScience) (Nat. Nanotechnol.)
• 28 March – NASA announces the name of the Martian mountain, Mount Sharp, that the Mars Science Laboratory rover (also known as "Curiosity") will explore after its planned landing in Gale Crater on 6 August 2012. (Space.org) (NASA)
• 29 March
  • "Solar tornadoes" several times as wide as the Earth have been observed in the Sun's atmosphere by the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly telescope on board NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) satellite. (PhysOrg)
  • Scientists have revealed the most detailed picture of the Milky Way galaxy ever produced, with over a billion stars visible in a mosaic combined from thousands of individual images. (BBC) (The Royal Observatory, Edinburgh)
  • New scanning technology has revealed that the human brain possesses an astonishingly simple 3D grid structure, with sheets of parallel neuronal fibers crossing one another at right angles. (MedicalXpress) (Science)

[edit]April

5 April 2012: the Large Hadron Collider completes a landmark energy upgrade.

• 2 April – The British Army announces the development of a conductive smart fabric for infantry uniforms. The fabric, which should enter widespread service by 2015, will eliminate the need for heavy, vulnerable power cables, making soldiers' electronics safer, cheaper and more durable. (BBC)
• 4 April
  • A new, detailed record of past climate change has shown compelling evidence that the last ice age was ended by a rise in temperature driven by an increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide. The key result from the new study is that it shows the carbon dioxide rise during this major transition ran slightly ahead of increases in global temperature. (BBC) (Nature)
  • Austrian and Japanese researchers unveil solar cells that are thinner than a thread of spider silk, and flexible enough to be wrapped around a single human hair. (PhysOrg) (Nat. Commun.)
  • American researchers begin a new project, funded by the National Science Foundation, to develop printable robots that can be designed and made to order by the average person in less than 24 hours. The project, which is hoped to come to fruition by 2020, could allow any individual to cheaply build automated tools for any task in their own home. (BBC)
• 5 April
  • Dutch and American researchers report that they have created a working quantum computer out of diamond, using the diamond's natural impurities as superimposed qubits to perform calculations. (Wired) (Nature)
  • Google unveils Project Glass, which aims to develop augmented reality glasses capable of layering information such as email, real-time traffic updates and video calls over a user's field of vision. (Herald Sun)
  • The Large Hadron Collider re-enters operation after an energy upgrade. It now has a total collision energy of 8 trillion electronvolts, a major increase over its pre-upgrade energy of 7 TeV.(The Guardian)
• 6 April – An international team of researchers reports that a new, drug-resistant strain of malaria has emerged on the Thai-Cambodian border, potentially threatening global efforts to contain the disease. (Medical News Today) (The Lancet)
• 8 April – American scientists reveal that transparent graphene sheets can be used to encapsulate liquids for study by electron microscopes. The discovery will greatly ease the accurate imaging of liquids at micro- and nanoscales.(BBC) (Science)
• 10 April – The Wellcome Trust, one of the world's largest private funders of scientific research, states that it is launching a new online journal to promote the free sharing of scientific papers. The new journal, titled eLife, is part of a widespread push for open access to scientific research, and will compel researchers to make their work freely available online. (The Guardian)
• 12 April
  • A team of researchers from France's Laboratoire Univers et Théorie releases the first ever computer model simulation of the structure of the entire observable universe, from the Big Bang to the present day. The simulation has made it possible to follow the evolution of 550 billion individual particles. (CNRS)
  • A report reveals that the United States invested more in renewable energy technology in 2011 than any other nation, totalling US$48 billion. China was the second-largest investor, spending US$45.5 billion on renewables. Worldwide, the combined investment in renewables reached an all-time high, at US$236 billion. A later report published by the United Nations amends these figures, stating that China invested $52 billion in renewable energy in 2011, while the US spent $51 billion. (BBC) (Pew Environment) (Forbes)
  • German physicists develop the world's first universal quantum computing network, linking two laboratories using entangled rubidium atoms as network nodes. (Nature News) (Nature)
  • An international team of researchers has used new, massively parallel DNA sequencing technology to fast-track the discovery of a breast cancer risk gene, XRCC2. (Asian Scientist)(Am. J. Hum. Genet.)
  • DARPA, the US military's advanced research agency, offers a US$2 million prize to any team who can independently develop a rescue robot capable of multiple tasks, including climbing ladders, clearing obstacles, using power tools and driving cars. (International Business Times)
  • After studying 40 years of medical records, Swedish scientists state that sufferers of Huntington's disease are around 50% less likely to develop cancer than those without the disease. Further study may reveal the genetic mechanism behind this resistance, allowing new cancer treatments to be developed. (Cancer Research UK) (Lancet Oncol.)
  • The United Kingdom reports that it is considering the installation of undersea power cables to allow its National Grid to draw clean energy from Iceland's volcanoes. (Energy Live News)
  • Scientists report that complexity analysis studies of the Labeled Release experiments of the 1976 Viking mission to Mars may suggest the detection of "extant microbial life on Mars." (Discovery News) (Intern. J. Aeronaut. Space Sci.)

12 April 2012: German scientists create the world's first quantum computing network usingentangled rubidium atoms (rubidium sample shown).

• 13 April
  • North Korea's Unha-3 orbital rocket disintegrates in mid-flight over the Yellow Sea, destroying its payload, the Kwangmyŏngsŏng-3 satellite. Analysts fear that the failed launch may raise the likelihood of North Korea conducting another nuclear weapons test. (The Telegraph)
  • German scientists develop a fiber-based "earthquake-proof" wallpaper capable of reinforcing masonry and delaying building collapses during violent quakes. The invention could save lives by giving people more time to flee from collapsing buildings. (New Zealand Herald) (Bayer)
  • The Pentagon places an order for advanced dual-focus contact lenses, designed to give soldiers greater visual awareness, in tandem with a new HUD system. The technology may enter the civilian market by 2014. (BBC via SmartPlanet)
  • Dutch scientists report that they have found evidence of the existence of the Majorana fermion, a particle that is its own antiparticle. The existence of the Majorana was first theorized by the Italian scientist Ettore Majorana in the 1930s. (BBC) (Science)
  • Researchers at UCLA announce that they have genetically engineered stem cells to seek out and kill HIV in mice. (Medical Daily) (NBC Los Angeles) (PLoS Pathog.)
• 15 April – Researchers claim that new satellite imagery shows an increase in the mass of some glaciers in Asia's Karakoram mountain range. This data contrasts with the wider global trend of glacial melting. (BBC) (Nat. Geosci.)
• 16 April – A new treatment for prostate cancer can rid the disease from nine in ten men without debilitating side effects, a study has found. (The Telegraph) (Lancet Oncol.)
• 17 April – It is revealed that the Chinese and American militaries have been conducting informal war games together to help prevent military escalation in the event of a future cyber war.(Sydney Morning Herald)
• 18 April – Researchers at the American National Institutes of Health demonstrate a nanotechnology-based drug treatment which can successfully alleviate some symptoms of cerebral palsy (CP). The drug, which was tested in rabbits, caused a dramatic improvement of the movement disorders and brain inflammation that are characteristic of many cases of CP. (Science Daily) (Sci. Transl. Med.)

19 April 2012: international researchers develop synthetic DNA compounds.

• 19 April
  • A landmark study by British and Canadian scientists reveals that breast cancer can be subdivided into ten distinct types, with its aggressiveness determined by certain genes. The new data may make breast cancer diagnoses much more precise, and allow cancer treatments to be more effectively tailored to each patient. (The Guardian) (Natue)
  • British and American scientists successfully develop synthetic DNA compounds, dubbed "XNA", which demonstrate evolution when faced with selective pressure. (National Geographic) (Science)
  • British researchers identify key genes that "switch off" as the human body ages. These genes may be targeted by future anti-aging therapies. (Science Daily) (PLoS Genet.)
• 20 April
  • Scientists say the notoriously dry continent of Africa is sitting on a vast reservoir of groundwater. (BBC) (Environ. Res. Lett.)
  • A NASA-backed group of universities begins testing a GPS-derived earthquake warning system. The system, which uses satellite data to track seismic activity in real-time, may allow accurate earthquake and tsunami warnings to be issued up to ten times faster than is currently possible. (Nature)
  • After three years of development, IBM reveals a new, ultra-lightweight lithium-air battery, offering greater energy density than any current lithium-ion battery. The new battery may permit the production of electric vehicles with far greater range and battery life than current models. (ExtremeTech)
• 21 April – Scientists at Chicago's Northwestern University successfully trial a brain-computer interface capable of restoring naturalistic muscle movements in paralyzed rhesus monkeys. It is hoped the invention will eventually be approved to treat paralytic or brain-damaged humans. (ExtremeTech) (Nature)
• 22 April – Intel Corporation releases its new Ivy Bridge microprocessors – the world's first commercial 22 nanometer microchips, featuring increased processing power and energy efficiency. (BBC)
• 24 April – Planetary Resources, a startup company backed by Google billionaires Larry Page and Eric Schmidt and film director James Cameron, announces plans to develop technology to survey and mine asteroids for minerals by 2020. The company plans to launch the first element of its project, a network of orbital surveying telescopes, by 2014. (BBC)

27 April 2012: engine precooler tests begin forReaction Engines' Skylon spaceplane design (artist's impression pictured).

• 26 April
  •