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.

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  • 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)

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