The past year has been rich in all sorts of scientific achievements. Moreover, scientists do not have to conquer the depths of the Cosmos in search of sensational discoveries; the old Earth is also full of surprises.
Today we bring to your attention 10 important scientific discoveries of 2012many of which, like the Higgs boson, were the results of the painstaking work of hundreds of people.
10. Carbohydrates in Stardust
At a distance of 400 light years from Earth, the simplest sugar molecules floating in interstellar space were discovered. The importance of the discovery is that carbohydrates are the building material for living organisms. Consequently, there are all chances for the origin of life in the depths of the Universe, since outer space is literally filled with the necessary "bricks".
9. Realistic holograms
In the near future, holography will firmly enter our lives, because the images obtained with the help of wave fields are becoming more realistic. In 2012, at the Coachella Music Festival, the joint performance of rappers Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre was shown in company with Tupac Shakur, who died in 1996. Now the audience is looking forward to concerts of Michael Jackson and Elvis Presley.
8. Beginning of exploration of Lake Vostok
The largest subglacial lake in Antarctica for a long time hid its secrets from scientists. However, in February 2012, Russian scientists reached the surface of the lake, having drilled ice to a depth of 3,769.3 meters. Scientists expect to detect microorganisms in water and ice samples not previously known to science.
7. Egg cells derived from stem cells.
Scientists from the Japanese University of Kyoto were able to grow healthy eggs from stem cells, fertilize them and even achieve the birth of healthy offspring. True, while the experiment was performed on laboratory mice, but, of course, this scientific achievement will make a significant contribution to solving the problem of infertility.
6. New planets on the outskirts of the solar system
In May 2012, astronomer Rodney Gomez of the National Observatory of Brazil announced the existence of several unknown planets in the solar system outside the orbit of Neptune. The scientist believes that the size of these cosmic bodies is small and, probably, they are dwarf planets covered with a thick layer of ice.
5. Higgs boson.
In July 2012, researchers working with the mysterious Large Hadron Collider stated that they were 99% likely to have discovered the Higgs boson. The particle, which was immediately dubbed the “particle of God,” should help scientists introduce the completed Standard Physical Model to the world and explain why all objects are endowed with mass. The discovery of the Higgs boson was predicted back in 1964.
4. New species of animals.
On the island of Borneo were discovered poisonous monkeys leading a nocturnal lifestyle. In Spain, scientists have discovered a new species of wasp parasitizing on ants. And in the ocean near Antarctica, Yeti crab was found, which lives near mineral-rich hot springs.
3. Mayan Temple in Guatemala
This religious building was built about 1600 years ago and has long been hidden by the jungle of Guatemala. This archaeological find provides scientists with food for new discoveries related to the mysterious civilization of the ancient Mayans.
2. Curiosity on Mars.
The Curiosity space robot landed on Mars in a planned area near Gale Crater on August 6, 2012. And on September 28, scientists from NASA found in the photographs transmitted by the rover, traces of a dried stream. The robot is equipped with a radioisotope thermoelectric generator, the energy of which should be enough for 12 years of travel on the Red Planet.
1. A new kind of extinct people
Back in 2008, in Russia in the Denisova Cave in Altai, a petrified phalanx of a child’s finger was found. And only 4 years later, DNA analysis technologies made it possible to trace the nucleotide sequences in the genome of the so-called “Denisovskiy” person. Scientists announced that this type of person lived about 40 thousand years ago, it represents a previously unknown branch of evolution, different from both Neanderthal and modern people.
