Top 10 scientific breakthroughs in 2023: From finding six new worlds to knowing TRex had lips

India scripted history when its Chandrayaan-3 lander module successfully landed on the moon’s South Pole, making it the first country to have achieved the historic feat. Here’s a look at other top 10 breakthrough moments in scientific discoveries and inventions:

1. Can humans reproduce in space? In a first, researchers successfully grew mouse embryos aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Japan researchers said in October 2023 that mouse embryos were grown on the ISS and “developed normally in the first study indicating it could be possible for humans to reproduce in space”.

2. The mice with two dads: In a significant milestone in reproductive biology, scientists created mice with two biologically male parents for the first time. This study “opens the possibility of bipaternal reproduction”, the study said. Simply put, the research raised the possibility that someday same-sex couples may be able to have a baby who shares both parents’ genes, CNN reported.

3. Celestial milestone: Scientists discovered six new worlds. With six exoplanets — HD 36384 b, TOI-198 b, TOI-2095 b, TOI-2095 c, TOI-4860 b, and MWC 758 c — scientists tipped the scales and surpassed 5,500 exoplanets found. To be exact, there are now 5,502 known exoplanets.

4. Faint hum of gravitational waves: Scientists detected low-frequency gravitational waves echoing throughout the universe for the first time. These waves are created when huge objects in the universe move around and collide in space. They stretch and compress space-time as they travel through space, a Reuters report explained.

5. A mind-reading device? According to a new study published in Nature Neuroscience, a model trained on functional magnetic resonance imaging scans of three volunteers was able to predict whole sentences they were hearing with surprising accuracy — just by looking at their brain activity, the MIT Technology Review reported.

“Given novel brain recordings, this decoder generates intelligible word sequences that recover the meaning of perceived speech, imagined speech and even silent videos, demonstrating that a single decoder can be applied to a range of tasks,” the study said. The findings demonstrate the need for future policies to protect our brain data, the team said.

6. TRex had lips? A new study suggested that Tyrannosaurus rex and other carnivorous dinosaurs did not look like crocodiles. They likely had lips that covered their teeth, “like today’s lizards”, a study reported in Science journal read.

7. Life ingredients found on asteroids? In October, NASA unveiled the secrets of an asteroid sample that landed on Earth this year. The US space agency studied the 4.5-billion-year-old asteroid Bennu sample collected in space and found evidence of high-carbon content and water. This “together could indicate the building blocks of life on Earth may be found in the rock,” NASA said.

8. Is life possible on Saturn’s Moon too? Scientists found evidence suggesting that Saturn’s moon may be capable of supporting life. This year scientists said they’d found phosphorous in the ocean on Saturn’s sixth-largest moon, Enceladus. Alongside carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, and sulfur, this sixth element is essential for sustaining life.

9. Therapy for sickle cell disease: In the world’s first, the UK medicines regulator approved a therapy that uses the CRISPR–Cas9 gene-editing tool as a treatment, Nature reported. The therapy, called Casgevy, will treat the blood conditions of sickle-cell disease and β-thalassaemia. Later, Casgevy also became the first USFDA-approved therapy utilizing CRISPR/Cas9.

10. First tomatoes in Lost in Space: Two tomatoes, the first-ever grown in space aboard the ISS, went “missing” earlier this year. The astronaut who grew them was accused of eating those tomatoes. Months later, the ISS crew found the remains of those tomatoes. Check out the full story of lost tomatoes here.

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Published: 30 Dec 2023, 08:04 PM IST

India scripted history when its Chandrayaan-3 lander module successfully landed on the moon’s South Pole, making it the first country to have achieved the historic feat. Here’s a look at other top 10 breakthrough moments in scientific discoveries and inventions:

1. Can humans reproduce in space? In a first, researchers successfully grew mouse embryos aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Japan researchers said in October 2023 that mouse embryos were grown on the ISS and “developed normally in the first study indicating it could be possible for humans to reproduce in space”.

2. The mice with two dads: In a significant milestone in reproductive biology, scientists created mice with two biologically male parents for the first time. This study “opens the possibility of bipaternal reproduction”, the study said. Simply put, the research raised the possibility that someday same-sex couples may be able to have a baby who shares both parents’ genes, CNN reported.

3. Celestial milestone: Scientists discovered six new worlds. With six exoplanets — HD 36384 b, TOI-198 b, TOI-2095 b, TOI-2095 c, TOI-4860 b, and MWC 758 c — scientists tipped the scales and surpassed 5,500 exoplanets found. To be exact, there are now 5,502 known exoplanets.

4. Faint hum of gravitational waves: Scientists detected low-frequency gravitational waves echoing throughout the universe for the first time. These waves are created when huge objects in the universe move around and collide in space. They stretch and compress space-time as they travel through space, a Reuters report explained.

5. A mind-reading device? According to a new study published in Nature Neuroscience, a model trained on functional magnetic resonance imaging scans of three volunteers was able to predict whole sentences they were hearing with surprising accuracy — just by looking at their brain activity, the MIT Technology Review reported.

“Given novel brain recordings, this decoder generates intelligible word sequences that recover the meaning of perceived speech, imagined speech and even silent videos, demonstrating that a single decoder can be applied to a range of tasks,” the study said. The findings demonstrate the need for future policies to protect our brain data, the team said.

6. TRex had lips? A new study suggested that Tyrannosaurus rex and other carnivorous dinosaurs did not look like crocodiles. They likely had lips that covered their teeth, “like today’s lizards”, a study reported in Science journal read.

7. Life ingredients found on asteroids? In October, NASA unveiled the secrets of an asteroid sample that landed on Earth this year. The US space agency studied the 4.5-billion-year-old asteroid Bennu sample collected in space and found evidence of high-carbon content and water. This “together could indicate the building blocks of life on Earth may be found in the rock,” NASA said.

8. Is life possible on Saturn’s Moon too? Scientists found evidence suggesting that Saturn’s moon may be capable of supporting life. This year scientists said they’d found phosphorous in the ocean on Saturn’s sixth-largest moon, Enceladus. Alongside carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, and sulfur, this sixth element is essential for sustaining life.

9. Therapy for sickle cell disease: In the world’s first, the UK medicines regulator approved a therapy that uses the CRISPR–Cas9 gene-editing tool as a treatment, Nature reported. The therapy, called Casgevy, will treat the blood conditions of sickle-cell disease and β-thalassaemia. Later, Casgevy also became the first USFDA-approved therapy utilizing CRISPR/Cas9.

10. First tomatoes in Lost in Space: Two tomatoes, the first-ever grown in space aboard the ISS, went “missing” earlier this year. The astronaut who grew them was accused of eating those tomatoes. Months later, the ISS crew found the remains of those tomatoes. Check out the full story of lost tomatoes here.

Milestone Alert!
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Published: 30 Dec 2023, 08:04 PM IST