The past year turned out to be rich in all kinds 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 2012, many 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 were discovered floating in interstellar space. The importance of the discovery lies in the fact that carbohydrates are a building material for living organisms. Therefore, there is every chance 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 and more realistic. In 2012, at the Coachella music festival, rappers Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre performed together with Tupac Shakur, who died in 1996. Now viewers are looking forward to the concerts of Michael Jackson and Elvis Presley.
8. Beginning of exploration of Lake Vostok
The largest subglacial lake in Antarctica hid its secrets from scientists for a long time. However, in February 2012, Russian scientists reached the surface of the lake, drilling the ice to a depth of 3,769.3 meters. Scientists expect to find microorganisms previously unknown to science in the water and ice samples taken.
7. Oocytes 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, so far the experiment has been 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 Brazilian National Observatory announced the existence of several unknown planets in the solar system beyond 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 claimed that they discovered the Higgs boson with a 99% probability. The particle, which was immediately dubbed "the particle of God", should help scientists present the world with a complete Standard Physics Model 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.
Poisonous nocturnal monkeys have been found on the island of Borneo. In Spain, scientists have discovered a new species of wasp that parasitizes ants. And in the ocean near Antarctica, the Yeti crab was discovered, living near mineral-rich hot springs.
3. Mayan temple in Guatemala
This religious building was built about 1600 years ago and was hidden for a long time by the jungle of Guatemala. This archaeological find provides scientists with food for new discoveries associated with the mysterious civilization of the ancient Maya.
2. Curiosity on Mars.
The Curiosity space robot landed on Mars in the planned area near Gale Crater on August 6, 2012. And already on September 28, scientists from NASA discovered 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 around the Red Planet.
1. A new kind of extinct people
Back in 2008, in Russia, in the Denisova cave in Altai, a fossilized phalanx of a child's finger was found. And only 4 years later, DNA analysis technology made it possible to trace the nucleotide sequences in the genome of the so-called "Denisovian" person. Scientists have announced that this species of man lived about 40 thousand years ago, it represents a previously unknown branch of evolution, different from both Neanderthal and modern humans.