Science in 2022: Breakthroughs of the year
Since 2020, the coronavirus has overwhelmed our lives and there was not much to celebrate, nor anything to think of besides the pandemic. Now that the dark cloud of Covid has begun to lift somewhat, it has become apparent that there have been some pretty amazing scientific discoveries in 2022.
In this article, I will highlight some of the discoveries that will profoundly impact our lives for the better, as well as contribute to humanity's accumulation of knowledge beyond measure – for years to come.
In Cosmology
Seeing the cosmos as never before: Parked a million miles from the Earth, it has been a triumphant year for Nasa's James Webb Space Telescope. The telescope captured, with amazing clarity, "the deepest view of the Universe ever," an image of a distant cluster of galaxies that was formed more than 13 billion years ago – almost close to the beginning of time. Another breathtaking image from the telescope is the now-iconic view of the Carina Nebula – a stellar nursery and home to some of the most luminous and explosive stars in the Milky Way.
Successful deflection of an asteroid: Nasa's DART spacecraft successfully altered the trajectory of the asteroid Dimorphous by crashing into it at a blistering speed of 14,400 mph. Although the asteroid was never a danger to the Earth, "this is a watershed moment for planetary defence and all of humanity," according to Nasa.
In science and technology
Quantum brain: A team of scientists at Trinity College in Dublin conducted a mind-bending experiment that led them to conclude that our brains use quantum computation. To put it simply, our brain activity, and maybe even our consciousness, operate on a quantum level.
A black hole in the lab: A team of physicists simulated the event horizon of a black hole, which is a bizarre terminus beyond which everything in the Universe is forever hidden from our view. They observed the equivalent of what is called Hawking radiation, that is emitted by the creation of particle-antiparticle pairs near the event horizon of a black hole. This will help resolve the longstanding conflict between two irreconcilable frameworks for describing the Universe – Einstein's general theory of relativity, which describes the behaviour of gravity as distortion of space, and quantum mechanics, which describes the behaviour of discrete particles using the mathematics of probability.
Fastest supercomputer: A supercomputer, named Frontier, at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee crunched numbers with a mind-blowing speed of 1.1 quintillion operations per second. (A quintillion is 10 raised to the power 18, or billion times billion.)
The next fastest computer is three orders of magnitude slower. Frontier is expected to lead to breakthroughs in everything from climate science to medical science to particle physics.
AR contact lenses: In July 2022, Mojo Vision announced the development of augmented reality (AR) contact lenses for the first time. Equipped with a display that is 30 times sharper than that of an iPhone, and outfitted with all the technology needed to track a user's eye movements, AR will allow the wearer to interact seamlessly with digital images.
Seeing things without looking at them: Using the principles of quantum mechanics, a team of scientists has devised a technique to see objects indirectly, without the complex interaction of light with the cells in the retina of our eyes.
In biotechnology
Genetic editing: The latest genetic editing discovery, called PLANTeDIT, can easily edit plants genetically, so that they can have a longer shelf life.
Precise medication: A biotech company has developed AI-based gene therapy that can treat humans while avoiding the side effects of medicines.
Bioprinting: An Italian company developed a 3D printer which, unlike conventional printing with ink, uses "living cells" from bones, skin, muscles, and other body parts. It can help people in need of prosthetics, or to fix tissue damage.
Lab-grown meat: An Israeli startup company produced sustainable meat in a laboratory from a healthy cow's muscle tissue, without killing it. This lab-grown meat could help reduce animal slaughter and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from animal farming.
In medicine
Diabetes: A new drug, tirzepatide, will help in improving control of the measure of blood sugar levels in adults with type-2 diabetes. Also, an immune therapy has been developed for the first time that can delay the onset of type-1 diabetes.
New Alzheimer's disease drug: Results from the trial of a drug called lecanemab on individuals living with mild cognitive impairment due to Alzheimer's disease and mild Alzheimer's dementia show that it can significantly reduce clinical decline from the disease.
Next generation of mRNA vaccinology: Advancements in the generation, purification, and cellular delivery of RNA have enabled the development of an effective Covid-19 vaccine. This landscape-changing technology has the potential to quickly and efficiently eliminate some of healthcare's most challenging diseases.
In archaeology
A vast Roman town found in England: Construction of a high-speed rail project near Northamptonshire in England has led to one of the most exciting discoveries of the year – the remains of a Roman settlement with roads, roundhouses, kilns, wells, jewellery, cosmetics, pottery and more than 300 Roman coins.
New timeline for human evolution: While conducting research in South Africa, scientists from Purdue University in Indiana found that an Australopithecus, one of the earliest relatives of the genus Homo, was between 3.4 and 3.7 million years old, more than a million years older than what was previously estimated.
In artificial intelligence (AI)
An AI tool may make it easier to predict if a person will have a heart attack based on the amount and composition of plaque in the arteries that supply blood to the heart.
The AI proved more successful in assessing and diagnosing cardiac function when compared to echocardiogram assessments made by technicians.
Another AI tool accurately predicted who could develop pancreatic cancer based on what the person's CT scan images looked like, years prior to them actually being diagnosed with the disease.
These are some of the landmark scientific and technological achievements of 2022. Let us hail them all with no small measure of pride.
Dr Quamrul Haider is a professor of physics at Fordham University in New York, US.