Happy New Year Everyone,
I was listening to a podcast from the Museum of Science in Boston this morning, and they were counting down the 10 top science stories of 2011. The education staff at the Museum of Science put together a pretty interesting list which can be found below:
(10). An artificial trachea is created as a regenerative organ. (9). China limits exports of Rare Earth metals used in electronics. (8). Intel begins production on 3D transistors to make smaller, faster computers and electronics. (7). Australopithecus sediba is discovered & said to be a 2 million year old ancestor of humans. (6). Nano medicine is created that can be injected into the skin and used to detect glucose levels. (5). Upheaval over Fracking (using water to pump natural gas out of the Earth) (4). Steve Job’s passing (3). Record Breaking Tornado Season–750 tornadoes in April alone (2). Atlantis, the space program’s last shuttle mission (1). Japan has the largest earthquake in history.
Listen to the podcast here–> Click here.
The Museum of Science’s list got me thinking it would be fun to create a list of scientific breakthroughs and discoveries of my own…so, here it goes!
Kevin’s Notable Scientific Discoveries of 2011
(5). Mayan City discovered Modern technology meets archaeology as scientists discover a 2000 year old Mayan city in Guatemala. Archaeologists used GPS and 3D mapping technology to discover over 100 buildings that had been covered by hundreds of years of dirt and jungle growth. Some of these buildings could date back to 600 BC! More information here –>Click Here.
(4).The Human Population reaches 7 billion Our population is growing faster than ever before and could reach 9.3 billion by 2050!
(3). Animal Emotions While Scientists have long known that dogs, rats, and even birds can express emotions such as depression, new discoveries have revealed the first invertebrate to exhibit the emotion pessimism. The research shows that honey bees, and more than likely other insects as well, exhibit a pessimistic emotion similar to depression in humans and other animals. This shows that insects have more in common with us than we ever thought! Read more about it here–>Click Here.
(2). Cyclops Shark Thats right! A one-eyed shark fetus was found in the belly of a normal female dusky shark in the Gulf of California. The fetus was 22 inches long, albino, and had one eye right in the middle of its head! The fetus was the only one with one eye inside the belly of its mother. Read more here–>Click Here.
Photo Courtesy of http://news.discovery.com/animals/cyclops-shark-111018.html
(1).Earth Like Planet Found Called Kepler 22b, it would take over 300,000 years to get there with our fastest jet, or 600 years traveling at the speed of light. Scientists believe the planet could support life because it is a similar distance away from its star as the Earth is to the Sun. The planet could also have water, which means it could support all forms of life! Read about it here–>Click Here.
Hope you enjoyed my count down of last years notable scientific discoveries. Looking forward to the discoveries we will witness in 2012!
Keep exploring!!
-Kevin
Science Spectrum 