Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_in_science
- Astronomy/Space Exploration
- Biology/Biomedical/Bioengineering
- Chemistry
- Communications
- Computers/Electronics
- Energy
- Materials Science
- Physics
- Robotics
Astronomy/Space Exploration [Top]
- The European Space Agency (ESA) selects the PLAnetary Transits and Oscillations of stars (PLATO) observatory as the third medium-sized (M) mission in its Cosmic Vision programme. This will begin operation in 2024, looking for truly Earth-like planets around Sun-like stars, in sufficient detail to examine their atmospheres for signs of life.
- NASA astronomers report that the Hubble Space Telescope can now precisely measure distances up to 10,000 light-years away by using spatial scanning, a ten-fold improvement over earlier measurements.
- The first realistic “virtual universe” is created, simulating 13 billion years of cosmic evolution in a cube with 350 million light year long sides and unprecedented resolution.
- NASA begins construction of the 2016 Mars Lander, InSight.
- NASA reports that the Mars rover, “Opportunity”, after having traveled over 40 km (25 mi) on the planet Mars, has set a new “off-world” record as the rover having driven the greatest distance, surpassing the previous record held by the Soviet Union’s Lunokhod 2 rover that had traveled 39 km (24 mi).
- NASA awards contracts to Boeing and SpaceX to carry out manned missions to the International Space Station from 2017 onward, ending U.S. reliance on Russia for space transportation services.
- A new process can separate CO2 molecules into a carbon atom and O2 molecule, instead of carbon monoxide and a single oxygen atom. Future applications may include spacesuits that do not require oxygen tanks.
Biology/Biomedical/Bioengineering [Top]
-
January
- A new way to destroy metastasizing cancer cells traveling through the bloodstream is developed by researchers at Cornell University.
- Chemists engineer a plastic artificial cell containing organelles capable of producing the various steps in a chemical reaction.
- The world’s first monkeys with genes modified by the CRISPR/Cas9 technique, a new form of DNA engineering, are created in a Chinese laboratory.
- Illumina, Inc. demonstrates the first $1,000 genome, meaning an individual’s entire genome can now be sequenced for less than $1,000.
- A new gene therapy technique restores the sight of six patients who would otherwise have gone blind.
- A new device created by the University of California enables real-time measurements of drug metabolism and concentration in the bloodstream, potentially improving the way doses are administered.
- The leech Ozobranchus jantseanus has been shown to survive for 24 hours at −321 °F (−196 °C) and for nine months at −130 °F (−90 °C), a finding that could yield insights into cryopreservation for humans.
- Japanese researchers develop a way of turning adult mice cells into stem cells by dipping them in acid. This could pave the way for routine use of stem cells in regenerative medicine with a technique that is cheaper, faster and more efficient than before.
- Nanomotors are controlled inside living cells for the first time.
- Genetically modified potatoes capable of resisting blight are developed by British scientists.
- A new method to obtain human-induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) from a single drop of finger-pricked blood is achieved.
- Researchers create a biodegradeable battery that could be used for medical implants inside the body.
- The first synthetic chromosome is created for integration into a yeast cell.
- The first evidence that CRISPR can reverse disease symptoms in living animals is demonstrated. Using this new gene-editing technique, MIT researchers cure mice of a rare liver disorder.
- By manipulating the appropriate signaling, researchers turn embryonic stem cells into a fish embryo, essentially controlling embryonic development. This breakthrough is a major step toward being able to grow whole organs from stem cells.
- Advanced Cell Technology announces it has created new human embryonic stem cells by fusing DNA from an adult with an enucleated egg cell, a form of human cloning.
- Researchers announce that they successfully introduced two artificial nucleotides, Unnatural Base Pairs (UBRs), into bacterial DNA, and by including the individual artificial nucleotides in the culture media, were able to passage the bacteria 24 times; they did not create mRNA or proteins able to use the artificial nucleotides. The artificial nucleotides featured two fused aromatic rings which formed a complex mimicking the natural (dG–dC) base pair.
- After eight years of development, a new hi-tech bionic arm becomes the first of its kind to gain FDA approval for mass production
- A new device is developed that can sort, store and retrieve individual cells for study, using components similar to those that control electrons in microchips.
- The first two attempts at a database of every single human protein – the “proteome” – is made public.
- Two international trials suggest a promising breakthrough in the treatment of advanced skin cancer.
- Researchers at King’s College London develop a new dental technique known as Electrically Accelerated and Enhanced Remineralisation. This allows a decayed tooth to effectively repair and heal itself without the need for drills, needles or fillings.
- A new way to attack antibiotic-resistant bacteria is announced. It involves blocking the mechanism they use to build their exterior coating.
- A new report shows how improvements in agricultural efficiency could feed an extra three billion people.
- Neurons reprogrammed from skin cells are grafted into the brains of mice for the first time with long-term stability. This demonstration of lastingly stable neuron implantation raises hope for future therapies in humans that could replace sick neurons with healthy ones in the brains of Parkinson’s disease patients, for example.
- A stroke therapy using stem cells extracted from patients’ bone marrow shows promising results in the first trial of its kind in humans.
- A whole functioning organ – a thymus – has been engineered to grow inside an animal for the first time.
- A new drug known as LCZ696 is announced that can reduce the risk of death from cardiovascular disease by 20% compared to previous treatments. It is claimed to be among the biggest advances in treating this condition in over 10 years.
- When FOXP2 – a human gene responsible for speech and language – is spliced into mice, it allows them to learn more quickly and perform better in a variety of tests, according to a new study.
- The first blood test to diagnose major depression in adults is developed.
- Stanford researchers develop a “decoy” protein that disrupts metastasis, the process that makes cancer cells spread to other sites in the body.
- A new drug for advanced breast cancer can extend patients’ lives by 15.7 months is announced.
- The first baby born to a mother with a womb transplant is announced in Sweden.
- Harvard researchers turn human embryonic stem cells into cells that produce insulin, a potentially major advance for sufferers of diabetes.
- Scientists at Bristol University use quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics simulations to improve the understanding of antibiotic resistance, which may enable the design of better drugs in the future.
- By boosting a protein called NT3, scientists restores lost hearing in mice.
- A paralyzed man becomes the first in the world to walk again following a pioneering therapy which involved transplanting cells from his nose into his severed spinal cord.
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
- The Nobel Prize in Chemistry is awarded to Eric Betzig, William Moerner and Stefan Hell for “the development of super-resolved fluorescence microscopy,” which brings optical microscopy into the nanodimension”.
- A new method is devised to produce 3D metal nanoparticles in highly precise shapes and dimensions, using DNA as a construction mold.
- A carbon dioxide “sponge” that could help absorb man-made emissions from power plants has been announced by the American Chemical Society.
- A new automated process that uses a flash of light to detect fluorescence lifetimes to improve the sorting and recycling of plastics is developed.
- Direct brain-to-brain communication is demonstrated in humans located 5,000 miles apart.
- The global average Internet connection speed exceeds the 4 Mbps “broadband” threshold for the first time.
- Samsung engineers develops a way of transmitting wi-fi data five times faster than was previously possible.
- The first 128GB microSD card is announced, based on 16 memory dies vertically stacked, each shaved to be thinner than a strand of hair.
- A battery that can charge in under 30 seconds is demonstrated at a technology conference in Tel Aviv.
- Stanford bioengineers develop faster, more energy-efficient microchips based on the human brain – 9,000 times faster and using significantly less power than a typical PC.
- A new hybrid, flexible, energy-efficient circuit that merges carbon nanotubes with other thin film transistors that could replace silicon as the traditional material used in electronic chips is reported in Nature Communications. It could be commercially available in the 2020s.
- Scientists at IBM Research create a neuromorphic (brain-like) computer chip with 1 million programmable neurons and 256 million programmable synapses across 4096 individual neurosynaptic cores.
- Researchers design a computer program that can accurately recognize users’ emotional states as much as 87% of the time.
- Engineers at Stanford University create ant-sized radios-on-a-chip, powered by incoming electromagnetic waves, that could be used for the Internet of Things.
- SanDisk reveals a 512 GB SD card, the highest storage capacity ever seen in this form factor.
- Microsoft announces Windows 10, the next generation of its operating system.
- A new record efficiency of 17 percent for thin-film solar is achieved.
- Self-cooling solar cells have been developed by Stanford researchers, using tiny pyramid structures made of silica glass.
- A Sports car that runs saltwater using the nanoFLOWCELL® system to power four electric motors, that has a range of 600km, has been approved for testing on European roads.
- Researchers achieve a breakthrough in producing hydrogen fuel from water. The new technique, which stores energy from the sun and wind, is 30 times faster than the leading PEME process.
- The world’s first commercial-scale carbon capture and storage (CCS) process on a coal-fired power plant officially opens at Boundary Dam Power Station in Estevan, Saskatchewan.
- Researchers create a hybrid “solar battery” that can store its own power using nanometer-sized rods of titanium dioxide.
- An international team of scientists develops a slurry-based process using a porous powder suspended in glycol that offers a cost-effective and energy-efficient approach to carbon capture.
- A new battery is developed capable of being recharged up to 70 per cent in only two minutes. The battery also has a longer lifespan of over 20 years.
- Lockheed Martin reports a significant breakthrough in generating nuclear fusion from a small-scale power plant.
- Samsung develops a new method of growing large area, single crystal wafer scale graphene, a major development that will accelerate the commercialization of this material
- The first graphene-based flexible display has been manufactured by the University of Cambridge.
- Scientists demonstrate the distribution of three entangled photons at three different locations, several hundreds of metres apart. This could pave the way to multi-party quantum communication.
- Scientists transfer data by quantum teleportation over a distance of 10 feet with a zero percent error rate.
- Scientists design a record-breaking laser that accelerates the interaction between light and matter by ten times.
- The Nobel Prize in Physics is awarded to Isamu Akasaki, Hiroshi Amano and Shuji Nakamura for “the invention of efficient blue light-emitting diodes which has enabled bright and energy-saving white light sources” or, less formally, LED lights.
- Laser physicists find a way to make atomic force microscope probes 20 times more sensitive and capable of detecting forces as small as the weight of an individual virus.
- Physicists build a reversible tractor beam that can move objects 0.2mm in diameter a distance of up to 20 centimeters. This is 100 times further than was possible in previous experiments.
- Inspired by dinosaurs, scientists from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) develop a robot that runs at a speed of 46 kilometers per hour (29 mph) on a treadmill.
- A self-organizing robot swarm consisting of 1,000 individual machines is demonstrated by Harvard University
- A new way to destroy metastasizing cancer cells traveling through the bloodstream is developed by researchers at Cornell University.
- Chemists engineer a plastic artificial cell containing organelles capable of producing the various steps in a chemical reaction.
- The world’s first monkeys with genes modified by the CRISPR/Cas9 technique, a new form of DNA engineering, are created in a Chinese laboratory.
- Illumina, Inc. demonstrates the first $1,000 genome, meaning an individual’s entire genome can now be sequenced for less than $1,000.
- A new gene therapy technique restores the sight of six patients who would otherwise have gone blind.
- A new device created by the University of California enables real-time measurements of drug metabolism and concentration in the bloodstream, potentially improving the way doses are administered.
- The leech Ozobranchus jantseanus has been shown to survive for 24 hours at −321 °F (−196 °C) and for nine months at −130 °F (−90 °C), a finding that could yield insights into cryopreservation for humans.
- Japanese researchers develop a way of turning adult mice cells into stem cells by dipping them in acid. This could pave the way for routine use of stem cells in regenerative medicine with a technique that is cheaper, faster and more efficient than before.
- Nanomotors are controlled inside living cells for the first time.
- Genetically modified potatoes capable of resisting blight are developed by British scientists.
- The first 128GB microSD card is announced, based on 16 memory dies vertically stacked, each shaved to be thinner than a strand of hair.
- The European Space Agency (ESA) selects the PLAnetary Transits and Oscillations of stars (PLATO) observatory as the third medium-sized (M) mission in its Cosmic Vision programme. This will begin operation in 2024, looking for truly Earth-like planets around Sun-like stars, in sufficient detail to examine their atmospheres for signs of life.
- A new record efficiency of 17 percent for thin-film solar is achieved.
- A new method to obtain human-induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) from a single drop of finger-pricked blood is achieved.
- Scientists demonstrate the distribution of three entangled photons at three different locations, several hundreds of metres apart. This could pave the way to multi-party quantum communication.
- Researchers create a biodegradeable battery that could be used for medical implants inside the body.
- The first synthetic chromosome is created for integration into a yeast cell.
- The first evidence that CRISPR can reverse disease symptoms in living animals is demonstrated. Using this new gene-editing technique, MIT researchers cure mice of a rare liver disorder.
- By manipulating the appropriate signaling, researchers turn embryonic stem cells into a fish embryo, essentially controlling embryonic development. This breakthrough is a major step toward being able to grow whole organs from stem cells.
- Samsung develops a new method of growing large area, single crystal wafer scale graphene, a major development that will accelerate the commercialization of this material
- A battery that can charge in under 30 seconds is demonstrated at a technology conference in Tel Aviv.
- NASA astronomers report that the Hubble Space Telescope can now precisely measure distances up to 10,000 light-years away by using spatial scanning, a ten-fold improvement over earlier measurements.
- Advanced Cell Technology announces it has created new human embryonic stem cells by fusing DNA from an adult with an enucleated egg cell, a form of human cloning.
- Stanford bioengineers develop faster, more energy-efficient microchips based on the human brain – 9,000 times faster and using significantly less power than a typical PC.
- The first realistic “virtual universe” is created, simulating 13 billion years of cosmic evolution in a cube with 350 million light year long sides and unprecedented resolution.
- Researchers announce that they successfully introduced two artificial nucleotides, Unnatural Base Pairs (UBRs), into bacterial DNA, and by including the individual artificial nucleotides in the culture media, were able to passage the bacteria 24 times; they did not create mRNA or proteins able to use the artificial nucleotides. The artificial nucleotides featured two fused aromatic rings which formed a complex mimicking the natural (dG–dC) base pair.
- After eight years of development, a new hi-tech bionic arm becomes the first of its kind to gain FDA approval for mass production
- A new device is developed that can sort, store and retrieve individual cells for study, using components similar to those that control electrons in microchips.
- NASA begins construction of the 2016 Mars Lander, InSight.
- The first two attempts at a database of every single human protein – the “proteome” – is made public.
- Scientists transfer data by quantum teleportation over a distance of 10 feet with a zero percent error rate.
- Inspired by dinosaurs, scientists from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) develop a robot that runs at a speed of 46 kilometres per hour (29 mph) on a treadmill.
- Two international trials suggest a promising breakthrough in the treatment of advanced skin cancer.
- A new hybrid, flexible, energy-efficient circuit that merges carbon nanotubes with other thin film transistors that could replace silicon as the traditional material used in electronic chips is reported in Nature Communications. It could be commercially available in the 2020s.
- Researchers at King’s College London develop a new dental technique known as Electrically Accelerated and Enhanced Remineralisation. This allows a decayed tooth to effectively repair and heal itself without the need for drills, needles or fillings.
- A new way to attack antibiotic-resistant bacteria is announced. It involves blocking the mechanism they use to build their exterior coating.
- A new report shows how improvements in agricultural efficiency could feed an extra three billion people.
- Self-cooling solar cells have been developed by Stanford researchers, using tiny pyramid structures made of silica glass.
- NASA reports that the Mars rover, “Opportunity”, after having traveled over 40 km (25 mi) on the planet Mars, has set a new “off-world” record as the rover having driven the greatest distance, surpassing the previous record held by the Soviet Union’s Lunokhod 2 rover that had traveled 39 km (24 mi).
- Neurons reprogrammed from skin cells are grafted into the brains of mice for the first time with long-term stability. This demonstration of lastingly stable neuron implantation raises hope for future therapies in humans that could replace sick neurons with healthy ones in the brains of Parkinson’s disease patients, for example.
- Scientists at IBM Research create a neuromorphic (brain-like) computer chip with 1 million programmable neurons and 256 million programmable synapses across 4096 individual neurosynaptic cores.
- A stroke therapy using stem cells extracted from patients’ bone marrow shows promising results in the first trial of its kind in humans.
- A carbon dioxide “sponge” that could help absorb man-made emissions from power plants has been announced by the American Chemical Society.
- A self-organising robot swarm consisting of 1,000 individual machines is demonstrated by Harvard University
- Laser physicists find a way to make atomic force microscope probes 20 times more sensitive and capable of detecting forces as small as the weight of an individual virus.
- Researchers design a computer program that can accurately recognize users’ emotional states as much as 87% of the time.
- A new automated process that uses a flash of light to detect fluorescence lifetimes to improve the sorting and recycling of plastics is developed.
- A whole functioning organ – a thymus – has been engineered to grow inside an animal for the first time.
- A new drug known as LCZ696 is announced that can reduce the risk of death from cardiovascular disease by 20% compared to previous treatments. It is claimed to be among the biggest advances in treating this condition in over 10 years.
- A Sports car that runs saltwater using the nanoFLOWCELL® system to power four electric motors, that has a range of 600km, has been approved for testing on European roads.
- Direct brain-to-brain communication is demonstrated in humans located 5,000 miles apart.
- The first graphene-based flexible display has been manufactured by the University of Cambridge.
- Engineers at Stanford University create ant-sized radios-on-a-chip, powered by incoming electromagnetic waves, that could be used for the Internet of Things.
- SanDisk reveals a 512 GB SD card, the highest storage capacity ever seen in this form factor.
- Researchers achieve a breakthrough in producing hydrogen fuel from water. The new technique, which stores energy from the sun and wind, is 30 times faster than the leading PEME process.
- When FOXP2 – a human gene responsible for speech and language – is spliced into mice, it allows them to learn more quickly and perform better in a variety of tests, according to a new study.
- NASA awards contracts to Boeing and SpaceX to carry out manned missions to the International Space Station from 2017 onwards, ending U.S. reliance on Russia for space transportation services.
- The first blood test to diagnose major depression in adults is developed.
- Stanford researchers develop a “decoy” protein that disrupts metastasis, the process that makes cancer cells spread to other sites in the body.
- A new drug for advanced breast cancer can extend patients’ lives by 15.7 months is announced.
- Scientists design a record-breaking laser that accelerates the interaction between light and matter by ten times.
- Microsoft announces Windows 10, the next generation of its operating system.
- The global average Internet connection speed exceeds the 4 Mbps “broadband” threshold for the first time.
- The world’s first commercial-scale carbon capture and storage (CCS) process on a coal-fired power plant officially opens at Boundary Dam Power Station in Estevan, Saskatchewan.
- A new process can separate CO2 molecules into a carbon atom and O2 molecule, instead of carbon monoxide and a single oxygen atom. Future applications may include spacesuits that do not require oxygen tanks.
- Researchers create a hybrid “solar battery” that can store its own power using nanometer-sized rods of titanium dioxide.
- The first baby born to a mother with a womb transplant is announced in Sweden.
- The Nobel Prize in Physics is awarded to Isamu Akasaki, Hiroshi Amano and Shuji Nakamura for “the invention of efficient blue light-emitting diodes which has enabled bright and energy-saving white light sources” or, less formally, LED lights.
- The Nobel Prize in Chemistry is awarded to Eric Betzig, William Moerner and Stefan Hell for “the development of super-resolved fluorescence microscopy,” which brings optical microscopy into the nanodimension”.
- Harvard researchers turn human embryonic stem cells into cells that produce insulin, a potentially major advance for sufferers of diabetes.
- An international team of scientists develops a slurry-based process using a porous powder suspended in glycol that offers a cost-effective and energy-efficient approach to carbon capture.
- A new method is devised to produce 3D metal nanoparticles in highly precise shapes and dimensions, using DNA as a construction mold.
- A new battery is developed capable of being recharged up to 70 per cent in only two minutes. The battery also has a longer lifespan of over 20 years.
- Samsung engineers develops a way of transmitting wi-fi data five times faster than was previously possible.
- Lockheed Martin reports a significant breakthrough in generating nuclear fusion from a small-scale power plant.
- Scientists at Bristol University use quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics simulations to improve the understanding of antibiotic resistance, which may enable the design of better drugs in the future.
- Physicists build a reversible tractor beam that can move objects 0.2mm in diameter a distance of up to 20 centimeters. This is 100 times further than was possible in previous experiments.
- By boosting a protein called NT3, scientists restores lost hearing in mice.
- A paralyzed man becomes the first in the world to walk again following a pioneering therapy which involved transplanting cells from his nose into his severed spinal cord.
Why This Is Good To Know
It helps you to understand and anticipate changes that are likely to occur in the near future due to technological advances. It also makes you aware of new medical treatments for diseases and disabilities.
Sources