Scientific Discoveries: 2015

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2015_in_science

 
By Category

 
By Month

 
 
By Category [Top]

Anthropology [Top]

  • A 2.8 million-year-old jawbone may be the oldest human fossil in existence, according to two papers published simultaneously in Science. Researchers now suspect that Homo (the genus that includes modern humans) dates back at least 400,000 years earlier than previously thought.

  • Stone tools found at Lomekwi 3 are dated to 3.3 million years ago, which, if confirmed, would represent the oldest known stone tools.

  • Archaeologists discover fossil remnants of an ancient human species, dating from roughly 430,000 years ago, in two sites in Italy.

  • A new species of ancient hominid – Australopithecus deyiremeda – is uncovered in Ethiopia, with jaw bones and teeth dating to between 3.3m and 3.5m years old.

  • Paleontologists report a new human-like species, Homo naledi, based on the discovery of 15 partial skeletons, the largest single find of its type in Africa. It is believed that H. naledi could have lived in Africa up to three million years ago and were capable of ritualistic behaviour.

 
Archaeology [Top]

  • Archaeologists report finding two lost cities deep in the Honduras jungle, thought to be untouched by humans for at least 600 years.

 
Astronomy [Top]

  • NASA reports observing an X-ray flare 400 times brighter than usual, a record-breaker, from the supermassive black hole, named Sagittarius A*, in the center of the Milky Way galaxy. The unusual event may have been caused by the breaking apart of an asteroid falling into the black hole or by the entanglement of magnetic field lines within gas flowing into Sagittarius A*.

  • Astronomers have developed a method of accurately telling a star’s age from how fast it spins.

  • NASA announces the 1000th confirmed exoplanet discovered by the Kepler Space Telescope. Three of the newly confirmed exoplanets were found to orbit within habitable zones of their related stars: two of the three, Kepler-438b and Kepler-442b, are near-Earth-size and likely rocky; the third, Kepler-440b, is a super-Earth.

  • Astronomers have observed and measured a neutron star slipping out of view because of the warp in space-time its orbit creates. The star is expected to reappear in about 160 years.

  • Astronomers have discovered an exoplanet with a gigantic ring system that is 200 times larger than that around Saturn.

  • A joint study of data from the Planck space mission and the ground-based experiment BICEP2 casts doubt on earlier findings of gravitational waves from the Big Bang.

  • The first generation of stars is now thought to have emerged 560 million years after the Big Bang, according to scientists working on the European Planck satellite. This is 140 million years later than the previous estimate of 420 million years.

  • Physicists present an alternative cosmological view to extend the Big Bang model, suggesting the Universe had no beginning or singularity and the age of the Universe is infinite.

  • NASA reports that, for the first time, complex DNA and RNA organic compounds of life, including uracil, cytosine and thymine, have been formed in the laboratory under outer space conditions, using starting chemicals, such as pyrimidine, found in meteorites. Pyrimidine, like polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), the most carbon-rich chemical found in the Universe, may have been formed in red giants or in interstellar dust and gas clouds, according to the scientists.

  • Evidence for a vast, ancient ocean that once covered most of the northern hemisphere on Mars is reported by NASA.

  • Astronomers have discovered the fastest known star, which is being ejected from the galaxy by a supernova explosion. Its hypervelocity of 1,200 km/s (2.7 million mph) is high enough to escape the gravitational pull of the Milky Way.

  • The Dawn spacecraft begins to orbit Ceres, becoming the first spacecraft to visit a dwarf planet.

  • NASA’s Cassini spacecraft provides the first clear evidence of hydrothermal activity on Saturn’s moon Enceladus, which may resemble that seen in the deep oceans on Earth and is likely the most habitable off-world environment ever found.

  • Hubble ’s views of Ganymede’s aurorae suggest the moon, Jupiter’s largest, may contain a vast subsurface saline ocean.

  • NASA reports the first detection of nitrogen released after heating surface sediments on the planet Mars. The nitrogen, in the form of nitric oxide, was detected by the SAM instrument on the Curiosity rover and can be used by living organisms. The discovery supports the notion that ancient Mars may have been habitable for life.

  • A search for possible heat signatures of advanced extraterrestrial civilisations reveals it has found “nothing obvious” in 100,000 galaxies.

  • Astronomers have made the first-ever direct detection of the spectrum of visible light reflected off an exoplanet.

  • Astronomers report detection of a most distant galaxy, EGS-zs8-1, with an estimated distance of 13.1 billion light-years.

  • Complex organic molecules have been detected in a young star system for the first time.

  • For the first time, the phase brightness variations in exoplanets have been measured to see the day-night cycle of exoplanetary weather dynamics.

  • NASA reports the Kepler space observatory observed KSN 2011b, a Type Ia supernova in the process of exploding: before, during and after.

  • The dwarf planet Pluto passes between a distant star and the Earth producing a shadow on the Earth near New Zealand that allows SOFIA, an airborne observatory, to study the atmosphere of Pluto.

  • Astronomers report the discovery of an extremely rare five-star system.

  • NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft performs a close flyby of Pluto, becoming the first spacecraft in history to visit the distant world. It will explore the area for five months, before entering the Kuiper belt and eventually leaving the Solar System.

  • Stephen Hawking, British physicist, helps launch a well-funded effort, called Breakthrough Initiatives, to search for extraterrestrial life and attempt to answer the question: Are we alone?

  • NASA announces the discovery of Kepler-452b, a confirmed exoplanet that is near-Earth-size and found orbiting the habitable zone of a Sun-like star.

  • Scientists report that the Philae spacecraft, that landed on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko in November 2014, detected at least 16 organic compounds, of which four (including acetamide, acetone, methyl isocyanate and propionaldehyde) were detected for the first time on a comet.

  • Astronomers report the discovery of HD 219134 b, a rocky exoplanet, due to its size of 1.6 Earth and density of 6 g/cm3, that is the closest such exoplanet to Earth, at 21.25 light-years away.

  • Astronomers at the Keck Observatory announce a new record for the most distant galaxy ever observed. Known as EGSY8p7, its light needed 13.2 billion years to reach Earth.

  • NASA releases the first clear images of Pluto’s small moon Nix, showing rough edges and a prominent crater.

  • Astronomers report unusual light fluctuations of KIC 8462852, an F-type main-sequence star in the constellation Cygnus, as detected by the Kepler space telescope, while searching for exoplanets. Various explanations have been presented, including those based on comets, asteroids, as well as, an alien civilization.

  • NASA’s Cassini probe finds a global ocean lying beneath the icy crust of Saturn’s geologically active moon Enceladus.

  • A total lunar eclipse, dubbed a “supermoon” because of its apparent larger size in the sky, takes place over Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Americas. The next supermoon eclipse will not occur until October 2033

  • NASA scientists, including Lujendra Ojha et al., report evidence, for the first time, supporting the presence of liquid water (in the form of liquid brine) currently flowing on the planet Mars[.

  • NASA confirms, based on results from the Curiosity rover (and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter), that lakes and streams existed in Gale crater on Mars 3.3 – 3.8 billion years ago delivering sediments to build up the lower layers of Mount Sharp.

  • NASA announces that the New Horizons spacecraft has detected blue skies and water ice on Pluto.

  • The first direct observation of a solar system being torn apart by a white dwarf is described in the journal Nature. The star, known as WD 1145+017, is transited by at least one, and probably several, disintegrating planetesimals, with periods ranging from 4.5 hours to 4.9 hours.

  • Asteroid 2015 TB145, a near-Earth asteroid roughly 600 meters (2,000 feet) in diameter, passes 1.27 lunar distances from Earth.

  • NASA scientists report, based on results from the MAVEN orbiter circling Mars, that the solar wind is responsible for stripping away the atmosphere of Mars over the years.

 
Biology/Biomedical [Top]

  • A study published in Science shows evidence that a protein partially assembles another protein without genetic instructions. Defying textbook science, amino acids (the building blocks of a protein) can be assembled by another protein and without genetic instructions.

  • Scientists from the US and UK have mapped the genome of the bowhead whale and identified genes responsible for its 200-year lifespan, the longest of any mammal.

  • A review article published in the journal Neuron describes a number of recent studies showing that brain imaging can help predict a person’s future learning, criminality, health-related behaviors, and response to drug or behavioral treatments.

  • In a world first, researchers from New Zealand have observed mitochondrial DNA moving between cells in mice and triggering cancer growth.

  • An ingredient found in green tea may protect against oral cancer, according to Penn State University researchers.

  • Progeria researchers have shown how the disorganisation of DNA contributes to the cell disorder and is linked to aspects of aging.

  • Scientists announce discovery of Lokiarchaeota, which is a transitional form between Archaea and Eukaryotes.

  • Researchers have discovered a key protein required to maintain muscle mass and muscle strength during aging.

  • A study published in the British Medical Journal finds that consuming up to 100g of chocolate every day is linked to lowered heart disease and stroke risk.

  • A major study confirms that Earth is currently witnessing the start of a mass extinction event the likes of which have not been seen for at least 65 million years. It is being precipitated by human actions over the past 500 years.

  • Researchers identify a protein on tiny particles, GPC1+ crExos, released by pancreatic cancer cells, which may help in detecting the illness at its earliest stage.

  • The first comprehensive analysis of the mammoth genome is completed, revealing a number of traits that enabled the animals to survive in the Arctic cold.

  • The FDA toughens warnings of increased heart attack and stroke risk associated with pain relievers containing ibuprofen, like Advil, Aleve, Motrin and related nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID).

  • People working a 55-hour week have a 33% increased risk of stroke than those working a 35- to 40-hour week, along with a 13% increased risk of coronary heart disease, according to a study published in The Lancet.

  • A study by WWF and the Zoological Society of London finds that populations of marine mammals, birds, fish and reptiles have declined by 49% since 1970. The report highlights tuna and mackerel as in a particularly dire state, having declined 74%

  • Because of warming oceans, king crabs threaten to overrun Antarctic marine ecosystems within a few decades, according to research by the Florida Institute of Technology.

  • Tomas Lindahl, Paul L. Modrich and Aziz Sancar win the 2015 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, for explaining “the basic mechanisms that help to guard the integrity of our genomes.”
  • Following a comprehensive, 10-year effort, researchers identify 238 genes that affect aging in yeast cells.

  • Researchers in California use big data to identify over 100 novel cancer driver genes.

  • The Eastern Santa Cruz Tortoise (Chelonoidis donfaustoi), a newly discovered species of giant tortoise on the Galápagos Islands, is described in the journal PLOS ONE.

  • Stem cell scientists at the University Health Network identify an entirely new “two tier” process of how blood is made, overturning decades of established science. The researchers claim their finding could lead to radically improved and personalised treatments for blood disorders.

 
Climatology/Ecology [Top]

  • The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) declares 2014 as the hottest year on record globally, surpassing the previous record of 1998.

  • NASA and NOAA confirm that 2014 was the hottest year on record globally.

  • Global warming will result in large storms becoming larger, rather than an increase in the number of storms, concludes a study by the University of Toronto.

  • A new study examining the role of oceanic cycles in heat transfer concludes that the global warming “pause” is only temporary and that temperatures will accelerate in the near future.

  • The National Snow and Ice Data Center reports that Arctic sea ice reached its lowest ever maximum extent.

  • The ice around the edge of Antarctica is melting faster than previously thought, researchers have warned.

  • Atmospheric CO2 remained above 400 parts per million (ppm) throughout March 2015, the first time it has been at this level for an entire month, according to NOAA. The current concentration of greenhouse gases is the highest it has been for millions of years.

  • Researchers confirm that strong warming is taking place in the upper troposphere, a phenomenon long predicted in global warming theory and climate models.

  • Larsen B and C, a pair of ice shelves in the Antarctic, are reportedly at risk of collapse in the near future, potentially adding several centimetres to global sea levels.

  • Scientists have observed a sudden increase of ice loss in a previously stable region of Antarctica. The ice loss is so large that it causes small changes in the gravity field of the Earth.

  • A new study has linked rapid Arctic ice loss to extreme weather changes in Europe and the US.

  • Using new global surface temperature data, scientists at NOAA have shown that the rate of global warming in the last 15 years has not slowed, eliminating the “hiatus”.

  • The latest State of the Climate report confirms that 2014 was the hottest year on record globally.

  • The latest global analysis of temperature data from NOAA shows that the first half of 2015 was the hottest such period on record, at 0.85 °C (1.53 °F) above the 20th century average, surpassing the previous record set in 2010 by 0.09 °C (0.16 °F). The Earth also experienced its hottest ever June.

  • A provocative new paper by climate scientists including James Hansen warns that future sea level rises may have been dramatically underestimated, and that even 2 °C of global warming is “highly dangerous”.

  • A new comprehensive analysis of global glacier changes in the Journal of Glaciology concludes that melting rates are “unprecedented” and faster than ever.

  • July 2015 was the hottest month on Earth since records began in 1880, according to data from NOAA.

  • A new study published in Nature “removes any doubt” that rising levels of greenhouse gases were the primary driver of glacier retreat during the end of the last Ice Age.

  • A NASA study indicates that oceanic phytoplankton are declining significantly in the northern hemisphere.

  • Scientists confirm that a third global coral bleaching event is underway that is likely to be the most intense ever recorded.

  • The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reports that September’s global average temperature was the largest departure from normal for any month on record.

  • Hurricane Patricia becomes the most intense tropical cyclone ever observed in the Western Hemisphere in terms of barometric pressure and the strongest globally in terms of maximum sustained winds.

 
Geology [Top]

  • XXX

  • XXX

 
Paleontology [Top]

  • An international team of scientists has sequenced the complete genome of the woolly mammoth.

  • Archaeornithura meemannae, a new species of prehistoric bird that represents the oldest known member of the modern bird lineage, is discovered.

  • The 133-million-year-old fossil of Tetrapodophis amplectus, the first four-legged snake to be found, is reported by paleontologists in Brazil.

  • Scientists report the discovery of Pentecopterus decorahens, the oldest described eurypterida (sea scorpions), an extinct arthropod group that lived as early as 467.3 million years ago. With an estimated length of up to 1.83 metres (6 ft 0 in), it has been described as “the first real big predator”.

  • A new study adds to previous findings that dinosaurs were driven to extinction by a combination of increased volcanism at the Deccan Traps and the Chicxulub asteroid impact.

  • Scientists report finding fossil evidence of life on the very young Earth 4.1 billion years ago, 300 million years older than known earlier. According to one of the researchers, “If life arose relatively quickly on Earth … then it could be common in the universe.”

 
Psychology and Neuroscience [Top]

  • The first ever genetic analysis of people with extremely high intelligence reveals small but important genetic differences between some of the brightest people in the United States and the general population.

 
Physics [Top]

  • Researchers at the Large Hadron Collider report observing two exotic particles belonging to a new class, pentaquarks.

  • Scientists report the discovery of the Weyl fermion after an 85-year search. This massless quasiparticle could help in the development of future electronics such as quantum computing.

  • Scientists report that the quantum entanglement phenomenon is strongly supported based on a “loophole-free Bell test” study.

 
 
By Month [Top]

 
January [Top]

  • A study published in Science shows evidence that a protein partially assembles another protein without genetic instructions. Defying textbook science, amino acids (the building blocks of a protein) can be assembled by another protein and without genetic instructions.

  • Scientists from the US and UK have mapped the genome of the bowhead whale and identified genes responsible for its 200-year lifespan, the longest of any mammal.

  • The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) declares 2014 as the hottest year on record globally, surpassing the previous record of 1998.

  • NASA reports observing an X-ray flare 400 times brighter than usual, a record-breaker, from the supermassive black hole, named Sagittarius A*, in the center of the Milky Way galaxy. The unusual event may have been caused by the breaking apart of an asteroid falling into the black hole or by the entanglement of magnetic field lines within gas flowing into Sagittarius A*.

  • Astronomers have developed a method of accurately telling a star’s age from how fast it spins.

  • NASA announces the 1000th confirmed exoplanet discovered by the Kepler Space Telescope. Three of the newly confirmed exoplanets were found to orbit within habitable zones of their related stars: two of the three, Kepler-438b and Kepler-442b, are near-Earth-size and likely rocky; the third, Kepler-440b, is a super-Earth.

  • A review article published in the journal Neuron describes a number of recent studies showing that brain imaging can help predict a person’s future learning, criminality, health-related behaviors, and response to drug or behavioral treatments.

  • In a world first, researchers from New Zealand have observed mitochondrial DNA moving between cells in mice and triggering cancer growth.

  • Astronomers have observed and measured a neutron star slipping out of view because of the warp in space-time its orbit creates. The star is expected to reappear in about 160 years.

  • NASA and NOAA confirm that 2014 was the hottest year on record globally.

  • Astronomers have discovered an exoplanet with a gigantic ring system that is 200 times larger than that around Saturn.

  • An ingredient found in green tea may protect against oral cancer, according to Penn State University researchers.

  • Global warming will result in large storms becoming larger, rather than an increase in the number of storms, concludes a study by the University of Toronto.

  • A joint study of data from the Planck space mission and the ground-based experiment BICEP2 casts doubt on earlier findings of gravitational waves from the Big Bang.

 
February [Top]

  • The first generation of stars is now thought to have emerged 560 million years after the Big Bang, according to scientists working on the European Planck satellite. This is 140 million years later than the previous estimate of 420 million years.

  • Physicists present an alternative cosmological view to extend the Big Bang model, suggesting the Universe had no beginning or singularity and the age of the Universe is infinite.

  • A new study examining the role of oceanic cycles in heat transfer concludes that the global warming “pause” is only temporary and that temperatures will accelerate in the near future.

 
March [Top]

  • NASA reports that, for the first time, complex DNA and RNA organic compounds of life, including uracil, cytosine and thymine, have been formed in the laboratory under outer space conditions, using starting chemicals, such as pyrimidine, found in meteorites. Pyrimidine, like polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), the most carbon-rich chemical found in the Universe, may have been formed in red giants or in interstellar dust and gas clouds, according to the scientists.

  • A 2.8 million-year-old jawbone may be the oldest human fossil in existence, according to two papers published simultaneously in Science. Researchers now suspect that Homo (the genus that includes modern humans) dates back at least 400,000 years earlier than previously thought.

  • Evidence for a vast, ancient ocean that once covered most of the northern hemisphere on Mars is reported by NASA.

  • Astronomers have discovered the fastest known star, which is being ejected from the galaxy by a supernova explosion. Its hypervelocity of 1,200 km/s (2.7 million mph) is high enough to escape the gravitational pull of the Milky Way.

  • Archaeologists report finding two lost cities deep in the Honduras jungle, thought to be untouched by humans for at least 600 years.

  • The Dawn spacecraft begins to orbit Ceres, becoming the first spacecraft to visit a dwarf planet.

  • NASA’s Cassini spacecraft provides the first clear evidence of hydrothermal activity on Saturn’s moon Enceladus, which may resemble that seen in the deep oceans on Earth and is likely the most habitable off-world environment ever found.

  • Hubble ’s views of Ganymede’s aurorae suggest the moon, Jupiter’s largest, may contain a vast subsurface saline ocean.

  • The National Snow and Ice Data Center reports that Arctic sea ice reached its lowest ever maximum extent.

  • NASA reports the first detection of nitrogen released after heating surface sediments on the planet Mars. The nitrogen, in the form of nitric oxide, was detected by the SAM instrument on the Curiosity rover and can be used by living organisms. The discovery supports the notion that ancient Mars may have been habitable for life.

  • The ice around the edge of Antarctica is melting faster than previously thought, researchers have warned.

 
April [Top]

  • Complex organic molecules have been detected in a young star system for the first time.

  • Stone tools found at Lomekwi 3 are dated to 3.3 million years ago, which, if confirmed, would represent the oldest known stone tools.

  • A search for possible heat signatures of advanced extraterrestrial civilisations reveals it has found “nothing obvious” in 100,000 galaxies.

  • Astronomers have made the first-ever direct detection of the spectrum of visible light reflected off an exoplanet.

  • An international team of scientists has sequenced the complete genome of the woolly mammoth.

  • Archaeologists discover fossil remnants of an ancient human species, dating from roughly 430,000 years ago, in two sites in Italy.

  • Progeria researchers have shown how the disorganisation of DNA contributes to the cell disorder and is linked to aspects of aging.

 
May [Top]

  • Astronomers report detection of a most distant galaxy, EGS-zs8-1, with an estimated distance of 13.1 billion light-years.

  • Archaeornithura meemannae, a new species of prehistoric bird that represents the oldest known member of the modern bird lineage, is discovered.

  • Atmospheric CO2 remained above 400 parts per million (ppm) throughout March 2015, the first time it has been at this level for an entire month, according to NOAA. The current concentration of greenhouse gases is the highest it has been for millions of years.

  • Scientists announce discovery of Lokiarchaeota, which is a transitional form between Archaea and Eukaryotes.

  • For the first time, the phase brightness variations in exoplanets have been measured to see the day-night cycle of exoplanetary weather dynamics.

  • Researchers confirm that strong warming is taking place in the upper troposphere, a phenomenon long predicted in global warming theory and climate models.

  • Larsen B and C, a pair of ice shelves in the Antarctic, are reportedly at risk of collapse in the near future, potentially adding several centimetres to global sea levels.

  • NASA reports the Kepler space observatory observed KSN 2011b, a Type Ia supernova in the process of exploding: before, during and after.

  • Scientists have observed a sudden increase of ice loss in a previously stable region of Antarctica. The ice loss is so large that it causes small changes in the gravity field of the Earth.

  • A new species of ancient hominid – Australopithecus deyiremeda – is uncovered in Ethiopia, with jaw bones and teeth dating to between 3.3m and 3.5m years old.

 
June [Top]

  • A new study has linked rapid Arctic ice loss to extreme weather changes in Europe and the US.

  • Researchers have discovered a key protein required to maintain muscle mass and muscle strength during aging.

  • Using new global surface temperature data, scientists at NOAA have shown that the rate of global warming in the last 15 years has not slowed, eliminating the “hiatus”.

  • A study published in the British Medical Journal finds that consuming up to 100g of chocolate every day is linked to lowered heart disease and stroke risk.

  • A major study confirms that Earth is currently witnessing the start of a mass extinction event the likes of which have not been seen for at least 65 million years. It is being precipitated by human actions over the past 500 years.

  • Researchers identify a protein on tiny particles, GPC1+ crExos, released by pancreatic cancer cells, which may help in detecting the illness at its earliest stage.

  • The dwarf planet Pluto passes between a distant star and the Earth producing a shadow on the Earth near New Zealand that allows SOFIA, an airborne observatory, to study the atmosphere of Pluto.

 
July [Top]

  • The first comprehensive analysis of the mammoth genome is completed, revealing a number of traits that enabled the animals to survive in the Arctic cold.

  • Astronomers report the discovery of an extremely rare five-star system.

  • The FDA toughens warnings of increased heart attack and stroke risk associated with pain relievers containing ibuprofen, like Advil, Aleve, Motrin and related nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID).

  • Researchers at the Large Hadron Collider report observing two exotic particles belonging to a new class, pentaquarks.

  • NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft performs a close flyby of Pluto, becoming the first spacecraft in history to visit the distant world. It will explore the area for five months, before entering the Kuiper belt and eventually leaving the Solar System.

  • The latest State of the Climate report confirms that 2014 was the hottest year on record globally.

  • Scientists report the discovery of the Weyl fermion after an 85-year search. This massless quasiparticle could help in the development of future electronics such as quantum computing.

  • Stephen Hawking, British physicist, helps launch a well-funded effort, called Breakthrough Initiatives, to search for extraterrestrial life and attempt to answer the question: Are we alone?

  • The latest global analysis of temperature data from NOAA shows that the first half of 2015 was the hottest such period on record, at 0.85 °C (1.53 °F) above the 20th century average, surpassing the previous record set in 2010 by 0.09 °C (0.16 °F). The Earth also experienced its hottest ever June.

  • NASA announces the discovery of Kepler-452b, a confirmed exoplanet that is near-Earth-size and found orbiting the habitable zone of a Sun-like star.

  • A provocative new paper by climate scientists including James Hansen warns that future sea level rises may have been dramatically underestimated, and that even 2 °C of global warming is “highly dangerous”.

  • The 133-million-year-old fossil of Tetrapodophis amplectus, the first four-legged snake to be found, is reported by paleontologists in Brazil.

  • Scientists report that the Philae spacecraft, that landed on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko in November 2014, detected at least 16 organic compounds, of which four (including acetamide, acetone, methyl isocyanate and propionaldehyde) were detected for the first time on a comet.

  • Astronomers report the discovery of HD 219134 b, a rocky exoplanet, due to its size of 1.6 Earth and density of 6 g/cm3, that is the closest such exoplanet to Earth, at 21.25 light-years away.

 
August [Top]

  • A new comprehensive analysis of global glacier changes in the Journal of Glaciology concludes that melting rates are “unprecedented” and faster than ever.

  • The first ever genetic analysis of people with extremely high intelligence reveals small but important genetic differences between some of the brightest people in the United States and the general population.

  • Astronomers at the Keck Observatory announce a new record for the most distant galaxy ever observed. Known as EGSY8p7, its light needed 13.2 billion years to reach Earth.

  • People working a 55-hour week have a 33% increased risk of stroke than those working a 35- to 40-hour week, along with a 13% increased risk of coronary heart disease, according to a study published in The Lancet.

  • July 2015 was the hottest month on Earth since records began in 1880, according to data from NOAA.

  • A new study published in Nature “removes any doubt” that rising levels of greenhouse gases were the primary driver of glacier retreat during the end of the last Ice Age.

 
September [Top]

  • Scientists report the discovery of Pentecopterus decorahens, the oldest described eurypterida (sea scorpions), an extinct arthropod group that lived as early as 467.3 million years ago. With an estimated length of up to 1.83 metres (6 ft 0 in), it has been described as “the first real big predator”.

  • Paleontologists report a new human-like species, Homo naledi, based on the discovery of 15 partial skeletons, the largest single find of its type in Africa. It is believed that H. naledi could have lived in Africa up to three million years ago and were capable of ritualistic behaviour.

  • NASA releases the first clear images of Pluto’s small moon Nix, showing rough edges and a prominent crater.

  • Astronomers report unusual light fluctuations of KIC 8462852, an F-type main-sequence star in the constellation Cygnus, as detected by the Kepler space telescope, while searching for exoplanets. Various explanations have been presented, including those based on comets, asteroids, as well as, an alien civilization.

  • NASA’s Cassini probe finds a global ocean lying beneath the icy crust of Saturn’s geologically active moon Enceladus.

  • A study by WWF and the Zoological Society of London finds that populations of marine mammals, birds, fish and reptiles have declined by 49% since 1970. The report highlights tuna and mackerel as in a particularly dire state, having declined 74%

  • A total lunar eclipse, dubbed a “supermoon” because of its apparent larger size in the sky, takes place over Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Americas. The next supermoon eclipse will not occur until October 2033

  • A NASA study indicates that oceanic phytoplankton are declining significantly in the northern hemisphere.

  • NASA scientists, including Lujendra Ojha et al., report evidence, for the first time, supporting the presence of liquid water (in the form of liquid brine) currently flowing on the planet Mars[.

  • Because of warming oceans, king crabs threaten to overrun Antarctic marine ecosystems within a few decades, according to research by the Florida Institute of Technology.

 
October [Top]

  • A new study adds to previous findings that dinosaurs were driven to extinction by a combination of increased volcanism at the Deccan Traps and the Chicxulub asteroid impact.

  • Tomas Lindahl, Paul L. Modrich and Aziz Sancar win the 2015 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, for explaining “the basic mechanisms that help to guard the integrity of our genomes.”

  • NASA confirms, based on results from the Curiosity rover (and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter), that lakes and streams existed in Gale crater on Mars 3.3 – 3.8 billion years ago delivering sediments to build up the lower layers of Mount Sharp.

  • NASA announces that the New Horizons spacecraft has detected blue skies and water ice on Pluto.

  • Scientists confirm that a third global coral bleaching event is underway that is likely to be the most intense ever recorded.

  • Following a comprehensive, 10-year effort, researchers identify 238 genes that affect aging in yeast cells.

  • Scientists report finding fossil evidence of life on the very young Earth 4.1 billion years ago, 300 million years older than known earlier. According to one of the researchers, “If life arose relatively quickly on Earth … then it could be common in the universe.”

  • Researchers in California use big data to identify over 100 novel cancer driver genes.

  • The first direct observation of a solar system being torn apart by a white dwarf is described in the journal Nature. The star, known as WD 1145+017, is transited by at least one, and probably several, disintegrating planetesimals, with periods ranging from 4.5 hours to 4.9 hours.

  • Scientists report that the quantum entanglement phenomenon is strongly supported based on a “loophole-free Bell test” study.

  • The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reports that September’s global average temperature was the largest departure from normal for any month on record.

  • The Eastern Santa Cruz Tortoise (Chelonoidis donfaustoi), a newly discovered species of giant tortoise on the Galápagos Islands, is described in the journal PLOS ONE.

  • Hurricane Patricia becomes the most intense tropical cyclone ever observed in the Western Hemisphere in terms of barometric pressure and the strongest globally in terms of maximum sustained winds.

  • Asteroid 2015 TB145, a near-Earth asteroid roughly 600 meters (2,000 feet) in diameter, passes 1.27 lunar distances from Earth.

 
November [Top]

  • NASA scientists report, based on results from the MAVEN orbiter circling Mars, that the solar wind is responsible for stripping away the atmosphere of Mars over the years.

  • Stem cell scientists at the University Health Network identify an entirely new “two tier” process of how blood is made, overturning decades of established science. The researchers claim their finding could lead to radically improved and personalised treatments for blood disorders.