From AI to HIV drugs: Top scientific breakthroughs of 2024
What's the story
The year 2024 was an incredible one for scientific advancements and discoveries. From space exploration and AI to medical breakthroughs, these discoveries could improve our health and broaden our knowledge of the universe. One of the most remarkable achievements this year was China's successful retrieval of lunar samples from the far side of the Moon with its Chang'e-6 spacecraft.
Lunar exploration
China's Chang'e-6 mission uncovers Moon's hidden side
The Chang'e-6 spacecraft drilled beneath the Moon's surface and returned with 2kg of rock and soil samples. These materials could provide valuable insights into Earth's formation. The achievement has ignited a new space race with the US, as NASA plans its crewed landing for 2027, while China aims for a similar mission in 2030.
Medical innovation
Groundbreaking HIV prevention drug developed
In the field of medicine, a major breakthrough was the development of an HIV prevention drug, Lenacapavir. The drug, manufactured by Gilead Sciences, was found to be 100% effective in clinical trials in South Africa and Uganda involving 2,134 women and girls. Unlike current pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) drugs that need to be taken daily, Lenacapavir only requires two injections a year. The new drug is likely to be approved by mid-2025.
AI insights
AI's role in understanding human cognition
Artificial intelligence (AI) has also advanced a lot in 2024, especially in social sciences. Large language models have been employed to study human cognition and find ways to improve our thinking. In one study, an AI chatbot was successfully trained to convince conspiracy theorists to rethink their beliefs. But in another study, doctors often remained stuck with wrong diagnoses even after an AI suggested the right one.
Space journey
Europa Clipper mission: A quest for extraterrestrial life
In space exploration, the $5 billion spacecraft Europa Clipper set off on a journey to Jupiter's moon, Europa. The celestial body is seen as a potential habitat for extraterrestrial life owing to signs of a vast ocean under its icy surface. The spacecraft will arrive in 2030 and will conduct several flybys over Europa's surface, searching for molecules that could serve as nutrients and mapping out the ice and ocean beneath.
Cosmic discovery
James Webb Space Telescope recalculates universal expansion
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has opened a new window into our distant universe. It has enabled scientists to recalculate how fast the universe is expanding and capture the most distant galaxy ever seen, as it appeared over 13 billion years ago. These discoveries are part of a larger quest to understand why the universe is expanding and predict its ultimate fate.
Aging study
Research reveals aging spurts at 44 and 60
As part of a project to fight aging, geneticist Michael Snyder and his team tracked age-related changes in a mix of microbes and molecules from 108 volunteers. The study saw sudden molecular-scale shifts when people turn 44 and then again at 60. These changes highlighted a loss of muscle mass, poor heart health, and a lowered ability to metabolize fats, alcohol, and caffeine.
Climate reconstruction
Earth's climate history reconstructed
A new reconstruction of Earth's climate shows it fluctuated wildly over the eons. The study reveals that over the last 485 million years, the climate alternated between "hothouse" periods when global temperatures were 30°F hotter than now, and unstable "icehouse" periods with temperature swings between ice ages and more temperate phases. This research has been instrumental in testing our climate models as they align with these measurement-based approximations going back in time.