10 typical scientific discoveries in 2009

Time magazine recently published 10 historical scientific findings in 2009, with breakthroughs such as asserting the moon has water, promoting the future of quantum communication, restarting the good LHC engine. detect sun copy .

1. The oldest ancestor of humankind

With long, slender fingers, 1.22 m tall and the head is no bigger than a Bonobo ape, 'Little Ardi' is the oldest skeleton of the family found to date.

Carefully assembled from more than 100 pieces of fossils deep in Ethiopia, this 'woman' lived 4.4 million years ago and was not named until 1992, when the first fossil was found. see.

Ardi is the oldest human skeleton to date.

After 17 years of research, scientists from the University of Berkeley, California, USA released a comprehensive analysis of Ardi last October with a series of articles in Science magazine.

The revelations of the study show that Ardi is not the same as the gibbons of the time, although according to the ancestral theory of human origin came from gibbons. In addition, Ardi is able to walk on two feet despite living in the forest, not flat grasslands.

2. Decode the human genome

Decoding the human genome nearly a decade ago raised hopes of fully explaining the genetic phenomenon in humans. However, the connection between genes and diseases is much more complicated than human imagination.

Since then a new field of gene research has been developed with the name 'epigenetic', suggesting that gene expression may change under the influence of the environment and that changes can be transmitted over generations. For example, young smokers maintain certain changes in epigenetics, increasing the likelihood of early puberty in their children.

Genome decoding helps scientists explain the causes of many diseases.

In October 2009, a group of scientists led by Joseph Ecker of the Salk Institute in La Jolla, California, studied human skin and stem cells to produce a detailed map of the first epigenetic .

By comparing with epigenetic cells of the disease, scientists can find 'defects' in the epigenetic system, which can lead to cancer and other diseases.

The study, published in Nature, is a major turning point for geneticists, in order to better understand the 'strange' connection between nature and nurture that has shaped humans.

3. Gene therapy for color blindness

New gene therapy can cure color blindness.

Last September, the study in Nature revealed that a group of ophthalmologists implanted genes that produce color-recognizing proteins into the eyes of two color-blind monkeys and they first saw red and green.

This result creates a great 'shock', which not only opens up the ability to cure eye weaknesses, but also can revolutionize the way the world looks at healthy people.

4. Robot science

In April 2009, Adam, the design machine at Aberystwyth University, Wales, became the first robot system without pre-programmed intelligence.

Previously, robots used a computer-controlled system to perform human-like movements, but Adam was the first robot to automatically complete the work cycle: from assuming a hypothesis to a real one. conduct experiments and reinforce the hypothesis without human intervention.

The world's first self-study robotics system.

In an interview after the appearance of Adam's "science robot", inventor Ross King said artificial intelligence was very limited and one day it could make a discovery similar to theory. relative of Einstein.

'There is no reason why that can't happen. A computer can create beautiful chess pieces but that is not too special. In my opinion, science will have further inventions, ' he said.

5. Breeding tuna on the ground

Ocean tuna is always 'hunted' thanks to the delicious and very nutritious meat, which has been bred right on land. 'This was previously unthinkable but now we have done that,' said Hagen Stehr, founder of Clean Seas, Australia's breeding company.

Ocean tuna was successfully propagated on land.

Scientists believe that the population of ocean tunas has decreased by 90% since the 1950s. Some people have experimented with tuna farming in ocean cages but raising tuna in tanks on the ground. It is still considered an important milestone for the aquaculture industry.

6. Detect water on the Moon

Last November, scientists declared decisively that there was a large amount of water on the moon.

On October 9, 2009, NASA used a rocket to create a hole more than 30 meters wide on the lunar surface, then measured 86 liters of steam and ice. Some scientists argue that the amount of water on the moon is enough to sustain life for a future astronaut 'group'.

The amount of water on the moon may be enough for an astronaut "group".

Others quantify the ice on the moon to keep a record in the solar system. NASA said the organization's top priority is to accurately measure the amount of water available on the moon.

7. Langlands math lemma proof

In 1979, Canadian-American mathematician Robert Langlands developed a revolutionary and ambitious theory, linking two groups of mathematics: arithmetic and algebraic structures. According to calculations, this theory studies symmetry in combination with arithmetic equations, called 'Langlands' program.

Langlands and his colleagues and students have demonstrated special cases of the basic theorem but proving the general case is more difficult than anticipated. And in fact, it took 30 years, this work was completed.

Langlands mathematical lemma is proved after 30 years.

After nearly 30 years, Ngo Bao Chau, a professor of Vietnamese mathematics, is working at the University of Paris-Sud (France) and the Institute of Advanced Studies at Princeton (IAS, USA), has published a study of lemma Basically for the unitae group, the stain formula, one of the most important 'techniques' to 'destroy' the main assumptions in the Langlands program.

After being tested and confirmed for accuracy, mathematicians around the world have 'breathed a sigh of relief'. 'It's like having someone work on the far side of the river and waiting for someone to cross a bridge across the river and help them prove their existence,' said Peter Sarnak, arithmetic theorist at IAS, affirmed.

8. Quantum communication

Teleportation is one of the utopian theories in science.

Approaching the 'fantasies' in Star Trek, scientists at the Quantum Institute at the University of Maryland successfully migrated data from one processor to another in a container a meter away.

This is considered a hallmark in the field of human intelligence, called quantitative information processing, but not as compelling as human body movement. This work opens up the opportunity to invent 'super fast' computers.

9. The giant particle accelerator 'revives'

The giant particle accelerator (LHC) is part of the European Nuclear Research Center (CERN), spending almost a quarter of a century to plan and around $ 10 billion to build.

Placed in a 27 km long tunnel, the LHC is designed to boost elements at lower temperatures in deep space to achieve the speed of light.

Despite many hiccups and delays, CERN scientists finally announced an important accomplishment on November 29, when they launched a proton accelerator for an energy of 105,000 billion. electron volts (1.18 TeV).

The LHC accelerator was restarted in 2009.

When the machine was started up to 7 TeV, creating high-energy conflicts, helping scientists reconstruct the initial conditions of the Big Bang to verify the theory of dark matter and answer the questions about quantum physics.

Scientists also hope to find deeper evidence such as asserting an ambitious theory, the theory of 'supersymmetry'.

10. Detect the "copy" of the sun

In December, a group of international astronauts announced they had encountered a planet-like object orbiting a sun-like star. The star is 482 trillion kilometers from Earth, or 50 light years, at 10 to 40 times the size of Jupiter.

Using the new planetary 'hunting' tool on the Subaru telescope, scientists captured live images of the new object. Although images of other solar systems were previously published, this is the first time astronauts have captured a star that closely resembles the sun in size and temperature.

Astronauts have discovered a new star shaped like the sun.

Scientists think the surprise is that the orbital position of the "new planet" GJ758B is too far from its stars, like Neptune is very far from the sun.

Alan Boss, the astronaut at the Carnegie Institute of Science, said: 'The discovery of a sun-like companion reminds us once again that human knowledge of the universe is too small.' .