2018 in science: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 16:49, 28 April 2022

Revision as of 22:46, 1 May 2022

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*1 October

**[[James P. Allison]] from the [[United States]] and [[Tasuku Honjo]] from [[Japan]] win the [[Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine]] "for their discovery of cancer therapy by inhibition of negative immune regulation."<ref>{{citation |title=The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2018 |url=https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/2018/summary/ |date=1 October 2018 |work=The Nobel Prize|access-date=1 October 2018 }}</ref>

**[[NASA]]-funded researchers find that lengthy journeys into [[outer space]], including travel to the [[Mars|planet Mars]], may substantially damage the [[Gastrointestinal tract|gastrointestinal tissues]] of [[astronaut]]s. The studies support earlier work that found such journeys could significantly damage the [[brain]]s of astronauts, and age them prematurely.<ref name="TI-20181002">{{cite news |last=Griffin |first=Andrew |title=Travelling to Mars and deep into space could kill astronauts by destroying their guts, finds Nasa-funded study - Previous work has shown that astronauts could age prematurely and have damaged brain tissue after long journeys |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/nasa-mars-deep-space-journey-guts-gi-digestive-animal-study-gastrointestinal-health-a8563926.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220501/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/nasa-mars-deep-space-journey-guts-gi-digestive-animal-study-gastrointestinal-health-a8563926.html |archive-date=2022-05-01 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |date=2 October 2018 |work=[[The Independent]] |access-date=2 October 2018 }}{{cbignore}}</ref> However, unlike the conditions in space, the study admitted the full radiation doses over short periods.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Kumar, Santosh |display-authors=et al |title=Space radiation triggers persistent stress response, increases senescent signaling, and decreases cell migration in mouse intestine |date=1 October 2018 |journal=[[PNAS]] |volume=115 |issue=42 |pages=E9832–E9841 |doi=10.1073/pnas.1807522115 |pmid=30275302 |pmc=6196540 |bibcode=2018PNAS..115E9832K |doi-access=free }}</ref>

**Astronomers announce the discovery of [[2015 TG387]] (also known as "[[The Goblin]]"), a [[trans-Neptunian object]] and [[sednoid]] in the outermost part of the [[Solar System]], which may help explain some apparent effects of a [[hypothetical]] [[planet]] named [[Planet Nine]] (or [[Planet X]]).<ref name="TVRG-20181002">{{cite web |last=Gruch |first=Loren |title=The Search For planet X Gets A Boost With The Discovery Of A Super Distant Object - The edge of our cosmic neighborhood is slowly coming into focus |url=https://www.theverge.com/2018/10/2/17922984/planet-nine-x-distant-solar-system-object-the-goblin-tg387 |date=2 October 2018 |work=[[The Verge]] |access-date=2 October 2018 }}</ref><ref name="NYT-20181002">{{cite news |last=Chang |first=Kenneth |title=A Goblin World That Points Toward Hidden Planet Nine in the Solar System - What astronomers have found about the curious orbit of a small ice world far away reinforces the idea that a large world is hidden out in the solar system. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/02/science/goblin-planet-nine.html |date=2 October 2018 |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=2 October 2018 }}</ref>

[[File:Exomoon Kepler-1625b-i orbiting its planet (artist’s impression).tif|thumb|right|200px|3 October: Evidence presented for first known [[exomoon]], which may be orbiting [[exoplanet]] [[Kepler-1625b]].<ref name="SA-20181003" /><ref name="NGS-20181003" />]]

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**''[[Voyager 2]]'', a space probe launched in 1977, is confirmed ([[:File:PIA22924-Voyager2LeavesTheSolarSystem-20181105.jpg|image of onboard detections]]) to have left the [[Solar System]] for [[interstellar space]] on 5 November 2018, six years after its sister probe, ''[[Voyager 1]]'' ([[:File:PIA22924-Voyager2LeavesTheSolarSystem-20181105.jpg|related image]]).<ref name="BBC-20181210">{{cite news |last=Gill |first=Victoria |title=Nasa's Voyager 2 probe 'leaves the Solar System' |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-46502820 |date=10 December 2018 |work=[[BBC News]] |access-date=10 December 2018 }}</ref><ref name="NASA-20181210">{{cite news |last1=Brown |first1=Dwayne |last2=Fox |first2=Karen |last3=Cofield |first3=Calia |last4=Potter |first4=Sean |title=Release 18-115 - NASA's Voyager 2 Probe Enters Interstellar Space |url=https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-s-voyager-2-probe-enters-interstellar-space |date=10 December 2018 |work=[[NASA]] |access-date=10 December 2018 }}</ref>

**Four glaciers in the [[Vincennes Bay]] region of [[Antarctica]] are found to be thinning at surprisingly fast rates, casting doubt on the idea that the [[East Antarctica|eastern]] part of the icy continent is stable.<ref>{{cite news|title=East Antarctica's glaciers are stirring|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-46517396|newspaper=BBC News|date=2018-12-11|access-date=2018-12-11|last1=Amos|first1=Jonathan}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|title=East Antarctica is losing ice faster than anyone thought|url=https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-07714-1|journal=Nature|pages=11|date=2018-12-10|access-date=2018-12-11|doi=10.1038/d41586-018-07714-1|last1=Witze|first1=Alexandra|s2cid=134345401}}</ref>

**Researchers announce the discovery of considerable amounts of [[life form]]s, including 70% of [[bacteria]] and [[archea]] on [[Earth]], comprising up to 23 billion tonnes of [[carbon]], living up to at least {{convert|4.8|km|mi|abbr=on}} deep underground, including {{convert|2.5|km|mi|abbr=on}} below the seabed, according to a ten-year [[Deep Carbon Observatory]] project.<ref name="EA-20181211">{{cite news |author=Deep Carbon Observatory |title=Life in deep Earth totals 15 to 23 billion tons of carbon -- hundreds of times more than humans - Deep Carbon Observatory collaborators, exploring the 'Galapagos of the deep,' add to what's known, unknown, and unknowable about Earth's most pristine ecosystem |url=https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-12/tca-lid120318.php |date=10 December 2018 |work=[[EurekAlert!]] |access-date=11 December 2018 |author-link=Deep Carbon Observatory }}</ref><ref name="SA-20181211">{{cite news |last=Dockrill |first=Peter |title=Scientists Reveal a Massive Biosphere of Life Hidden Under Earth's Surface |url=https://www.sciencealert.com/scientists-lift-lid-on-massive-biosphere-of-life-hidden-under-earth-s-surface |date=11 December 2018 |work=Science Alert |access-date=11 December 2018 }}</ref><ref name="TI-20181211">{{cite news |last=Gabbatiss |first=Josh |title=Massive 'deep life' study reveals billions of tonnes of microbes living far beneath Earth's surface |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/deep-life-microbes-underground-bacteria-earth-surface-carbon-observatory-science-study-a8677521.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220501/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/deep-life-microbes-underground-bacteria-earth-surface-carbon-observatory-science-study-a8677521.html |archive-date=2022-05-01 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |date=11 December 2018 |work=[[The Independent]] |access-date=11 December 2018 }}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref name="NYT-20181219">{{cite news |last=Klein |first=JoAnna |title=Deep Beneath Your Feet, They Live in the Octillions - The real journey to the center of the Earth has begun, and scientists are discovering subsurface microbial beings that shake up what we think we know about life. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/19/science/subsurface-microbes.html |date=19 December 2018 |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=21 December 2018 }}</ref>

[[File:NASA-Apollo8-Dec24-Earthrise.jpg|thumb|right|200px|24 December: [[NASA]] celebrates the [[Golden jubilee|50th Anniversary]] of the [[Earthrise|1968 Christmas Eve]] (''[[Earthrise]]'') [[Apollo 8]] trip around the [[Moon]].<ref name="NYT-20181221" /><ref name="NYT-20181224a" /><ref name="NYT-20181224b" />]]

*11 December &ndash; A report on the impact of climate change in the Arctic, published during the latest [[American Geophysical Union]] meeting, concludes that populations of wild reindeer, or [[caribou]], have crashed from almost 5 million to just 2.1 million animals in the last two decades.<ref>{{cite news|title=Climate change: Arctic reindeer numbers crash by half|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-46516033|work=BBC News|date=2018-12-12|access-date=2018-12-12|last1=Gill|first1=Victoria}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=2018 Arctic Report Card: Reindeer and caribou populations continue to decline|url=https://www.climate.gov/news-features/featured-images/2018-arctic-report-card-reindeer-and-caribou-populations-continue|work=NOAA|date=2018-12-11|access-date=2018-12-23}}</ref>