2018 in science: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 17:35, 1 January 2023

Revision as of 09:40, 10 February 2023

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* 8 August

** Biologists report that [[Stromatoveris psygmoglena]], an [[Ediacaran biota|Ediacaran organism]] that dominated oceans half a billion years ago, was a member of [[Animal]]ia, based on [[phylogenetic analysis]].<ref name="SCI-20180808a">{{cite journal |last=Barras |first=Colin |title=These half-billion-year-old creatures were animals—but unlike any known today

|url=https://www.science.org/content/article/these-half-billion-year-old-creatures-were-animals-unlike-any-known-today |date=8 August 2018 |journal=[[Science (journal)|Science]] |doi=10.1126/science.aav0347 |s2cid=193064652 |access-date=8 August 2018 }}</ref><ref name="SCI-20180808">{{cite journal |last1=Hoyal Cuthill |first1=Jennifer H. |last2=Han |first2=Jian |title=Cambrian petalonamid ''Stromatoveris'' phylogenetically links Ediacaran biota to later animals |date=2018 |journal=[[Palaeontology (journal)|Palaeontology]] |volume=61 |issue=6 |pages=813–823 |doi=10.1111/pala.12393 |s2cid=54054510 |url=http://eprints.esc.cam.ac.uk/4315/1/Cuthill_et_al-2018-Palaeontology.pdf |access-date=2018-11-11 |archive-date=2020-10-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201020172745/http://eprints.esc.cam.ac.uk/4315/1/Cuthill_et_al-2018-Palaeontology.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>

|date=2018 |journal=[[Palaeontology (journal)|Palaeontology]] |volume=61 |issue=6 |pages=813–823 |doi=10.1111/pala.12393|s2cid=54054510 |url=http://eprints.esc.cam.ac.uk/4315/1/Cuthill_et_al-2018-Palaeontology.pdf }}</ref>

** Computer researchers report that [[Artificial Intelligence]] (AI) programs have found thousands of prominent [[scientist]]s overlooked by [[Wikipedia]] editors.<ref name="VRG-20180808">{{cite web |last=Vincent |first=James |title=AI spots 40,000 prominent scientists overlooked by Wikipedia – The softwares scans news stories to find overlooked figures, and even writes a draft article about them |url=https://www.theverge.com/2018/8/8/17663544/ai-scientists-wikipedia-primer |date=8 August 2018 |website=[[The Verge]] |access-date=8 August 2018 }}</ref>

* 9 August – Researchers in China establish a new record for [[Organic solar cell|organic photovoltaic cells]], boosting their maximum [[Solar cell efficiency|efficiency]] from 15 to 17.3 percent.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Organic and solution-processed tandem solar cells with 17.3% efficiency |date=9 August 2018 |journal=Science|volume=361 |issue=6407 |pages=1094–1098 |doi=10.1126/science.aat2612 |pmid=30093603 |last1=Meng |first1=Lingxian |last2=Zhang |first2=Yamin |last3=Wan |first3=Xiangjian |last4=Li |first4=Chenxi |last5=Zhang |first5=Xin |last6=Wang |first6=Yanbo |last7=Ke |first7=Xin |last8=Xiao |first8=Zuo |last9=Ding |first9=Liming |last10=Xia |first10=Ruoxi |last11=Yip |first11=Hin-Lap |last12=Cao |first12=Yong |last13=Chen |first13=Yongsheng |bibcode=2018Sci...361.1094M |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{citation |title=Organic solar cells set 'remarkable' energy record |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-45132427 |date=9 August 2018 |work=BBC News|access-date=15 August 2018 }}</ref>

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**Astronomers using data from the [[Gaia (spacecraft)|Gaia mission]] report the discovery of [[hypervelocity stars|rogue, high-velocity stars]] hurtling towards the Milky Way, possibly originating from another galaxy.<ref>{{citation |title=Gaia spots stars flying between galaxies |url=https://ras.ac.uk/news-and-press/research-highlights/gaia-spots-stars-flying-between-galaxies |date=2 October 2018 |work=Royal Astronomical Society|access-date=2 October 2018 }}</ref>

*3 October

**[[Frances Arnold|Frances H. Arnold]] from the [[United States]], [[George P. Smith (chemist)|George P. Smith]] from the [[United States]] and [[Greg Winter|Gregory P. Winter]] from the [[United Kingdom]] win the [[Nobel Prize in Chemistry]] for their work in evolutionary science.<ref>Press Release: [https://old.nobelprize.org/che-press.pdf?_ga=2.67876817.1135025470.1538548911-1481862404.1538548911 The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2018] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181003142015/https://old.nobelprize.org/che-press.pdf?_ga=2.67876817.1135025470.1538548911-1481862404.1538548911 |date=2018-10-03 }}</ref>

**Astronomers publish details of a candidate [[exomoon]], [[Kepler-1625b I]], suggesting it has a mass and radius similar to [[Neptune]], and orbits the [[exoplanet]] [[Kepler-1625b]].<ref name="SA-20181003">{{cite journal |last1=Teachey |first1=Alex |last2=Kipping |first2=David M. |title=Evidence for a large exomoon orbiting Kepler-1625b |date=3 October 2018 |journal=[[Science (journal)|Science]] |volume=4 |pages=eaav1784 |number=10 |doi=10.1126/sciadv.aav1784 |pmid=30306135 |pmc=6170104 |bibcode=2018SciA....4.1784T |arxiv=1810.02362 }}</ref><ref name="NGS-20181003">{{cite news |last=Drake |first=Nadia |author-link=Nadia Drake |title=Weird giant may be the first known alien moon - Evidence is mounting that a world the size of Neptune could be orbiting a giant planet far, far away. |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2018/10/news-first-exomoon-nasa-kepler-planets-facts-space/ |date=3 October 2018 |work=[[National Geographic Society]] |access-date=4 October 2018 }}</ref><ref>{{citation |title=Astronomers find first compelling evidence for a moon outside our solar system |url=https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/10/181003142931.htm |date=3 October 2018 |work=Science Daily|access-date=4 October 2018 }}</ref><ref>{{citation |title=First 'exomoon' may have been found |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-45707309 |date=4 October 2018 |work=BBC News|access-date=4 October 2018 }}</ref>

*4 October &ndash; Researchers at [[McMaster University]] announce the development of a new technology, called a ''[[Planet Simulator]]'', to help study the [[origin of life]] on planet [[Earth]] and beyond.<ref name="BW-20181004">{{cite news |last=Balch |first=Erica |title=Ground-breaking lab poised to unlock the mystery of the origins of life on Earth and beyond |url=https://brighterworld.mcmaster.ca/articles/ground-breaking-lab-poised-to-unlock-the-mystery-of-the-origins-of-life-on-earth-and-beyond/ |date=4 October 2018 |work=[[McMaster University]] |access-date=4 October 2018 }}</ref><ref name="EA-20181004">{{cite news |author=Staff |title=Ground-breaking lab poised to unlock the mystery of the origins of life |url=https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-10/mu-glp100418.php |date=4 October 2018 |work=[[EurekAlert!]] |access-date=14 October 2018 }}</ref><ref name="IVG-2018">{{cite web |author=Staff |title=Planet Simulator |url=https://www.intravisiongroup.com/planet-simulator |date=2018 |work=IntraVisionGroup.com |access-date=14 October 2018 }}</ref><ref name="ES-209181014">{{cite web |last=Anderson |first=Paul Scott |title=New technology may help solve mystery of life's origins - How did life on Earth begin? A new technology, called Planet Simulator, might finally help solve the mystery. |url=http://earthsky.org/space/new-technology-solve-mystery-of-lifes-origins |date=14 October 2018 |work=[[EarthSky]] |access-date=14 October 2018 }}</ref>

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*8 October

**The [[Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change|IPCC]] releases its [[Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5 °C]], warning that "rapid, far-reaching and unprecedented changes in all aspects of society" are needed to keep [[global warming]] below 1.5&nbsp;°C.<ref name="BBC-20181008">{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-45775309|title=Climate report: Scientists urge deep rapid change to limit warming |date=8 October 2018|website=BBC News|access-date=8 October 2018|last1=McGrath |first1=Matt }}</ref><ref name="IPCC-20181008">{{Cite web|url=http://www.ipcc.ch/report/sr15/|title=Global Warming of 1.5 °C |date=8 October 2018|website=IPCC|access-date=8 October 2018}}</ref><ref name="NYT-20181009">{{cite news |author=The Editorial Board |title='A Deafening, Piercing Smoke Alarm' - The U.N.'s climate panel tells world leaders the time for dithering on climate change is over. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/09/opinion/climate-change-ipcc-report.html |date=9 October 2018 |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=9 October 2018 }}</ref>

**Researchers report low-temperature chemical pathways from simple [[organic compound]]s to complex [[polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon]] (PAH) chemicals. Such chemical pathways may help explain the presence of PAHs in the low-temperature atmosphere of [[Titan (moon)|Titan]], a moon of the planet [[Saturn]], and may be significant pathways, in terms of the [[PAH world hypothesis]], in producing precursors to biochemicals related to life as we know it.<ref name="DG-20181008">{{cite web |author=Staff |title="A Prebiotic Earth" – Missing Link Found on Saturn's Moon Titan |url=https://dailygalaxy.com/2018/10/a-prebiotic-earth-missing-link-found-on-saturns-moon-titan/ |date=11 October 2018 |work=DailyGalaxy.com |access-date=11 October 2018 |archive-date=14 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210814144308/https://dailygalaxy.com/2018/10/a-prebiotic-earth-missing-link-found-on-saturns-moon-titan/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="NA-20181008">{{cite journal |author=Zhao, Long |display-authors=et al |title=Low-temperature formation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in Titan's atmosphere |date=8 October 2018 |journal=[[Nature Astronomy]] |volume=2 |issue=12 |pages=973–979 |doi=10.1038/s41550-018-0585-y |bibcode=2018NatAs...2..973Z |s2cid=105480354 |url=https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1pj0q014 }}</ref>

[[File:Global Temperature Anomaly.svg|thumb|right|200px|8 October: [[Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change|IPCC]] releases [[Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5 °C|Special Report on Global Warming]], noting the need to keep [[global warming]] below 1.5°C.<ref name="BBC-20181008" /><ref name="IPCC-20181008" /><ref name="NYT-20181009" />]]

*10 October