2018 in science: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 21:33, 28 July 2023

Revision as of 15:16, 18 November 2023

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*25 January

** Researchers report evidence that [[modern humans]] [[Early human expansions out of Africa|migrated from Africa]] at least as early as [[Middle Paleolithic|194,000 years ago]], somewhat consistent with recent genetic studies, and much earlier than previously thought.<ref name="SCI-20180126">{{cite journal |author=Herschkovitz, Israel |display-authors=etal |title=The earliest modern humans outside Africa |date=26 January 2018 |journal=[[Science (journal)|Science]] |volume=359 |issue=6374 |pages=456–459 |doi=10.1126/science.aap8369 |pmid=29371468 |bibcode=2018Sci...359..456H |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref name="NYT-20180125">{{cite news |last=St. Fleur |first=Nicholas |title=In Cave in Israel, Scientists Find Jawbone Fossil From Oldest Modern Human Out of Africa |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/25/science/jawbone-fossil-israel.html |date=25 January 2018 |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=30 June 2018 }}</ref>

**Scientists working for [[Calico (company)|Calico]], a company owned by [[Alphabet Inc.|Alphabet]], publish a paper in the journal ''[[eLife]]'' which presents possible evidence that ''[[naked mole-rat|Heterocephalus glaber]]'' (naked mole-rat) do not face increased mortality risk due to aging.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.calicolabs.com/news/2018/01/25/|title=Calico Scientists Publish Paper in eLife Demonstrating that the Naked Mole Rat's Risk of Death Does Not Increase With Age|date=25 January 2018|website=Calico|access-date=27 January 2018|archive-date=27 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180127202915/https://www.calicolabs.com/news/2018/01/25/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.science.org/content/article/naked-mole-rats-defy-biological-law-aging|title=Naked mole rats defy the biological law of aging|date=26 January 2018|website=Science Magazine – AAAS|access-date=27 January 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Ruby |first1=Graham |last2=Smith |first2=Megan |last3=Buffenstein |first3=Rochelle |date=25 January 2018 |title=Naked mole-rat mortality rates defy Gompertzian laws by not increasing with age|journal=eLife|volume=7 |doi=10.7554/eLife.31157 |pmid=29364116 |pmc=5783610 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

*29 January – Scientists report, for the first time, that 800 million [[virus]]es, mainly of [[Marine biology|marine origin]], are deposited daily from the [[Earth]]{{'s}} [[atmosphere]] onto every square meter of the planet's surface, as the result of a global atmospheric stream of viruses, circulating above the weather system, but below the altitude of usual airline travel, distributing viruses around the planet.<ref name="NYT-20180413">{{cite news |last=Robbins |first=Jim |title=Trillions Upon Trillions of Viruses Fall From the Sky Each Day |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/13/science/virosphere-evolution.html |date=13 April 2018 |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=14 April 2018 }}</ref><ref name="ISME-2018">{{cite journal |last1=Reche |first1=Isabel |last2=D'Orta |first2=Gaetano |last3=Mladenov |first3=Natalie |last4=Winget |first4= Danielle M |last5=Suttle |first5= Curtis A |title=Deposition rates of viruses and bacteria above the atmospheric boundary layer |journal=ISME Journal |volume=12 |issue=4 |pages=1154–1162 |date=29 January 2018 |doi=10.1038/s41396-017-0042-4 |pmid=29379178 |pmc=5864199 }}</ref>

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**Researchers at the [[National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency]] release a high resolution terrain map (detail down to the size of a car, and less in some areas) of [[Antarctica]], named the "[[Reference Elevation Model of Antarctica]]" ([[REMA]]).<ref name="NYT-20180907">{{cite news |last=Stirone |first=Shannon |title=New Antarctica Map Is Like 'Putting on Glasses for the First Time and Seeing 20/20' – A high resolution terrain map of Earth's frozen continent will help researchers better track changes on the ice as the planet warms. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/07/science/antarctica-map-rema.html |date=7 September 2018 |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=9 September 2018 }}</ref>

**A group of Japanese and American scientists publish a research paper which concludes that "space weathering" on the surface of [[Phobos (moon)|Phobos]], in tandem with its eccentric orbit, has caused its surface to be divided into two distinct geologic units, known as the red and blue units.<ref>{{cite journal |title=The Sands of Phobos: The Martian moon's eccentric orbit refreshes its surface |date=7 September 2018 |arxiv=1809.02520 |last1=Liang |first1=Qi-Yu |last2=Venkatramani |first2=Aditya V. |last3=Cantu |first3=Sergio H. |last4=Nicholson |first4=Travis L. |last5=Gullans |first5=Michael J. |last6=Gorshkov |first6=Alexey V. |last7=Thompson |first7=Jeff D. |last8=Chin |first8=Cheng |last9=Lukin |first9=Mikhail D. |last10=Vuletic |first10=Vladan |doi=10.1038/s41561-019-0323-9 |volume=12 |journal=Nature Geoscience |pages=229–234 |s2cid=134841669 }}</ref>

* 9 September – Astronomers report detecting another 72 [[Fast Radio Burst]]s (FRBs), using [[artificial intelligence]], from [[Fast radio burst#FRB 121102|FRB 121102]] that had been missed earlier, resulting in about 300 total FRBs from this object. FRB 121102 is the only known ''repeating'' fast radio source which is very unusual since all other currently known FRBs (very powerful and extremely short-lived astronomical objects) have not been found to repeat, occurring one time only.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Zhang|first1=Yunfan Gerry |last2=Gajjar |first2=Vishal |last3=Foster |first3=Griffin |last4=Siemion |first4=Andrew |last5=Cordes |first5=James |last6=Law |first6=Casey |last7=Wang |first7=Yu |date=9 September 2018|title=Fast Radio Burst 121102 Pulse Detection and Periodicity: A Machine Learning Approach|journal=The Astrophysical Journal |volume=866 |issue=2 |pages=149 |arxiv=1809.03043|doi=10.3847/1538-4357/aadf31 |bibcode=2018ApJ...866..149Z |s2cid=117337002 |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref name="SP-20180911">{{cite news |last=Wall |first=Mike |title=Mysterious Light Flashes Are Coming from Deep Space, and AI Just Found More of Them |url=https://www.space.com/41775-breakthrough-listen-fast-radio-bursts.html |date=11 September 2018 |work=[[Space.com]] |access-date=11 September 2018 }}</ref><ref name="SA-20180911">{{cite news |last=Starr |first=Michelle |title=Astronomers Have Detected an Astonishing 72 New Mystery Radio Bursts From Space – We still have no idea what these signals are. |url=https://www.sciencealert.com/72-new-fast-radio-burst-signals-frb-121102-breakthrough-listen-neural-network-machine-learning |date=11 September 2018 |work=ScienceAlert.com |access-date=11 September 2018 }}</ref>

[[File:Aspirine macro shot.jpg|thumb|200px|right|16 September: Medical study: use of low-dose [[aspirin]] by older healthy people may not be beneficial and, in some case, may be harmful.<ref name="NPR-20180916" /><ref name="NEJM-20180916" />]]

* 10 September

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*24 September

**Data from the ''[[Cassini–Huygens]]'' spacecraft, which explored [[Saturn]] and its moons between 2004 and 2017, reveals what appear to be three giant [[dust storm]]s ([[:File:PIA22484-SaturnMoon-Titan-3DustStorms-20180924.jpg|see image]]), for the first time, in the equatorial regions of the moon [[Titan (moon)|Titan]] between the years 2009–2010.<ref name="NASA-20180924">{{cite web |last1=McCartney |first1=Gretchen |last2=Brown |first2=Dwayne |last3=Wendel |first3=JoAnna |last4=Bauer |first4=Markus |title=Dust Storms on Titan Spotted for the First Time |url=https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=7243 |date=24 September 2018 |work=[[NASA]] |access-date=24 September 2018 }}</ref><ref>{{citation |title=Dust storms on Titan spotted by Cassini for the first time |url=http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Cassini-Huygens/Dust_storms_on_Titan_spotted_by_Cassini_for_the_first_time |date=24 September 2018 |work=ESA|access-date=24 September 2018 }}</ref>

**Astronomers describe several possible home [[star system]]s from which the [[interstellar object]] [['Oumuamua]], found passing through the [[Solar System]] in October 2017, may have begun its [[interstellar space|interstellar journey]].<ref name="ARX-20180924">{{cite journal |arxiv=1809.09009|last1=Liang|first1=Qi-Yu|title=Plausible home stars of the interstellar object 'Oumuamua found in Gaia DR2|journal=The Astronomical Journal|volume=156|issue=5|pages=205|last2=Venkatramani|first2=Aditya V.|last3=Cantu|first3=Sergio H.|last4=Nicholson|first4=Travis L.|last5=Gullans|first5=Michael J.|last6=Gorshkov|first6=Alexey V.|last7=Thompson|first7=Jeff D.|last8=Chin|first8=Cheng|last9=Lukin|first9=Mikhail D.|last10=Vuletic|first10=Vladan|year=2018|doi=10.3847/1538-3881/aae3eb|bibcode=2018AJ....156..205B|s2cid=119051284 |doi-access=free }}</ref> Studies suggest that the interstellar object is neither an [[asteroid]] nor a [[comet]].<ref name="ARX-20180920">{{cite journal |last=Rafikov |first=Roman R. |title=Spin Evolution and Cometary Interpretation of the Interstellar Minor Object 1I/2017 'Oumuamua |journal=The Astrophysical Journal |volume=867 |issue=1 |pages=L17 |date=20 September 2018 |arxiv=1809.06389 |bibcode=2018ApJ...867L..17R |doi=10.3847/2041-8213/aae977 |s2cid=119346078 |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref name="QM-20181010">{{cite web |last=Skibba |first=Ramin |title=Interstellar Visitor Found to Be Unlike a Comet or an Asteroid |url=https://www.quantamagazine.org/interstellar-comet-oumuamua-might-not-actually-be-a-comet-20181010/ |date=10 October 2018 |work=[[Quanta Magazine]] |access-date=10 October 2018 }}</ref>

[[File:Giantbirds.png|thumb|right|200px|25 September: ''[[Elephant bird|Vorombe titan]]'' (similar to purple above; maroon, an [[ostrich]]; all others non-avian [[theropod]] [[dinosaur]]s), an extinct [[elephant bird]], determined to be the largest [[bird]] known to have existed.<ref name="RS-20180926" /><ref name="EA-20180925" /><ref name="NYT-20180926" />]]

*25 September

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*11 October

**Physicists report that [[Quantum mechanics|quantum behavior]] can be [[Quantum nonlocality#Blasiak's model|explained]] with [[classical physics]] for a single particle, but not for multiple particles as in [[quantum entanglement]] and related [[Action at a distance|nonlocality]] phenomena ("spooky action at a distance" ["gruselige Action in einiger Entfernung" (German)],<ref name="NW-20180427">{{cite web |author=DrByos |title=Schweizer Wissenschaftler führen massiven Test für 80-Jährige durch 'Spooky' Quantum Paradox |url= https://www.nach-welt.com/technik/schweizer-wissenschaftler-fuhren-massiven-test-fur-80-jahrige-durch-spooky-quantum-paradox/ |language=de |date=27 April 2018 |work=Nachrichten Welt |access-date=15 October 2018 |trans-title=Swiss scientists perform massive test for 80-year-olds through 'Spooky' Quantum Paradox |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181015231942/https://www.nach-welt.com/technik/schweizer-wissenschaftler-fuhren-massiven-test-fur-80-jahrige-durch-spooky-quantum-paradox/ |archive-date=2018-10-15 }}</ref> according to [[Albert Einstein]]).<ref name="EA-20181011">{{cite web |title=Where is it, the foundation of quantum reality? |url=https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-10/thni-wii101118.php |author=The Henryk Niewodniczanski Institute of Nuclear Physics Polish Academy of Sciences |date=11 October 2018 |work=[[EurekAlert!]] |access-date=13 October 2018 }}</ref><ref name="PR-20180713">{{cite journal |last=Blasiak |first=Pawel |title=Local model of a qudit: Single particle in optical circuits |date=13 July 2018 |journal=[[Physical Review]] |volume=98 |issue=1 |at=012118 |doi=10.1103/PhysRevA.98.012118 |bibcode=2018PhRvA..98a2118B |s2cid=126128962 }}</ref>{{efn|1=Physicist John Bell depicts the Einstein camp in this debate in his article entitled "Bertlmann's socks and the nature of reality", p. 143 of ''Speakable and unspeakable in quantum mechanics'': "For EPR that would be an unthinkable 'spooky action at a distance'. To avoid such action at a distance they have to attribute, to the space-time regions in question, real properties in advance of observation, correlated properties, which predetermine the outcomes of these particular observations. Since these real properties, fixed in advance of observation, are not contained in quantum formalism, that formalism for EPR is incomplete. It may be correct, as far as it goes, but the usual quantum formalism cannot be the whole story." And again on p. 144 Bell says: "Einstein had no difficulty accepting that affairs in different places could be correlated. What he could not accept was that an intervention at one place could influence, immediately, affairs at the other."<ref>{{cite book |year=1987 |access-date=13 October 2018 |title=Speakable and Unspeakable in Quantum Mechanics |first=J. S. |last=Bell |publisher=[[CERN]] |isbn=0521334950 |url=http://philosophyfaculty.ucsd.edu/faculty/wuthrich/GSSPP09/Files/BellJohnS1981Speakable_BertlmannsSocks.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150412044550/http://philosophyfaculty.ucsd.edu/faculty/wuthrich/GSSPP09/Files/BellJohnS1981Speakable_BertlmannsSocks.pdf |archive-date=12 April 2015 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }}</ref>}}

**[[Harvard University|Harvard]] astronomers present an [[Analysis|analytical model]] that suggests matter—and potentially dormant [[spore]]s—can be exchanged across the vast distances between [[Galaxy|galaxies]], a process termed '[[Panspermia|galactic panspermia]]', and not be restricted to the limited scale of [[planetary system|solar system]]s.<ref name="NBC-20181026">{{cite web |last=Shostak |first=Seth |author-link=Seth Shostak |title=Comets and asteroids may be spreading life across the galaxy - Are germs from outer space the source of life on Earth? |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/mach/science/comets-asteroids-may-be-spreading-life-across-galaxy-ncna924916 |date=26 October 2018 |work=[[NBC News]] |access-date=31 October 2018 }}</ref><ref name="MNRAS-20181011">{{cite journal |last1=Ginsburg |first1=Idan |last2=Lingam |first2=Manasvi |last3=Loeb |first3=Abraham |s2cid=119084109 |title=Galactic Panspermia |date=11 October 2018 |journal= The Astrophysical Journal|volume=868 |issue=1 |pages=L12 |arxiv=1810.04307 |doi=10.3847/2041-8213/aaef2d |bibcode=2018ApJ...868L..12G |doi-access=free }}</ref>

**The world's fastest camera, able to capture 10 trillion [[Frame rate|frames per second]], is announced by the [[Institut national de la recherche scientifique]] (INRS) in Quebec, Canada.<ref>{{citation |title=World's fastest camera freezes time at 10 trillion frames per second |url=https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/10/181012093008.htm |date=12 October 2018 |work=Science Daily|access-date=12 October 2018 }}</ref>

*15 October &ndash; A study by the [[Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute]] finds that insect populations in [[Puerto Rico]] have crashed since the 1970s, with some species witnessing a 60-fold decrease in numbers. The fall is attributed to a 2.0&nbsp;°C rise in tropical forest temperatures.<ref>{{citation |title=Two degrees decimated Puerto Rico's insect populations |url=https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-10/rpi-tdd101118.php |date=15 October 2018 |work=EurekAlert!|access-date=16 October 2018 }}</ref>

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**[[NASA]] announces the official retirement, due to the depletion of fuel, of the [[Dawn (spacecraft)|''Dawn'']] spacecraft mission, that lasted 11 years, and that studied two [[protoplanet]]s, [[4 Vesta|Vesta]] and [[Ceres (dwarf planet)|Ceres]]. The spacecraft will remain in a relatively stable orbit around Ceres for at least the next 20 years, serving as a "monument" to the mission.<ref name="NASA-20181101-EndOfDawnMission">{{cite news |last1=Brown |first1=Dwayne |last2=Wendel |first2=JoAnna |last3=McCartney |first3=Gretchen |title=NASA's Dawn Mission to Asteroid Belt Comes to End |url=https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=7275 |date=1 November 2018 |work=[[NASA]] |access-date=1 November 2018 }}</ref><ref name="NYT-20181101">{{cite news |last=Chang |first=Kenneth |title=NASA's Dawn Mission to the Asteroid Belt Says Good Night - Launched in 2007, the spacecraft discovered bright spots on Ceres and forbidding terrain on Vesta. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/01/science/nasa-dawn-ceres-vesta-asteroids-end.html |date=1 November 2018 |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=2 November 2018 }}</ref>

**Russian scientists release a video recording of the [[Soyuz MS-10]] crewed spaceflight mission involving a [[Soyuz-FG|Soyuz-FG rocket]] after launch on 11 October 2018 that, due to a faulty sensor, resulted in the destruction of the rocket. The crew, NASA astronaut [[Nick Hague]] and Russian cosmonaut [[Aleksey Ovchinin]]. escaped safely and successfully.<ref name="AT-20181101">{{cite news |last=Berger |first=Eric |title=Dramatic footage of Soyuz accident shows rocket booster collision - For the second human launch in a row, there's a likely quality control issue. |url=https://arstechnica.com/science/2018/11/dramatic-footage-of-soyuz-accident-shows-rocket-booster-collision/ |date=1 November 2018 |work=[[Ars Technica]] |access-date=1 November 2018 }}</ref>

**Astronomers from [[Harvard University]] suggest that the [[interstellar object]] [['Oumuamua]] may be an [[Extraterrestrial intelligence|extraterrestrial]] [[solar sail]] from an alien civilization, in an effort to help explain the object's "peculiar acceleration".<ref name="UT-230181031">{{cite web |last=Williams |first=Matt |title=Could Oumuamua Be an Extra-Terrestrial Solar Sail? |url=https://www.universetoday.com/140391/could-oumuamua-be-an-extra-terrestrial-solar-sail/ |date=31 October 2018 |work=[[Universe Today]] |access-date=2 November 2018 }}</ref><ref name="ARX-20181101">{{cite journal |last1=Baily |first1=Shmuel |last2=Loeb |first2=Abraham |title=Could Solar Radiation Explain 'Oumuamua's Peculiar Acceleration? |journal=The Astrophysical Journal |volume=868 |issue=1 |pages=L1 |date=1 November 2018 |arxiv=1810.11490 |doi=10.3847/2041-8213/aaeda8 |bibcode=2018ApJ...868L...1B |s2cid=118956077 |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref name="SA-201809287">{{cite web |last=Loeb |first=Abraham |title=How to Search for Dead Cosmic Civilizations - If they're short-lived, we might be able to detect the relics and artifacts they left behind |url=https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/how-to-search-for-dead-cosmic-civilizations/ |date=26 September 2018 |work=[[Scientific American]] |access-date=2 November 2018 }}</ref>

*2 November

**Two independent teams of astronomers both conclude, based on numerous observations from other astronomers around the world, that the unusual [[AT2018cow]] event (also known as Supernova 2018cow, SN 2018cow, and "The Cow"), a very powerful astronomical explosion, 10 – 100 times brighter than a normal [[supernova]] detected on 16 June 2018, was "either a newly formed [[black hole]] in the process of accreting matter, or the frenetic rotation of a [[neutron star]]."<ref name="NAT-20181102">{{cite journal |last=Castelvecchi |first=Davide |title=Holy Cow! Astronomers agog at mysterious new supernova - An event known as 'Cow' that has rocked astronomy since June likely offers a close look at the birth of a neutron star or black hole. |date=2 November 2018 |journal=[[Nature (journal)|Nature]] |volume=563 |issue=7730 |pages=168–169 |doi=10.1038/d41586-018-07260-w |doi-access=free |pmid=30401847 |bibcode=2018Natur.563..168C }}</ref><ref name="ARX-20181025">{{cite journal |author=Margutti, Raffaella |display-authors=et al |title=An embedded X-ray source shines through the aspherical AT2018cow: revealing the inner workings of the most luminous fast-evolving optical transients |journal=The Astrophysical Journal |volume=872 |pages=18 |date=6 February 2019 |issue=1 |arxiv=1810.10720 |doi=10.3847/1538-4357/aafa01 |bibcode=2019ApJ...872...18M |s2cid=119085174 |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref name="ARX-20181028">{{cite journal |author=Ho Anna Y. Q. |display-authors=et al |title=AT2018cow: a luminous millimeter transient |journal=The Astrophysical Journal |volume=871 |pages=73 |date=23 January 2019 |issue=1 |arxiv=1810.10880 |doi=10.3847/1538-4357/aaf473 |bibcode=2019ApJ...871...73H |s2cid=118993019 |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref name="ARX-20180812">{{cite journal |author=Perley, Daniel A. |display-authors=et al |title=The Fast, Luminous Ultraviolet Transient AT2018cow: Extreme Supernova, or Disruption of a Star by an Intermediate-Mass Black Hole? |journal=Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society |volume=484 |issue=1 |pages=1031–1049 |arxiv=1808.00969 |doi=10.1093/mnras/sty3420 |doi-access=free |year=2019 |bibcode=2019MNRAS.484.1031P }}</ref>

**The world's largest [[neuromorphic]] [[supercomputer]], the million-core 'SpiNNaker' machine, is switched on by the University of Manchester, England.<ref>{{cite news |title='Human brain' supercomputer with 1 million processors switched on for first time |url=https://www.manchester.ac.uk/discover/news/human-brain-supercomputer-with-1million-processors-switched-on-for-first-time/ |date=2 November 2018 |work=University of Manchester |access-date=2 November 2018 }}</ref>

[[File:NASA and NOAA Announce Ozone Hole is a Double Record Breaker.png|thumb|right|200px|5 November: Polar [[ozone hole]]s are healing faster than previously thought, and are expected to completely heal by 2060.<ref name="UN-20181105" /><ref name="TG-20181105" />]]

*4 November &ndash; Geologists present evidence, based on studies in [[Gale (crater)|Gale Crater]] by the [[Curiosity (rover)|''Curiosity'' rover]], that there was plenty of [[Water on Mars|water]] on early [[Mars]].<ref name="EA-20181103-gsa">{{cite news |author=Geological Society of America |title=Evidence of outburst flooding indicates plentiful water on early Mars |url=https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-11/gsoa-eoo110318.php |date=3 November 2018 |work=[[EurekAlert!]] |access-date=5 November 2018 |author-link=Geological Society of America }}</ref><ref name="GSA-20181104">{{cite journal |author=Heydari, Ezat |display-authors=et al |title=Significance of Flood Depositis in Gale Crater, Mars |url=https://gsa.confex.com/gsa/2018AM/webprogram/Paper319960.html |date=4 November 2018 |journal=[[Geological Society of America]] |access-date=5 November 2018 }}</ref>

* 5 November

**Astronomers report the discovery of one of the [[List of oldest stars|oldest stars]], named [[2MASS J18082002-5104378 B]], in the [[universe]], about 13.5 billion-years-old, possibly one of the first stars, a tiny [[Stellar population#Population II stars|ultra metal-poor (UMP) star]] made almost entirely of materials released from the [[Big Bang]]. The discovery of the star in the [[Milky Way]] [[galaxy]] suggests that the galaxy may be at least 3 billion years older than thought earlier.<ref name="EA-20181105">{{cite news |author=Johns Hopkins University |title=Johns Hopkins scientist finds elusive star with origins close to Big Bang |url=https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-11/jhu-jhs110518.php |date=5 November 2018 |work=[[EurekAlert!]] |access-date=5 November 2018 |author-link=Johns Hopkins University }}</ref><ref name="JHU-20181105">{{cite news |last=Rosen |first=Jill |title=Johns Hopkins scientist finds elusive star with origins close to Big Bang - The newly discovered star's composition indicates that, in a cosmic family tree, it could be as little as one generation removed from the Big Bang |url=https://hub.jhu.edu/2018/11/05/scientists-find-star-with-big-bang-origins/ |date=5 November 2018 |work=[[Johns Hopkins University]] |access-date=5 November 2018 }}</ref><ref name="ApJ-20181105">{{cite journal |last1=Schlaufman |first1=Kevin C. |last2=Thompson |first2=Ian B. |last3=Casey |first3=Andrew R. |title=An Ultra Metal-poor Star Near the Hydrogen-burning Limit |date=5 November 2018 |journal=[[The Astrophysical Journal]] |volume=867 |pages=98 |number=2 |doi=10.3847/1538-4357/aadd97 |arxiv=1811.00549 |bibcode=2018ApJ...867...98S |s2cid=54511945 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

**A new assessment of the [[ozone hole]], published by the UN, shows it to be recovering faster than previously thought. At projected rates, the Northern Hemisphere and mid-latitude ozone is expected to heal completely by the 2030s, followed by the Southern Hemisphere in the 2050s and polar regions by 2060.<ref name="UN-20181105">{{cite news |title=Montreal Protocol assessment reveals healing ozone, untapped potential for climate action |url=https://www.unenvironment.org/news-and-stories/press-release/montreal-protocol-assessment-reveals-healing-ozone-untapped |date=5 November 2018 |work=UN |access-date=6 November 2018 }}</ref><ref name="TG-20181105">{{cite news |title=Ozone layer finally healing after damage caused by aerosols, UN says |url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/nov/05/ozone-layer-healing-after-aerosols-un-northern-hemisphere |date=5 November 2018 |work=The Guardian |access-date=6 November 2018 }}</ref>

**Scientists report the discovery of the smallest known [[ape]], ''[[Simiolus|Simiolus minutus]]'', which weighed approximately eight pounds, and lived about 12.5 million years ago in [[Kenya]] in [[East Africa]].<ref name="NYT-20181105">{{cite news |last=St. Fleur |first=Nicholas |title=Tiniest Ape Ever Discovered Hints at the Rise of the Monkeys - The newly identified extinct primate weighed slightly less than an average house cat. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/05/science/tiniest-ape-extinct.html |date=5 November 2018 |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=7 November 2018 }}</ref><ref name="JHE-2018">{{Cite journal|author1=James B. Rossie |author2=Andrew Hill |year=2018 |title=A new species of ''Simiolus'' from the middle Miocene of the Tugen Hills, Kenya |journal=Journal of Human Evolution |volume=125 |pages=50–58 |doi=10.1016/j.jhevol.2018.09.002 |pmid=30502897 |s2cid=54625375 }}</ref>

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*19 November &ndash; [[NASA]] chooses [[Jezero crater]] on the planet [[Mars]] as the landing site for the [[Mars 2020|Mars 2020 rover]], which is to launch on 17 July 2020, and touch down on Mars on 18 February 2021.<ref name="NYT-20181119">{{cite news |last=Chang |first=Kenneth |title=NASA Mars 2020 Rover Gets a Landing Site: A Crater That Contained a Lake - The rover will search the Jezero Crater and delta for the chemical building blocks of life and other signs of past microbes. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/19/science/nasa-mars-2020-rover.html |date=19 November 2018 |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=21 November 2018 }}</ref><ref name="SPC-20181119">{{cite news |last=Wall |first=Mike |title=Jezero Crater or Bust! NASA Picks Landing Site for Mars 2020 Rover |url=https://www.space.com/42486-mars-2020-rover-jezero-crater-landing-site.html |date=19 November 2018 |work=[[Space.com]] |access-date=20 November 2018 }}</ref><ref name="RPR-20181119">{{cite web|author=RBurnham |title=Overflowing crater lakes carved Mars canyon |url=http://redplanet.asu.edu/?p=31676 |date=19 November 2018 |work=Red Planet Report |access-date=20 November 2018 }}</ref><ref name="UT-20181119">{{cite news |author=Staff |title=Overflowing Crater Lakes Carved Canyons Across Mars |url=https://news.utexas.edu/2018/11/16/overflowing-crater-lakes-carved-canyons-across-mars/ |date=19 November 2018 |work=[[University of Texas at Austin]] |access-date=20 November 2018 }}</ref>

*20 November

**Astronomers report the use of a new powerful method, [[NIRSpec]] in [[adaptive optics]] (AO) mode ([[NIRSPAO]]), to search for [[biosignature]]s on [[exoplanet]]s.<ref name="EA-20181120">{{cite news |author=W. M. Keck Observatory |title=Exoplanet stepping stones - Researchers are perfecting technology to one day look for signs of alien life |url=https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-11/wmko-ess112018.php |date=20 November 2018 |work=[[EurekAlert!]] |access-date=21 November 2018 |author-link=W. M. Keck Observatory }}</ref><ref name="AJ-20181120">{{cite journal |author=Wang, Ji |display-authors=et al |title=Detecting Water in the Atmosphere of HR 8799 c with L-band High-dispersion Spectroscopy Aided by Adaptive Optics |date=20 November 2018 |journal=[[The Astronomical Journal]] |volume=156 |pages=272 |number=6 |doi=10.3847/1538-3881/aae47b |bibcode=2018AJ....156..272W |arxiv=1809.09080 |s2cid=119372301 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

**The [[World Meteorological Organization]] (WMO) publishes its latest Greenhouse Gas Bulletin, showing record high concentrations of heat-trapping greenhouse gases, with levels of carbon dioxide (CO₂) reaching 405.5 parts per million (ppm) in 2017, up from 403.3 ppm in 2016 and 400.1 ppm in 2015. The WMO reports that "there is no sign of a reversal in this trend, which is driving long-term climate change, sea level rise, ocean acidification and more extreme weather."<ref>{{cite news |title=Greenhouse gas levels in atmosphere reach new record |url=https://public.wmo.int/en/media/press-release/greenhouse-gas-levels-atmosphere-reach-new-record |date=20 November 2018 |work=WMO |access-date=22 November 2018 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Climate-heating greenhouse gases at record levels, says UN |url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/nov/22/climate-heating-greenhouse-gases-at-record-levels-says-un |date=22 November 2018 |work=The Guardian |access-date=22 November 2018 }}</ref>

*22 November