2018 in science: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 17:20, 18 November 2023

Revision as of 01:52, 24 November 2023

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* 5 February

**Researchers find additional evidence for an exotic form of [[water]], called [[superionic water]], which is not found naturally on [[Earth]], but could be common on the planets [[Uranus]] and [[Neptune]].<ref name="NP-20180205">{{cite journal |author=Millot, Marius |display-authors=etal |title=Experimental evidence for superionic water ice using shock compression |date=5 February 2018 |journal=[[Nature Physics]] |volume=14 |issue=3 |pages=297–302 |doi=10.1038/s41567-017-0017-4 |bibcode=2018NatPh..14..297M |osti=1542614 |s2cid=125728756 |url=https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1542614 }}</ref><ref name="NYT-20180205">{{cite news |last=Chang |first=Kenneth |title=Newly Discovered Form of Water Ice Is 'Really Strange' - Long theorized to be found in the mantles of Uranus and Neptune, the confirmation of the existence of superionic ice could lead to the development of new materials. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/05/science/superionic-water-neptune-uranus.html |date=5 February 2018 |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=5 February 2018 }}</ref>

**Astronomers report evidence, for the first time, that [[extragalactic exoplanet]]s, much more distant than the [[exoplanet]]s found within the local [[Milky Way]] galaxy, may exist.<ref name="NG-20180205">{{cite web |last=Zachos |first=Elaine |title=More Than a Trillion Planets Could Exist Beyond Our Galaxy – A new study gives the first evidence that exoplanets exist beyond the Milky Way |url=https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2018/02/exoplanets-discovery-milky-way-galaxy-spd/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180205224628/https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2018/02/exoplanets-discovery-milky-way-galaxy-spd/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 5, 2018 |date=5 February 2018 |website=[[National Geographic Society]] |access-date=5 February 2018 }}</ref><ref name="GZM-20180205">{{cite web |last=Mandelbaum |first=Ryan F. |title=Scientists Find Evidence of Thousands of Planets in Distant Galaxy |url=https://gizmodo.com/scientists-find-evidence-of-thousands-of-planets-in-dis-1822727151 |date=5 February 2018 |website=[[Gizmodo]] |access-date=5 February 2018 }}</ref>

* 6 February

**[[SpaceX]] successfully conducts its maiden flight of its most powerful rocket to date, and the most powerful rocket since the [[Space Shuttle program]], the [[Falcon Heavy]], from [[Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39|LC-39A]] at [[Kennedy Space Center]].<ref name="BBC-20180206">{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-42969020|title=Elon Musk's Falcon Heavy rocket launches successfully|journal=BBC News|access-date=6 February 2018|date=2018-02-07|last1=Amos|first1=Jonathan}}</ref>

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*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/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181003234439/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2018/10/news-first-exomoon-nasa-kepler-planets-facts-space/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 3, 2018 |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>

*5 October &ndash; The [[Hubble Space Telescope]] is hit by a mechanical failure as it loses one of the gyroscopes needed for pointing the spacecraft. It is placed into "safe" mode while scientists attempt to fix the problem.<ref>{{citation |title=Hubble telescope hit by mechanical failure |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-45788412 |date=8 October 2018 |work=BBC News|access-date=10 October 2018 }}</ref>