Scientific Discoveries in the Past Decade
Scientific revealings, discoveries, and unfoldings in the last ten years
We have seen quite a lot of things happen this past decade, a total solar eclipse, the first iPad came out, and Vine shut down.
We will look back at some of this decade’s most significant scientific discoveries.
2010: The First Synthetic ‘Life’
In 2010, scientists at the J. Craig Venter Institute created the first living organism with a completely synthetic genome. This advance could be the first step in producing artificial life. The genomes designed in a computer are assembled in a lab and can function in a donor cell, reproducing fully functional living creatures.
The genome of the bacterium Mycoplasma mycoides was constructed from more than a million base pairs of DNA. Then, the genome was transplanted into Mycoplasma capricolum, which was emptied of its genome. Finally, the Mycoplasma capricolum’s machinery translated the instructions and reproduced as naturally occurring Mycoplasma mycoides.
2012: Higgs Boson
In July 2012, experiments at the Large Hadron Collider found proof of the final undiscovered particle predicted by the standard model of particle physics. The model had 500 years of work behind it and was finally complete explaining the universe’s fundamental forces.
The particle connected to the Higgs field, the Higgs boson, had been discovered. All other particles receive mass from the Higgs boson, which enables them to combine and expand into larger objects like stars. So a significant energy flare-up in a spot in the field will emit a Higgs boson.
2014: Gravitational Waves
In 2014, scientists observed direct evidence of cosmic expansion through gravitational waves. The polarization of the cosmic microwave background was changed by these waves, which are remnants of the first fraction of a second after the Big Bang. The polarization changes are called B-modes; these B-modes were detected using the Background Imaging of Cosmic Extragalactic Polarization 2 (BICEP2) telescope in Antarctica.
Many secrets of the universe are revealed by gravitational waves, including the mechanics of black hole and neutron star collision dynamics. In addition, gravitational waves might be able to measure the rate of universe expansion.
2015: First CRISPR editing of human embryos
In 2015, scientists introduced a gene-editing technology called Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats or CRISPR-Cas9. The method uses several repeating gene sequences connected to the Cas9 enzyme, which functions as a pair of molecular scissors. With a protein called Cas9, scientists can use this technology to genetically modify any living thing by snipping out and replacing undesired DNA.
Some implications for using CRISPR could be curing genetic diseases and custom-made babies. For example, in 2015, scientists at Sun Yat-sen University in China announced that they had made the first-ever genetic modifications to human embryos using CRISPR. Unfortunately, the procedure was only somewhat successful, and the embryos were not viable.
2019: First Black Hole Image
In 2019, the Event Horizon Telescope captured an image of a black hole in the middle of the M87 galaxy. Scientists have a way of identifying how the universe began thanks to the image, which appears to show a dazzling ring of light around a vast expanse of darkness. One of the highest scientific honors, the Breakthrough Prize, was awarded to the researchers in 2020.
