2012 has been a big year for science: people sank to record depths, a private company made it into space, NASA landed something the size of a car on Mars, and physicists finally found the particle that could unify science once and for all. Here are 12 of the most exciting science stories we’ve covered this year.
Physicists Have Found the Higgs Boson
At a meeting held at CERN in July, scientists presented the latest results from the search for the long-sought Higgs particle. After 30 years of research and $US9 billion of investment, they announced that they’d changed the face of physics forever: they’d found the Higgs boson. [More]
The Mars Curiosity Rover Has LANDED!
In August, NASA successfully landed the Mars Curiosity rover on the surface of the red planet-a phenomenal success that completed an incredible journey against all odds. NASA still has the chops to make interplanetary magic happen. [More]
How Did This Tiny South Pacific Island Disappear?
It shows up on Google Maps, coastal databases and marine charts, but when scientists from the University of Sydney went to visit Sandy Island, it was no where to be found. Did the island, supposedly located between Australia and New Caledonia, suddenly disappear like a confusing Lost plot twist? [More]
Mathematic Proof That The Universe Had A Beginning
There are probably more theories floating around to explain the birth, life and death of the universe than for any other scientific concept. Some scientists champion the idea of the Big Bang that created everything around us, others postulate that that we live in a steady state universe with no beginning or end. Now, maths has set one thing straight: our universe definitely had a start. [More]
NASA Starts Work on Real Life Star Trek Warp Drive
“Perhaps a Star Trek experience within our lifetime is not such a remote possibility.” These are the words of Dr Harold “Sonny” White, the Advanced Propulsion Theme Lead for the NASA Engineering Directorate. Dr White and his colleagues don’t just believe a real life warp drive is theoretically possible; they’ve already started the work to create one. [More]
The Miracle Cure That’s Hiding in Plain Sight
You’ve maybe never heard of Bacillus Calmette–Guérin-it sounds kinda French after all, so why would you? But scratch a little deeper and you’ll find that BCG, as it’s commonly known, is one of the most overlooked wonder-drugs of our time. [More]
SpaceX Finally Takes Off
First it was on, then it was off. Then on, then off. Then it had a little wobble. Finally, SpaceX launched, making its NASA’s first successful involvement with the world of private space flight. It was a momentous day for science, engineering and space travel. [More]
Scientists Find First Definitive Genetic Links to Autism
Scientists have uncovered several gene mutations that sharply increase the chances of developing autism. It’s the first time researchers have pinpointed a specific genetic component with the spectrum of disorders, which includes Asperger’s. [More]
James Cameron Successfully Reaches “the Deepest Spot on Earth”
Director and science nerd James Cameron made an attempt to travel to the Mariana Trench, the deepest part of the ocean — and was successful. [More]
Bucky Balls Could Double Your Lifespan
Buckminster fullerene molecules, the naturally occurring spheres made up of 60 carbon atoms, have long been suspected to have biological benefits. Now, a study that set out to establish if they were toxic when administered orally has proven quite the opposite — they almost doubled the lifespan of the rats that they were fed to. [More]
How One Man Took a Secret Super-Material to His Grave
In 1990, an amateur inventor called Maurice Ward appeared on British TV demonstrating a super-material he’d invented without any scientific training. Called Starlite, it could withstand temperatures of 1000C, was hard enough to drill holes in walls, and could easily be painted on to surfaces. In 2011 Ward sadly passed away — without ever having explained to a single scientist how it worked. [More]