Top 5 Most Impactful Scientific Breakthroughs in 2020
How these 5 discoveries will change the future
2020 has been a chaotic year, to say the least. Although the tragedies that occurred in 2020 may leave a resounding long-term effect on many nations, the pressure and circumstances have pushed science and technology further than ever before. This is a list of some of the scientific breakthroughs that will shape the future in the years ahead.
1. SpaceX StarLink
If you haven’t heard of SpaceX already or its eccentric billionaire CEO (Elon Musk), they are one of the first private space companies in the world and are considered the frontrunners in today’s revitalized space race. Starlink is just one of many projects that Elon Musk has decided to undertake to reshape technology and advance humanity to space. The idea is quite simple. Send a large wave of satellites into space and provide low-cost broadband to millions of people around the world. If StarLink is successful, anyone around the world could have access to the Internet and other services for extremely low costs. This would introduce access to information to citizens in poorly developed countries. So far, Starlink has launched a private beta in August 2020 and a public beta in October 2020. 60 Starlink satellites have been launched in 2020 making the total number of Starlink satellites in orbit to be around 1,500 with more launches scheduled in 2021. This is definitely a technological advancement to keep an eye out for.
2. 3D Map of the Universe
Scientists recently finished experiments in 2020 collecting data and creating the most detailed 3D map of the entire universe. The paper was published about a month ago and reveals detailed galaxies with specific distances away from our own. The distance of each galaxy could be measured by their light which stretches into longer wavelengths the farther away they are. As a result, the galaxies give the appearance of emitting red light which allowed researchers to add a third dimension to their map. Having this map allows for more accurate calculations of galaxies spreading farther apart from each other. This will allow for better progress to be made on understanding the nature of dark matter which makes up 80% of the matter in the Universe. Understanding the behavior and identity of dark matter could help progress technological advancements especially those related to space travel and astronomy.
3. Plastic-Eating Bacteria
A key factor that is fueling the climate change crisis we are facing now is pollution. Specifically, there is a problem of plastic waste pollution that is harming oceans and freshwater ecosystems. In May 2020, German researchers had discovered that was able to obtain food by converting the harmful plastic waste that was lying abundantly for them in a dumpsite. This bacterium is called Pseudomonas bacteria. The molecule they specifically target in plastics is polyurethane which can be found in almost every plastic material today. Since this discovery, labs have been experimenting with this bacterium to better understand its properties. It can definitely be a game-changer to fighting the climate crisis we have in the years ahead.
4. Protein Predictors
In November 2020, an artificial intelligence network was able to accurately predict the 3D structure of a protein just by reading its amino acid sequence. This has been a biological hurdle that has stumped scientists for years. Although a scientist can easily translate the amino acid sequence to proteins, they would have no idea how the protein coils, folds or twists. It may not seem like much, but the protein shape is critical to the actual function the protein has. New proteins can be made simply by putting in various amino acid sequences. Scientists can predict protein function and create even more advanced drugs to target diseases. The essential building blocks of cells can be studied to an even greater depth. This will fundamentally change medicine and bioengineering in the future.
5. COVID-19 Vaccine
Last but certainly not least, there is the COVID-19 vaccine! Arguably one of the greatest scientific feats in 2020, the COVID-19 vaccine has not only been hailed as the ticket to normalcy it has also sparked controversy and conspiracy over its development. Unlike conventional vaccines which take months to produce a weakened form of the virus and injected into the body, mRNA vaccines such as the Pfizer and Moderna vaccine rely on — as the name implies — mRNA. An mRNA transcript is sent to the cells which creates certain proteins that will allow the body to recognize the spike protein on COVID-19. This in itself is enough to be noteworthy. But the global collaboration, production, and distribution in the timespan of roughly under a year is incredible and is a scientific breakthrough. The next fastest vaccine was the mumps vaccine and which was created in 4 years. On average, conventional vaccines take 10–15 years to produce and distribute. This giant leap is going to be a huge benefit when encountering future diseases similar to COVID-19.
