New Scientist’s picks for the largest science information tales of 2022

Nuclear fusion, infectious disease and incredible new space telescopes are hot topics in 2022, but what other major scientific developments, discoveries and events are coming up this year?

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A war in Europe, a major volcanic eruption and a startling discovery that could rewrite our understanding of reality – 2022 is indeed a busy year for science, technology, health and environmental news, all at the beginning for several months.From stunning space images to pig heart transplants, here’s how new scientist News editors’ picks of the year’s major scientific developments, discoveries and events.

nuclear power

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February unleashed havoc across the country and affected many areas of life around the world, as both countries play key roles in global supply chains vitality, food and more. It also raised the threat of nuclear weapons, with Russian President Vladimir Putin blatantly threatening to deploy his atomic arsenal.Thankfully, Armageddon has been averted, but Russia’s offensive has sparked talk of a new kind of nuclear war as Ukrainian nuclear power plant will become a battlefield this year.

In more positive nuclear news, Steady progress on fusion power in 2022 Finally announced on December 13, researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in California Finally a major breakthroughThe National Ignition Facility, a vast bank of lasers designed to heat a tiny core of hydrogen fuel and generate enormous pressure, is the first to produce a fusion reaction in which more energy is produced than is put in. Much, much work remains to be done However, much remains to be done to make business convergence a reality.

healthy

along with The third year of the coronavirus pandemic covid-19 is coming to an end and although many countries have opened up and adopted a “living with covid” strategy, it remains a major health concern in countries around the world. Health services are also strained by outbreaks of a range of other viruses.The sudden appearance of monkeypox (later renamed mpox) in many countries led to the World Health Organization Declare the highest level of global health emergency in July.Uganda Turning to lockdowns to contain Ebolawhile in UK, Influenza Levels, Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) and Streptococcus A concerned health officials.

But again, there is a positive side. Gene therapy is making strides in 2022, with multiple good news about children with serious genetic disorders being treated.One girl’s treatment enabled her to first time walking and talkingwhile children who previously died prematurely can Expect typical life expectancy now.

This field of xenotransplantation Significant progress has also been made, with Pig heart transplanted into living human for first time Held on January 7th.Receiver David Bennett died two months later, but Other work transplants pig hearts into brain-dead humans to stay alive It also shows the technology’s emerging promise to increase the supply of donated organs.

space exploration

A story that delights millions of people throughout the year is James Webb Space Telescope, following a launch in late 2021. The first images, which leaked in July, provide amazing view of the universe. Since then, JWST has gone from strength to strength, both planets in the solar system and further afieldor Searching for the oldest and most distant galaxies in the known universe.

surroundings

The world continues to feel the effects of climate change, extreme weather within the globe.heat wave is frequent events throughout the yearfrom India to the UK it went through hottest day on record. Worst affected is China, where a two-month heat wave is most extreme in human history. Devastating floods in Pakistan Listed by the United Nations as a climate catastrophe.Even in the Arctic and Antarctica, high temperatures Leading to historically low sea ice levels.

It’s not just the weather that we have to deal with.This Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai eruption On 15 January, six people were killed and two injured, reaching the heights of the stratosphere. This is the largest eruption of the 21st century^Yingshi Its effects on the atmosphere have been felt around the world for a century.

artificial intelligence

The field of generative artificial intelligence has grown rapidly in recent years, but will become mainstream by 2022. Text-to-image generators used to be simple research toys, but things like the DALL-E 2, image Stable Diffusion has seen the Internet explode strange picture Because the general public can play with them. Launch of ChatGPT, a publicly accessible version OpenAI’s GPT text generator, which also fires the imagination while stoking fears of abuse.and Businesses are already taking advantage of these AI systemsthe debate surrounding their use will only continue.

particle physics

If all of this makes you feel dizzy, consider the physicists who spent a year trying to figure out whether Our realistic working model needs a redo. A shocking announcement in April stated that, The mass of an elementary particle, the W boson, which is quite different from what the Standard Model of particle physics predicts. So far, the results have held up, and this grand puzzle must be solved if we are to fully understand the building blocks of the universe.Of course, if the theorists make a breakthrough in 2023, you can be sure from new scientist.