Top 10 Scientific Advancements & Discoveries of 2021

Aside from the COVID-19 pandemic still running rampant, 2021 still paved the way for some of the most interesting advancements to be made despite quarantines constantly being enforced. This is a list containing some of the most significant scientific advancements that have occurred in 2021.
The Top Ten
James Webb Telescope Launched

December 25, 2021 marks a significant milestone in science and astronomy. The James Webb Telescope launched into space after 7 years of rigorous hard work and testing, and is already shifting how we see the world in science and astronomy.

As of 2022, it has already captured evidence of carbon dioxide in an exoplanet, the formation of newborn stars, the detection of faraway galaxies - those dating even around 300 million years after the big bang - and evidence that there are more disk galaxies than thought.

But this is only scratching the surface. The James Webb Telescope will continue its legendary mission to study the early universe, how galaxies form, the birth of stars and planets, and search for habitable planets.

The Partial Cure to Blindness

It's an unfortunate fact that blindness is considered impossible to cure currently, but there is one case of a man diagnosed with a rare genetic disease that marks the partial cure of blindness via gene therapy for the very first time.

By administering an intraocular injection, modifying the cells in the man's retina, and using light-stimulating goggles, the man was able to see significant improvements in his vision. This treatment is called optogenetics, which turned out to be effective when combined with vision training.

While this may be a partial cure, it marks a significant step towards a long-desired cure for blindness.

256-qubit Quantum Computer

2021 has also marked a significant milestone for quantum computers. Harvard scientists have created a 256-qubit quantum computer, thus pushing the boundaries of what a quantum computer is capable of doing. The machine is used to simulate special states of quantum matter never seen before.

With more comprehension of quantum physics, this leaves more potential for creating materials with special properties. What's most important about qubits is that the more qubits are added to a computer, the more it is able to perform calculations at an exponential rate.

Self-Replicating Living Robots

While the creation of the first living robots was already a major milestone last year in 2020, the same living robots created with frog cells - these xenobots - are already known to sustain themselves by moving around, working collectively to achieve basic tasks, and even healing themselves from damage.

But what's most impressive is that they are now able to self-replicate. How exactly do they reproduce? Xenobots can search for other cells, gather them together, and create new xenobots, with the cycle repeating again. This kind of reproduction is unusual compared to any organism that can reproduce.

While this is considered another major milestone, the idea of self-replication in robots also comes with concern. The good news is that these xenobots can be controlled by changing their environment.

The COVID-19 Vaccine

With the COVID-19 pandemic still rampant in 2021, more doses are being created and administered to patients, and COVID vaccines are being authorized for children and teenagers.

2021 also marked a major milestone: more vaccinated Americans than infected ones, along with a significant drop in cases in early 2021 in America. This wouldn't, of course, be a complete list without the COVID-19 vaccine. Clearly, this doesn't need much explanation since it has already saved millions of lives.

Probiotics Proven Beneficial on Coral Reefs

Coral bleaching has become a major issue due to climate change. Subsequently, this can affect species that feed on these corals.

2021 marked an important discovery regarding probiotics and coral reefs. A study has shown that probiotics are useful against heat stress among coral reefs to hinder the effects of climate change. When scientists gave beneficial bacteria to coral reefs, they survived longer in heat waves compared to corals given something else.

When given probiotics, corals undergo changes that reduce inflammation and are more capable of repairing cells from damage, making them more adaptable to the effects of climate change. However, while beneficial, this doesn't seem to be the ultimate answer, as administering probiotics to multiple species may backfire. Despite this, this discovery sheds hope for the environment.

Irisin Proven to Be Beneficial Against Alzheimer's Disease

Scientists from Massachusetts General Hospital have discovered that irisin - a hormone from the muscles responsible for providing the benefits of exercise - can help mitigate the effects of Alzheimer's disease.

It's commonly known that exercise provides health benefits to the body, but it has been recently shown that irisin contributes to fighting Alzheimer's disease. The study demonstrated in mice that an increase in irisin is correlated with enhanced cognitive function and reduced neuroinflammation with Alzheimer's disease.

While Alzheimer's disease is still considered incurable, this is a good step towards dealing with the effects of this neurodegenerative disorder.

First Genetically Engineered Xenotransplantation

After multiple attempts at xenotransplantation over the previous decades, September 25, 2021 marks the very first successful xenotransplantation of a kidney from a genetically engineered pig to a person, although placed in the upper leg just outside the abdomen. A thymus gland from the same animal was also inserted to recognize it as part of the body.

As soon as the operation started, urine production levels remained normal within the 54-hour mark without any sign of rejection. While the recipient has been declared brain dead, this breakthrough opens gates to treating critically ill patients with non-human organs.

Discovery of Dark Energy Candidates

In the XENON1T experiment, an unexpected event or "excess" occurred a year ago, which some have related to axions - a hypothetical particle said to be very light and low in energy, originating from the sun.

However, this seemed not to be the exact explanation, as axions could be responsible for the draining of energy within stars. If this were true, the evolution of stars would need to be changed. While their model wasn't quite right, some then related the event to dark matter, but that didn't work either.

This "excess" turned out to originate from a much stranger cause - dark energy. To prove this explanation, a method called "chameleon screening" was used, in which high density in objects would hinder the process of dark energy being created. The method was situated in the tachocline of the sun - an area that plays a large role in the magnetic field.

While this discovery is brand new, it would be strengthened with other detectors similar to XENON1T detecting the same process.

First 3D-Printed Beef

Scientists from Osaka University have produced the first-ever lab-grown beef using bioprinting methods. They took two different stem cell types (bovine satellite cells and adipose-derived cells) and engineered them under special conditions to grow more cells for vital parts.

This bioprinted beef contains fat, muscle, and blood vessels and was organized to look and taste like real beef. Who knows, we might eat bioprinted meat in the next decades?

The Newcomers

? 319 Tbps Internet Speed Breakthrough
? Detection of a Neutron Star Black Hole Collision

This was a rare sighting of a black hole consuming a neutron star, reported by scientists. Even more mind-blowing is that the second sighting was reported just 10 days later, in a different location.

The Contenders
Malaria Vaccine

For the first time ever, a malaria vaccine has been created and approved by the WHO, reaching an efficacy of slightly over 75%. It was developed by a group of universities and companies, including the University of Oxford, the Kenya Medical Research Institute, Novavax, LSHTM, and SII.

In October, the WHO recommended the large-scale use of the vaccine. Since malaria is a notorious disease that has existed for thousands of years, this is considered a major breakthrough after struggles to develop previous malaria vaccines.

The Discovery of TOI-1431b

Did we really spot Satan's homeland, or is this another false alarm pointing to an even hotter exoplanet to be discovered? All jokes aside, this is an ultra-hot Jupiter that an astronomer from the University of Queensland discovered. Its temperature reaches 3,000 Kelvin, making it the hottest exoplanet found, even hotter than some red dwarf stars (which have temperatures of 2,000 K and up to 3,500 K).

Pure Water as a Metal

Since pure water is known to be a very effective insulator, it would be impossible to turn water into a metallic state, as its molecules are connected together with hydrogen bonds unless it's situated in a specially designed environment.

In this case, water would have to endure a lot of pressure for the orbitals of electrons to overlap, since insulators usually have a large band gap. This makes water a conductor. Theoretically, you could make any material conductive if you let it face huge amounts of pressure.

Scientists took a different direction with alkali metals since their valence electron is weakly bound and thus can be released quickly. To achieve water being in a metal state, water is placed on alkali metal along with an alloy comprised of sodium and potassium. This prevents both the alkali metal and water from exploding.

Electrically charged particles that can move freely are added to the materials, thus making water metallic with a golden gleam. Not as important, but among the coolest scientific discoveries.

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