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December 23, 2008

What were the top science stories in 2008? Museum Education Associate Susan Heilman has compiled her list of the ten best, based on the relevance of the story to the intersection of science and society.

1. Water and the Red Planet

Earthlings continue to search for life elsewhere in the universe, and what better place to look than our next-door neighbor, Mars? With a solar and planetary orbit similar to Earth and a thin surrounding atmosphere, it's not a bad place to start. May through November of this year, NASA's Phoenix lander (pictured) began exploring the polar region of the Red Planet. On July 31, NASA announced that Phoenix confirmed the presence of water ice. Scientists now believe that there was once a great deal of water on Mars, and therefore it could have supported some sort of life. The cold Martian weather at the poles put an end to further experiments, but the Spirit and Opportunity rovers are still chugging away closer to the equator.

2. When Atoms Collide

With a 17-mile loop and various particle accelerators and detectors, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is the world's largest machine. After being activated in September, it was expected to recreate some of the most mysterious subatomic particles with names like boson, muon, and lepton. The LHC worked well at first, accelerating protons to nearly the speed of light, but scientists never had the chance to smash two of them together. The high-powered magnets that direct the protons must be super cooled, and a coolant leak has now delayed the project. The LHC is expected to be turned on again in the summer of 2009. In addition, the scientific journal Nature has named Dr. Lyn Evans, project manager of the LHC, its newsmaker of the year.

3. An Extinct Genome

We may not need arctic temperatures to recreate the Ice Age, or at least its animals. In November, Penn State Biochemistry Professor Stephan Schuster lead a group that reconstructed 80% of the extinct woolly mammoth genome. They were able to extract the DNA from clumps of hair taken from several samples frozen in permafrost. After separating out any fungal and bacterial DNA contaminants, they found that the woolly mammoth and the African elephant — its closest extant cousin — are only 0.6% different. The obvious next question: Will we see an Ice Age theme park complete with woolly mammoths? Right now, the answer is no. In the next 50 years? Maybe.

4. Speedo Goes for the Gold

The Olympic games are always an exciting time in sports, but at this year's summer games in China, there was scientific interest as well. In an unprecedented feat, swimmers broke 25 world records, and 23 of those were set by swimmers wearing the new LZR Racer bathing suits from Speedo. To reduce drag, the suits are made from a high-technology fabric composed of woven elastane-nylon and polyurethane-Goretex panels. Combined with the suits' design, the material allows for better oxygen flow to the muscles, and holds the body in a more hydrodynamic position while repelling water. The seams of the suit are ultrasonically welded to further reduce drag. Of course, there is some controversy surrounding the suits, including lawsuits that claim the LZR gives an unfair advantage and concerns that racers with less financial support could lose out.

5. Is BPA in Your Bottle?

Bisphenol A (BPA), a synthetic chemical created in the late 1800s, is a compound with many uses, including the production of dental sealants, certain bike helmets, and many baby bottles. The ubiquity of the compound is highlighted by a CDC report that describes 96% of Americans over age 6 as having some trace level of BPA in their urine. Unfortunately, some groups suspect that BPA is harmful, including the National Toxicology Program (part of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences), which released a statement in September finding "some concern" for fetuses, infants, and children exposed to BPA. The NTP's stance is in conflict with the Food and Drug Administration, which said in August that current human exposure levels to BPA were safe. In December, the FDA agreed to reconsider its assessment by looking at hundreds of independent studies that had not previously factored in its statements.

6. Bending Light Backwards

Move over Harry Potter, I'm getting my own invisibility cloak. Well, not yet, but in August, scientists at the University of California, Berkeley were able to bend light backwards. Using nano-sized resources, they created two new 3-D materials that affect light's electric and magnetic waves, resulting in light with a negative index of refraction that causes the appearance of light bouncing backwards. In the immediate future, these new materials could lead to microscopes that can see objects like DNA molecules. However, I am hopeful that this puts us one step closer to being able to bend light around objects on a larger scale — in other words, an invisibility cloak.

7. Natural Orifice Surgery

One of the major recovery limitations from surgery is often from the incision itself. Cutting through layers of skin and muscle to get to the inside of our bodies results in lingering pain and potential complications after the procedure. This past March, a team of doctors at the University of California, San Diego performed the first "natural orifice" surgery by removing a woman's appendix through her vagina. The technique has also been used in some gastric bypass patients and gall bladder surgeries by performing the procedure through the mouth. Doctors insert a flexible endoscope (with a video camera and other surgical tools) into the orifice and make only small incisions through some of the inner tissues. The procedure can reduce pain, inflammation, and recovery time.

8. Red, White, Blue . . . and Green

In assembling his new cabinet, President-elect Barack Obama recently named Dr. Steven Chu as his pick for secretary of energy. Dr. Chu is a physicist and the director of California's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. In 1997, he won the Nobel Prize in physics for the development of methods to cool and trap atoms with laser light. He studies ways to make solar power more practical and less costly. This selection suggests that Obama wants his new energy secretary to focus on alternative energies, such as biofuels and solar power.

Green initiatives are also touching all levels of government. On the state scale, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick signed the Green Communities Act in July. This piece of landmark legislation is designed to help everyone become more energy efficient, from individual homeowners to large corporations.

9. Evolution Made Fun!

In September, Electronic Arts released a very unique videogame for PC and Macintosh computers. Spore became an overnight sensation, immersing its players in their very own metaverse where they can create their very own species. There are several distinct phases in which the organism begins as a single cell, evolves into a more complex creature, and eventually develops intelligence and a social structure. Finally, it surpasses "modern" technology and moves into the future with interstellar exploration. Although some of the theories are inconsistent with evolution and natural selection, the general theme of the game successfully encourages people to be interested in a scientific process.

10. All in the Family

Understanding social organizations among long-dead cultures is very difficult to do, but several anthropological finds this year has given us greater insight into the sociology of ancient humans. In November, we learned of the oldest known burial of a nuclear family in Germany, 4,600 years ago. DNA analysis confirms that they were a mother, father, and two sons. Their burial together suggests the importance of family in their Stone Age life.

In September, we journeyed further back in time to the age of the Neanderthals, when scientists from Zurich announced that Neanderthal women experienced difficult childbirth, similar to today's females. According to the brain size of a Neanderthal newborn, the head would have just barely fit through the pelvis. In November, we traveled back further still in homind evolution to Homo erectus, with scientists announcing the finding of an approximately 1.2 million-year-old pelvis. This rare find demonstrates that our distant ancestors had a very difficult time birthing large-brained babies as well. These difficult birthing situations suggest that the mother needed a helper during childbirth, offering the potential for intimate social situations.

Please note: This list represents the opinions of the author and does not necessarily represent the views of the Museum of Science, Boston, the Gordon Current Science & Technology Center, its partners, or affiliates.