It has been a great year for science – here’s why
It has been a great year for science, textbooks in schools, colleges and universities have had to be rewritten due to the magnitude of some of the recent discoveries/breakthroughs. That said, we’ve decided to compile a small list of our top scientific moments for 2015.
There’s water on Mars
Let’s start with the most obvious; NASA had us all on the edge of our seats when they announced that water had finally been found on Mars. In what was a frankly staggering announcement NASA confirmed that during the summer months liquid water runs down canyons and crater walls. We don’t need to state the obvious, but this discovery heightens the possibility of life on one of our nearest planetary companions.
New species of Lemur found in Madagascar
There are currently over 2 million species on Earth (this include plants, animals and microbes). Yet we’re still discovering more… what’s special about this specific discovery is it’s a new mammal and it to put in bluntly, it’s adorable. The Montagne d’Ambre Dwarf Lemur is as the name suggests a Dwarf Lemur. The species which is only found in northern Madagascar’s Montagne d’Ambre National Park is already at risk due to deforestation.
3D printer gives cancer patient custom built sternum and ribs
A 54 year old Spanish man had chest wall sarcoma (a cancerous tumour) that grows inside the chest wall. In order to completely remove the tumour surgeons had to unfortunately remove part of the patient’s skeleton… horrific, right? However, 3D printing is now so sophisticated that the gentleman is now the proud owner of a 3D-printed titanium implant. Whilst we aren’t quite talking Robocop, it doesn’t feel that far away.
WIFI pavements
If you haven’t already heard you may be thinking what on earth is this all about? Well, Virgin Media is looking to solve one of the most frustrating issues facing all technology loving first world inhabitants… the lack of usable WIFI whilst on the move. What’s really interesting about this is the way in which the techy team at Virgin is planning on solving this frankly unbearable issue, Smart WIFI pavements. In theory this should mean whenever you’re out and about, waiting for the bus, or even driving through city streets you should be able to take advantage of super-fast broadband. Yes please.
Kepler-452b
To round off our list we’ve got another scientific space discovery, but it’s a biggy (literally). In July 2015 NASA announced that it had discovered a planet which bears a striking resemblance to earth. It orbits the habitable zone of a star very similar to our own sun, it takes 385 days to orbit the star, although it is a whopping 60% bigger than earth. Don’t get too excited yet, if you’re planning a trip to Kepler-452b it will take you approximately 26 million years to get there.
Find science a blast? If so, consider Biological & Chemical Sciences at CU Coventry, CU Scarborough and CU London.