This article lists a number of significant events in
science that have occurred in the first quarter of
2012.
Events
January
1 January 2012:
NASA's twin
GRAIL satellites (artist's impression shown) begin studying the Moon's gravitational field.
1 January –
NASA's
GRAIL-B satellite successfully enters
lunar orbit, joining its twin spacecraft GRAIL-A. The two satellites will study the Moon's gravitational field, generating a detailed map of its fluctuations to help scientists understand how the Moon formed.[1]
3 January –
Genetically modified fast-ageing
mice exhibited improved health and lived two to three times longer than expected after being injected with
stem cells, according to findings published in Nature Communications.[4][5]
4 January
American scientists report that a
parasitic species of fly which compels
honey bees to abandon their hives may be responsible for a global
honey bee die-off that has decimated hives around the world. Honey bees are crucial
pollinators, and their rapidly diminishing population may have severe effects on human
agriculture.[6]
Scientists at
Cornell University use a specialised lens to entirely cloak an object from view for 40 trillionths of a second by altering the
speed of light.[10]
Classified documents are leaked detailing a range of advanced
non-lethal weapons proposed or in development by the
United States Armed Forces. Among the systems described are a
laser-based weapon designed to divert hostile aircraft, an underwater
sonic weapon for incapacitating
SCUBA divers and a heat-based weapon designed to compel crowds to disperse.[11]
American scientists report that they have bred the first-ever
monkeys grown from cells taken from different
embryos. Such "
chimeric" hybrids could give valuable insights into the development of human embryos.[13]
A team of American, French and Italian researchers demonstrate working
transistors made from
cotton fibers, doped with gold
nanoparticles and a conductive polymer. The invention could permit the creation of a range of electronic-fabric devices, including clothing capable of measuring pollutants, T-shirts that display dynamic information, and carpets that sense how many people are crossing them.[15]
6 January
The human brain's ability to function can start to deteriorate as early as
age 45, according to a study published in the British Medical Journal.[16]
Researchers in California develop a cheap plastic capable of removing large amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the air. The new material could enable the development of "artificial trees" that lower atmospheric concentrations of CO2 in an effort to lessen the
effects of climate change.[19]
Climate change, in the form of reduced snowfall in mountains, is having a major impact on mountainous plant and bird communities, through the increased ability of
elk to stay at high elevations over winter and consume plants, according to a study in Nature Climate Change.[21][22]
American astronomers discover three rocky
exoplanets smaller than Earth, the smallest such worlds yet found, orbiting a
red dwarf star 130
light-years from Earth.[26]
Researchers report the discovery of a natural
hormone that has a similar effect to
exercise on
muscle tissue – burning
calories, improving
insulin processing, and perhaps boosting strength.[27][28]
IBM researchers successfully store a single
bit of data in a group of just 12 supercooled
iron atoms; current commercial
hard disks require over 1 million atoms to store one bit of data. The breakthrough, which was achieved with the use of a
scanning tunnelling microscope, may permit the production of ultra-high-density computer
storage media in future.[32][33]
German scientists convert a gold sphere just 60 nanometres in diameter into an ultra-sensitive
listening device, potentially allowing the sounds of bacteria and other single-celled organisms to be recorded.[34][35]
15 January – Russia's
Fobos-GruntMartiansample return spacecraft, which became stranded in orbit after a post-launch malfunction in November 2011, re-enters Earth's atmosphere.[38]
18 January
Astronomers report the discovery of the most distant
dwarf galaxy yet found, approximately 10 billion light-years away.[39][40]
A British amateur astronomer discovers a new
Neptune-sized exoplanet, just days after the
BBC's Stargazing Live program makes a public appeal for volunteers to assist scientists in the search for potential exoplanets. Over 100,000 volunteers are reportedly taking part in the ongoing search.[41]
Austrian researchers develop a
quantum computer capable of performing calculations without revealing any of the data involved, using encoded strings of
photons designed to appear random. This method of "blind
quantum cryptography" may permit sensitive data to be processed and transferred without any danger of interception or decryption, leading to ultra-secure
cloud computing.[46][47]
NASA data shows that in 2011, temperatures in the Arctic rose beyond the record established in 2010 – setting a new record.[48]
20 January –
Virologists agree to a temporarily hiatus on experiments on the
H5N1influenza virus, due to fears that an airborne strain of the lethal virus could be used by
bioterrorists.[49][50]
22 January
American researchers report that
nanoparticles can be successfully engineered to mimic part of the body's
immune system, improving its response to vaccines.[51][52]
An international team of scientists concludes that anthropogenic
CO2 emissions over the last 100 to 200 years have already raised
ocean acidity far beyond the range of natural variations.[53][54]
South Korean scientists develop
touchscreens that can recognise the existence and concentration of
DNA molecules placed on them. The invention could allow the development of
smartphones with the ability to diagnose users' medical conditions.[55][56]
The Lancet reports that a human medical trial of
embryonic stem cells successfully eased a degenerative form of
blindness in two volunteers, and showed no signs of any adverse effects.[57][58]
A study in Japan finds that
green tea can significantly reduce disability in the elderly, likely due to its
antioxidant content.[67][68]
26 January – American researchers successfully "
cloak" a three-dimensional object, making it invisible from all angles, for the first time. However, the demonstration works only for waves in the
microwave region of the
electromagnetic spectrum.[69][70]
27 January 2012: the most detailed 3D image of the
Amazon rainforest yet produced is published.
27 January
An international team of scientists reports that
graphene, already widely known for its conductive properties, is also able to selectively filter gases and liquids. The material could thus potentially find use in industrial
distillation and water purification.[71][72][73]
A study published in the journal Carcinogenesis shows that in both cell lines and mouse models,
grape seed extract (GSE) kills head and neck cancer cells, while leaving healthy cells unharmed.[74][75]
Using an airborne
LIDAR system, scientists produce the most detailed 3D image of the
Amazon rainforest yet recorded, allowing the accurate measurement of the rainforest's ecosystem and rate of
deforestation.[76]
2012 BX34, an asteroid between 8 and 11 metres (26 and 36 ft) across, passes within 60,000 kilometres of the Earth, performing one of the closest asteroid flybys yet recorded.[77][78]
British animators develop a new
algorithmic method of creating highly realistic CGI trees, allowing films and video games to easily display realistic 3D foliage.[79][80]
A
United Nations report warns that time is running out to ensure there is enough food, water and energy for a rapidly rising
world population. By 2030, the world will need at least 50 percent more food, 45 percent more energy and 30 percent more water, according to estimates.[82]
The British
Royal Navy begins development of a new anti-missile defence system, the Sea Ceptor, capable of intercepting and destroying
supersonic missiles within an area of 500 square miles (1,300 km2). The system is likely to enter service by 2017.[83]
Ozone from anthropogenic
air pollution in North America leads to the annual loss of 1.2 million tonnes of
wheat in Europe alone, according to a study published by British universities.[86][87]
A NASA study reports that changes in
solar activity cannot be responsible for the current period of
global warming. The sun's total
solar irradiance has in recent years dipped to the lowest levels recorded during the satellite era.[88][89]
31 January 2012: American scientists demonstrate a method of decoding human thoughts by studying the
superior temporal gyrus (indicated).
31 January
American scientists successfully demonstrate a method of decoding thoughts by studying activity in the human brain's
superior temporal gyrus, which is involved in linguistic processing. Using this method, a device which reads and transmits the thoughts of brain-damaged patients could become a reality in the future.[92][93][94]
Poyang Lake, China's largest freshwater lake, has almost completely dried up due to a combination of severe
drought and the impact of the recently built
Three Gorges Dam.[96]
1 February – Researchers report that the eruption of
supervolcanoes could be predicted several decades before the event by detecting the seismic and chemical signs of a massive
magma buildup.[97][98]
2 February
The
European Commission issues a 225-million-
euro (US$330 million) contract to an Anglo-German consortium for eight additional satellites to expand Europe's
Galileo satellite navigation system.[99]
Astronomers report the discovery of a large
exoplanet orbiting within the
habitable zone of a star 22 light-years distant. This is the fourth potentially life-supporting exoplanet discovered since May 2011.[100]
Researchers reportedly create the world's thinnest pane of glass, a sheet of silicon and oxygen just three atoms wide. The glass formed in an accidental reaction when the scientists were synthesizing
graphene on
copper-covered
quartz.[101][102]
3 February
The
European Southern Observatory successfully activates its
Very Large Telescope (VLT) by linking four existing optical telescopes to operate as a single device. The linked VLT is the largest optical telescope yet built, with a combined mirror diameter of 130 metres (430 ft).[103]
American scientists demonstrate a medical procedure that may allow patients with
nerve damage to recover within weeks, rather than months or years. The procedure makes use of a cellular mechanism similar to that which repairs nerve
axons in
invertebrates.[106][107]
MIT researchers develop high-temperature
photonic crystals capable of efficiently converting heat to electricity, potentially allowing the creation of pocket-sized microreactors with ten times the efficiency and lifespan of current commercial batteries. As photonic crystals are already a relatively mature technology, the new invention could be commercialised in as little as two years.[108]
A Lancet study reports that global
malaria deaths may be badly underestimated, giving a revised 2010 malaria death toll of 1.24 million. By contrast, the
World Health Organization estimated that 655,000 people died of malaria in 2010.[109][110]
4 February – Dutch doctors successfully fit an 83-year-old woman with an artificial jaw made using a
3D printer. This operation, the first of its kind, could herald a new era of accurate, patient-tailored artificial transplants.[111]
4 February 2012: Dutch doctors successfully fit the first artificial jaw made with a
3D printer (ORDbot Quantum 3D printer pictured).
6 February
After nearly 20 years of intermittent drilling, Russian scientists reportedly break through to the surface of the subterranean
Lake Vostok, buried 2.5 miles (4.0 km) under the
Antarctic ice. The lake, which has not been uncovered for over 15 million years, may harbour a unique prehistoric ecosystem.[112][113]
Scientists report that rapid declines in some British and European
ladybird species are being caused by the spread of the invasive
harlequin species.[116][117]
The entire
genome of an extinct species of human – the 40,000-year-old
Denisova hominin – has been decoded from a fossil.[118]
8 February – NASA data reveals that the total land ice lost from
Greenland,
Antarctica and Earth's
glaciers and ice caps between 2003 and 2010 totalled about 4.3 trillion tons (1,000 cubic miles), adding about 0.5 inches (13 millimeters) to global sea levels. Such a quantity of ice would be sufficient to cover the entire United States to a depth of 1.5 feet (0.46 meters).[119]
A new UN report warns that 24 percent of global land area has declined in productivity over the past 25 years due to unsustainable land-use, and
soil erosion rates are about 100 times greater than nature can replenish.[124][125]
BAE Systems engineers unveil a
carbon-fiber-based
structural battery capable of being integrated into a device's framework, reducing weight while maintaining structural strength and power capacity.[127]
14 February – In a groundbreaking human trial, American scientists report that damaged heart tissue in
heart attack patients can be repaired with infusions of the patient's own stem cells. The treatment halved the amount of extant scar tissue within a year.[128][129]
15 February 2012:
Nevada becomes the first US state to release official regulations for the public testing of
autonomous cars (prototype autonomous
Audi pictured).
15 February –
Nevada becomes the first US state to allow the testing of
autonomous vehicles on US public roadways.[130]
16 February – The speed at which someone
walks may predict their likelihood of developing
dementia later in life, according to researchers in the US.[131][132]
20 February – Scientists report regenerating Silene stenophylla from 32,000-year-old remains. This surpasses the previous record of 2,000 years for the oldest material used to regenerate a plant.[133][134]
22 February
Scientists have extended the life of male mice by 15%, using an enzyme called SIRT6.[135][136]
Engineers at Stanford University reveal a wirelessly powered, self-propelled medical device that can travel through the bloodstream to deliver drugs, perform diagnostics or microsurgeries.[137][138]
Researchers show that
sirtuin, a class of proteins, is directly linked to longevity in mammals.[141][142]
24 February – British-Italian researchers demonstrate a giant 3D printer capable of constructing a full-sized house in a single 24-hour session. The machine, which uses
sand and a chemical binder as its working material, prints structures from the ground up, including stairs, partition walls and even piping cavities.[143]
26 February
Researchers publish the first images of the charge distribution in a single molecule, precisely showing the motion of
electrons. The observed distribution apparently corresponds closely with predictive models.[144][145]
It may be possible to one day create an "unlimited" supply of
human eggs to aid
fertility treatment, US doctors say.[146][147]
27 February
The remains of two new species of prehistoric
penguin are discovered – Kairuku grebneffi and Kairuku waitaki. Standing nearly 5 feet (1.5 m) tall, Kairuku grebneffi is the largest penguin ever discovered.[148][149]
28 February
IBM announces a breakthrough in
quantum computing, demonstrating a
qubit microchip that can preserve its quantum states up to four times longer than previous designs.[150][151]
1 March – New research concludes that the Earth's oceans may be
growing more acidic at a faster rate than at any time in the past 300 million years.[155][156]
9 March – US researchers announce a breakthrough in treating
AIDS, using a cancer drug to attack HIV inside certain immune-system cells, which were previously difficult to reach with treatments.[170][171]
A diet high in
red meat can shorten
life expectancy by increasing the risk of death from cancer and heart problems, according to a study of more than 120,000 people by researchers at Harvard Medical School. Substituting red meat with fish, chicken or nuts lowered the risks, the study found.[173][174]
13 March
A California-based company has developed solar panels that are half the price of today's cheapest cells, and therefore cheap enough to challenge fossil fuels.[175]
Scientists have identified a potential drug that speeds up trash removal from the cell's recycling center, the
lysosome, one of the causes of
aging and degenerative diseases.[176][177]
15 March 2012: scientists send the first coherent message using
neutrinos (first recorded neutrino event pictured).
14 March
A fly species, kept in complete darkness for 57 years (1,400 generations), showed genetic alterations that occurred as a result of environmental conditions, offering clear evidence of
evolution.[178][179]
A pill which doubles the length of time that patients with advanced
skin cancer can survive has gone on sale in Britain for the first time.[180]
America's coastlines are even more vulnerable to sea level rise than previously thought, according to a pair of new studies. Up to 32% more real estate could be affected by a 1-meter rise in sea level, while the population exposed to rising water is 87% higher than previously estimated.[181][182][183]
A process to "unprint" toner ink from paper has been developed by engineers at the University of Cambridge, using short laser pulses to erase words and images.[184][185]
15 March – American scientists use a particle accelerator to send a coherent
neutrino message through 780 feet of rock. This marks the first use of neutrinos for communication, and future research may permit binary neutrino messages to be sent immense distances through even the densest materials, such as the Earth's core.[186][187]
Researchers have identified why a mutation in a particular gene can lead to
obesity.[191][192]
NEC has developed "organic radical battery" (ORB) technology with a thickness of just 0.3mm.[193]
19 March
Even if humankind manages to limit
global warming to 2 °C (36 °F), as the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change recommends, future generations will have to deal with
sea levels 12 to 22 meters (39 to 72 ft) higher than at present, according to research published in the journal Geology.[194][195]
Researchers at the RIKEN Advanced Science Institute (Japan) have developed a way to create full-color
holograms with the aid of surface plasmons.[196]
The amount of photovoltaic
solar panels installed in the US more than doubled from 2010 to 2011, according to a report by the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and GTM Research.[197]
Seagate claims it has paved the way for 3.5-inch hard drives with 60 TB capacities, after breaking the 1 TB/square inch density threshold.[198]
19 March 2012: researchers report that the number of
solar panels in the United States more than doubled between 2010 and 2011.
New analysis by MIT shows that there is enough room underground to safely store at least a century's worth of U.S.
fossil fuel emissions.[201][202]
24 March – Humans hunted Australia's giant vertebrates to extinction about
40,000 years ago, the latest research published in Science has concluded.[203][204]
25 March
Global temperatures could rise by 3.0 °C (37.4 °F) by 2050, a new computer simulation has suggested.[205][206]
"Solar tornadoes" several times as wide as the Earth have been observed in the Sun's atmosphere by the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly telescope on board NASA's
Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) satellite.[214]
Scientists have revealed the most detailed picture of the
Milky Way galaxy ever produced, with over a billion stars visible in a mosaic combined from thousands of individual images.[215][216]
New scanning technology has revealed that the human brain possesses an astonishingly simple 3D grid structure, with sheets of parallel neuronal fibers crossing one another at right angles.[217][218]
Deaths
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adding to it. (September 2023)
^Tzedakis, P. C.; et al. (9 January 2012). "Determining the natural length of the current interglacial". Nature Geoscience. 5 (2): 138–141.
Bibcode:
2012NatGe...5..138T.
doi:
10.1038/ngeo1358.
^Friedrich, T.; et al. (22 January 2012). "Detecting regional anthropogenic trends in ocean acidification against natural variability". Nature Climate Change. 2 (3). Springer Science and Business Media LLC: 167–171.
Bibcode:
2012NatCC...2..167F.
doi:
10.1038/nclimate1372.
ISSN1758-678X.
^Won, Byoung Yeon; Park, Hyun Gyu (26 October 2011). "A Touchscreen as a Biomolecule Detection Platform". Angewandte Chemie International Edition. 51 (3). Wiley: 748–751.
doi:
10.1002/anie.201105986.
ISSN1433-7851.
PMID22031359.
^Bittner, G.D.; et al. (3 February 2012). "Rapid, effective, and long-lasting behavioral recovery produced by microsutures, methylene blue, and polyethylene glycol after completely cutting rat sciatic nerves". Journal of Neuroscience Research. 90 (5). Wiley: 967–980.
doi:
10.1002/jnr.23023.
ISSN0360-4012.
PMID22302646.
S2CID14781154.
^Ksepka, Daniel T.; et al. (28 February 2012). "New fossil penguins (Aves, Sphenisciformes) from the Oligocene of New Zealand reveal the skeletal plan of stem penguins". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 32 (2). Informa UK Limited: 235–254.
Bibcode:
2012JVPal..32..235K.
doi:
10.1080/02724634.2012.652051.
ISSN0272-4634.
S2CID85887012.
^Miller, K. G.; et al. (19 March 2012). "High tide of the warm Pliocene: Implications of global sea level for Antarctic deglaciation". Geology. 40 (5). Geological Society of America: 407–410.
Bibcode:
2012Geo....40..407M.
doi:
10.1130/g32869.1.
ISSN0091-7613.
^Rowlands, Daniel J.; et al. (25 March 2012). "Broad range of 2050 warming from an observationally constrained large climate model ensemble". Nature Geoscience. 5 (4). Springer Science and Business Media LLC: 256–260.
Bibcode:
2012NatGe...5..256R.
doi:
10.1038/ngeo1430.
hdl:10871/9287.
ISSN1752-0894.
This article lists a number of significant events in
science that have occurred in the first quarter of
2012.
Events
January
1 January 2012:
NASA's twin
GRAIL satellites (artist's impression shown) begin studying the Moon's gravitational field.
1 January –
NASA's
GRAIL-B satellite successfully enters
lunar orbit, joining its twin spacecraft GRAIL-A. The two satellites will study the Moon's gravitational field, generating a detailed map of its fluctuations to help scientists understand how the Moon formed.[1]
3 January –
Genetically modified fast-ageing
mice exhibited improved health and lived two to three times longer than expected after being injected with
stem cells, according to findings published in Nature Communications.[4][5]
4 January
American scientists report that a
parasitic species of fly which compels
honey bees to abandon their hives may be responsible for a global
honey bee die-off that has decimated hives around the world. Honey bees are crucial
pollinators, and their rapidly diminishing population may have severe effects on human
agriculture.[6]
Scientists at
Cornell University use a specialised lens to entirely cloak an object from view for 40 trillionths of a second by altering the
speed of light.[10]
Classified documents are leaked detailing a range of advanced
non-lethal weapons proposed or in development by the
United States Armed Forces. Among the systems described are a
laser-based weapon designed to divert hostile aircraft, an underwater
sonic weapon for incapacitating
SCUBA divers and a heat-based weapon designed to compel crowds to disperse.[11]
American scientists report that they have bred the first-ever
monkeys grown from cells taken from different
embryos. Such "
chimeric" hybrids could give valuable insights into the development of human embryos.[13]
A team of American, French and Italian researchers demonstrate working
transistors made from
cotton fibers, doped with gold
nanoparticles and a conductive polymer. The invention could permit the creation of a range of electronic-fabric devices, including clothing capable of measuring pollutants, T-shirts that display dynamic information, and carpets that sense how many people are crossing them.[15]
6 January
The human brain's ability to function can start to deteriorate as early as
age 45, according to a study published in the British Medical Journal.[16]
Researchers in California develop a cheap plastic capable of removing large amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the air. The new material could enable the development of "artificial trees" that lower atmospheric concentrations of CO2 in an effort to lessen the
effects of climate change.[19]
Climate change, in the form of reduced snowfall in mountains, is having a major impact on mountainous plant and bird communities, through the increased ability of
elk to stay at high elevations over winter and consume plants, according to a study in Nature Climate Change.[21][22]
American astronomers discover three rocky
exoplanets smaller than Earth, the smallest such worlds yet found, orbiting a
red dwarf star 130
light-years from Earth.[26]
Researchers report the discovery of a natural
hormone that has a similar effect to
exercise on
muscle tissue – burning
calories, improving
insulin processing, and perhaps boosting strength.[27][28]
IBM researchers successfully store a single
bit of data in a group of just 12 supercooled
iron atoms; current commercial
hard disks require over 1 million atoms to store one bit of data. The breakthrough, which was achieved with the use of a
scanning tunnelling microscope, may permit the production of ultra-high-density computer
storage media in future.[32][33]
German scientists convert a gold sphere just 60 nanometres in diameter into an ultra-sensitive
listening device, potentially allowing the sounds of bacteria and other single-celled organisms to be recorded.[34][35]
15 January – Russia's
Fobos-GruntMartiansample return spacecraft, which became stranded in orbit after a post-launch malfunction in November 2011, re-enters Earth's atmosphere.[38]
18 January
Astronomers report the discovery of the most distant
dwarf galaxy yet found, approximately 10 billion light-years away.[39][40]
A British amateur astronomer discovers a new
Neptune-sized exoplanet, just days after the
BBC's Stargazing Live program makes a public appeal for volunteers to assist scientists in the search for potential exoplanets. Over 100,000 volunteers are reportedly taking part in the ongoing search.[41]
Austrian researchers develop a
quantum computer capable of performing calculations without revealing any of the data involved, using encoded strings of
photons designed to appear random. This method of "blind
quantum cryptography" may permit sensitive data to be processed and transferred without any danger of interception or decryption, leading to ultra-secure
cloud computing.[46][47]
NASA data shows that in 2011, temperatures in the Arctic rose beyond the record established in 2010 – setting a new record.[48]
20 January –
Virologists agree to a temporarily hiatus on experiments on the
H5N1influenza virus, due to fears that an airborne strain of the lethal virus could be used by
bioterrorists.[49][50]
22 January
American researchers report that
nanoparticles can be successfully engineered to mimic part of the body's
immune system, improving its response to vaccines.[51][52]
An international team of scientists concludes that anthropogenic
CO2 emissions over the last 100 to 200 years have already raised
ocean acidity far beyond the range of natural variations.[53][54]
South Korean scientists develop
touchscreens that can recognise the existence and concentration of
DNA molecules placed on them. The invention could allow the development of
smartphones with the ability to diagnose users' medical conditions.[55][56]
The Lancet reports that a human medical trial of
embryonic stem cells successfully eased a degenerative form of
blindness in two volunteers, and showed no signs of any adverse effects.[57][58]
A study in Japan finds that
green tea can significantly reduce disability in the elderly, likely due to its
antioxidant content.[67][68]
26 January – American researchers successfully "
cloak" a three-dimensional object, making it invisible from all angles, for the first time. However, the demonstration works only for waves in the
microwave region of the
electromagnetic spectrum.[69][70]
27 January 2012: the most detailed 3D image of the
Amazon rainforest yet produced is published.
27 January
An international team of scientists reports that
graphene, already widely known for its conductive properties, is also able to selectively filter gases and liquids. The material could thus potentially find use in industrial
distillation and water purification.[71][72][73]
A study published in the journal Carcinogenesis shows that in both cell lines and mouse models,
grape seed extract (GSE) kills head and neck cancer cells, while leaving healthy cells unharmed.[74][75]
Using an airborne
LIDAR system, scientists produce the most detailed 3D image of the
Amazon rainforest yet recorded, allowing the accurate measurement of the rainforest's ecosystem and rate of
deforestation.[76]
2012 BX34, an asteroid between 8 and 11 metres (26 and 36 ft) across, passes within 60,000 kilometres of the Earth, performing one of the closest asteroid flybys yet recorded.[77][78]
British animators develop a new
algorithmic method of creating highly realistic CGI trees, allowing films and video games to easily display realistic 3D foliage.[79][80]
A
United Nations report warns that time is running out to ensure there is enough food, water and energy for a rapidly rising
world population. By 2030, the world will need at least 50 percent more food, 45 percent more energy and 30 percent more water, according to estimates.[82]
The British
Royal Navy begins development of a new anti-missile defence system, the Sea Ceptor, capable of intercepting and destroying
supersonic missiles within an area of 500 square miles (1,300 km2). The system is likely to enter service by 2017.[83]
Ozone from anthropogenic
air pollution in North America leads to the annual loss of 1.2 million tonnes of
wheat in Europe alone, according to a study published by British universities.[86][87]
A NASA study reports that changes in
solar activity cannot be responsible for the current period of
global warming. The sun's total
solar irradiance has in recent years dipped to the lowest levels recorded during the satellite era.[88][89]
31 January 2012: American scientists demonstrate a method of decoding human thoughts by studying the
superior temporal gyrus (indicated).
31 January
American scientists successfully demonstrate a method of decoding thoughts by studying activity in the human brain's
superior temporal gyrus, which is involved in linguistic processing. Using this method, a device which reads and transmits the thoughts of brain-damaged patients could become a reality in the future.[92][93][94]
Poyang Lake, China's largest freshwater lake, has almost completely dried up due to a combination of severe
drought and the impact of the recently built
Three Gorges Dam.[96]
1 February – Researchers report that the eruption of
supervolcanoes could be predicted several decades before the event by detecting the seismic and chemical signs of a massive
magma buildup.[97][98]
2 February
The
European Commission issues a 225-million-
euro (US$330 million) contract to an Anglo-German consortium for eight additional satellites to expand Europe's
Galileo satellite navigation system.[99]
Astronomers report the discovery of a large
exoplanet orbiting within the
habitable zone of a star 22 light-years distant. This is the fourth potentially life-supporting exoplanet discovered since May 2011.[100]
Researchers reportedly create the world's thinnest pane of glass, a sheet of silicon and oxygen just three atoms wide. The glass formed in an accidental reaction when the scientists were synthesizing
graphene on
copper-covered
quartz.[101][102]
3 February
The
European Southern Observatory successfully activates its
Very Large Telescope (VLT) by linking four existing optical telescopes to operate as a single device. The linked VLT is the largest optical telescope yet built, with a combined mirror diameter of 130 metres (430 ft).[103]
American scientists demonstrate a medical procedure that may allow patients with
nerve damage to recover within weeks, rather than months or years. The procedure makes use of a cellular mechanism similar to that which repairs nerve
axons in
invertebrates.[106][107]
MIT researchers develop high-temperature
photonic crystals capable of efficiently converting heat to electricity, potentially allowing the creation of pocket-sized microreactors with ten times the efficiency and lifespan of current commercial batteries. As photonic crystals are already a relatively mature technology, the new invention could be commercialised in as little as two years.[108]
A Lancet study reports that global
malaria deaths may be badly underestimated, giving a revised 2010 malaria death toll of 1.24 million. By contrast, the
World Health Organization estimated that 655,000 people died of malaria in 2010.[109][110]
4 February – Dutch doctors successfully fit an 83-year-old woman with an artificial jaw made using a
3D printer. This operation, the first of its kind, could herald a new era of accurate, patient-tailored artificial transplants.[111]
4 February 2012: Dutch doctors successfully fit the first artificial jaw made with a
3D printer (ORDbot Quantum 3D printer pictured).
6 February
After nearly 20 years of intermittent drilling, Russian scientists reportedly break through to the surface of the subterranean
Lake Vostok, buried 2.5 miles (4.0 km) under the
Antarctic ice. The lake, which has not been uncovered for over 15 million years, may harbour a unique prehistoric ecosystem.[112][113]
Scientists report that rapid declines in some British and European
ladybird species are being caused by the spread of the invasive
harlequin species.[116][117]
The entire
genome of an extinct species of human – the 40,000-year-old
Denisova hominin – has been decoded from a fossil.[118]
8 February – NASA data reveals that the total land ice lost from
Greenland,
Antarctica and Earth's
glaciers and ice caps between 2003 and 2010 totalled about 4.3 trillion tons (1,000 cubic miles), adding about 0.5 inches (13 millimeters) to global sea levels. Such a quantity of ice would be sufficient to cover the entire United States to a depth of 1.5 feet (0.46 meters).[119]
A new UN report warns that 24 percent of global land area has declined in productivity over the past 25 years due to unsustainable land-use, and
soil erosion rates are about 100 times greater than nature can replenish.[124][125]
BAE Systems engineers unveil a
carbon-fiber-based
structural battery capable of being integrated into a device's framework, reducing weight while maintaining structural strength and power capacity.[127]
14 February – In a groundbreaking human trial, American scientists report that damaged heart tissue in
heart attack patients can be repaired with infusions of the patient's own stem cells. The treatment halved the amount of extant scar tissue within a year.[128][129]
15 February 2012:
Nevada becomes the first US state to release official regulations for the public testing of
autonomous cars (prototype autonomous
Audi pictured).
15 February –
Nevada becomes the first US state to allow the testing of
autonomous vehicles on US public roadways.[130]
16 February – The speed at which someone
walks may predict their likelihood of developing
dementia later in life, according to researchers in the US.[131][132]
20 February – Scientists report regenerating Silene stenophylla from 32,000-year-old remains. This surpasses the previous record of 2,000 years for the oldest material used to regenerate a plant.[133][134]
22 February
Scientists have extended the life of male mice by 15%, using an enzyme called SIRT6.[135][136]
Engineers at Stanford University reveal a wirelessly powered, self-propelled medical device that can travel through the bloodstream to deliver drugs, perform diagnostics or microsurgeries.[137][138]
Researchers show that
sirtuin, a class of proteins, is directly linked to longevity in mammals.[141][142]
24 February – British-Italian researchers demonstrate a giant 3D printer capable of constructing a full-sized house in a single 24-hour session. The machine, which uses
sand and a chemical binder as its working material, prints structures from the ground up, including stairs, partition walls and even piping cavities.[143]
26 February
Researchers publish the first images of the charge distribution in a single molecule, precisely showing the motion of
electrons. The observed distribution apparently corresponds closely with predictive models.[144][145]
It may be possible to one day create an "unlimited" supply of
human eggs to aid
fertility treatment, US doctors say.[146][147]
27 February
The remains of two new species of prehistoric
penguin are discovered – Kairuku grebneffi and Kairuku waitaki. Standing nearly 5 feet (1.5 m) tall, Kairuku grebneffi is the largest penguin ever discovered.[148][149]
28 February
IBM announces a breakthrough in
quantum computing, demonstrating a
qubit microchip that can preserve its quantum states up to four times longer than previous designs.[150][151]
1 March – New research concludes that the Earth's oceans may be
growing more acidic at a faster rate than at any time in the past 300 million years.[155][156]
9 March – US researchers announce a breakthrough in treating
AIDS, using a cancer drug to attack HIV inside certain immune-system cells, which were previously difficult to reach with treatments.[170][171]
A diet high in
red meat can shorten
life expectancy by increasing the risk of death from cancer and heart problems, according to a study of more than 120,000 people by researchers at Harvard Medical School. Substituting red meat with fish, chicken or nuts lowered the risks, the study found.[173][174]
13 March
A California-based company has developed solar panels that are half the price of today's cheapest cells, and therefore cheap enough to challenge fossil fuels.[175]
Scientists have identified a potential drug that speeds up trash removal from the cell's recycling center, the
lysosome, one of the causes of
aging and degenerative diseases.[176][177]
15 March 2012: scientists send the first coherent message using
neutrinos (first recorded neutrino event pictured).
14 March
A fly species, kept in complete darkness for 57 years (1,400 generations), showed genetic alterations that occurred as a result of environmental conditions, offering clear evidence of
evolution.[178][179]
A pill which doubles the length of time that patients with advanced
skin cancer can survive has gone on sale in Britain for the first time.[180]
America's coastlines are even more vulnerable to sea level rise than previously thought, according to a pair of new studies. Up to 32% more real estate could be affected by a 1-meter rise in sea level, while the population exposed to rising water is 87% higher than previously estimated.[181][182][183]
A process to "unprint" toner ink from paper has been developed by engineers at the University of Cambridge, using short laser pulses to erase words and images.[184][185]
15 March – American scientists use a particle accelerator to send a coherent
neutrino message through 780 feet of rock. This marks the first use of neutrinos for communication, and future research may permit binary neutrino messages to be sent immense distances through even the densest materials, such as the Earth's core.[186][187]
Researchers have identified why a mutation in a particular gene can lead to
obesity.[191][192]
NEC has developed "organic radical battery" (ORB) technology with a thickness of just 0.3mm.[193]
19 March
Even if humankind manages to limit
global warming to 2 °C (36 °F), as the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change recommends, future generations will have to deal with
sea levels 12 to 22 meters (39 to 72 ft) higher than at present, according to research published in the journal Geology.[194][195]
Researchers at the RIKEN Advanced Science Institute (Japan) have developed a way to create full-color
holograms with the aid of surface plasmons.[196]
The amount of photovoltaic
solar panels installed in the US more than doubled from 2010 to 2011, according to a report by the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and GTM Research.[197]
Seagate claims it has paved the way for 3.5-inch hard drives with 60 TB capacities, after breaking the 1 TB/square inch density threshold.[198]
19 March 2012: researchers report that the number of
solar panels in the United States more than doubled between 2010 and 2011.
New analysis by MIT shows that there is enough room underground to safely store at least a century's worth of U.S.
fossil fuel emissions.[201][202]
24 March – Humans hunted Australia's giant vertebrates to extinction about
40,000 years ago, the latest research published in Science has concluded.[203][204]
25 March
Global temperatures could rise by 3.0 °C (37.4 °F) by 2050, a new computer simulation has suggested.[205][206]
"Solar tornadoes" several times as wide as the Earth have been observed in the Sun's atmosphere by the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly telescope on board NASA's
Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) satellite.[214]
Scientists have revealed the most detailed picture of the
Milky Way galaxy ever produced, with over a billion stars visible in a mosaic combined from thousands of individual images.[215][216]
New scanning technology has revealed that the human brain possesses an astonishingly simple 3D grid structure, with sheets of parallel neuronal fibers crossing one another at right angles.[217][218]
Deaths
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