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2022 in science

The following scientific events occurred in 2022.

Events

January

February

March

April

  • 14 April
  • GNz7q, a distant starburst galaxy, is reported as being a "missing link" between supermassive black holes and the evolution of quasars.
  • A study describes the impact of climate change on the survival of cacti. It finds that 60% of species will experience a reduction in favourable climate by 2050–2070, with epiphytes having the greatest exposure to increased warming.
  • A preprint demonstrates how backdoors can be placed undetectably into classifying (e.g. posts as "spam" or well-visible "not spam") machine learning models which are often developed and/or trained by third parties. Parties can change the classification of any input, including in cases with types of data/software transparency, possibly including white-box access.

May

  • 11 May
  • A logic gate for computation at femtosecond timescales is demonstrated.
  • A study shows that infusing the nourishing cerebrospinal fluid from around brain cells of young mice into aged brains rejuvenates aspects of the brain, identifying FGF17 as a key target for potential therapeutics such as of anti-aging.
  • Scientists close a missing link in the potential origin of life from a RNA world – synergistic formation of peptides and ever-longer RNAs or peptide-decorated RNA, leading to a protein world.
  • A study suggests that in children at age 8–12 during two years, time gaming or watching digital videos can be positively correlated with measures intelligence, albeit correlations with overall screen time (including social media, socializing and TV) were not investigated and 'time gaming' did not differentiate between categories of video games (e.g. shares of games' platform and genre).
  • 12 May
  • Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy, is imaged for the first time by the Event Horizon Telescope team.
  • Researchers report that lunar soil has been used to grow plants for the first time.
  • Researchers identify the 425 biggest fossil fuel extraction projects globally, of which 40% as of 2020 are new projects that haven't yet started extraction. They conclude that "defusing" these "carbon bombs" – worked on by only "few actors" to date – would be necessary for climate change mitigation of global climate goals. On 17 May, a separate study finds that "staying within a 1.5 °C carbon budget (50% probability) implies leaving almost 40% of 'developed reserves' of fossil fuels unextracted". On 26 May, a study calculates climate policies-induced future lost financial profits from global stranded fossil-fuel assets.
  • 17 May
  • Isotopically pure silicon-28 nanowires are shown to conduct heat 150% better than regular silicon, with potential for improved cooling of computer chips.
  • A review concludes that, like in 2015, pollution ( from air pollution) was responsible for 9 million premature deaths in 2019 (one in six deaths). It concludes that little real progress against pollution can be identified and outlines needs for attention and action such as a "formal science–policy interface".
  • A trial shows that Urolithin A can improve muscle strength, exercise performance, and biomarkers of mitochondrial health.
  • 18 May
  • NASA reports that the Voyager 1 spacecraft, the farthest human-made object, is sending data that does not reflect what is happening on board with the antenna apparently remaining in its prescribed orientation to Earth. On 17 June, it was reported that NASA is preparing to power down the two Voyager spacecraft in the hope of using the remaining power to extend their operation to about 2030.
  • A study shows how a Twin-world models cosmological model – already extensively studied to find out why gravity appears much weaker than other known forces – could explain the Hubble constant (H<sub>0</sub>) tension via interactions between the two worlds. The "mirror world" would contain copies of all existing fundamental particles. On 2 May, another twin/pair-world or "bi-worlds" cosmology is shown to theoretically be able to solve the cosmological constant (Λ) problem, closely related to dark energy: two interacting worlds with a large Λ each resulting in a small shared effective Λ. Previous similar models e.g. attempt to explain the baryon asymmetry – why there was more matter than antimatter at the beginning – with a mirror anti-universe.
  • 19 May
  • Scientists report that RNA was found to be formed spontaneously on prebiotic basalt lava glass which is presumed to have been abundantly available on the early Earth.
  • The yellow-billed hornbill of southern Africa, famous for its role in Disney's The Lion King, is reported to be at risk of extinction due to rising temperatures in the region.
  • Boeing starts the one-week second uncrewed test flight of its Starliner space capsule in advance of its first crewed test flight later in 2022.
  • A study estimates losses of 61 metals to help the development of circular economy strategies, showing that usespans of, often scarce, tech-critical metals are short.
  • 20 May &ndash; Global warming is projected to substantially erode sleep worldwide.
  • 21 May
  • The WHO informs about the international 2022 monkeypox outbreak in non-endemic countries – an unprecedented number of cases detected outside of Africa after the first of these cases was detected on 6 May. On 24 May, the WHO states that the outbreak can be contained. The main method used for the early containment is 'ring vaccination' – vaccinating close contacts of positive cases via existing vaccines.
  • 23 May
  • Researchers report that CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing has been used to boost vitamin D in tomatoes.
  • A study shows why decarbonization must be accompanied by strategies to reduce the levels of short-lived climate pollutants with near-term effects for climate goals.
  • 24 May
  • Scientists report the first 3D-printed lab-grown wood. It is unclear if it could ever be used on a commercial scale (e.g. with sufficient production efficiency and quality).
  • A CDC study based on electronic health records shows that "one in five COVID-19 survivors aged 18–64 years and one in four survivors aged ≥65 years experienced at least one incident condition that might be attributable to previous COVID-19" or long COVID. On 18 May, an analysis of private healthcare claims shows that of 78,252 patients diagnosed with 'long COVID', 75.8% had not been hospitalized for COVID-19.
  • 25 May &ndash; The world's smallest remote-controlled walking robot, measuring just half a millimetre wide, is demonstrated. Potential applications include the clearing of blocked arteries.
  • 26 May &ndash; A climate change study reveals that storms in the Southern Hemisphere have already reached intensity levels previously predicted to occur only in the year 2080.

June

July

  • 1 July
  • Scientists show why climate benefits from nature restoration are "dwarfed by the scale of ongoing fossil fuel emissions".
  • A new CRISPR gene editing/repair tool alternative to fully active Cas9 is reported – Cas9-derived nickases mediated homologous chromosome-templated repair, applicable to organisms whose matching chromosome has the desired gene/s, which to be more effective than Cas9 and cause fewer off-target edits.
  • 4 July &ndash; Scientists report that heatwaves in western Europe are increasing "three-to-four times faster compared to the rest of over the past 42 years" and that can explain their increase.
  • 5 July &ndash; The Large Hadron Collider commences its Run 3 physics season. The LHCb collaboration observes three never-before-seen particles: a new kind of "pentaquark" and the first-ever pair of "tetraquarks", which includes a new type of tetraquark.
  • 6 July &ndash; A study suggests that the marginal effectiveness of a fourth COVID-19 vaccine dose (a second "booster") versus three doses can be 40% (24% to 52%) against severe disease outcomes. There is no scientific consensus about the efficacy and overall recommendabilities of a fourth dose. The CDC recommended such in March only for "certain immunocompromised individuals and people over the age of 50".
  • 18 July
  • A survey of more than 3,000 experts finds that the extinction crisis could be worse than previously thought, and estimates that roughly 30% of species "have been globally threatened or driven extinct since the year 1500."
  • The first "dormant" black hole (meaning it does not emit high levels of X-ray radiation) is identified outside the Milky Way. The object, with nine solar masses, orbits a rare O-type star in a system called VFTS 243 within the Large Magellanic Cloud.
  • A study shows that climate change-related exceptional marine heatwaves in the Mediterranean Sea during 2015–2019 resulted in widespread mass sealife die-offs in five consecutive years.
  • 20 July &ndash; Scientists report that SARS-CoV-2 builds tunneling nanotubes from nose cells to gain access to the brain.
  • 21 July
  • A potential gene therapy cure for haemophilia B, which corrects the genetic defect associated with the condition is announced with trial results by doctors. It caused a sustained increase in factor IX activity in 9 of 10 patients in the small trial.
  • Sunspot AR3060 explodes early in the morning. It releases a C-5 class solar flare, and a "solar tsunami". The NOAA predicts that a geomagnetic storm from this event will strike the Earth on 23 July, between 0000 UTC and 0400 UTC, as a G2 class storm, with a slight chance of a G3 storm. Aurorae could be visible as far south as 50° N latitude.
  • Researchers report the development of deep learning software that can design proteins that contain prespecified functional sites.
  • 23 July &ndash; The World Health Organization (WHO) declares the recent monkeypox outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, as the number of reported cases worldwide exceeds 17,000. In July, scientists reported that the window to be able to contain the outbreak is closing or has closed. On 5 July, a preprint indicates there can be asymptomatic infections. On 27 July, an analysis of studies by a journalist indicates that "about 10-to-15% of cases have been hospitalized, mostly for pain and bacterial infections that can occur as a result of monkeypox lesions". Studies published in August indicated hospitalizations of small cohorts of early patients were 8% and 13%.
  • 25 July
  • Researchers introduce and demonstrate it by repurposing dead spiders as robotic grippers by activating their gripping arms via applying pressurized air.
  • Researchers review the scientific literature on 100% renewable energy, addressing various issues, outlining open research questions, and concluding there to be growing consensus, research and empirical evidence concerning its feasibility worldwide.
  • 26 July &ndash; Scientists analyse 2.8 million of the sequenced SARS-CoV-2 genomes and use the results to compile a 'mutations blacklist' of virus weak spots, and a 'whitelist' of mutations that would make it more transmissible.
  • 27 July &ndash; Progress towards a pan coronavirus vaccine is announced, following tests on mice. Antibodies targeting the S2 subunit of SARS-CoV-2's spike protein are found to neutralise multiple coronavirus variants.
  • 28 July
  • DeepMind announces that its AlphaFold program has uncovered the structures of more than 200 million folded proteins, essentially all of those known to science.
  • Researchers report the development of a wearable bioadhesive stretchable high-resolution ultrasound imaging patch for days-long continuous imaging of diverse organs which may enable novel diagnostic and monitoring tools.
  • First reported discovery of an animal helping algae reproduce after pollination in the sea was first reported in 2016.
  • Researchers report the development of nanoscale brain-inspired artificial synapses, using the ion proton (), for 'analog deep learning'.
  • Scientists report the discovery of chemical reactions by potential primordial soup components that produced amino acids and may be part of the origin of life on Earth.
  • 29 July
  • In a preprint, scientists from the Galileo Project describe a planned expedition to retrieve small fragments of interstellar meteor CNEOS 2014-01-08, which "appears to be rare both in composition and in speed" and is not ruled out to be "extraterrestrial equipment", using a magnetic sled on the seafloor of the impact region.
  • A study, that reanalyzes data used in a study by DeSilva et al. (2021), indicates that human brain size did not decrease over the last three thousand years as suggested by this study nor within 300 ka as suggested by other studies. It concludes that "the samples need to be specific enough to test the hypothesis across different times and populations".

August

  • 11 August &ndash; A bioengineered cornea made from pig's skin is shown to restore vision to blind people. It can be mass-produced and stored for up to two years, unlike donated human corneas that are scarce and must be used within two weeks.
  • 12 August — The National Centers for Environmental Information publish , where they state an all-time record cold temperature occurred in Australia during the month. On October 7, 2022, Zack Labe, a climate scientist for the NOAA GFDL releases a statement and a climate report from Berkeley Earth denying the all-time record cold temperature occurred saying, "There are still no areas of record cold so far in 2022." Labe's statement also denies the record cold temperatures in Brazil, reported by the National Institute of Meteorology in May 2022, a month before the official start of winter, was also not record cold temperatures.
  • 13 August &ndash; Rocket Lab describes its self-funded plans in detail, first announced in early 2020, to send a probe to Venus, likely in 2023, to search for life in the planet's cloud layer, where other scientists reported the potential detection of biosignature-levels of phosphine .
  • ~14 August &ndash; As record-breaking heatwaves and droughts affect water supplies, rivers (along with shipping and nuclear reactor cooling), ecosystems, various global supply chains, health, and agriculture worldwide, in Europe, Spain domestically restricts e.g. air conditioning to defined temperature ranges, in the U.S., entities are required to provide plans to reduce their water usage, and China experiences large blackouts and experiments with cloud seeding among other measures, despite experts stating it would be "marginally effective" and possibly exacerbate problems. Several journalists of online newspapers have put these extreme weather events into the context of climate change adaptation (alongside highlighting of the importance of climate change mitigation).
  • 15 August &ndash; A study on the food impacts of a nuclear war is published. It finds that even a small-scale conflict between India and Pakistan would decrease global average caloric production by 7%, while a full-scale U.S.-Russia nuclear conflict would result in a 90% loss, killing more than 5 billion people worldwide.

September

  • 15 September
  • A geoengineering plan to refreeze the North and South Poles by spraying sulphur dioxide into the atmosphere, using a fleet of 125 military air-to-air refuelling tankers, is proposed by scientists.
  • A study shows the microbiome, on the level of strains, co-diversified in parallel to phylogenies (heritability from ancestry). The findings may be of relevance to microbiome interventions (such as probiotics) and for adjusting therapies to populations.
  • The second largest cryptocurrency, Ethereum, switches from the proof-of-work (electricity consumption for validation) to the proof-of-stake (staked holdings for validation) algorithm, which cuts its large respective electricity consumption.
  • Researchers describe a way by which the aging of select immune system T cells can be prevented or is slowed down, with relevance to life extension and making vaccines more durable.

October

November

December

Awards

Deaths

See also

References

External links