The world of science is an exciting and thrilling universe constantly filled with surprises. And the year 2022 was definitely a spectacular time for science worldwide.
Plenty of scientific discoveries made the headlines in 2022 — showcasing the intelligence of many significant scientific minds. In fact, here’s a list of some of the best and hottest discoveries last year that are definitely worth talking about!
9. 30,000-Year-Old Baby Mammoth Found In Perfect Condition
The first scientific discovery on this list is a preserved baby woolly mammoth discovered by Travis Mudry, a Canadian miner, while he was working in the Klondike gold fields in the Yukon territory.
The scientific discovery came as wonderful news to experts, who especially praised the near-perfect state of the woolly mammoth — which dates back to as early as 30,000 years ago, claiming it to be “one of the most incredible mummified Ice Age animals” that has ever been uncovered.
Named by scientists as ‘Nun cho ga’ (meaning “big baby animal”), the scientific discovery was a huge step forward for researchers looking into the behaviors of animals that existed in the ancient world.
8. NASA’s James Webb Telescope Takes New Photos Of The Universe
The new photos of the vast horizons of space taken in 2022 by the James Webb Telescope of NASA are another thrilling milestone of space exploration.
The Webb telescope was able to capture very detailed high-resolution pictures of an area in the Eagle Nebula — a location estimated to be around 6,500 light years away from Earth.
The result of this adventure is a stunning image of what seems to be mighty golden pillars of cosmic dust, which have since been identified as a location in space where new stars are being formed.
Unsurprisingly, the scientific discovery has been dubbed the ‘Pillars of Creation’ and has been recognized as an iconic step forward in learning more about the massive void of space that surrounds our planet.
7. Discovery Of Oldest DNA In Greenland
In Greenland, researchers made a massive scientific discovery by tracing down the oldest DNA ever recorded in history. Tracing back to as long as 2 million years ago, the huge scientific find has given researchers more clues about how the ecosystem behaved in the region back then.
The scientific discovery has allowed experts to paint a clearer picture of the environment where the DNA was located. Contrary to the icy landscape of Greenland nowadays, the 2-million-year-old DNA showed signs of ancient Greenland being a warm and green habitat.
Some other scientific discoveries that were concluded from the presence of ancient DNA also include prehistoric plant life and extinct creatures such as the mastodon.
6. Caterpillar Saliva Can Dissolve Plastic
A huge scientific discovery in October 2022 has led experts to believe that a potential solution to the world’s growing pollution problem is possibly near.
Experts from Europe have apparently discovered that the saliva of a specific caterpillar species can actually break down polyethylene — one of the most common components in plastic all over the world.
The saliva of wax moth caterpillars has been constantly monitored and is found to be an efficient way of breaking down one of the most common plastic types in the world today.
As more studies are conducted in the future, the scientific discovery is already a huge first step in the fight against plastic pollution.
5. Invention Of The Fastest Supercomputer
The invention of the world’s fastest supercomputer to date was completed in the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, found in the state of Tennessee. Nicknamed the Frontier, the impressive machine is a huge scientific discovery in the booming tech industry.
The record-breaking supercomputer was estimated to accomplish more than 1 quintillion processes in a single second — you heard that right!
The exascale computer is predicted to help scientists and researchers with computing large chunks of data at lightning speed.
4. World’s First Nasal COVID-19 Vaccine
The Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis announced a major scientific discovery.
The institution, in partnership with Bharat Biotech from India, developed the world’s first nasal COVID-19 vaccine — making vaccines for one of the world’s most significant viral outbreaks much more accessible to people worldwide.
The COVID-19 nasal vaccine is said to be more effective in preventing the spread of the virus compared to injected vaccines.
Currently, the nasal vaccine is on its way to becoming commercially available in many more countries globally.
3. Accomplishments In Nuclear Fusion Tech Research
Major progress in nuclear fusion research was accomplished at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California.
The big scientific discovery was topped off with the institution achieving fusion ignition. The milestone is said to be the first-ever fusion reaction that is fully controlled.
This means that more options for cleaner energy production are made possible with this huge scientific discovery.
Since fusion ignition is now achievable, clean power can be used in many functions, such as electricity and other operations that might contribute to climate change.
2. Reviving Dead Pig’s Organs
A surprising scientific discovery that made the headlines in 2022 was when researchers were able to revive the organs of a dead pig. Based at Yale University in Connecticut, the experts experimented on a pig that was pronounced dead for at least an hour.
After infusing the pig’s body with fluids, some of the dead pig’s organs showed small signs of activity — with some tests showing the organs’ cells being repaired.
The researchers who experimented on the dead pig used a machine called OrganEx to pump nutrients into the corpse.
The feat is a massive scientific discovery that opens the doors to many other possibilities in the future for human organ transplants and other delicate medical procedures.
1. Human Genome Sequence Completed
One of the most memorable scientific discoveries of 2022 is when the human genome was fully and completely sequenced. 92% of the human genome was actually traced in 2003 by the Human Genome Project.
Now, almost two decades later, the remaining 8% of the human genome sequence was finally completed by T2T, a group led by researchers from various universities and institutions in the United States.
Just A Glimpse Of The Many Discoveries
These are just some of the many other huge scientific discoveries in 2022. As the scientific world becomes more advanced, there are bound to be many more scientific discoveries that will continue to surprise and amaze us.
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This article was produced by TPR Teaching.
Caitriona Maria is an education writer and founder of TPR Teaching, crafting inspiring pieces that promote the importance of developing new skills. For 7 years, she has been committed to providing students with the best learning opportunities possible, both domestically and abroad. Dedicated to unlocking students' potential, Caitriona has taught English in several countries and continues to explore new cultures through her travels.