Science offered us a rich spectacle in 2024. Here are just a few scenes: a total solar eclipse that could be watched by millions of people, an ancient citadel swallowed by the jungle discovered by chance, and new hopes for the nearly extinct northern white rhinoceros.
Here are some details about the main reasons for joy that science brought us in the recently ended year, according to BBC:
- Rockets become reusable and can be "caught with wooden sticks"
In October 2024, Elon Musk's rocket named "Starship" achieved a world first. Instead of falling into the sea, the vehicle's lower booster returned to the launch tower, where it was caught by a giant pair of mechanical arms, called "sticks." This is a significant step for SpaceX on the path to developing a fully reusable rocket. This reusable rocket would, in turn, be a milestone victory in the attempt to reach the Moon and perhaps even Mars more affordably and quickly.
- Mapping the fruit fly brain
Flies can fly, hover, and even sing love songs to attract mates. But only in October 2024, researchers studying the brains of fruit flies mapped the position, shape, position of the 130,000 brain cells, as well as the 50 million connections between them. This was the most detailed analysis of an adult animal's brain ever conducted and, according to a brain specialist, this discovery would represent a "huge leap" in understanding our own brains.
- The lost Maya city found by chance
Imagine searching for something on Google. Click after click. And when you reach page 16, you see a result that astonishes you, and you exclaim: "Wait a minute! Could this be a lost Maya city?" That's what happened to Luke Auld-Thomas, a doctoral student at Tulane University in the USA, who was reading a study conducted by a Mexican environmental monitoring organization. When he processed the data using archaeological methods, he discovered what others had not seen; a huge ancient city, where up to 50,000 people lived, during the period 750-850 AD.
- First rhinoceros pregnancy through IVF
The northern white rhinoceros was nearly extinct on Earth. There are only 2 live specimens remaining. The hope of being able to show such a magnificent animal to our children or grandchildren had almost faded. But it was reignited powerfully in 2024 when researchers succeeded in achieving the first pregnancy through IVF procedures in this species. Specifically, they transferred a specimen created in the laboratory into a surrogate mother. Perhaps, after all, the northern white rhinoceros will not be added to the thousands of species we have definitively lost in recent decades.
- Conservation has slowed biodiversity loss
A ten-year study showed that conservation measures are effective in reducing global biodiversity loss. Researchers reviewed 665 studies of conservation measures from various countries and oceans, finding that they had positive effects in two out of three cases. We have reasons to continue, now that we know we are on the right track.
- Solar eclipses that amazed millions of people
Tens of millions of people from Mexico, the USA, and Canada witnessed a total solar eclipse. It is a phenomenon in which the Moon comes between the Earth and the Sun, completely blocking the latter's light. It is not unprecedented, but it happens rarely, so the spectacle is exceptional. And it happened in 2024.
- New life from the beloved Sycamore Gap tree trunk
In 2016, the title of Tree of the Year in the UK was won by a sycamore tree called Sycamore Gap. The tree was 150 years old and became famous for appearing in a scene from a successful adaptation of the Robin Hood story. It was visited annually by tourists and greatly loved by locals. It collapsed in September 2023 on a stormy day. But - British police said at the time - it wasn't the wind that felled the tree. It was an act of vandalism.
For the locals, it was a serious cause for upset. Just as a great joy was that, in 2024, from the branches and seeds saved from Sycamore Gap, 2 shoots grew. Which could grow and become, in turn, 2 equally beautiful trees.