Blinded by science: Headlines of 2016
There was no shortage of science headlines throughout 2016. Researchers made experimental plasma for nuclear fusion, detected gravitational waves and found substances to fight hardened germs, among other things.
Push for plasma power
Early on this year, chancellor Angela Merkel pressed the button to start up the Wendelstein 7-X device. A small amount of hydrogen was injected into the device that was then heated up by microwave into a plasma of between 10 and 100 million degrees Celsius. The creation and manipulation of plasmas would be a step on the road to harnessing nuclear fusion as a safe and clean source of energy.
Not at all cool
There was no nuclear fusion this time around. The goal was instead to put test out the institute's "stellerator." Such devices are used to hold superheated plasmas, and manipulate them using magnetic fields. In December, scientists reported that they had been successful in doing so to a high level of precision.
Particularly good with numbers
Also up-and-running earlier this year was a high performance computer center at the Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research in Darmstadt. It's job will be to churn over all the data produced that the new particle accelerator FAIR will produce in years to come.
A moment of some gravity
There was a sensational success for the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory in February, when its scientists recorded a chirping sound - the sound of gravitational waves. Such ripples in the fabric of space-time were predicted by Albert Einstein a century ago. It was only the second time they had ever been heard.
Winging its way home
On July 26th, the solar airplane Solar Impulse II ended its journey of more than a year, reaching Abu Dhabi. The plane took off from there in March the previous year, flying around the globe in an eastern direction. The flight wasn't without problems, solar-charged batteries had to be completely replaced during the plane's crossing of the Pacific.
Setback for the Tesla
A fatal accident involving a Tesla car in Florida in May overshadowed the rapid advance of autonomous and semiautonomous vehicles. The deceased "driver" had apparently put his car into autopilot mode and was watching a Harry Potter movie. The car's systems had failed to spot a large white 18-wheel truck crossing the highway.
The Olympic challenge of Zika
The Olympic games in Brazil appeared to be under threat with the spread of the Zika virus, which is linked with microcephaly, a syndrome that leads to an underdeveloped cranium in newborns. The virus is transmitted by mosquito and expanded across the tropics with unexpected speed. The World Health Organization called a global emergency and, by November, things appeared to be calming down.
An agent to fight superbugs?
Tübingen researchers announced in July that they had isolated an active substance called lugdunin from bacteria that normally settle in the nose. The chemical appears to stop disease-causing bacteria from growing there. It's though that lugdunin might even be of use against the hospital superbug MRSA.
Smart little devil
Australian researchers looked closely at the milk produced by Tasmanian devil mothers and discovered highly effective proteins that also act against multi-resistant bacteria. Marsupials need such defenses because their babies grow in pouches that are often full of bacteria. Might it also be of use to humans?
A ghost under threat?
It was in March, when researchers discovered this small octopus off the coast of Hawaii. They christened him Casper - after the ghost cartoon character. By December, marine biologists had found out more. The octopod lays its eggs on mineral nodules on the deep sea floor. Too bad, then, that manganese and other substances present in the nodules are becoming increasingly important for industry.
Molecules to stop bovine burping
Cows burp out methane gas, and it's become common knowledge that this is one of the most substantial contributors to global warming. One molecule - 3-nitrooxypropanol - can help curb that, according to scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology. The substance prevents a buildup of methane in cows' stomachs and also improves the uptake of nutrients.
Fine tuning of feathers
This falcon, who goes by the name Socrates, was allowed to prove his skills in a wind tunnel at the University of the German Federal Armed Forces in Munich. High-speed cameras filmed his movements, and researchers scrutinized the images. It's probably a long way off, but might our aircraft one day fly with feathered wings?
Eating themselves alive
The 2016 Nobel Prize in Medicine was awarded for the discovery of an important self-healing mechanism in our cells. Without autophagy - "self-eating" - cells could not renew themselves. Yoshinori Ohsumi, from Japan, discovered the mechanism.
Bagels and the quantum world?
Three theoretical physicists share this year's Nobel Prize. They investigated strange phenomena that occur in the atomic world and which may make quantum computing possible one day. The concepts involved are quite abstract, and are concerned with how many holes objects have. Or something like that. We're not entirely sure.
A nice little runaround
Even if you're a fan of small cars, this may be going too far. The scientists Jean-Pierre Sauvage, Fraser Stoddart and Bernard Feringa have made possible nanocars that operate on a molecular level. They can use light as fuel. The three received the Nobel Prize for Chemistry for their efforts.