# 2016: a year in review in science

As another year comes around, and our solstice plans come to a head I want to review this year's great progress in science to follow on from [last year's great review](/lw/n2m/this_years_biggest_scientific_achievements/).

The general criteria is: World changing science, not politics.  That means a lot of space discoveries, a lot of technology, some groundbreaking biology, and sometimes new chemical materials.  There really are too many to list briefly.

With that in mind, below is the list:

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_Things that spring to mind when you ask people:_  

*   T3d printing organs and skin tissue [http://www.bbc.com/news/health-35581454](http://www.bbc.com/news/health-35581454)
*   Baby born with 3 parents. [link](https://www.newscientist.com/article/2107219-exclusive-worlds-first-baby-born-with-new-3-parent-technique/)
*   AlphaGo VS Lee Sedol
*   Cryopreservation of a rabbit brain - [Link](http://www.kurzweilai.net/new-cryopreservation-procedure-wins-brain-preservation-prize)
*   Majorana fermions discovered (possibly quantum computing applications)
*   SpaceX landed Falcon 9 at sea - [Link](http://edition.cnn.com/2016/04/08/tech/spacex-historic-rocket-landing-irpt/index.html)
*   Gravitational waves deteced by LIGO
*   Quantum logic gate with 99% accuracy at Oxford
*   [TensorFlow](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TensorFlow) has been out just over a year now.  An open source neural net project.

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From: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016\_in\_science](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_in_science)

_Note: the whole thing is worth reading - I cherry picked a few really cool ones._  

*   Astronomers identify IDCS 1426 as the most distant massive galaxy cluster yet discovered, at 10 billion light years from Earth.[\[4\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_in_science#cite_note-MIT-20160107-4)
*   Mathematicians, as part of the [Great Internet Mersenne Prime Search](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Internet_Mersenne_Prime_Search "Great Internet Mersenne Prime Search"), report the discovery of a new prime number: "274,207,281 − 1"
*   The world's first 13 TB solid state drive (SSD) is announced, doubling the previous record for a commercially available SSD. [link](http://www.pcworld.com/article/3021886/hardware/the-worlds-first-13tb-ssd-is-here.html)
*   A successful head transplant on a monkey by scientists in China is reported.
*   The University of New South Wales announces that it will begin human trials of the Phoenix99, a fully implantable bionic eye. [Link](http://www.sciencealert.com/australian-scientists-to-begin-trialling-fully-implantable-bionic-eye)
*   Scientists in the United Kingdom are given the go-ahead by regulators to genetically modify human embryos by using CRISPR-Cas9 and related techniques. [Link](http://www.bbc.com/news/health-35459054)
*   Scientists announce Breakthrough Starshot, a Breakthrough Initiatives program, to develop a proof-of-concept fleet of small centimeter-sized light sail spacecraft, named _[StarChip](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/StarChip_(spacecraft) "StarChip (spacecraft)")_, capable of making the journey to Alpha Centauri, the nearest extrasolar star system, at speeds of 20% and 15% of the speed of light, taking between 20 and 30 years to reach the star system, respectively, and about 4 years to notify Earth of a successful arrival. [Link](http://www.centauri-dreams.org/?p=35402)
*   A new paper in _Astrobiology_ suggests there could be a way to simplify the [Drake equation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drake_equation "Drake equation"), based on observations of exoplanets discovered in the last two decades. [link](https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/04/160428095339.htm)
*   A detailed report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine finds no risk to human health from genetic modifications of food. [Link](https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/05/160517131632.htm)
*   Researchers from Queensland's Department of Environment and Heritage Protection, and the University of Queensland jointly report that the Bramble Cay melomys is likely extinct, adding: "Significantly, this probably represents the first recorded mammalian extinction due to anthropogenic climate change." [Link](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/jun/14/first-case-emerges-of-mammal-species-wiped-out-by-human-induced-climate-change)
*   Scientists announce detecting a second gravitational wave event (GW151226) resulting from the collision of black holes.  [ Link](http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/16/science/ligo-gravitational-waves-einstein.html)
*   The first known death caused by a self-driving car is disclosed by Tesla Motors. [Link](https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/jun/30/tesla-autopilot-death-self-driving-car-elon-musk)
*   A team at the University of Oxford achieves a quantum logic gate with record-breaking 99.9% precision, reaching the benchmark required to build a quantum computer. [Link](http://journals.aps.org/prl/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevLett.117.060504)
*   The world's first baby born through a controversial new "three parent" technique is reported. [Link](https://www.newscientist.com/article/2107219-exclusive-worlds-first-baby-born-with-new-3-parent-technique/)
*   A team at Australia's University of New South Wales create a new quantum bit that remains in a stable superposition for 10 times longer than previously achieved. [Link](https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-10/uons-qc1101316.php)
*   Scientists at the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry officially recognizes names for four new chemical elements: Nihonium, Nh, 113; Moscovium, Mc, 115; Tennessine, Ts, 117 and Oganesson, Og, 118. [Link](https://iupac.org/iupac-announces-the-names-of-the-elements-113-115-117-and-118/)  
    

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from [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016):

*   Zika virus
*   North Korea launches a long-range rocket into space, violating multiple UN treaties and prompting condemnation from around the world.
*   The [ESA](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Space_Agency "European Space Agency") and [Roscosmos](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roscosmos_State_Corporation "Roscosmos State Corporation") launch the joint [ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ExoMars_Trace_Gas_Orbiter "ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter") on a mission to [Mars](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars "Mars").
*   The [Gotthard Base Tunnel](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gotthard_Base_Tunnel "Gotthard Base Tunnel"), the world's longest and deepest railway tunnel, is opened following two decades of construction work.
*   The [United Kingdom](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdom "United Kingdom") votes [in a referendum](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdom_European_Union_membership_referendum,_2016 "United Kingdom European Union membership referendum, 2016") to leave the [European Union](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Union "European Union").
*   [NASA](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASA "NASA")'s [Juno](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juno_(spacecraft) "Juno (spacecraft)") spacecraft enters orbit around [Jupiter](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jupiter "Jupiter") and begins a 20-month survey of the planet.
*   [Solar Impulse 2](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_Impulse "Solar Impulse") becomes the first [solar-powered aircraft](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar-powered_aircraft "Solar-powered aircraft") to circumnavigate the Earth.
*   NASA launches [OSIRIS-REx](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OSIRIS-REx "OSIRIS-REx"), its first [asteroid sample return mission](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sample_return_mission "Sample return mission"). The probe will visit [Bennu](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/101955_Bennu "101955 Bennu") and is expected to return with samples in [2023](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023 "2023").
*   [Global CO2 levels](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_dioxide_in_Earth%27s_atmosphere "Carbon dioxide in Earth's atmosphere") exceed 400ppm at the time of year normally associated with minimum levels [\[34\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016#cite_note-34) A 400 ppm level is believed to be higher than anything experienced in human history.

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Notable deaths:

*   [Marvin Minsky](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marvin_Minsky "Marvin Minsky"), American computer scientist
*   [Donald E. Williams](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_E._Williams "Donald E. Williams"), American astronaut
*   [Walter Kohn](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Kohn "Walter Kohn"), Austrian-born American Nobel physicist
*   [Harry Kroto](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Kroto "Harry Kroto"), English Nobel chemist
*   [Elie Wiesel](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elie_Wiesel "Elie Wiesel"), Romanian-born American Nobel writer and political activist
*   [Seymour Papert](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seymour_Papert "Seymour Papert"), South African-born American mathematician and computer scientist
*   [Ahmed Zewail](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahmed_Zewail "Ahmed Zewail"), Egyptian-American Nobel chemist
*   [Reinhard Selten](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reinhard_Selten "Reinhard Selten"), German Nobel economist
*   [Roger Y. Tsien](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Y._Tsien "Roger Y. Tsien"), American Nobel biologist
*   [James Cronin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Cronin "James Cronin"), American Nobel physicist
*   [Shimon Peres](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shimon_Peres "Shimon Peres"), 9th President and 8th Prime Minister of Israel, Nobel Peace Prize laureate
*   [Dario Fo](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dario_Fo "Dario Fo"), Italian actor, Nobel playwright and comedian

* * *

[Nobel prizes](http://www.nobelprize.org/):

*   The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2016 was awarded jointly to Jean-Pierre Sauvage, Sir J. Fraser Stoddart and Bernard L. Feringa _"for the design and synthesis of molecular machines"_
*   The Nobel Prize in Physics 2016 was divided, one half awarded to David J. Thouless, the other half jointly to F. Duncan M. Haldane and J. Michael Kosterlitz _"for theoretical discoveries of topological phase transitions and topological phases of matter"_.
*   The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2016 was awarded to Yoshinori Ohsumi _"for his discoveries of mechanisms for autophagy"_.
*   The Nobel Prize in Literature 2016 was awarded to Bob Dylan _"for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition"_.
*   The Nobel Peace Prize 2016 was awarded to Juan Manuel Santos _"for his resolute efforts to bring the country's more than 50-year-long civil war to an end"_.
*   The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel 2016 was awarded jointly to Oliver Hart and Bengt Holmström _"for their contributions to contract theory"_

* * *

100 years ago (1916):

*   The British [Royal Army Medical Corps](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Army_Medical_Corps "Royal Army Medical Corps") carries out the first successful [blood transfusion](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_transfusion "Blood transfusion") using blood that had been stored and cooled.
*   [Emma Goldman](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emma_Goldman "Emma Goldman") is arrested for lecturing on [birth control](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birth_control "Birth control") in the United States.
*   In [Munich](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munich "Munich") German automobile company [BMW](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW "BMW") (_Die Bayerischen Motoren Werke_) is founded.
*   The toggle [light switch](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light_switch "Light switch") is invented by William J. Newton and Morris Goldberg.
*   [Margaret Sanger](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Sanger "Margaret Sanger") opens the first U.S. birth control clinic - a forerunner of [Planned Parenthood](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planned_Parenthood "Planned Parenthood").
*   [Oxycodone](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxycodone "Oxycodone"), a narcotic painkiller closely related to codeine is first synthesized in Germany.
*   [Ernst Rüdin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernst_R%C3%BCdin "Ernst Rüdin") publishes his initial results on the [genetics](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetics "Genetics") of [schizophrenia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schizophrenia "Schizophrenia").
*   [Louis Enricht](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Enricht "Louis Enricht") claims he has a substitute for [gasoline](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gasoline "Gasoline").
*   The [Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Society_of_Motion_Picture_and_Television_Engineers "Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers") is founded in the United States as the Society of Motion Picture Engineers.

Nobel Prizes in 1916:

*   Physics – not awarded
*   Chemistry – not awarded
*   Medicine – not awarded
*   Literature – Carl Gustaf Verner von Heidenstam
*   Peace – not awarded

Other:

*   Pokemon go
*   Brexit - Britain secedes from the EU
*   Donald trump US president
*   SpaceX making more launches, and had a major explosion setback
*   Internet.org project delayed by SpaceX expolosion.

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Meta: this took in the order of 3+ hours to write over several weeks.

Cross posted to Lesswrong here.