Science in The World presents you: the best scientific discoveries of this century!
Our world is impressive, and no one can argue with that. The way it evolved year by year keeps blowing my mind each time I read something about this subject. For the past hundreds of years, there have been countless advancements and discoveries in the entire world.
Researchers and scientists have continued to develop impressive things, and they have helped us better understand the things that surround us. They did that while also improving our knowledge of the natural phenomena that are always there but we just don’t see.
It’s crazy to think about all of these, but some things can be described as the best scientific discoveries of this century. Speaking of that, there were thousands and thousands of scientific breakthroughs in the 21st century, and they helped us understand the present and hope for the future.
Are you confused? Don’t worry, put your science goggles on, and keep reading because, in today’s article, we’ll talk about the best scientific discoveries of this century! Ready to be amazed?
1. Water found on Mars
One of the best scientific discoveries of all time is the fact that scientists found water on Mars. The entire thing happened in September 2015, when The National Aeronautics and Space Administration stated that they found evidence of liquid water on red Mars.
To confirm this, they used the imaging spectrometer of NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and noticed that many locations on Mars had hydrated salts.
What’s more is that when the season is warm, those hydrated salts darken and flow down steeply, but when the cold kicks in, their color starts fading. These hydrated salts mean that water is a key ingredient in their formation, which is pretty cool, don’t you think? Surely one of the best scientific discoveries in the last hundreds of years.
2. T. Rex tissue
I wouldn’t like to live in the same era as T. Rex and other dangerous dinosaurs, but I must admit that they seem very interesting and make me have a lot of questions. But that’s not a problem because a couple of paleontologists discovered a partly fossilized and decomposing femur that used to belong to a Tyrannosaurus rex.
The impressive information comes from the fact that the tissue discovered is thought to be roughly 70 million years old, or, even crazier, a date that is closer to the biblical date of creation. That sounds like one of the best scientific discoveries ever.
Besides that, some researchers from Montana State University and North Carolina State University found transparent and flexible vessels that belonged to a T. Rex too, and the main reason why they were preserved for so long is thanks to the iron between the leg bones.
What’s great about this scientific discovery is that it will allow them to study the physiology of dinosaurs as well as their cellular and molecular structures. One of the things that they found out thanks to this tissue is that dinosaurs are related, very closely, in fact, to large birds such as the ostrich.
3. Gravitational waves detection
Scientists think that this is one of the best scientific discoveries of the 21st century, and I have to agree. If you’re familiar with some of the things Albert Einstein said when he was in full discovery mode, you already know that he once said that time travel would be possible one day. Did he predict the theory of relativity? Maybe he did.
The LIGO project, which is based in the US, detected gravitational waves that could allow researchers to put their bases in a time machine and travel in time. What’s more, they could travel to the earliest and most dangerous parts of the universe, and that seems pretty scary. So, was Albert Einstein right? Could people travel back in time soon? We have to wait and see.
4. Robotic body parts
I mean it when I say that these are the best scientific discoveries ever, and you’ll see why in a couple of seconds. Thanks to the many scientific discoveries and advancements that were made possible in the last century, scientists managed to devise robotic body parts. That also happened thanks to the many developments in the engineering and biomechanics fields, and that’s pretty amazing.
The staff at the University of Twente wanted to help people affected by Duchenne muscular dystrophy, so they created robotic arms for them, giving patients the ability to amplify the residual function in their arms.
But they also applied Darpa’s Revolutionizing Prosthetics project to create much-needed prosthetics and robotic limbs for severely injured United States military personnel.
Their efforts don’t stop here, because scientists are studying the possibility of making these robotic body parts controlled by the patient’s mind. That will definitely help disabled humans, elderly people, and survivors of stroke, making them feel like they normally should have.
5. HIV cure
The list of the best scientific discoveries doesn’t end here because we have many others to talk about. As data from HIV.gov says, there are more than 36 million people on the globe who suffer from HIV/AIDS, and almost 2 million of them are children.
Along with cancer, HIV/AIDS is still on the list of the deadliest health issues in the world, and that’s pretty bad, especially for the modern world we live in. But some of the best scientific discoveries also include this disease because it has been a couple of decades since HIV treatment became available in Germany.
What’s more, antiretroviral therapy gives HIV/AIDS patients the possibility of living longer. In 2007, a patient received transplanted bone marrow from an HIV-immune individual, and it was the first successful cure for an AIDS patient.
However, there’s no fixed cure for this health issue, but with the help of a treatment, patients can keep it under control, and according to researchers, with the right treatment, you can balance it in half a year.
6. Human organs
Being in need of a human organ is one of the most devastating things ever because you’re actually waiting for someone to lose their life in order for you to live yours. That’s how things work, but thanks to these best scientific discoveries, Stem Cell researchers have found a few ways to have better access to organs.
A few scientists from Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital discovered how to reestablish the function of human heart tissue with the help of adult skin cells.
The principle on which this thing is based is that stem cells allow the growth of another organ. Of course, this entire research is linked to the regenerative nature of living organisms.
According to several studies, plenty of research around the globe facilitates the growth of the kidney, heart, fallopian tubes, brain, and lungs with the help of stem cells. Isn’t it one of the best scientific discoveries ever? I really think it is!
7. Face transplants
Have you ever heard of a face transplant? It’s impressive and a bit weird, but it’s part of the best scientific discoveries that were ever made! Basically, a face transplant is a medical procedure in which surgeons replace an individual’s face using the tissue of a dead person.
The first partial face transplant happened in 2005 in France, and the first full face transplant took place in Spain in 2010. But after it gained more popularity, this medical procedure became common in other countries too, such as Turkey and the United States.
Patients who opt for this type of medical procedure are those who suffer from birth defects or those who were unfortunately disfigured by disease, burns, or trauma.
If you want to know more about these best scientific discoveries, I know a book that is wonderful. Is called “The Logic of Scientific Discovery”, and the author is Karl Popper. Is available on Amazon for a discounted price, so if you’re interested in getting it, here‘s a good offer for you!
If you want to read something else from Science in The World, here’s a fantastic article written by us for you: 5 Chilling Things Artificial Intelligence Can Do to Us!
