January February March April Researchers demonstrate an 'AI scientist' that can rediscover physical laws from
axioms and data. mission to Jupiter. • • Five employees at the
National Hurricane Center publish a tropical cyclone report (TCR) on
Hurricane Ian, which officially upgrades the hurricane from a Category 4 to a Category 5 on the
Saffir–Simpson scale. The TCR also stated that Hurricane Ian caused, with 90% confidence, $112.9 billion worth of damage to the United States, which made Ian the third-costliest United States hurricane on record as well as the costliest hurricane to strike Florida on record. • An unexplained rise of emissions of five
chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), successfully banned by the
Montreal Protocol of 1989, is reported. Their climate impact in 2020 is
roughly equivalent to that of the CO2e from Denmark in 2018. • A study affirms and explains why a moderate decrease in body temperature
extends lifespan. • • The
NOAA reports that
greenhouse gases continued to increase rapidly in 2022 and that CO2 levels in the atmosphere are now the highest in 4.3 million years. • An
umbrella review summarizes scientific results on the
health effects of added-
sugar foods and makes recommendations such as limiting sugar-sweetened beverages which are "the largest source of added sugars" and developing of
policy such as
advertising restrictions. • – A study shows neurons take up
glucose (from food) and metabolize it by
glycolysis. There was only limited research on how neurons get their energy in the context of links between
glucose metabolism and cognition (brain health and performance). • – A study expands upon the role of elites'
unsustainable consumption in urban
water crises. In
Cape Town, for example, the wealthiest 14% of the population use half of the city's water, while the poorest 62% use just a quarter. • – A study reports that
genomic surveillance (GS) shows that a
clonal lineage of the
wheat blast fungus has spread worldwide and that there is a need for GS to track the potential pandemic
threat to the global food supply as it may become
fungicide-insensitive. • • The
direct imaging of
HIP 99770 b, a new exoplanet found 133 light years away, is reported by astronomers. • A global trend towards more rapid-onset "flash
droughts" hindering forecasting is reported. • •
Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) is launched by the
European Space Agency (ESA) to search for life in the
Jovian system, with an expected arrival date of 2031. • • A new technique for improving the resolution of
post-mortem MRI brain scans "by 64 million times" is reported by researchers, who capture the sharpest ever
images of an entire mouse brain. • A study expands upon the international Earth heat inventory from 2020, which provides a measure of the
Earth energy imbalance (EEI) and allows for quantifying how much and where heat has accumulated in the
Earth system with comprehensive data. It suggests that the EEI is the "most fundamental global climate indicator" to gauge
climate change mitigation efforts. • • Astronomers conclude that "...
planets in the
habitable zones of stars with
low metallicity are the best targets to search for
complex life on land." • A university reports a study (29 Mar) affirming the high level of economic losses from
biological invasions, showing they have risen to the level of economic damage costs from floods or earthquakes, which are
also rising. • • A
bolide is observed over Ukraine and Belarus for about five seconds. It is first observed at an altitude of 98 km above
Velyka Dymerka, then passes directly above
Kyiv at an altitude of 80 km and continues to the southwest with a speed of 29 km/s. A bright flare occurs at an altitude of 38 km, when the bolide's
absolute magnitude reaches approximately −18. • Researchers show parrots
can and enjoy to use a
videocalling system. • A study with mice shows that
microplastics pass the
blood–brain barrier (BBB), entering and accumulating in the brain, and identifies a key determinant for whether or not they pass the BBB. • • A new 29-year record of ice sheet mass in
Greenland and
Antarctica is published as part of the
IMBIE collaboration. It finds that the combined ice loss in these regions has more than tripled since the early 1990s, with 2019 seeing the greatest losses of any year on record. These findings have implications for future
sea level rise. •
Paleoneurologists publish the first
neuroevolutionary timeline about correlations of in the shape of the
cerebral cortex and functions, showing "variability in surface geometry relates to species' ecology and behaviour" and cognition. It characterizes many of the
neuromorphological events in
the origin of
human intelligence over the past 77 million years. • A
UNICEF report indicates "public perception of the
importance of vaccines for children declined during the
COVID-19 pandemic in 52 out of 55 countries studied" with causal factors including "growing access to
misleading information". On 26 April, news outlets report that
Twitter is warned by EU digital policy-makers after a report indicated its
recent policies "boost" Russian disinformation-based propaganda. On 17 April, Twitter introduces labels for rationales when tweets are made less visible which previously were semi-censored without any explanation. On 5 April, the first
review of
interventions against false conspiracy beliefs, with interventions "that fostered an analytical mindset or taught
critical thinking skills" being most effective and preventive action being important. • – Researchers report the development of
neuromorphic AI hardware using
nanowires physically mimicking the brain's activity in identifying and remembering an image from memory. On 26 April, a university reports on a demonstration (11 Mar) of
multisensory motion cue integration by a for robots. • • Astronomers release close-up global images, for the first time, of the Martian moon
Deimos that were taken by the Mars
Hope orbiter. • The first review of issues identified in
meta-science of
metascience is published, providing an overview of ten "questionable" practices (QMPs) in the field such as "overplaying the role of
replication in
science" and
preregistration potential. • A
policy study identifies reduction of
car travel activity as the
most important transportation policy option in
reducing GHG emissions to levels comparable to
carbon budget levels, with a "decrease car distance driven and
car ownership by over 80% as compared to current levels" by 2027 being effective in "edging close to the
designated carbon budget" in their case-study of London and
electrification being highly insufficient. On 20 April, an international study indicates that the contemporary domestic policy-proposal of a
general speed limit on highways in Germany, the only large country in the world without such, for a quick GHG emissions reduction would also be economically beneficial. It points to a
climate change mitigation law (KSG) that mandated emission reductions in this sector that was changed in 2023 so as to remove these obligations. • • Scientists, based on new evidence, conclude that
Rosalind Franklin was a contributor and "equal player" in the
discovery process of DNA, rather than otherwise, as may have been presented subsequently after the time of the discovery. • The first
gene silencing approach to
Alzheimer's disease is reported, with a drug called BIIB080 used on the
microtubule-associated protein tau (MAPT) gene. Patients in a
Phase 1 trial were found to have a greater than 50% reduction in levels of harmful tau protein after taking the drug. • • Astronomers present an image, for the first time viewed together, of the shadow of the
black hole in the center of the
Messier 87 galaxy, and its related high-energy
jet. • The first global assessment of
glacier mass loss from satellite
radar altimetry is published. It shows that glaciers lost 2,720 gigatonnes of ice, about 2% of their volume, between 2010 and 2020. • – Progress in
AI software: •
ChatGPT is shown to outperform human doctors in responding to online medical questions when measured on quality and empathy by "a team of licensed health care professionals", albeit the chatbot may have previously been trained with these
reddit question and answers threads. • Further
LLM developments during what has been called an "
AI boom" include: local or
open source versions of
LLaMA which was
leaked in March, news outlets report on GPT4-based
Auto-GPT that given natural language commands uses the Internet and other tools in attempts to understand and achieve its tasks with unclear or so-far little practicality, a systematic evaluation of answers from four "generative search engines" suggests their outputs "appear informative, but frequently contain unsupported statements and inaccurate citations", a multi-modal open source tool for understanding and generating speech, a data scientist argues that "researchers need to collaborate to develop open-source LLMs that are
transparent" and independent,
Stability AI launches an open source LLM. • On 12 April, researchers demonstrate an '' that can create of models of natural phenomena from knowledge
axioms and experimental data, showing the software can rediscover using logical reasoning and few data points. • : a review suggests vitamin D3
may reduce cancer mortality by around 12% (31 Mar), review of
experimental phototherapies against dementia cognitive decline (5 Apr), mice-tested
L. reuteri-and-
tryptophan-diet for
checkpoint inhibitor potentiation (6 Apr), doxycycline
post-exposure prophylaxis against
STIs (6 Apr), an engineered probiotic against
alcohol-induced damage (11 Apr), phase 2 trialed
AXA1125 against
long COVID fatigue (14 Apr), review finds cranberry products useful against
UTIs in women (17 Apr) (but is not suggested for older people, those have trouble emptying their bladder, or people who are pregnant), and macaques-tested low-intensity focus ultrasound delivery of
AAV into brain regions against brain diseases (19 Apr). Progress in screening: an
α-synuclein SAA (
assay) against Parkinson's disease (12 Apr), and exogenously administered bioengineered sensors that amplify urinary cancer biomarkers for detection (24 Apr). • : a laser-using drone-based
methane plume localization method, approval of the first
yeast-based cow-free dairy (
Remilk), a
Tor browser-equivalent
Web browser for
privacy-protected browsing when using a
VPN (
Mullvad browser), a
concentrated solar-to-
hydrogen device approaching viability, a method for fat tissue
cultured meat,
flexible organic solar cells on
balloons in the 35 km
stratosphere.
May method for "
semantic decoding" based on
fMRI is demonstrated. • • A new
brain-reading method for "
semantic decoding" is demonstrated. The non-invasive system, based on 16 hours of
fMRI data per participant and a
transformer, is able to translate a person's neural activity into a continuous stream of text. • News outlets report the study (6 Feb) modelling contemporary
detectability of human civilization from afar which suggests would still be too weak to be detectable with humanity's radio telescopes from of Earth's current closest nearby star-systems.
Radar systems are not yet included in their model, – the Cold War are thought to be the first most detectable cue by which hypothetical extraterrestrials could
detect humanity. • The second study, after one from early 2022 with similar results, about
EEG of dying humans finds a surge of
gamma waves and increased functional connectivities in two of four patients. It provides data and analysis about
the brain process of dying (terminal
loss of
sentience and life) and
near-death experiences. • • A new AI algorithm developed by
Baidu is shown to boost the
antibody response of
COVID-19 mRNA vaccines by 128 times. • A single-molecule
valve is demonstrated, a breakthrough in
nanoscale control of fluids. • Scientists report economic factors of neurology or mental health and cognition during
child development: association of low
income with brain structure and
hippocampal volume, stronger associations in U.S. states with higher
cost of living, and for stronger
social safety nets for
low-income-affected people. : Infrared view of three asteroid belts around the star Fomalhaut. : A more complex model of
human evolution. • • Drug company
Eli Lilly reports that
donanemab can slow the pace of
Alzheimer's disease by 35%, following a Phase 3 study in human patients. • Astronomers using the
Gemini South telescope report the first direct evidence of an exoplanet being swallowed by an ancient Sun-like star, a fate that likely
awaits the Earth in five billion years. • –
Westinghouse Electric's nuclear division announces the AP300, a miniature version of its signature
AP1000 nuclear reactor. • – The
World Health Organization announces that
COVID-19 is no longer considered a
global health emergency. • • The first
infrared image of an
asteroid belt outside the Solar System is captured by the
James Webb Space Telescope. Three distinct rings of debris are shown to exist around
Fomalhaut, a young star 25 light years away. •
AI successfully identifies people at the highest risk for
pancreatic cancer up to three years before diagnosis, using solely the patients' medical records. • • A rough draft of the human "
pan-genome" is presented, consisting of 47
genomes from a cohort of
genetically diverse individuals. This aims to improve medical research by building on the earlier
Human Genome Project. • Scientists demonstrate with
experimental evolution how
macroscopic multicellularity could have
emerged on Earth. • – The discovery of 62 new
moons of Saturn is reported, taking its total confirmed number to 145 and overtaking Jupiter. • • The
National Institutes of Health begins a Phase 1 trial of an
mRNA-based
universal influenza vaccine, enrolling 50 volunteers. • A study shows most extensively the neuro-molecular mechanics of how
a fungal parasite affects behavior of insects. • A study found that, of 70,000 monitored species, some 48% are experiencing population declines from human activity, whereas only 3% have increasing populations. • By publishing
virome-related results, researchers close a major
gap in the accumulating
research into microbiome characteristics for
life extension. • – A software tool called Allegro is reported to accurately simulate 44 million atoms, running on the
Perlmutter supercomputer. • • Astronomers confirm the existence of
MACS1149-JD1 (JD1), one of the farthest known galaxies from
Earth. • Scientists report, based on genetic studies, a more complicated pathway of
human evolution than previously understood. According to the studies, humans evolved from different places and times
in Africa, instead of from a single location and period of time. • The newly discovered exoplanet LP 791-18 d is theorised to be covered with volcanoes, due to the extreme gravitational pull of a super-Earth in the same system. • A study proposes
school curricula start including useful
basic life support, noting that e.g.
complemented video lessons could be effective. • • Astronomers map the paths of
potentially hazardous asteroids for the next 1,000 years. At least 28 asteroids of 1 km diameter or larger are found to have non-zero probabilities of a 'deep encounter' with Earth. • A study reports that more than 50% of
freshwater lakes and reservoirs
lost volume since 1992 due to human and
climatic drivers. • • A
policies study review, based on a systematic examination of existing methane policies across sectors, concludes that both only "about 13% of
methane emissions are covered by methane
mitigation policies" and that the effectiveness of these policies "is far from clear". • Researchers propose a methodological approach and quantifications for
reparations from fossil fuel producers. Cross-disciplinary researchers propose academics make universities
implement, leadingly, the
plant-based dietary transition that an increasingly large and confirmed corpus of studies, to which these contributed to, concludes is vital (7 May). •
Metascience-related events •
Nature reports
China has "overtaken the
United States as the number one
ranked country or territory for contributions to research articles published in the Nature Index group of high-quality
natural-science journals", remaining at second place overall. The
Nature Index, since 2016,
evaluates contribution by the number of articles published in a subgroup of their
journals – other potential or less popular approaches and metrics for quantifications of
success or
impact can or could produce different rankings or annual tables and conclusions. • 34% of
neuroscience papers and 23% of medical papers published in 2020 were probably fabricated or
plagiarized, according to a
preprint study, stemming from
paper mills (9 May). • A
time-use research study (10 May) estimates the
costs of
manuscript (re)formatting to fit journal guidelines, ~$230 million or ~75 million hours of lost academics' time in 2021. As researchers, usually with little time, usually conduct these tasks themselves and manually and the, largely cosmetic, unstandardized changes are required before, not after, the paper is accepted for publication, the study proposes journals start allowing "free-format submissions". • A study (25 May) highlights a list of problematic persuasive methods in academic articles, such as exaggerating the importance of the work or insufficient contextualization by "Not
citing previous work that decreases the perceived
novelty of the current work". : 2.7 °C global warming could by 2100 leave every third outside the human climate
niche ( ≥29 °C). : Artificial intelligence is reported to have designed a new antibiotic, effective against
Acinetobacter baumannii (pictured). • –
IBM announces that it will begin development of a 100,000-
qubit quantum computer, the world's largest and most powerful, to be completed by 2033. • – A study quantifies "the human
cost of global warming", showing
current policies "leading to around 2.7 °C global warming could by 2080–2100 leave one-third (22–39%)" of people outside their climate
niche – humans' long-time range of mean annual temperatures to which their
physiology may have largely adapted to. It indicates meeting the
1.5 °C goal would decrease the population exposed to unprecedented heat ~5-fold and ties itself to earlier research by initially noting that quantifying the
social cost of carbon in monetary terms, as related or
economics studies tend to do, may be inadequate. • • Using the
Hubble Space Telescope and
Gaia spacecraft, an analysis of proper motions of the closest known
globular cluster,
Messier 4, reveals an excess mass of roughly 800 solar masses in the center. This appears to not be extended, and could thus be the best kinematic evidence for an
intermediate-mass black hole (even if an unusually compact cluster of compact objects, white dwarfs, neutron stars or stellar-mass black holes cannot be completely discounted). • A study identifies plastic
chopping boards as a substantial source of ingested
microplastics. Researchers show
plastic recycling facilities are a major source of
microplastic water pollution (1 May). • Computational neuroscientists show that people with
higher intelligence scores in
HCP cognitive tests took more time to
solve difficult problems and that their higher synchrony
between brain areas allowed for better integration of evidence (or progress) from preceding
working memory sub-problem processing. Reducing synchrony in "
avatar"
simulations, that were adjusted and tuned , "led
decision-making circuits to quickly
jump to conclusions". Their codified results may be useful for an understanding of cognition
to replicate or imitate in bio-inspired computing. • Researchers report trends in
reasons for
HPV vaccine hesitancy during 2010–20. • • Scientists show how gene '
FAAH'-related disruption via
genetic or
epigenome editing can enable
pain insensitivity . Their analyses, mainly about
long non-coding RNA 'FAAH-OUT', following from of a woman who can't feel pain or anxiety, could also enable novel therapeutic developments against other neurological problems. • One of the first empirical studies on what real users are shown during their typical use of popular
Web search engines interprets its results to show that choices for
unreliable news sources for their
queries are driven primarily by users'
own choices and less by the engine's algorithms. The
Web scientists link their findings to the concept of
filter bubbles which emphasizes the role of design- and personalization algorithms. On 2 May, a report accompanied by an
open letter concludes that
Alphabet Inc, against its voluntary promises, still runs
climate misinformation ads. Statements by Elon Musk in 2022 suggest
YouTube may also show ethically disputed
advertising other than science-related misinformation such as extensively showing "scam ads". • • 5,000 marine species new to science are discovered in the
Clipperton fracture zone, a proposed
deep sea mining hotspot in the
Pacific Ocean. •
Explainable deep learning is used to develop an experimental
antibiotic called
abaucin, which is shown to be effective against
A. baumannii. • Evidence for the existence of a second
Kuiper Belt is presented by NASA scientists, which the
New Horizons spacecraft could potentially visit during the late 2020s or early 2030s. • A study reports observational evidence for problematic fast slowdown of the
Antarctic bottom water current. • Neuroengineers demonstrate induction of a
torpor-like state in mice via
ultrasound stimulation. • • A new record high efficiency of 19.3% for
organic solar cells is reported. •
MBR Explorer is announced by the
United Arab Emirates Space Agency, an uncrewed mission to explore seven asteroids, which includes an attempted surface landing on
269 Justitia in 2034. • Scientists provide details of
H5N1 bird flu's fast
viral evolution of
clade 2.3.4.4b including
reassortment after "explosive geographic expansion in 2021 among wild birds", with relevance to measures such as existing candidate vaccines. • • The first
X-ray of a single
atom is reported. • An international study, using modelling and literature assessment, codifies, integrates into and quantifies "safe and just
Earth system boundaries" (ESBs) with the context of
Earth system stability and minimization of human harm. They expand upon earlier boundary frameworks by incorporating concepts such as intra- and
intergenerational justice, propose that their framework may better enable a
quantitative foundation for safeguarding the
global commons, and report many of the ESBs are already exceeded. •
Healthcare systems related results are published: large increases in
medication prices via sustained decrease in their use can cause poorer disease control (8 May), widespread implementation of the particular Alzheimer's disease therapeutic solution
lecanemab may
increase annual U.S. Medicare spending by $2.0 to $5.1 billion (11 May), mailed
HPV self-collection
kits with scheduling assistance can lead to greater uptake of
cervical cancer screening (11 May), cost-related medication nonadherence occurs in approximately 1 in 5 older adults in the U.S. in 2022 (18 May), and a
QALY-based
health economics study evaluates the cost-effectiveness of U.S. population-wide
screening for
CKD (23 May). • Research on potential current
public risk sources is published: the common
DBP and
BPAF appear to have "substantial impact on the integrity of the sperm nucleus and DNA structure" in mice via
oxidative stress (5 May), a preliminary study contextualizes "
time spent on social media" as one of the "least influential factors in adolescent mental health" (8 May), ubiquitous environmental contaminant
TCE appears to be a risk factor for
Parkinson's disease (PD) (15 May), various
pesticides are identified as potential risk factors for PD (16 May), researchers demonstrate a two
zero-day vulnerabilities-based quick low-cost method – "BrutePrint" – for
bypassing common smartphones' fingerprint authentication (18 May), and common
sucralose impurity sucralose-6-acetate appears to be
DNA damaging with sucralose-sweetened drinks potentially far exceeding the threshold of toxicological concern (29 May). • : an
open source automated experimentation science platform (BacterAI) for predicting
microbial metabolism (4 May), a
pesticide alternative against wheat seed loss (22 May), a low-cost smartphone-
attachment (BPClip) for
blood pressure measurement (29 May), an open source
transfer learning-based system (Geneformer) for predicting how networks of interconnected human genes control or affect the function of cells (31 May). • Promising results of
therapeutic candidates are reported:
phase I trialed ultrasound
BBB-opening device against
brain cancer (1 May), phase I trialed personalized
mRNA vaccine against
pancreatic cancer recurrence (10 May), a novel antibiotic (
Streptothricin F) against
ABR bacteria (9 May), an
e-skin for prosthetic sensing (18 May), two-dose JYNNEOS vaccine against
mpox appears ~86% (19 May) or ~66% (18 May) effective, and a
xenografted mice-tested pan-
KRAS-inhibitor against cancer (31 May).
June • –
Caltech reports the first successful beaming of
solar energy from space down to a receiver on the ground, via the MAPLE instrument on its SSPD-1 spacecraft, launched into orbit in January. • – Physicist
Lucas Lombriser proposes of interpreting the available scientific data which suggests that the notion of an
expanding universe may be more a "mirage" than otherwise. • • Scientists report evidence that
Homo naledi, an
extinct species of
small-brained archaic human discovered in 2013 in
South Africa, and living as long as 500,000 years ago,
buried their dead, created
art in their caves and
used fire. • A
'chef' robot developed is trained to watch and learn from cooking videos, and recreate dishes itself. • A first global estimate suggests that an equivalent of ~36% of current annual emissions from fossil fuels is
stored by soil mycelium of
mycorrhizal fungi yearly. • – A study finds that the first complete disappearance of
Arctic sea ice could occur during the 2030s, a decade earlier than previously forecast. • – Scientists report a new mechanism of
central nervous system viral diseases including
COVID-19 – fusion of
brain cells. • • US scientists confirm that the next
El Niño has begun, likely resulting in higher global temperatures in late 2023 and into 2024. Various statistics show the year is unusual and climate change is already having significant impacts such as an Antarctic sea ice extent anomaly and
record-high ocean surface
temperatures. •
Taurine given to a range of animal species is found to boost health and
extend lifespan by up to 12%. • – A
time-use study provides the first comprehensive
bird's-eye view of
what humans currently spend their time on. The "global human
day" enables better understanding, across fields of research, of the global
human system in contexts such as
technological change, civilization
sustainability,
global challenges or
goals,
societal changes, and economic time
allocation. It identifies some factors of variations and activities "for which there is significant potential for change". • • Teams of researchers report creations of synthetic
human model embryos from
stem cells, without the need for
sperm or
egg cells , challenging legal, ethical, and biological concepts. • Scientists report evidence that the planet
Earth may
have formed in just three million years, much faster than the 100 million years thought earlier. • Astronomers report that the presence of
phosphates on
Enceladus, a moon of the planet
Saturn, has been detected, completing the discovery of all the basic chemical ingredients for
life on the moon. •
IBM computer scientists report that a
quantum computer produced
better results for a
physics problem than a conventional
supercomputer. • A machine learning model is trained to recognise the key features of chemicals with
senolytic activity. It finds three chemicals – ginkgetin,
periplocin and
oleandrin – able to remove
senescent cells without damaging healthy cells. • – Researchers report an
fMRI study (31 May) that
circuitries and changes which may be crucial for
consciousness in humans – or the loss and the recovery thereof in
disorders of consciousness e.g. in
coma patients. • – Researchers report that a
single gas-stove burner can raise the indoor concentrations of
benzene, related to
cancer risk, to more than that found in
secondhand tobacco smoke. • – Researchers
review research on the substantial links between
social isolation (
HR ~1.32) and
loneliness (HR ~1.14) and mortality. • – The first successful transplant of a functional
cryopreserved mammalian kidney is reported. The study demonstrates a "nanowarming" technique for vitrification for up-to-100 days preservation of transplant organs. • – A study projects that by 2050, the worldwide number of adults with
diabetes will more than double, from 529 million to over 1.3 billion. No country is expected to see a decline. • •
Retatrutide, an experimental
drug against obesity, is shown to achieve a more than 24% mean weight reduction in human adults during a
Phase 2 trial. • Astronomers
detect, for the first time,
methenium, CH3+ (and/or
carbon cation, C+), basic ingredients of
life as we know it, in
interstellar space. • • Astronomers report the possible detection of a
gravitational wave background (GWB) in the
Universe. • A study with
controlling finds substantial links between
reading for pleasure
during childhood and
later cognition. • Researchers report in a
preprint the
CRISPR alternative
fanzor naturally present in
eukaryotes with several potential advantages over CRISPR in
genome editing, notably smaller size and higher selectiveness. A separate team further demonstrates in a preprint (14 June) the potential of this class of genome editors. • – Astronomers report using a new technique to detect, for the first time, the release of
neutrinos from the
galactic plane of the
Milky Way galaxy. •
Hazard research is published: study results suggest high-temperature cooking could cause DNA damage within food (especially meat) which in turn could cause human
DNA damage (1 June), a study concludes the Italian
Phlegraean Fields could be heading towards a first eruption since 1538 (9 June), a small team of researchers evaluates the
credibility of
net-zero climate targets as currently low (9 June), an
AHA review shows that exposure to
contaminant metals contributes to cardiovascular diseases (12 June), a study in the context of the
opioid epidemic shows males are substantially (2–3 times greater) more vulnerable to or affected by
drug overdose mortality than females (15 June),
loss of Y chromosome can drive cancer growth (21 June), a study indicates nearly 40% of U.S. females age 12 to 21 may have
iron deficiency (27 June), researchers show how
bird flu could mutate
to overcome a human antiviral protein to
start another pandemic (28 June),
shortages of medications – including some against cancer – are reported across countries, articles in science outlets like
Nature suggest contemporary viral concerns about hypothetical
existential risk of AI "plays into the tech companies' agenda" – partly in the form of 'criti-hype' – and that this "hinders effective regulation of the societal harms AI is causing right now" and in the near-future. • Promising results of
therapeutic candidates are reported: first
phase 3 trialed chikungunya vaccine (VLA1553) (12 June), mice-tested inoculation against a potential infectious contributor to
endometriosis (14 June), new evidence regarding still-unclear
vaginal seeding interventions (15 June), phase 2 trialed
orforglipron against obesity (23 June), mice-tested gene-therapy against hearing loss (28 June). • : an overview of "the nascent industry of
AI-designed drugs" (1 June), after
moderators of the Web content aggregation-based platform
Reddit strike against the site's introduction of
API pricing and the ensuing closing of several mobile client apps, several novel decentralized
open source aggregation platforms gain substantial numbers of users – most notably
Lemmy and
Kbin which can synchronize their posts via interoperability (12 June), the first upgrade of the
Global Earthquake Model for disaster risk reduction is reported (13 June), first approval for two
cultured meat products in the U.S. and two of the first worldwide (21 June), transgenic soya beans containing pig protein (Piggy Sooy) are reported (28 June), a new type of
glass (LionGlass) that is substantially more damage-resistant and more sustainable is reported (30 June).
July • – The
ESA space telescope
Euclid is launched, beginning a six-year mission to study
dark energy and
dark matter. • – Researchers demonstrate
encoding and storing data – small images – as DNA without new
DNA synthesis by recording light exposure into bacterial DNA via
optogenetic circuits. The 'biological camera' extends chemical and electrical interface techniques. • • Harvard astronomer
Avi Loeb reports the possibility of a
Galileo project expedition having found first
interstellar material. • A first
evolution experiment of synthetic 'minimal
cells' –
JCVI-syn3B bacterial cells whose genomes were trimmed to 493 essential genes and are the smallest of any known free-living organism – shows they survive and
mutate vitally with their >50% decrease in
fitness to JCVI-syn1 being regained after ~2,000 generations under accelerated
evolution. • – A study indicates release of
methane from
Arctic glacial retreat will result in Arctic emissions
much higher than expected. : A first
evolution experiment of synthetic bacterial 'minimal
cells'
JCVI-syn3B shows "life finds a way". • • Dynamic shell formation is demonstrated experimentally for the first time. Researchers claim their technique is a feasible target for mass production of
fusion energy. • The highest
albedo ever measured for an exoplanet is confirmed using data from the
CHEOPS space telescope. The
ultra-hot Neptune LTT 9779 b is shown to reflect 80% of incoming light from its star (compared to 75% for Venus), due to the high metal content of its clouds. • • Three possible "
dark star" candidates are reported, at times ranging from about 320 million to 400 million years after the Big Bang, based on analysis of observations by the
James Webb Space Telescope •
Berkeley Earth reports that June 2023 was the warmest June since records began in 1850, and broke the previous record by 0.18 °C. Its temperature dataset suggests that 2023 is now 81% likely to become a new record year for
global warming. • A study suggests that
carbon taxation approaches or instruments would be
more effective and
fairer when distinguishing between luxury- and basic goods and services. A separate study (17 July) finds that for
energy demand reduction (EDR), "capping energy use of the top quintile of
consumers" would be effective,
more equitable, and increase public acceptance of transformative climate action in Europe. • • Astronomers report considerable success of the
James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) after its first year of operations. • In what could be the first global scientific analysis of
plastic pollution of
lakes and
reservoirs that is not limited to recently increasingly studied
microplastics, a large team of researchers reports high prevalence and vulnerability factors. • In what could be the first global scientific analysis of
agricultural pesticide pollution, scientists report that of the studied third of the three million metric tons of pesticides used annually, ~10% remains
as toxic residue in soil while
rivers receive at least 730 tons where they nearly do not degrade. • A study suggests chemical alternatives to
age reversal via
Yamanaka factors gene therapy are feasible
fibroblasts data. On 3 July, researchers report subcutaneous administration of longevity factor
α-klotho enhanced cognition in old rhesus macaques. On 27 July, a study shows rejuvenation effects in mice from
heterochronic parabiosis endure after the joined mice are detached. : Naturally occurring
graphene is reported for the first time. • •
Air pollution particles are shown to reduce
insects' ability to find food and a mate, in experiments. This may be contributing to the dramatic fall in
global insect populations, the scientists conclude. • Scientists use
CRISPR gene-editing to reduce the
lignin content in
poplar trees by as much as 50%, offering a potentially more sustainable method of fiber production. • – The
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully launches its
Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft towards the
Moon, aiming to become the fourth nation to achieve a soft landing on the lunar surface. • – Astronomers of the
Breakthrough Listen project report the development of that can help distinguish between potential
deliberate artificial alien signals and Earth-based radio interference via unique signatures from passing through ionized plasma of
interstellar medium. • – Astronomers report the discovery of a bizarre 'two-faced' star, with one side made up of
hydrogen and the other consisting of
helium. The object, designated ZTF J203349.8+322901.1, is a white dwarf located about 1,000 light years away. • – The first example of naturally occurring
graphene is reported, at a gold mine in South Africa. • – Researchers report the discovery of
self-healing of
fatigue cracks in metals in vacuum. : A first study investigates
theories popularized in 2018 that involve jobs being viewed as objectively useless to society. : An analysis relating to the
Rotterdam Convention shows
illegal trade of highly hazardous chemicals continues. • – A study provides evidence for the theory of '
Bullshit Jobs', which was formalized and popularized in 2018, showing
workers consider their
jobs of
contemporary economics as objectively useless to society. • • The first detection of water in the terrestrial region of a disk already known to host two or more protoplanets is announced. The discovery, in a young system called
PDS 70, is based on data from the James Webb Space Telescope. • A study reports a 226%
improvement in a
memory test of healthy
older adults (60–85) from overnight
odorant diffuser use for 6 months. The olfactory sense is known to be linked to memory, but its stimulation was previously not
trialed where application occurs during sleep. • – A controversial study finds that a collapse of the
Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) is highly likely this century, and may occur as early as 2025. The 95%
confidence interval is between 2025 and 2095. • –
DARPA, in collaboration with
NASA, begins work on the first in-orbit demonstration of a
nuclear thermal rocket engine. • – The longest known
cryptobiosis in a
nematode is reported, with an organism revived after 46,000 years in Siberian
permafrost. • – A
phylogenetic study proposes a hybrid of the
farming and
steppe hypotheses for the origin , contradicting elements of both. • : news outlets start reporting on a study from June finding high levels of
PFAS in half of U.S.
tap water (5 July), an analysis of the efficacy of the
Rotterdam Convention in curbing
illegal trade of highly hazardous chemicals shows that large-scale trade of chemicals like
tetraethyllead continues (10 July), a researcher reports subterranean climate change
urban heat islands may affect the durability of infrastructure and buildings (11 July), a study indicates
consumer protection-related
validation and quality control for a set of advanced sports supplements such as
Dynamine is insufficient, finding most of the
tested products either did not contain a detectable amount of the labeled ingredient or substantially deviated from the declared dosage (17 July), a study for the first time determines a
wet-bulb temperature threshold where it may be
physiologically too hot for daily activity by young healthy adults due to an increase
in cardiovascular strain, showing this limit is crossed at a lower temperature than thought previously (20 July), researchers elaborate in a scientific journal why they conclude that "new nuclear is a costly and dangerous distraction" in
climate change mitigation (21 July), a study affirms recent findings that suggest revived ancient pathogens from either potential lab-leaks or from permafrost thawing
represent significant risks (27 July), scientists provide data about the genetic basis of induced
parthenogenesis in sexually reproducing
fruit flies which could inform
pest control (28 July). • : a viable real-time pathogen air quality (pAQ)
sensor is demonstrated (10 July), a performant
open source AI software for protein
design (RFdiffusion) is introduced (11 July),
metaresearchers show that AI trained with study-author-networks data could generate scientifically promising "alien" hypotheses that would likely not be considered otherwise (13 July), a study affirms that
novel wearable more accessible
TD-fNIRS headgear can be used instead of stationary
fMRI with new findings about
neurological effects of psychedelics (19 July), researchers demonstrate a DNA-sequencing-based technique to more effectively curb illegal sealife trade at warehouses and boats (19 July), a study provides an overview and living review of open source
LLMs, assessing the levels of openness of their differentiated elements and reviewing the risks of relying on proprietary software or the importance of
open source AI (19 July), news outlets start reporting on study from June demonstrating record
solar-to-hydrogen efficiencies (20 July),
multimodal biomedical
Med-PaLM M is introduced (26 July). • : further evidence that
breastfeeding is important for the
cognitive child development due to its unique ingredients (11 July), trialed
hydroxyapatite toothpaste – which can also include fluoride in addition – against caries (18 July), gene therapy eyedrops of
Vyjuvek, which was approved in May, against blindness (24 July), the second release from the global
WikiGuidelines, a practically oriented guideline on the diagnosis and management of
infective endocarditis, demonstrates a novel approach that incorporates uncertainties more than conventional
guideline reviews (31 July).
August • •
Global warming: The world's
oceans reach a new record high temperature of 20.96 °C, exceeding the previous record in 2016. July is also confirmed as having been the hottest month on record for globally averaged
surface air temperatures by a considerable margin. • Astrobiologists theorise that low-oxygen planets would be unlikely to produce advanced
civilisations, as the
discovery of fire requires easy access to open-air combustion, which is only possible when
oxygen partial pressure is above 18%. • Researchers list and
correct common misconceptions about the
human microbiome.--> • • A small star called TOI-4860 is found to host an unusually large
gas giant, named TOI-4860 b. Astronomers believe this pair to be the lowest-mass star hosting such a high-mass planet, challenging theories of
planetary formation. • Scientists report the discovery of an up to now unknown
ancient human hominin that may have lived 300,000 years ago in China. • Whale
Perucetus colossus of the
Eocene is shown to potentially be Earth's
heaviest-ever animal with 85–340 t. :
Dogxim, the first known
fox–
dog hybrid is reported. • –
Dogxim, the now-dead first known
hybrid of
a fox and a
domesticated dog, discovered in the wild in Brazil in 2021, is reported. • •
Walking more than 3,967 steps each day is shown to reduce the risk of dying prematurely of any cause, based on a study of 226,000 people around the world. This is considerably less than previous recommendations, which have sometimes cited a figure of 10,000+ steps being needed each day. • A study shows activating
astrocyte cells in mice with a novel technique makes them
stay awake for much longer without making them or impacting cognition-associated EEG markers. • – Scientists at
Fermilab report the most precise measurement yet of the magnetic moment of the
muon. The particles are shown to wobble faster than predicted by the
Standard Model, hinting at a possible fifth
fundamental force. • • The rise in
photosynthesis rates around the world caused by the
increase of carbon dioxide is found to have slowed dramatically in the 21st century, as the atmosphere has grown drier. • A global consortium releases two studies and a database on DNA methylation profiles across 348 mammalian species for use in
epigenetic clocks. They provide various new results
relating to human aging and animal experiments as well as predictive models that can estimate mammalian tissue age or risk with high accuracy. On 16 August, a study indicates
chest radiographs evaluated using AI could be a performant biomarker for
aging clocks. • – Amateur astronomer Hideo Nishimura announces the discovery of Comet Nishimura (officially, "
C/2023 P1 (Nishimura)"), a
long-period comet that may be observable in the first days of September 2023 before sunrise. • •
LK-99 is shown to lack the properties required for a
room-temperature superconductor under ambient pressure, following weeks of speculation among the scientific community and in the media. • Three studies indicate
platelets, including or especially
FF4, are
exerkines with
health- and life-extension-potential that
rejuvenate aging brains of mice. • – Scientists publish what could be the first study both investigating climate-polluting investments and proposing taxation thereof as
transformative revenue for
climate finance, i.a. indicating "40% of total U.S. emissions were associated with income flows to the highest earning 10% of households" in 2019 with a
growing emissions inequality. • – A study investigating
public policies and spending as well as
lobbying activities regarding a transition to a
sustainable food system finds that governments "largely ignore the climate-mitigation potential of animal product analogs" and that food production has 'lock-in' problems. • • India's
Chandrayaan-3 becomes the first spacecraft to land near the
south pole of the
Moon, where frozen water is believed to exist. • The complete
sequencing of a human
Y chromosome with the discovery of 41 additional
genes is announced in
Nature. On the same day, a study reports the
assembly of 43 diverse Y chromosomes, revealing large
variability such as a range in size from 45.2 to 84.9 million base-pairs. • A study indicates factors contributing to the
longevity of long-living organisms can be transferred between species, particularly from
naked mole-rats . • • A study estimates that global warming of 2 °C could result in the mass deaths of 1 billion people by 2100. • Astronomers film an
impact event, likely by an
asteroid, on the planet
Jupiter. • Researchers demonstrate in two separate studies that
quantum simulators, e.g. using
trapped ions, can be used to directly observe quantum effects at time-scales far beyond prior approaches,
slowing down femtosecond-scale photo-chemical reactions or dynamics around
conical intersections 100 billion times. • A
preprint models
Earth as seen from
TRAPPIST-1e and indicates that from this 41 light-years distant vantage point, human
civilization would be detectable with the
James Webb Space Telescope due to atmospheric signatures
including air pollution. • –
Autonomous drones win first races against human champions of
FPV drone racing. • – Researchers report, based on genetic studies, that a
human ancestor population bottleneck (from a possible 100,000 to 1,000 individuals) occurred "around 930,000 and 813,000 years ago ... lasted for about 117,000 years and brought human ancestors close to extinction." • :
AI-supported
mammography screening is demonstrated to have the potential to substantially reduce workload and to possibly improve cancer detection rates (1 Aug), a
review outlines applications and challenges of using AI
to accelerate science (2 Aug), a low-cost method for targeted long-read
RNA sequencing that could accelerate development of diagnostics and treatments (TEQUILA-seq) (8 Aug), a new
separate protein database ranks proteins based on how little is known about them (Unknome) (8 Aug), the company that built the world's first hydrogen trains switches to
electric models since they are "cheaper to operate" (9 Aug), a
cryopreservation method for extinction-threatened corals (23 Aug), a
CRISPR-free
base editing system without
guide RNA that enables also editing
chloroplast and
mitochondrial genomes with precision (CyDENT) (28 Aug). • : a study demonstrates that exposure
to microplastics causes neurobehavioral and immunological changes in mammals (mice), varying by age (1 Aug), a study shows people can't reliably detect speech deepfakes with detection for years-old AI software being at 73% (2 Aug), researchers report an unprecedented accuracy of reading
keystrokes from audio of smartphone-recordings or video-chats (7 Aug), a global survey study of climate policy researchers finds these experts substantially doubt the prevailing
green growth narrative, "underscor[ing] the importance of considering alternative post-growth perspectives" that include approaches of
agrowth and
degrowth (7 Aug), a study investigating results from a
GBD study finds that while age-standardized number of cardiovascular deaths from
PM air pollution have declined during the past three decades, all-age
DALYs increased by 31%, reaching ~89 million years in 2019, to which
years of potential life lost contributed the most with ~82 million years lost during this year (9 Aug), a study indicates a third of men worldwide are infected with
genital human papillomavirus which is relevant to
cancer prevention, long-term sequelae and vaccination (16 Aug), a
preprint confirms
smart bulbs may often be one of the weakest links that can be used to
gain access to a nearby person's Wi-Fi network (17 Aug), a
GBD study projects cure-less
osteoarthritis to affect nearly one billion people by 2050 (21 Aug), a study indicates that all types of
straws, including paper straws, except for those made of stainless steel and few exceptions, expose people and their environments to
PFAS (24 Aug), a study indicates cannabis is often a source of exposure to the contaminants
cadmium and
lead (30 Aug), researchers demonstrate
Web browser extensions can gather passwords from input fields of many of the largest websites (30 Aug). • : mice- and dogs-tested
AOH1996 against cancer growth and for combination with other anti-cancer agents (1 Aug), a mice-tested engineered probiotic against
autoimmunity in the brain as in multiple sclerosis (9 Aug), mice-tested
engineered bacteria to detect cancer DNA (10 Aug), a
review finds that of the compared
insecticide-treated nets to prevent
malaria,
chlorfenapyr-
pyrethroid – or combinations – are overall the most effective and address
insecticide-resistance (16 Aug), mice-tested
clovibactin against antibiotic-resistant bacterial pathogens (22 Aug), two
brain implants achieve milestone performances in words per minute and median word error rate (23 Aug), mice-tested
phytosterols – or
cholesterol-imbalance-correction more broadly – against aging-associated hearing loss (24 Aug), a pig-tested
artificial kidney transplant containing a
bioreactor containing renal cells for
renal replacement therapy (29 Aug), a
Raman-based first test for diagnosing
ME/CFS and differentiating between severities with potential relevance to
long COVID (31 Aug).
September • – Astrophysicists question the overall current view of the
universe, in the form of the
Standard Model of Cosmology, based on the latest
James Webb Space Telescope studies. • – Astronomers identify a vast, bubble-like structure known as
Hooleilana in the distribution of relatively nearby
galaxies, estimated at 1 billion light-years in diameter and described as the first observation of an individual
baryon acoustic oscillation. • • The discovery of specialized
astrocytes that mediate
glutamatergic gliotransmission in the
central nervous system is announced. • Geologists report the discovery of what may be the largest known deposit of
lithium, located in the crater of a dormant volcano along the
Nevada–
Oregon border, and estimated to contain 20 to 40 million tonnes of the metal. • • A university reports a study (24 Aug) that builds a theory linking a reduction in prey size in the
Paleolithic to the
evolution of technologies and
cognitive abilities as they had to change their behaviors, abilities, weapons, and strategies. • An
NSF review on sleep provides the first consensus statement with data and preliminary
observational studies-based conclusions on the importance of
sleep timing regularity regarding health and
performance. • – The
James Webb Space Telescope detects carbon dioxide and methane in the atmosphere of
K2-18b, a potentially habitable
exoplanet around 8.6 times the mass of Earth. Webb's data suggests that it might be a
hycean planet covered in oceans of water, with a hydrogen-rich atmosphere. • • NASA releases its first public study on UAP (also known as
UFOs), and appoints
Mark McInerney as the first Director of UAP, to scientifically and transparently study further such occurrences. • A new record time for
quantum coherence is reported, with a single-photon qubit encoded in a novel superconducting cavity for 34
milliseconds. • A
genetically engineered marine microorganism is shown to break down
polyethylene terephthalate in
salt water. This plastic, used in everything from water bottles to clothing, is a significant contributor to
microplastic pollution in oceans. • A study finds that rivers are warming and
losing oxygen faster than
oceans. Of nearly 800 rivers, warming occurred in 87% and oxygen loss occurred in 70%. The study projects that within 70 years, river systems could "induce acute death" and extinctions of aquatic species due to long low oxygen levels. • Astronomers report studies related to the
Hubble tension, a disagreement in results attempting to measure the
Hubble constant, and find that the results from the
James Webb Space Telescope support earlier results from the
Hubble Space Telescope. According to astronomer
Adam Riess, "With Webb confirming the measurements from Hubble, the Webb measurements provide the strongest evidence yet that systematic errors in Hubble's Cepheid photometry do not play a significant role in the present Hubble tension ... As a result, the more interesting possibilities remain on the table and the mystery of the tension deepens." • Research suggests that replacing half of the beef, chicken, dairy and pork products consumed globally with plant-based alternatives by 2050 could reduce the amount of land used by agriculture by almost a third, bring deforestation for agriculture nearly to a halt, help restore biodiversity through rewilding the land and reduce
GHG emissions from agriculture by 31%, paving a clearer path to reaching climate and biodiversity targets. A separate study (6 Sep) using a global food system model suggests that
net-negative greenhouse gas emissions could be possible in a
sustainable food system achievable with full global deployment of diverse interventions, with the most promising options including
hydrogen-powered
fertilizer production,
livestock feeds, organic and inorganic
soil amendments,
agroforestry,
sustainable seafood harvesting practices, and adoption of
flexitarian diets. • • A new
palm oil substitute called PALM-ALT is presented by researchers. The plant-based ingredient is shown to be
70% better for the environment than conventional palm oil and is described as "the holy grail to replace it". • The
Linac Coherent Light Source at the
SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory is upgraded to
LCLS-II and successfully demonstrates its first
X-rays, which are fired 8,000 times faster and are 10,000 times brighter than the previous version. • Scientists calculate that animal
genera are going extinct at a rate 35 times faster than expected background rates over the past million years, which they say indicates the planet is experiencing a human-driven
sixth mass extinction event and that it is accelerating. • A triple-junction
solar cell with
perovskite-perovskite-silicon subcell configuration is demonstrated with an open-circuit voltage of over 2.8 V, which compares to conventional cells with values ranging between 0.7 V and 0.8 V. • •
RNA is recovered from a
Tasmanian tiger, or thylacine, the first isolation and decoding of such molecules from an
extinct species. • The iconic genus
Rafflesia, which includes the
world's largest flower, is reported to be at risk of extinction due to habitat loss. • • Researchers demonstrate that measuring
blood pressure in the standing position yields enhanced
diagnosis of
hypertension. • Archaeologists in
Zambia find the world's
oldest wooden structure, dating back 476,000 years. • –
Carbon is reported to be present in the subterranean ocean of
Europa, based on observations by the
James Webb Space Telescope. • – Astronomers report studies of the
TRAPPIST-1 b exoplanet, finding no signs of an
atmosphere, and commenting that the "planet could be a bare rock, have clouds high in the atmosphere or have a very heavy molecule like
carbon dioxide that makes the atmosphere too small to detect." are successfully returned to Earth. • – Scientists report the successful return of
samples from NASA's
OSIRIS-REx mission to the asteroid
101955 Bennu. Shortly after the sample container was retrieved and transferred to an "airtight chamber at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas", the lid on the container was opened. Scientists commented that they "found black dust and debris on the avionics deck of the OSIRIS-REx science canister" on the initial opening. Later study was planned. A news conference on the asteroid sample is scheduled for 11 October 2023. • • A study on
Pangaea Ultima finds that the hypothetical
supercontinent will make Earth uninhabitable to most life forms in 250 million years, due to extreme temperatures and radiation. • Biologists report the discovery of a ninth species of
pangolin, a
mammal which is covered with large, protective
keratin scales. • – Work begins on the seventh and final primary mirror of the
Giant Magellan Telescope, which is expected to provide quadruple the image resolution of previous observatories when completed. : the
planetary boundaries framework assessment gets updated, showing a sixth limit to be transgressed. • • Physicists report studies, for the first time, supporting the notion that
antimatter particles behave in a similar way as normal matter in a
gravitational field. • Astronomers report studies suggesting that the
rings of Saturn may have resulted from the collision of two
moons "a few hundred million years ago". • A breakthrough in
desalination is achieved by engineers, using a solar-powered device to create freshwater at lower cost than tap water. • : an analysis of
GBD study data shows pre-50 early-onset cancer cases rose by ~80% in 30 years (5 Sep), a study shows
decoupling rates in high-income countries are inadequate for
Paris Agreement commitments and suggests
post-growth approaches such as
demand reduction strategies and reorienting the economy (5 Sep), evidence of impacts of chronic and extreme heat exposure during pregnancy accumulates (7 Sep), a study shows early prevention of
type 2 diabetes of life (11 Sep), a study estimates around
5 million adults died from cardiovascular disease due to
lead exposure in 2019 (11 Sep), shortly after a
review about biodiversity-related harmful effects on ecosystems by non-native ant invasions (29 Jul), the fifth-costliest invasive species, the
red fire ant, is reported to have established itself in the
warming Europe via colonies in
Sicily (11 Sep), a
product testing study shows
cleaning products emit substantial amounts of
hazardous VOCs, such as chloroform, with the lowest quantities in green fragrance-free products (12 Sep), the
planetary boundaries framework assessment gets updated, incorporating freshwater change as a sixth
Earth system dimension above its capacity limit (13 Sep), news outlets report on a study (31 Aug) that shows daily
aspartame consumption leads to heritable cognitive deficits in mice – and more broadly that the
exposome of men may also affect the mental health of the next generation (19 Sep), a study an increasing global exposure to
air pollution from fires (20 Sep). • : non-human vaccinated primates-tested
pGal–antigen therapy for suppressing antigen-specific immune responses and against
autoimmune diseases, this type of vaccine is called "
inverse vaccine" (7 Sep), 3D cell-culture tested
exercise-induced hormone
irisin against
Aβ Alzheimer's disease pathology (8 Sep), identified diverse features strongly associated with
long COVID for better diagnosis (25 Sep). • : a study winning an international competition demonstrates an approach that predicted 70% of earthquakes, suggesting some form of
earthquake prediction may be feasible in the future (5 Sep), researchers release a large set of
audiobooks for books in
Project Gutenberg created automatically via
generative AI with (7 Sep), a news outlet reports on a natural language system, demonstrated on 27 July, that can provide explanations for the conclusion-making of machine learning models for
explainable AI (12 Sep), researchers report a production method for
spider silk fibers from
gene-edited transgenic silkworms for a
sustainable alternative material six times stronger than
Kevlar (20 Sep), a new generation of
sleeping trains is presented amid a comeback of this transport technology in Europe as demand for more comfortable travel modes than overnight buses and
sustainable transport rises (30 Sep).
October • – Astronomers propose a new, more comprehensive, view of the
cosmos, which includes all objects in the
universe, and suggested that the universe may have begun with
instantons, and may be a
black hole. • •
Katalin Karikó and
Drew Weissman share the
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their work in developing
mRNA vaccines, which played a crucial role in the
COVID-19 pandemic. • Pairs of
Jupiter-sized
rogue planets, unconnected to any star, are spotted in the
Orion Nebula by the
James Webb Space Telescope. They are termed
Jupiter-Mass Binary Objects, or "JuMBOs" for short. • •
Pierre Agostini,
Ferenc Krausz and
Anne L'Huillier share the
Nobel Prize in Physics for illuminating how
electrons move, and related techniques that permit scientists to capture the motions of
subatomic particles moving at extremely fast speeds. • Biologists report studies of animals (over 1,500 different species) that found
same-sex behavior (not necessarily related to human orientation) may help improve social stability by reducing conflict within the groups studied. • •
Moungi G. Bawendi,
Louis E. Brus and
Alexei I. Ekimov share the
Nobel Prize in Chemistry for the discovery and development of
quantum dot nanoparticles. • A
review reports 25 consensus statements of 248 scientists, with a total of 2,697 peer-reviewed publications on light and circadian clocks since 2008, relating to
its impacts on health. They find despite the health concerns, "less than 0.5% of the lighting sold today can modify spectral content and intensity between day and night". On 9 October, the largest
cross-sectional study about night-light exposure and psychiatric disorders supports and complements earlier results that indicate causal links. : The most comprehensive cosmological simulations are reported with challenging results • – Biologists report studies confirming the age of human footprints found in the state of
New Mexico in the United States to be "up to 23,000 years old", the earliest found traces of
people in
North America. • – Gene-edited
chickens with partial resistance to
bird flu are developed at the
University of Edinburgh's
Roslin Institute. • • The first known afterglow of a collision between two exoplanets is captured by astronomers, who observe the event around a Sun-like star located 1,800 light years away. • The recovered capsule from the
OSIRIS-REx sample-return mission, that sampled the asteroid
101955 Bennu, is opened to reveal a "first look" at the asteroid sample contents. • • An expert elicitation study reports potential scenarios of
civil unrest in the UK in the coming decades, due to food shortages caused by extreme weather. • A study highlights the exponential growth of
satellite constellations in Earth orbit, which is "creating serious safety and long-term sustainability challenges" and requires urgent action by the
International Telecommunication Union. • A
review summarizes the research on the transition from unconsciousness to
consciousness in humans, integrating new neuroscientific findings about the content and structure of infant consciousness. • A study reports transient windows of decision reactivity to external stimuli
during sleep and
signatures of conscious processing in
lucid REM sleep. • Three studies report specifications and results of the largest
cosmological simulations that incorporate both
dark matter and
normal matter, further deepening
the S8 tension challenge . '' mission. • • NASA launches its
Psyche mission to visit the large metallic asteroid
16 Psyche. • A
meta-analysis finds that three doses of a
COVID-19 vaccine offer 69% effectiveness against
long COVID, while two doses offer 37% efficacy. • 21 studies provide new insights about the human brain at the
cellular level such as
identifying and characterizing differentially
expressed genes in shared cell-types in
a language-associated region of the cortex compared to other apes and showing
human variability of the expression of 150–250 genes for most cell types of profiled cortical tissues of 75 individuals with brain diseases. • A
policy studies review of 200 guidelines about AI
ethics,
safety and
governance summarizes resonating principles and common concerns, providing an evaluating situation report amid what it calls an "AI ethics
boom". • – The
Joint European Torus nuclear fusion laboratory conducts its final experiments after 40 years in operation. : The first discovery of a virus,
phage MiniFlayer, that attaches
to another helper virus is reported. : The coalition behind
Plan S publishes a proposal to the scientific community for moving
scholarly communication towards
open science practices to address alleged issues in
scholarly communication. • • An overview of
detecting life on Earth from distant star-based systems is published. • Scientists propose a new
law of evolution, extending the established
Darwinian ones, and described as the "
law of increasing functional information". • 21 species in the United States are declared extinct by the
US Fish and Wildlife Service. These are one
mammal, ten
birds, two
fish, and eight
mussels. • Scientists report the facial reconstruction of
Pierolapithecus catalaunicus, a 12 million years old
great ape. • • Astronomers report that
FRB 20220610A, a
Fast Radio Burst, took 8 billion years to reach Earth. • Astronomers report the finding, for the first time, of
Ultra-Fast Radio Bursts lasting millionths of a second. • A new
edge-based computer processor called NorthPole is developed by
IBM Research, able to run AI-based image recognition apps 22 times faster than chips currently on the market. • A study links a large marine macrofauna population collapse mortality event, the
death of ~10 billion snow crabs around 2018, to
marine heatwaves that caused mass starvation. • – A study reports evidence of recent plant adaptive evolution, involving a
leaf color change from green to red of
a woodsorrel, due to
urban heat islands. It provides information regarding
evolutionary dynamics of climate change and
human adaptation. • – A significant breakthrough in treating
cervical cancer is reported, with participants in a
Phase III trial seeing a 35% reduction in the risk of both mortality or the disease returning. The study used a
combination of existing, cheap drugs ahead of usual
radiotherapy treatment. • • California-based startup Atom Computing announces a 1,225-qubit
quantum computer, the first to break the 1,000+ barrier, which it plans to release in 2024. • NASA provides updated details of its
Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, planned for launch by 2027. •
JT-60SA, the world's largest fusion reactor, located in Japan, achieves first plasma. • A study reviewing the 'planetary vital signs' reports deeply concerning patterns and records, minimal progress of mitigation by humanity, and a set of broad
policy recommendations. It represents an annual update to
a 2019 study that has been signed by now 15,000 researchers to
track the state of climate change and its mitigation. • – Scientists, helped by information derived from the
Mars InSight lander, report that the
planet Mars has a
radioactive magma ocean under its crust. • – Astronomers report studies that suggest for the first time that the
planet Venus may have had
plate tectonics during ancient times, and, as a result, may have had a cooler more
habitable environment, and possibly one capable of generating
life forms. • – Positive results are reported in a study with rats of the experimental vaccine
calixcoca meant for treating
cocaine addiction. Clinical trials in humans are the next step of the study. • – A study finds that the world's remaining
carbon budget for 1.5 °C of
global warming is only half that of previous estimates, at less than 250 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide, or around six years of annual worldwide emissions. • • The first discovery of a virus,
phage MiniFlayer, that attaches
to another helper virus is reported. • The coalition of research organizations and science funders behind
Plan S publishes a proposal for moving
scholarly communication towards
open science practices that are more transparent,
accessible, efficient and without
author fees. • : a study further confirms noncompensable moist heat extremes will be beyond bounds of past human evolutionary environments
for billions of people (9 Oct), an analysis calls for
health policy regarding unhealthy
ultra-processed foods (9 Oct), an analysis calls for action regarding the summarized
environmental footprint of
bitcoin mining (9 Oct), a global assessment of
pollinator loss to crop pollination shows cocoa and coffee at high risk (12 Oct), a training
data poisoning technique, 'Nightshade', against
generative AI software specific to select
prompts is described (20 Oct), a study indicates
low deep sleep percentage is a modifiable dementia risk factor (30 Oct). • : researchers release
an AI system, SIDE, to improve source-quality and
reliability of
Wikipedia by identifying problematic
citations and recommending better ones to editors (19 Oct), researchers demonstrate potential
AI applications in science such as for research suggestion
tools and keeping track of accelerating scientific output. • : breast-cancer detection via cell-free tumor DNA in breastmilk (5 Oct), monkey-tested genetically edited humanized kidney
xenotransplant (11 Oct), trialed
electrical brain stimulation methods against brain disorders (19 Oct), aged-rats tested blood plasma fraction E5 from young pig blood against aging as measured (24 Oct).
November • • Amid an ongoing
boom in artificial intelligence, the UK hosts the world's first international
summit devoted to safely managing the technology. • Computer simulations reveal that remnants of a
protoplanet named
Theia could be inside the
Earth, left over from a giant collision in ancient times, which afterwards formed the
Moon. •
Dinkinesh, previously thought to be a single asteroid, is revealed by NASA's
Lucy probe to in fact be a binary pair. • – A new record high
efficiency of 33.9% is reported for a
silicon-
perovskite tandem solar cell. This also surpasses the
Shockley-Quieser theoretical limit of 33.7% of single junction solar cells for the first time. • – Scientists release the first
connectome of
neuropeptide signaling in an animal nervous system (
C. elegans). On 1 November, a functional
atlas of signal propagation in 23,433 pairs of neurons across the worm's head by direct
optogenetic activation is published. On 17 November, the development of fluorescent neuropeptide sensors is reported. • – A study finds that "catastrophic ecosystem collapse" of
UK forests is likely within the next 50 years, due to a wide range of factors. • – In 10 studies, researchers of the report yeast with a half-
synthetic genome. • – Surgeons report the first
human eye transplant; the patient did not regain sight in the transplanted eye. • – A new scalable technique for
carbon nanotube-based
MOSFETs is demonstrated. • •
White faces generated by artificial intelligence (AI) are perceived as more real than actual human faces while the same is not true for
people of colour in a study. • A study proposes characteristics
of human evolution underlie current global environmental problems, favoring groups of increased size and
group-level cultural traits of greater environmental exploitation. Based on the hypothesis that the primary mechanism of evolutionary inheritance has shifted from genes
to culture, it suggests cultural evolution patterns to date work against global collective solutions to
Anthropocene challenges. • An
umbrella review summarizes the research on benefits and risks associated
with digital media use by youths, suggesting caregivers, policymakers and researchers should continue to move away from prevailing oversimplified recommendations to reduce
screen time to instead focus on the types of screen use. • • Geologists report that
Iceland may face "decades" of volcanic instability, following a series of recent eruptions on the
Reykjanes Peninsula, breaking an 800-year hiatus. • 3D printing of
hair follicles on lab-grown skin is reported. • •
Casgevy, a world-first gene therapy that aims to cure
sickle-cell disease and transfusion-dependent
beta thalassemia, is approved by the UK's
Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, becoming the first drug using
CRISPR to be licensed. • Scientists report first evidence that unfamiliar groups of nonhuman
primates, particularly
bonobos, are capable of cooperating with each other. • – The
global average temperature temporarily exceeds 2 °C above the pre-industrial average for the first time in recorded history. • – A study of
censorship in science finds it to be often driven by scientists themselves, motivated by prosocial concerns or reputation protection. • – An autonomous
excavator is demonstrated. Using sensors, the machine can generate 3D maps of a construction site, localising individual blocks and stones in order to build a wall. • • Astrophysicists report the detection of "
Amaterasu", the second highest-energy
cosmic ray ever known, second only to the
Oh-My-God particle of 1991. Amaterasu originated from the
Local Void and its energy exceeded 240 exa-electron volts (EeV). • Researchers report the discovery of nearly 200 functionally diverse natural machineries for
CRISPR gene editing. • – Astronomers report evidence, for the first time, of an
overmassive black hole galaxy (
O.B.G.), the result of "heavy
black hole seed formation from direct collapse", an alternative way of producing a black hole other than the collapse of a dead star. This discovery was found in studies of
UHZ1, a
very early galaxy containing a
quasar, by the
Chandra X-ray Observatory and
James Webb Space Telescope. • • Astronomers report the discovery of a star,
HD 110067, that contains six
sub-Neptune exoplanets with radii ranging from 1.94R⊕ to 2.85R⊕. • The first example of a
planet-forming disk beyond the Milky Way galaxy is reported by astronomers using the
ALMA in Chile. The system, designated as HH 1177, is located in the
Large Magellanic Cloud, about 160,000 light years away. • • Researchers demonstrate multicellular
microbots grown from a human cell, "anthrobots", that can move around in tissues
in vitro. • A trial comparing a
healthy vegan and a healthy omnivorous diet
in identical twins finds the former to be
substantially better according to cardiometabolic measures like
LDL-C after 8 weeks. • : an efficient
electrocaloric heat pump for
sustainable cooling (16 Nov), taste-tested bioreactor-grown
cultured coffee (17 Nov), an
autonomous laboratory for synthesis of inorganic powders, the A-Lab (29 Nov), a
solar tower design using
downdraft technology for hot and dry weather areas that could generate twice the electricity of
solar updraft systems and operate at night, the Twin-Technology Solar System (
TTSS) (30 Nov). • : phase 2-trialed
Mazdutide against type-2 diabetes (9 Nov), phase 1-trialed
lepodisiran against cardiovascular risk factor
lipoprotein (12 Nov), rat-tested depot technology for sustained delivery of
GLP-1 receptor agonists against the need for frequent injections (21 Nov). • : a study indicates common
food allergies are not benign but are associated with increased risk of cardiovascular mortality (9 Nov), in a commentary, scientists warn that to "reduce
plastic pollution efficiently and economically, policy should prioritize regulating and reducing upstream production rather than downstream pollution cleanup" as "popularized by
The Ocean Cleanup" (9 Nov),
social unconnectedness confirmed as likely substantial mortality risk factor using
UK Biobank data (10 Nov),
nanoplastic pollution and consumption identified as a likely
Parkinson's disease risk factor (17 Nov), a
review cautions "robust evidence has yet to emerge that
air treatment technologies] are effective at reducing respiratory or gastrointestinal infections in real world settings" (20 Nov), a
content analysis of
packaging marketing of infant and toddler foods in supermarkets suggests protection of young children's diets from harmful influence of food marketing is needed (28 Nov), a
preprint suggests some
large language models have an 'extractable memorization' flaw by which training data can be extracted at affordable costs by queries (28 Nov).
December • • Scientists, for the first time, report a recently discovered area on the current planet
Earth, particularly in the
Puna de Atacama territory of
South America, which may be similar to ancient Earth, and the related environment of the
first life forms on Earth – as well as – similar to possibly hospitable conditions on the planet
Mars during earlier Martian times. •
Google DeepMind announces its
Gemini multimodal language model, which it claims has advanced "reasoning capabilities" and can outperform
GPT-4 on a variety of tasks. • • A gene therapy based on three
transcription factors, Oct4, Sox2, and Klf4 (OSK), is shown to provide sustained vision recovery in mice affected by
glaucoma. • Physicists report future proposed plans for the next ten years. These proposals are intended to help better understand some of the current concerns of
particle physics, including challenges to the
Standard Model, and involve studies primarily dealing with
gravity,
black holes,
dark matter,
dark energy,
Higgs boson,
muons,
neutrinos, and more. •
Quantum entanglement of
molecules is achieved for the first time. • A comprehensive review of ancient
carbon dioxide levels and
corresponding temperatures is published by a consortium of more than 80 researchers from 16 nations. Their study finds that current levels of
atmospheric carbon dioxide are the highest in at least 14 million years, much longer ago than some existing assessments indicate. • – Researchers demonstrate the use of
biological-electronic
hybrid Organoid Intelligence, 'Brainoware' , for
speech recognition. • – Asteroid
319 Leona occults the bright star
Betelgeuse for about 12 seconds as viewed on a narrow path from China to Mexico. • • Scientists report that the contents of the
sample-return mission of the
OSIRIS-REx mission to asteroid
Bennu revealed
organic molecules as well as unknown materials which require more study to have a better idea of their composition and makeup. • The smallest known
brown dwarf, weighing just three to four times the mass of Jupiter, is discovered in star cluster
IC 348 by astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope. • • Scientists report that
genes inherited by
modern humans from
Neanderthals and
Denisovans may biologically influence the daily routine of modern humans, specifically their
chronotype. • Astronomers report the first time discovery, in the
plumes of
Enceladus, moon of the planet
Saturn, of
hydrogen cyanide, a possible chemical essential for
life as we know it, as well as other
organic molecules, some of which are yet to be better identified and understood. According to the researchers, "these [newly discovered] compounds could potentially support extant
microbial communities or drive complex
organic synthesis leading to the
origin of life." • –
Google DeepMind claims to have made the first ever scientific discovery with an
AI chatbot by building a fact-checker to filter out useless outputs, leaving useful solutions to mathematical or computing problems. • 19 December –
COVID-19: The
World Health Organization designates JN.1, part of the
BA.2.86 SARS-CoV-2 lineage, as its own variant of interest. This follows a recent, rapid rise in case numbers around the world. • • A new class of
antibiotic candidates, able to kill
methicillin-resistant
Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is
identified using
deep learning. • An experimental study reports
online search to evaluate the
truthfulness of false news articles increases the probability of
believing them, especially for those for whom
search engines return
lower-quality information. It suggests
media literacy programs with tested strategies and solutions for identified search engines issues are needed. • – A new model of the largest
neutron stars finds an 80–90% chance that they contain
quark-matter cores. • – A
metascience study the total amount of
article processing charges paid to publish with
open access in journals controlled by from 2015–2018 to be $1.06 billion. On 12 December, it is reported that the number of
paper retractions has hit a new record of over 10,000 in 2023, with around 80% coming from journals owned by
Hindawi, mostly special issues overseen by guest editors. • : a flying
firehose robot, the Dragon Firefighter (22 Dec), completion of the first functional 105 meters tall more-modular Modvion
wooden wind turbine is reported (28 Dec). • : news reports about a portable
EEG helmet with significant accuracy of
decoding thought words to text, DeWave (12 Dec),
carrots against cancer-risk (17 Dec). • : the annual
Global Carbon Budget study finds fossil emissions are still rising when if they stayed the same, the 50% likelihood to limit global warming to 1.5 °C would be exceeded around 2031 (5 Dec), the genetic testing company 23andMe confirms that the
genetic privacy of around 7 million customers has been violated in the
23andMe data leak (5 Dec), a study using plasma proteomics
aging clocks suggests nearly 20% of the population may show strongly accelerated age in one of 11 major organs, which it links to higher mortality risk (6 Dec), cumulative
loneliness in mid-to-later life, a growing public health concern, is confirmed as potential substantial excess mortality risk factor with U.S. data (11 Dec), news outlets report on a study (13 Oct) finding ~82% of fish samples from two
Michigan watersheds exceed daily consumption limit for adults of total
PFOS (12 Dec), a study robustifies the link between women's
preconception exposure to
phthalates and lower
fecundability, changes in reproductive hormones, and increased inflammation using
EAGeR trial data (13 Dec), a study of meal timing using French
NutriNet-Santé data indicates longer nighttime fasting periods may be superior to breakfast skipping in
intermittent fasting (14 Dec), one of the first
horizon scan risk screening studies by region on
invasive species threats identifies 40 high-risk potential invaders to
Florida (14 Dec). ==Awards==