11 Unbelievable Discoveries in Science

Показать описание

These are 11 discoveries made in science that you won't believe! Like finding the oldest human fossil & friendly artificial intelligence.

7. The Oldest Human Fossil Ever
Back in 2013, a graduate student who goes to the Arizona State University found a human jawbone in Ethiopia. Scientists are dating the jawbone to be around 2.8 million years old, that’s 400,000 years before the previous record holder of the oldest human fossil. The fossil findings, which have been published in a new study by ASU's Institute of Human Origin, show that the lower mandible is now the earliest proof of the human genus. The jawbone also happened to be in the same area where the famous Lucy Skeleton was discovered.

6. The “Smiley” Galaxy Cluster
This galaxy cluster known as SDSS J1038+4849 NASA was photographed by the Hubble Telescope last year and dubbed as the “Smiley” galaxy. The two dots that make up the eyes are actually two different galaxies while the smile portion of the face is created by light that is being bent by gravity, known as gravitational lensing. This is also what’s creating the curved lines that make up the smiley face's head, by bending the light from the galaxy behind this cluster.

5. Planet X
Two scientists from the California Institute of Technology located in Pasadena claim that they have found strong evidence that there may be a new planet amongst our solar system. Konstantin Batygin and Mike Brown say that the Neptune-sized planet lies somewhere near the outskirts around Neptune and sits on an elliptical orbit. They state that around 4.5 billion years ago the planet was knocked out of orbit from the planet-forming region. The two scientists also believe that the hidden planet is responsible for creating the weird elliptical tilt of a cluster of 6 objects though there is a 0.007 percent chance it’s just a coincidence. Other scientists are reluctant to believe this news as there have been others claims of another potential planet that have yielded no results.

4. Bowhead Whale Genes
The Bowhead species of whale is able to live for an incredibly long period of time and studies hypothesize they can have a lifespan of at least 211 years. A team of researchers from the Liverpool Centre for Genomics Research, located in the UK, discovered a special mutation in two of the whale’s genes. Because of their massive size, one would think that they would be more prone to developing cancer because of the higher number of cells they each have. However, the mutation keeps the whales from developing any cancer, repairs their DNA, and keeps them from aging. Scientists hope to one day use this information in the fight against cancer and to maybe slow down the process of aging altogether. Even in aiding with age-related diseases.

3. OpenAI
While technology continues to get more and more advanced, some people are worried as to whether or not there could be a potential machine uprising with real-life terminators. As ridiculous as that sounds, this reality is slowly making it’s way out of sci-fi movies and into the real world through AI or artificial intelligence. This is the exact reason why the creator of Tesla and SpaceX, Elon Musk, created OpenAI back in 2015. It’s described as a friendly AI that wouldn’t harm humanity but rather be a benefit.

2. Fusion Power Breakthrough
If fusion power, the way that the sun produces its energy, could be solved and harnessed it would mean a tremendous deal that could help solve the energy problems of the world. Fusion power creates more energy output than nuclear fission, while also producing less radioactive waste that will remain dangerous for only 50 years give or take as opposed to the thousands of year with nuclear fission. However, achieving this is extremely difficult. A privately funded company in LA called Tri Alpha Energy has managed to contain hydrogen plasma needed for fusion power but for only five milliseconds as temperatures reach to 100 million degrees Celsius. This is why it’s so hard to produce fusion power because whatever you try to contain it in will just melt. This is a major breakthrough in the quest for affordable energy.

1. The Most Complete Mapping of the Human Epigenome
Scientists have revealed the most complete mapping of the human epigenome to date by using large amounts of data analysis to figure out why and how specific genes turn on and off in our cells. The epigenome is basically the boss and tells your cells which genes that they need to express and they can be influenced from say anything in your environment to the types of food that you consume. Even the types of pollutions that you’re grandparents were exposed to. The best analogy would be to consider these genes as light switches that are being turned on and off. These new findings could help in the battle against diseases such as cancer.