There have been a lot of publications and video productions about Global Warming and the melting of the Arctic Ice Cap in the last several years. Al Gore and his co-researchers even received a Nobel Prize for their work on climate change, but even though it is a strong warning, it doesn’t make the list of the most important scientific discoveries of the past ten years. With the cost of gasoline rising to nearly four dollars a gallon a year ago and the projections of limited new sources of fossil fuels, some new break through in power production might be expected to make the list of significant scientific discoveries, but that is not the case.
The most important scientific discoveries of the past ten years are largely in the field of astronomy because of the data collected by the Hubble Telescope and in biology. The top scientific discoveries of the past ten years are:
The genome mapping of multiple species including the human genome. This includes the discovery that the chimpanzee has a 96% genetic match with the human genome. London researchers grew bone marrow stem cells into functioning human heart valve tissue making the debate on the use of embryonic stem cells moot. Some researchers claim to have grown stem cells from skin cells. The discovery of nanogenerators. Nanogenerators are zinc oxide wires that can convert mechanical energy into electricity. A nanogenerator in your shoe may one day power your cell phone and a nanogenerator medical implant may one day power medical devices or sensors such as glucose monitors from blood vessels. Nanogenerators provide free electricity and will one day replace batteries. The Phoenix Mars Lander discovered water on Mars. The successful completion of human multiple organ transplants including a face transplant. The discovery of the most ancient hominid in Chad. This skull is three million years older than previous discoveries. The production of green plastics from algae proving that plastic can be made without petroleum products. Jamie Link discovered smart dust also known as motes or teeny sensors, small silicon chips that are used in wireless sensing networks to detect hazardous chemicals or biological agents in air, to monitor the purity of drinking water, to locate and destroy tumor cells, or to monitor the concrete in buildings and bridges to determine if they are structurally sound. The Hubble Telescope resolved several astronomy problems such as the age of the universe that is currently thought to be 13-14 billion years old. Hubble data discovered M87, a black hole. The Hubble proved that quasars reside in the centers of galaxies, not at the edge of galaxies as previously thought. The Hubble photos proved that planetary nebulae are unique, no two are alike. The discovery of multiple new species in Antarctica.
