11 Brilliant Scientific Breakthroughs We Have Already Seen In 2018

When scientists work their brains, discoveries happen. It is because of their acute knowledge of the discipline they study that we get to witness some remarkable scientific breakthroughs. And even though we still have seven months to 2019, this year has already given us hope for a better tomorrow.

1. Scientists discover 13 billion-year-old oxygen

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Scientists from the University College London published a study in the journal Nature where they said they discovered 13 billion-year-old oxygen in a distant galaxy. This discovery can also shed light on the oldest stars in the universe.

2. Scientists fix genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease in human brain cells

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Scientists at Gladstone Institutes in San Francisco made a significant breakthrough when they fixed the genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease. After extracting stem cells from patients and healthy volunteers, the scientists used these cells to create neurons or brain cells. Once they found out the protein that caused Alzheimer’s, they then formed a method to change its structure and erase any evidence of Alzheimer’s in the damaged neurons.

3. Scientists in Antarctica harvest vegetables in a greenhouse

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Scientists harvested vegetables in Antarctica using neither soil nor daylight. They managed to harvest salad greens, cucumbers, and radishes in a high-tech greenhouse that made it conducive for the plants to grow when temperatures outside went below the freezing point.  

4. Scientists reverse the aging process in mice

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A team of Boston scientists found a way to reverse the aging process in mice. In a study published in the journal CELL, the team found a way to boost NAD levels in older mice via a dietary supplement. The cells then became younger and the mice’s overall health improved.

5. Scientists discover a warm-blooded fish

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Opah has been a staple dish for many around the world, but it was only recently that scientists discovered it to be warm-blooded. Before this, scientists did not believe that the fish could maintain a warm body temperature. Their study was published in the journal Science.

6. Scientists may have discovered a brand new organ

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Scientists at New York University School of Medicine believe that they have found a new organ. The interstitium was previously thought to be a dense layer of tissues, but the researchers at NYU believe it to be a tiny channel that connects to the lymphatic system. The study was published in Scientific Reports.

7. Scientists found mineable ice on Mars

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Recently, the Mars camera HiRISE discovered several areas of eroded land that allowed scientists direct access to Mars’s ice supply. The ice on eight different regions appears to be quiet pure, possibly making it mineable. If humans ever make Mars their home, this ice could be used as drinking water or for crops.

8. Scientists analyse DNA from teeth that helped discover an ancient illness

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Scientists recently ran tests on the pulp extracted from skulls’ teeth that pointed toward an ancient illness in Mexico. The skeletons extracted from a Mexican cemetery were probably of victims that died of a mysterious plague nearly 500 years ago. Scientists discovered a strain of the bacteria salmonella enterica associated with Typhoid Fever.

9. Scientists transplant memories from one snail to another

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In a new study, researchers at the University of California said that they discovered how a simple memory in a snail (mollusc) might form, and that with one injection it could be transferred from one sea snail to another. The study was published in the journal eNeuro.

10. Scientists discover a lost tribe using DNA of an ancient child

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After the bones of a six-year-old baby girl in Central Alaska were found – that dated back to 11,500 years ago – the scientists discovered a genome that was the oldest existing complete genome of New World humans. The girl’s genes also led to a breakthrough discovery of an unknown Native American tribe.