We have reached the conclusion of 2017 (some say, good riddance to bad rubbish!) and here at DecoScience, we have decided to do a wrap-up of the top science and art stories of the year. Now the science stories seem to outweigh the art ones but that is probably because there were so many very cool things happening in science (and some very scary things as well). So, without further ado, here is our list in no particular order.
1. The solid proof of gravitational waves. The theory of gravitational waves has been around for a long time. More than a century ago Albert Einstein came up with many ideas regarding gravity and space. One such theory is that when two bodies such as planets or stars orbit each other they could cause ripples in space that would spread out in space like ripples on the surface of water when something is dropped into it. These invisible ripples are referred to as gravitational waves. On Oct. 16, a collaborative team of scientists proved this idea and three of the physicists involved, Rainier Weiss, Kip Thorne, and Barry Barish, were awarded the Nobel Prize in physics for their work with LIGO, aka: the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory. I have to admit when I read that NASA had a huge announcement scheduled, I was hoping that it was aliens were here to save our planet…but I guess this is cool too.
2. The total eclipse of the sun. (Wasn’t that a song, maybe not?) This event was witnessed by many across the continental United States, from Oregon to S Carolina and an incomplete eclipse here in the great white north. (We’re always the little brother getting the table scraps…joke.) For those of you who didn’t witness it, it was a little ominous at the fullest point because everything turned a weird colour and I swear all the birds stopped chirping like they were holding their breaths until the lights came back on. Or maybe I am reading too much into it. I do that.
3. Cassini’s last hurrah! The 13-year Cassini mission is arguably one of the most successful missions to date. It was packed with a number of firsts and provided many new insights into Saturn, its rings, and its moons. The spacecraft was purposely maneuvered to crash so as to not impact any of the planets moons if it were to stay in orbit indefinitely. Kind of like running into to your neighbour’s mailbox as opposed to hitting their pet alpaca, Bob, who will just not stay off the street.
4. First woman director of the Tate. Maria Balshaw was appointed to one of the most important positions in the art world. (Yay, for women!) She took over on June 1 from the outgoing director, Nicholas Serota. Balshaw has long been a champion of women artists throughout her career; heading exhibitions by artists Marina Abramovic, Elizabeth Price, and Cornelia Parker.
5. WHO stopped a potentially devastating plague outbreak. I am, personally, quite happy about this one. The World Health Organization stopped the spread of the pneumonic plague from spreading off the island of Madagascar. Although the plague is not unknown in Madagascar, this rarer version is more dangerous because it is highly infectious and is spread from person to person via coughing. The WHO helped 95% of the people infected through a 7-day course of antibiotics. A big Woot Woot from me to you, WHO!
6. Mother Nature is angry. On the not-so-good front, 2017 was a year of devastating weather. From the hurricanes that battered Caribbean Islands, Florida, and Texas to the unbelievable wildfires across the west, good old Gaia is proving she is still in charge no matter what an orange-tinged man might think. Enough said here.
7. Lost da Vinci sells for a record amount. Salvator Mundi, a painting by Leonardo da Vinci sells for a record $450, 312, 500 at Christie’s Auction House in London. (For the full story, please read my previous blog.) This is the highest amount to date paid for a painting.
8. FDA approves gene therapy. The US Food and Drug administration has approved the first ever gene therapy, heralding the beginning of a new type of medicine. This therapy tackles disease head-on by inserting DNA directly into the body. A new gene therapy called Luxturna will treat a rare form of inherited blindness.
9. The first known case of gene editing on human embryos in the US. A group of scientists in Oregon have reportedly corrected defective genes that cause an inherited disease in “a large number of one-cell embryos” using CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats). To this point, human-related gene editing has usually come from outside the US, especially in China where legislation is quite different. There are many ethical concerns around this type of research and in this study, the embryos were not allowed to develop for more than a couple of days.
10. Salvador Dali exhumed. After the last 2 terribly serious admissions to the list, I thought the last would lighten the mood a bit. This proved to be one of the weirder things that happened this year. Pilar Abel, a 61-year-old fortune teller from Girona, Spain won the right to exhume the artist’s body for DNA testing. She had spent the last ten years trying to prove that she was his daughter and rightful heir. Long story short, she isn’t and now she has all those legal and lab fees to pay for. Some of the headlines regarding this case stated that his infamous mustache was still intact…he was a surrealist and curried sensational publicity after all, so I think this whole story is apropos.
I am sure there were many other wonders to behold in 2017 but these were the ones that fascinated me. Let us know what you thought the big news in the world of science and art were; we are always happy to share information. May 2018 bring your health, happiness, and knowledge! From the team here at DecoScience, Happy New Year!
–Janice Willson
