Top 10 Science Breakthroughs of 2005
Science magazine has published their top 10 science breakthroughs of 2005. Here it is as stolen from BBC News:
It's ironic to see evolution take the top honours, especially since 2005 has also been the year it came vehement attacks from the ignoramus-religious-creationist-unintelligent-design-freaks. Breakthroughs in 2005 reconfirms -- as if it was needed -- evolution as the foundation for biology. Much of the new findings was from genetic studies that showed how, at the fundamental biological level, life changes over time. It was exciting times for biological science.
- Winner: Evolution in action [PDF]. Genome sequencing and painstaking field observations shed light on the intricacies of how evolution works. (Related: Is the "Big Bang" in Animal Evolution Real? [PDF])
- Runner up [PDF]: Planetary blitz. Europe's Huygens probe touched down on Saturn's moon Titan in January. It was joined by a fleet of other explorers, including Nasa's Deep Impact, which smashed a hole in a comet.
- In bloom. Molecular biologists pinned down several of the molecular cues responsible for spring's vibrant burst of colour.
- Neutron stars. Satellites and ground telescopes shed light on the violent behaviour of neutron stars; city-sized corpses of stars that pack matter into an extreme state.
- Miswiring the brain. Researchers gained clues about the mechanisms of disorders such as schizophrenia, dyslexia and Tourrete's syndrome.
- Complicated Earth. Comparisons of rocks from Earth and outer space forced scientists to scrap long-held views of how our planet formed.
- Protein portrait. Scientists got their best look yet at the molecular structure of a voltage-gated potassium channel.
- Change of climate. More evidence implicating human activities in global warming was presented, the magazine said. (Related: Tiny Bubbles Tell All [PDF])
- Systems biology. Molecular biologists are looking to engineering in order to understand the behaviour of complex systems.
- Bienvenue Iter. After 18 months of wrangling, the $12bn International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (Iter) got a home: Cadarache in France.
It's ironic to see evolution take the top honours, especially since 2005 has also been the year it came vehement attacks from the ignoramus-religious-creationist-unintelligent-design-freaks. Breakthroughs in 2005 reconfirms -- as if it was needed -- evolution as the foundation for biology. Much of the new findings was from genetic studies that showed how, at the fundamental biological level, life changes over time. It was exciting times for biological science.
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