Without the help of science, the technology we use every day would probably not exist. So we list the 10 most interesting science technology news this year because there are many innovations that will change our lives in the near future.
1. The Human Population On Earth Now Exceeds 8 Billion People
The human population on earth now exceeds 8 billion people which is a threefold increase compared to 1950. It is interesting because it is considered an important event in human development after the drastic decrease in the world population growth rate in the early 1960s. Among the factors driving this growth is the increase in human life expectancy, and the high level of fertility in some countries with a reproduction rate of around 2.1 children per woman.
According to the UN, the number has the potential to continue to increase over time with an estimate of 8.5 billion in 2030 before peaking at around 10.4 billion throughout the year 2080. However, this situation has been debated by some parties who express concern due to the increase in population and insufficient resources to maintain it.
2. Wajah Penang Woman Produced by USM
Last year, the face of the Perak Man (Perak Man) was produced by a group of researchers from Universiti Sains Malaysia to unravel the mystery of the skeleton found in 1991 in Lenggong Perak. The same team that produced an estimate of the face of the Perak people is now also producing an estimate of the face of the Penang Woman found in Guar Kepah in 2017.
Penang Woman's skull scans were taken before modern forensic reconstruction techniques were used to estimate skin thickness and facial features. Based on the same skull scan data, the reproduction of the face using 3D techniques was done by Cicero Moraes who is a facial reconstruction artist from Brazil.
Penang Woman is estimated to have lived around 5000 years ago with a body as tall as 150cm and died at the age of 30 to 35 years. Tests on skeletal tissue also revealed he lived on protein from seafood or rivers.
3. A 460 KM Long River Found On The Antarctic Continent
Antarctica is the fifth largest continent in the world and it is always covered in ice. Because of this, many people must have thought that all the water sources on this continent are frozen. But a group of international scientists have discovered a 460km long underground river in this continent. More interesting is that one of the scientists involved is from Universiti Malaysia Terengganu.
The river under the ice layer was first discovered decades ago. At first scientists thought it was a short small river system but after more in-depth study it actually consisted of a network of interconnected underground lakes. Scientists now have more complete data to predict the level of ice melting in the future.
4. A pig's heart is successfully transplanted into a human
A pig heart that has been successfully transplanted into a real human body. This may sound ridiculous but that's what happened to David Bennett who was the recipient of the world's first pig heart. This transplant process was successfully performed by a group of doctors from the University of Maryland Medical Center, United States last March.
The pig's heart has gone through genetic changes first to adapt to the human body. However, he died two months after the operation due to what is believed to be an animal virus. The infection occurs due to the absence of the pig's body defense system on the recipient's body and leads to death.
That, however, did not stop doctors from NYU Langone Health from transplanting pig hearts into the bodies of two other human recipients in July. Two recipients only lived for about 72 hours because they were already confirmed brain dead and the body was handed over for scientific study.
5. Universal Organs That Can Be Donated Regardless of the Type of Blood Produced
The use of pig organs as analogues of human organs caused a great debate because of the issue of halal and haram. Actually there are other alternatives that are also being worked on. In February this year, scientists from Latner Thoracic Surgery Research Laboratories and UHN Ajmera Transplant Center located in Canada successfully produced a universal organ that can be donated to all recipients regardless of blood type.
Through it, the lungs of individuals with blood A are treated with the enzymes FpGalNAc deacetylase and FpGalactosaminidase. It is also the enzymes used to change blood type A to type O before. After being treated for several hours in a special room, 97% of antigen A was successfully removed from the lungs.
Then the scientists pumped type O blood into the lungs and found that no rejection markers were found. So far it is still in the laboratory test stage only. Clinical trials within 12-18 months are required for the next step. Meanwhile, the scientist is also planning to further expand the production of universal people that is not just limited to the lungs in the future.
6. Hair Straightening Products Increase the Risk of Uterine Cancer
Hair is a woman's crown, which is seen as something very precious. Despite wearing a hijab, its care should not be neglected to ensure that it remains beautiful. To look perfect, hairdressing is also as important as applying makeup on the face. Hair straightening products are one of the must-have products on a woman's list. The reason is that having straight hair is one of the dreams of women in the world. But did you know, it actually contributes to the increased risk of uterine cancer?
This was revealed by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in a study involving 33,497 participants aged between 35-74 years in the United States. The results of the study found that 378 of the participants were found to have uterine cancer. The commonality found is that they use hair straightening products more than four times a year. Researchers estimated that 1.64% of women who did not use hair straightening products were at risk of uterine cancer but increased to 4.05% if they used them.
7. Ronna, Quetta, Ronto & Quecto – Four New SI Units of Measure
MEGApixel, NANO technology and MILImeter waves. All of these terms have S.I. units learned while in school. Last November, four more premiums for new measurements were introduced, namely Ronna, Quetta, Ronto and Quetto. The values represented by these four affixes are.
Ronna (R) is 1027 or 1 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000
Quetta (Q) is 1030 or 1 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000
ronto (r) is 10−27 or 0.000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 001
quecto (q) is 10−30 or 0.000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 001
Also understood, all these new prefixes can be used in seven basic units in the metric system including gram (g) and amp (A). This addition is an expansion in the list since the last prefix was introduced in 1991. Ronna and Quetto were also added for data science needs that because of yotta are now no longer enough.
8) Microplastics Found In Human Body, Human Blood, Beef And Milk
Another surprising news this year is the discovery of microplastics in the human body. The findings of the study found that microplastic particles have been found in feces, tissues, blood and lungs of living humans. It is also found in beef and milk produced. The types of plastic detected are Polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene, and styrene polymer.
In simple language, this is plastic of the type commonly used in packaging, bottles and clothing. It is believed to enter the human body through the respiratory cavity through inhaled air which then 'nests' in the organs. The long-term effects of plastic in the blood are still unknown because no studies have been done so far.
But it has the potential to cause damage to human cells. The effect on other living things is different, for example such as animals that can cause retardation of body development, death, resulting in reproductive difficulties and chemical toxicity.
9) Nuclear Fusion Energy is Getting Closer to Becoming a Reality
Around 81% of the world's energy needs are still generated using fossil fuels which continue to contribute to climate change. The impact of ad changes has caused the Great Barrier Reef to become endangered and the habitat of wildlife populations to decrease by 69% since the 1970s. Windmills and solar are not yet able to replace existing energy sources.
One of the energy sources that is expected to be a sustainable and clean source is nuclear fusion. After the reaction only hydrogen and neutrons are produced but for nuclear fusion to occur temperatures as hot as the sun are required. This year the nuclear fusion reaction was successfully carried out in a laboratory in the United States with the energy output exceeding the input. In China, a tokamak that produces a higher temperature than the sun's surface can operate for 17 minutes.
We still haven't had an Enrico Fermi moment for nuclear fusion technology but this year we're a few steps ahead. Within a generation maybe it will be a major contributor to cleaner energy.
10) Moderna Begins Clinical Trials For Three HIV And Cancer Vaccines
HIV disease is one of the diseases that people fear because there is no medicine that can treat it until today. ART treatment can only reduce the amount of virus in the body so that it cannot be transmitted through sexual contact.. However, there seemed to be a light at the end of a dark tunnel when Moderna announced that they had started phase 1 clinical trials for three types of HIV vaccines last March.
They use the same mRNA technology as the Covid vaccine. Briefly, the first phase of the trial involved 100 healthy participants who were injected with three doses of the vaccine over a six-month period. A comprehensive observation for 10 months was made to see if the vaccine had a negative effect on the body or otherwise. This first phase test will end in mid-2023, then it will continue with a second phase clinical trial that shows the best final results. In addition to the HIV vaccine, Moderna is also developing vaccines for cancer, chickenpox and herpes this year.