2024 in science

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The following scientific events occurred or are scheduled to occur in 2024.

Events

January

• 2 January – The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) publishes its JRA-55 dataset, confirming 2023 as the warmest year on record globally, at 1.43 °C (2.57 °F) above the 1850–1900 baseline. This is 0.14 °C (0.25 °F) above the previous record set in 2016.
• 3 January – The first functional semiconductor made from graphene is created.
• 4 January – A review indicates digital rectal examination is an outdated routine medical practice, with lower cancer detection rate compared to prostate-specific antigen testing.
• 5 January
  • Scientists report that newborn galaxies in the very early universe were "banana"-shaped, much to the surprise of researchers.
  • An analysis of sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) taxes concludes scaling them could yield substantial public health benefits.
• 9 January
  • Scientists report studies which seem to support the hypothesis that life may have begun in a shallow lake rather than otherwise - perhaps somewhat like a "warm little pond" originally proposed by Charles Darwin.
  • A group of scientists from around the globe have charted paradigm shifting restorative pathways to mitigate the worst effects of climate change and biodiversity loss with a strong emphasis on environmental sustainability, human wellbeing and reducing social and economic inequality.
  • Researchers have discovered a new phase of matter, named a "light-matter hybrid", which may reshape understanding of how light interacts with matter.
  • A study of proteins in cerebrospinal fluid indicates there are five subtypes of Alzheimer's disease, suggesting it to be likely that subtype-specific treatments are required.
  • A study finds seaweed farming could be set up as a resilient food solution within roughly a year in abrupt sunlight reduction scenarios such as after a nuclear war or a large volcano eruption.
• 10 January
  • Chemists report studies finding that long-chain fatty acids were produced in ancient hydrothermal vents. Such fatty acids may have contributed to the formation of the first cell membranes that are fundamental to protocells and the origin of life.
  • Scientists report the extinction of Gigantopithecus blacki, the largest primate to ever inhabit the Earth, that lived between 2 million and 350,000 years ago, was largely due to the inability of the ape to adapt to a diet better suited to a significantly changed environment.
• 11 January
  • Biologists report the discovery of the oldest known skin, fossilized about 289 million years ago, and possibly the skin from an ancient reptile.
  • Scientists report the discovery of Tyrannosaurus mcraeensis, an older species of Tyrannosaurus that lived 5-7 million years before Tyrannosaurus rex, and which may be fundamentally important to the evolution of the species.
  • A study of the Caatinga region in Brazil finds that its semi-arid biome could lose over 90% of mammal species by 2060, even in a best-case scenario of climate change.
  • A graphene-based implant on the surface of mouse brains, in combination with a two-photon microscope, is shown to capture high-resolution information on neural activity at depths of 250 micrometers.
  • A review of genetic data from 21 studies with nearly one million participants finds more than 50 new genetic loci and 205 novel genes associated with depression, opening potential targets for drugs to treat depression.
  • The Upano Valley sites are reported as the oldest Amazonian cities built over 2500 years ago, with a unique "garden urbanism" city design.
  • A study presents results of a Riyadh-based trial of eight urban heat mitigation scenarios, finding large cooling effects with combinations that include reflective rooftop materials, irrigated greenery, and retrofitting.
• 12 January
  • Global warming: 2023 is confirmed as the hottest year on record by several science agencies.
    • NASA reports a figure of 1.4 degrees Celsius above the late 19th century average, when modern record-keeping began.
    • NOAA reports a figure of 1.35 degrees Celsius.
    • Berkeley Earth reports a figure of 1.54 degrees Celsius.
  • An AI-based study shows for the first time that fingerprints from different fingers of the same person share strong detectable similarities.
• 13 January – NASA fully opens the recovered container with samples from the Bennu asteroid, after three months of failed attempts.
• 16 January – The first successful cloning of a rhesus monkey is reported by scientists in China.

19 January: Japan becomes the fifth country to achieve a soft landing on the Moon.

• 17 January – A study in Nature finds that the Greenland ice sheet is melting 20% faster than previous estimates, due to the effects of calving-front retreat. The current loss of 30m tonnes of ice an hour is "sufficient to affect ocean circulation and the distribution of heat energy around the globe."
• 18 January
  • NASA reports the end of the Ingenuity helicopter's operation, after 72 successful flights on Mars, due to a broken rotor blade.
  • A potential candidate for the first known radio pulsar-black hole binary is reported by astronomers. The heavier of the two lies in the "mass gap" between neutron stars and black holes. The pair are located in the globular cluster NGC 1851.
  • Two insect-like robots, a mini-bug and a water strider, are reported by Washington State University as being the smallest, lightest, and fastest fully-functional micro-robots ever created.
  • Bottom trawling is found to release 340 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO₂) into the atmosphere each year, nearly 1 per cent of all global CO₂ emissions.
• 19 January – Japan becomes the fifth country to achieve a soft landing on the Moon, with its SLIM mission.
• 21 January – Biologists report the discovery of "obelisks", a new class of viroid-like elements, and "oblins", their related group of proteins, in the human microbiome.
• 23 January – A viable and sustainable approach for gold recovery from e-waste is demonstrated.
• 24 January
  • The discovery of 85 exoplanet candidates based on data from the TESS observatory is reported. All have orbital periods of between 20 and 700 days, with temperatures similar to those of our own Solar System planets.
  • A global analysis of groundwater levels reports rapid declines of over 0.5 meters per year are widespread and that declines have accelerated over the past four decades in 30% of the world's regional aquifers. The study also shows cases in which depletion trends have reversed following interventions such as policy changes.
• 25 January – The Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) is given the go-ahead by the European Space Agency (ESA). It will launch in 2035.
• 26 January – Astronomers report the detection of water vapor in the atmosphere of GJ 9827 d, an exoplanet about twice the size of Earth.
• 29 January
  • Elon Musk's startup Neuralink implants their first microchip into a human brain.
  • A robotic sensor able to read braille with 87.5% accuracy and at twice the speed of a human is demonstrated.
• 31 January – NASA reports the discovery of a super-Earth called TOI-715 b, located in the habitable zone of a red dwarf star about 137 light-years away.
• Promising innovations relating to global challenges are reported: a self-powered solar panel cleaning system using an electrodynamic screen, removing contaminants through high-voltage electric fields, is demonstrated (4 Jan), an atmospheric water generator (WaterCube) for humidity levels above 40% is released (9 Jan).
• Promising results of health and medical research are reported: mouse-tested novel antibiotics class (including Zosurabalpin) against A. baumannii (3 Jan), small-trialed focused ultrasound for blood–brain barrier opening for better medication (Aducanumab) entry against Alzheimer's disease (3 Jan), review supports the efficacy of exercise against depression (15 Jan), an available blood test to detect Alzheimer's disease with high accuracy using p-tau217 (22 Jan), one of two small-trialed gene therapies against DFNB9-deafness (24 Jan), phase 3-trialed dengue vaccine effective against at least two of four dengue types (31 Jan)
• Hazard research is published: ~240.000 particles of microplastic and nanoplastics (~90%) per liter are found in samples of plastic-bottled water (8 Jan), a study estimates harmful chemicals used in plastic materials have caused $249 U.S. healthcare system costs in 2018 (11 Jan), a study indicates fungal infections may be causing millions more deaths than thought (12 Jan), a study of European plastic waste exports to Vietnam shows a large fraction is dumped in nature and suggests air pollution from melting plastics and untreated wastewater have significant impact on health (18 Jan).

February

• 2 February
  • Scientists report a possible way of solving the three-body problem; a notable problem of particular importance to physics and classical mechanics.
  • Apple releases the Vision Pro as a virtual reality tool with visionOS.
• 5 February
  • The proposed name Zoozve for Venus' quasi-moon 2002 VE is approved and announced by the International Astronomical Union's Working Group Small Bodies Nomenclature (WGSBN).
  • A study based on 300-years-long temperature records preserved in Caribbean sclerosponge carbonate skeletons shows industrial-era warming already began in the mid-1860s and that by 2020, global warming was already 1.7±0.1 °C above pre-industrial levels. However, their reference period is not used by the IPCC and the 1.5 °C climate goal and the study's authors suggest their results show a better baseline.
  • A study reports high life satisfaction in people with low incomes among small-scale societies outside mainstream societies, in contrast with conclusions of a 2023 adversarial collaboration.
• 6 February
  • Scientists report a new species of mussel named Vadumodiolus teredinicola.
  • Biologists report a new species of jellyfish named Santjordia pagesi.
• 7 February
  • Reported science studies suggest that cosmic dust particles may have spread, in a process termed panspermia, life to Earth and elsewhere in the Universe.
  • A battery based on calcium, able to charge and discharge fully 700 times at room temperature, is presented. It is described as a potential alternative to lithium, being 2,500 times more abundant on Earth.
  • Saturn's moon Mimas is reported to have a subsurface ocean which formed recently (<25 Mya).
• 8 February – Google renames AI chatbot Bard to Gemini, and makes it available on mobile.
• 10 February – An analysis of Outer London's Mini-Hollands active transport infrastructures indicates Low Traffic Neighbourhoods are highly effective and cost-efficient measures in terms of health economic benefits.
• 12 February – The first detection of water molecules on the surface of asteroids is announced, following spectral analysis of 7 Iris and 20 Massalia, two large main-belt objects.
• 14 February – A study reviews educational content of 18,400 universities worldwide, finding higher education is not transitioning from fossil fuels to renewable energy curricula, failing to meet the growing demand for a clean energy workforce. On 26 February, a study analyzing funding sources and activities of two prominent academic centers delineates animal agriculture industry entrenchment in academia through support of industry-supported research and policy advocacy amid potential unfavorable policies.
• 17 February – A global review of harms from personal car automobility finds cars have killed 60–80 million people since their invention, with automobility causing roughly every 34th death, and summarises interventions that are ready for implementation to reduce the, largely crash-linked or pollution-mediated, deaths from automobility-centrism and dependency.
• 19 February – Astronomers announce the most luminous object ever discovered, quasar QSO J0529-4351, located 12 billion light years away in the constellation Pictor.
• 20 February – The northern green anaconda (Eunectes akayima), a new species of the giant snake, is described for the first time.
• 21 February
  • Researchers use artificial intelligence to forecast plasma instabilities in fusion reactors up to 300 milliseconds in advance.
  • The first neuroimaging study that shows flow state-related brain activity during a creative production task, jazz improvisation, is published. Its results support a theory that creative flow represents optimized specialized processing enabled by extensive experience, relaxing conscious control.

22 February: The first commercial vehicle to land on the Moon. The lander also includes English Wikipedia and other records of humanity.

• 22 February – American company Intuitive Machines' Nova-C lander, named Odysseus, becomes the first commercial vehicle to land on the Moon in the IM-1 mission. The lander also includes the Lunar Library that contains a version of the English Wikipedia, artworks, selections from the Internet Archive, portions of the Project Gutenberg, and more. It is projected to reside on the Moon in a readable state for billions of years.
• 23 February
  • Researchers report studies that, for the first time, measured gravity at microscopic levels.
  • Three new moons of the Solar System are discovered, one around Uranus and two around Neptune, bringing their total known satellites to 28 and 16, respectively.
• 26 February – A small trial suggests prebiotic resistant starch, contained in many foods, can help in weight loss (~2.8 kg in 8 weeks).
• 28 February
  • A study links ultra-processed foods to 32 negative health impacts, including a higher risk of heart disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes, adverse mental health and early death.
  • A study reconstructs the genetic event of tail-loss in human ancestors around 25 million years ago.
• Promising innovations relating to global challenges are reported: LAION releases a first version of BUD-E, a fully open source voice assistant (8 Feb), Minesto's Dragon 12 underwater tidal kite turbines are demonstrated successfully, connected to the Faroe Island's power grid (11 Feb), rice grains as scaffolds containing cultured animal cells are demonstrated (14 Feb), an automatic waste sorting system (ZenRobotics 4.0) that can distinguish between over 500 waste categories is released (15 Feb), researchers describe an AI ecosystem of foundation models connected to many APIs as specialized subtask-solvers (16 Feb), precision fermentation-derived beta-lactoglobulin is released as a substitute for whey protein amid growth of a nascent animal-free dairy industry (19 Feb), researchers describe an approach for an optical disk with petabit capacity (21 Feb).
• Promising results of health and medical research are reported: phase 3-trialed R21/Matrix-M vaccine against Malaria (1 Feb), phase 3-trialed resmetirom as first medication against nonalcoholic steatohepatitis of the liver (7 Feb), a blood test against heart attacks, the top cause of human deaths (12 Feb), a low-cost saliva test against breast cancer (13 Feb), pigs-tested patient repositioning method for magnetic microbot navigation against liver cancer (14 Feb), antibiotic cresomycin against multiple drug-resistant bacterial strains (15 Feb), small-trialed 15 min exposure to 670 nm red light against blood glucose spikes following meals (20 Feb), small-trialed Omalizumab against food allergies (25 Feb), a donor heart is transplanted after 12 hours of preservation and transport using an airplane, small-trialed headgear for gamma stimulation to recruit the glymphatic system to remove brain amyloid against Alzheimer's disease (28 Feb).
• Hazard research is published: several dietary habits and products including teabags are linked to PFAS intake (4 Feb), an additional three billion people may face water scarcity by 2050 when river pollution is considered, an aspect neglected by prior assessments (6 Feb), HPV infection linked to higher cardiovascular mortality (7 Feb), researchers use simulations to develop an early-warning signal for a potential collapse of the atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) and suggest it indicates the AMOC is "on route to tipping" (9 Feb), researchers report the H5N1 bird flu virus may be changing and adapting to infect more mammals (12 Feb), researchers report how compounding disturbances could trigger unexpected ecosystem transitions in the Amazon rainforest (14 Feb), harmful chlormequat is found in ~80% of U.S. adult urine samples, rising during 2023, and in oat-based foods widely thought to be healthy (15 Feb), excess amounts of widely-supplemented niacin (B3) are linked to cardiovascular risk (19 Feb), a review concludes available evidence on the use of puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones in minors with gender dysphoria is very limited and based on only a few studies with small numbers which have problematic methodology and quality, warning about their use outside of clinical studies or research projects after careful risk-benefit evaluation (27 Feb).

March

• 4 March
  • Astronomers report that the surface of Europa, moon of the planet Jupiter, may have much less oxygen than previously inferred, suggesting that the moon has a less hospitable environment for the existence of lifeforms than may have been considered earlier.
  • Biochemists report making an RNA molecule that was able to make accurate copies of a different type of RNA molecule, moving closer to an RNA that could make accurate copies of itself, and, as a result, providing support for an RNA world that may have been an essential way of starting the origin of life.
• 6 March – The first creation of induced pluripotent stem cells for the Asian elephant is reported by Colossal Biosciences, a key step towards de-extinction of the woolly mammoth.
• 12 March – Geologists identify a 2.4-million-year cycle in deep-sea sedimentary data, caused by an orbital interaction between Earth and Mars.
• 13 March
  • The Artificial Intelligence Act, the world's first comprehensive legal and regulatory framework for artificial intelligence, is passed by the European Union.
  • The largest inventory of methane emissions from U.S. oil and gas production finds them to be largely concentrated and around three times the national government inventory estimate. On 28 March, methane emissions from U.S. landfills are quantified, with super-emitting point-sources accounting for almost 90% thereof.
• 14 March – SpaceX successfully launches the Starship spacecraft, but loses the rocket upon re-entering the atmosphere.
• 19 March – Scientists at demonstrate a wireless network of 78 tiny sensors able to gather data from the brain, with potential to be scaled up to thousands of such devices.
• 20 March – The removal of HIV from infected cells using CRISPR gene-editing technology is reported by a team from the University of Amsterdam.
• 26 March – A study outlines identified ecological pandemic prevention measures for policy frameworks.
• 27 March
  • The Event Horizon Telescope team confirms that strong magnetic fields are spiralling at the edge of the Milky Way’s central black hole, Sagittarius A*. A new image released by the team, similar to M87*, suggests that strong magnetic fields may be common to all black holes.
  • A study calculates the production costs of diabetes medications such as insulin and ozempic and finds them to be much lower than market prices.
• 28 March – LHS 3844 b is confirmed as the first tidally locked super-Earth exoplanet.
• Promising innovations relating to global challenges are reported: researchers demonstrate simultaneous radiative cooling and solar power generation from the same area (13 Mar).
• Promising results of health and medical research are reported: a blood test against colon cancer (13 Mar), mice-tested antibody-mediated depletion of myeloid-biased hematopoietic stem cell against immune system aging (27 Mar).
• Hazard research is published: a small trial links micro- and nanoplastics in carotid artery plaque to higher cardio and mortality risks (6 Mar), U.S. land area of ~1200 km² is threatened by coastal subsidence by 2050 due to sea level rise (6 Mar), an EEA risk assessment finds Europe underprepared for climate risks across five broad clusters (11 Mar), a preprint trial suggests large language models could be used for tailored manipulation, being more persuasive than humans when using personal information (21 Mar).

April

• 1 April – An entirely new class of antibiotics with potent activity against multi-drug resistant bacteria is discovered. These compounds target a protein called LpxH, and are shown to cure bloodstream infections in mice.
• 3 April – NASA selects three companies – Intuitive Machines, Lunar Outpost and Venturi Astrolab – to develop its Lunar Terrain Vehicle, for use in crewed Artemis missions from 2030 onwards.
• 4 April – A study in Nature finds that global CO₂ emissions increased by only 0.1% in 2023, suggesting that a plateau may have been reached.
• 5 April – A numerical toolkit designed for modelling warp drive spacetimes is released by Applied Physics.
• 9 April – A rare genetic variation in a gene that makes fibronectin is shown to reduce the odds of developing Alzheimer's disease by over 70%.
• 12 April
  • Biologists report that bonobos behave more aggressively than thought earlier.
  • Scientists report studies suggesting that tardigrades are protected from massive radiation exposure and damage by unique biochemicals, particularly, the Dsup protein.
• 15 April – The NOAA confirms a fourth global coral bleaching event.
• 16 April – Scientists at the Riken institute demonstrate "advanced dual-chirped optical parametric amplification", which provides a 50-fold increase in the energy of single-cycle laser pulses. This new technique may advance the development of attosecond lasers.
• 23 April – The world's largest 3D printer, dubbed Factory of the Future 1.0 (FoF 1.0), is presented by the University of Maine. Using thermoplastic polymers, the machine can print objects as large as 96 feet (29 m) long by 32 feet (9.8 m) wide by 18 feet (5.5 m) high, at a rate of 500 pounds (230 kg) per hour.
• 24 April – Demonstration of synthetic diamond created at 1 atmosphere of pressure in around 150 minutes without needing seeds.
• 26 April – mRNA-4157/V940, the first personalised melanoma vaccine based on mRNA, enters a final-stage Phase III trial.

May

• 1 May – A new brain circuit that may act as a "master regulator" of the immune system is reported by scientists at Columbia University.
• 3 May – China launches its Chang'e 6 probe, a robotic sample-return mission to the far side of the Moon.
• 6 May
  • A new theory states that Venus may have lost its water so quickly due to HCO⁺ dissociative recombination.
  • People aged over 65 with two copies of the APOE4 gene variant are found to have a 95% chance of developing Alzheimer's disease.
• 8 May
  • Google introduces AlphaFold 3, a new AI model for accurately predicting the structure of proteins, DNA, RNA, ligands and more, and how they interact.
  • Atmospheric gases surrounding 55 Cancri e, a hot rocky exoplanet 41 light-years from Earth, are detected by researchers using the James Webb Space Telescope. NASA reports this as "the best evidence to date for the existence of any rocky planet atmosphere outside our solar system."
• 9 May – A record annual increase in atmospheric CO₂ is reported from the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii, with a jump of 4.7 parts per million (ppm) compared to a year earlier.
• 10 May – A series of solar storms and intense solar flares impact the Earth, creating aurorae at more southerly and northerly latitudes than usual.
• 13 May – OpenAI reveals GPT-4o, its latest AI model, featuring improved multimodal capabilities in real time.

Predicted and scheduled events

See also: 2024 in spaceflight

• Upcoming astronomical and space events for 2024 according to The New York Times.
• Expected system first light of the Vera C. Rubin Observatory and launch of the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar.
• Science-related budgets
  • US: Various requested changes to budgets of science-related US institutions have been described with some information about the respective planned research programs.

Astronomical events

• Close approach of asteroid 2020 BX₁₂ to Earth
• Potential collision of lost asteroid 2007 FT₃ with Earth

See also

• Category:Science events
• Category:Science timelines
• List of emerging technologies
• List of years in science

External links

• Media related to 2024 in science at Wikimedia Commons