The 7 Best Science Stories of 2016

In a tumultuous election year, it was easy to forget the many non-political stories of 2016. But just as we have in every other year of the modern age, humanity achieved many impressive scientific feats and finds this year.

Researchers in medicine, astronomy, paleontology have made potentially world-changing discoveries in 2016. Some of these stories have been largely overlooked, while others initially received attention but are worth remembering.

Here are seven of the best science stories of 2016:

1. Ebola vaccine

In late December, researchers published a paper in the Lancet reporting the final successful rounds of a randomized trial of a vaccine for Ebola. The experiment found that out of 11,841 people in Guinea, none of those who received the vaccination contracted the deadly virus in the following ten days, while 23 of those in the control group did become infected in that time.

Though the topic of Ebola has slipped from the headlines, more than 10,000 people died in the 2013-2016 outbreak in Africa. Another outbreak has the potential to be worse, and if it comes along, the existence of a vaccine could be of vital importance.

"While these compelling results come too late for those who lost their lives during West Africa's Ebola epidemic, they show that when the next Ebola outbreak hits, we will not be defenceless," said Marie-Paule Kieny of the World Health Organization and the study's lead author.

2. Gravitational waves

Einstein was one of this year's big posthumous winners, as the detection of gravity waves demonstrated of his long-held but never-proven hypothesis that space-time can ripple. In February, scientists at Advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory, LIGO, detected the tiny chirp-like blip, almost immeasurably small, created by the collision of two black holes over a billion years ago.

The finding was confirmed again months later in September. Some have argued that the findings have triggered a new age in astronomy. Soon, in addition to detecting observing visible heavenly bodies that reflect light, we may be able to study in detail objects like black holes that are only detectable through their gravity waves.

3. Dinosaur feathers preserved in amber

In a humble amber market in Myitkyina, Myanmar, Lida Xing, from China University of Geosciences, discovered potentially one of the greatest dinosaur artifacts ever identified. A small piece of amber preserved in phenomenal detail not just the bones of a dinosaur's tail, but it's soft tissue, including flesh and feathers.

From Patch's story on the find:

While it was sold as a mere curiosity, Xing recognized it as something special and suggested the Dexu Institute of Paleontology buy it. The research team determined that the tail is around 99 million years old, and it is from the mid-Cretaceous period.

"It's amazing to see all the details of a dinosaur tail – the bones, flesh, skin, and feathers – and to imagine how this little fellow got his tail caught in the resin, and then presumably died because he could not wrestle free," said University of Bristol professor Mike Benton, another of the study's lead authors.

4. Solar power is growing

Perhaps the most important long-term story on this list is the continued progress solar power goes on to make. The price of solar energy continues to plunge, outperforming fossil fuels in some regions. In the United Kingdom, solar power generated more energy than coal over a six-month period for the first time ever.

A report this year from Bloomberg New Energy Finance predicts that by 2027, starting new renewable energy sources will be cheaper than running many existing fossil fuel plants.

"This is a tipping point that results in rapid and widespread renewables development," the report says.

The biggest hurdle yet is creating enough energy storage capacity — batteries — to extend the reach of solar power. But experts believe we're well on our way.

5. Planet Nine

Ever since Pluto had its status as a planet stripped away, our solar system has managed to muddle along with only eight planets — or so we thought. In January, two astronomers announced that they found evidence of an actual ninth planet around our sun, and this one is believed to be 10 times the size of Earth.

"Planet Nine," as it has been tentatively dubbed, has not yet been observed. Mike Brown and Konstantin Batygin from the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena have inferred its existence, which had previously been postulated, based on the distorted orbits of other objects as they travel around the sun. If it exists (and it may not!), its orbit likely takes between 10,000 and 20,000 years to complete.

Some of the best stories aren't in the headlines themselves but the mysteries they create. The search for Planet Nine has begun!

6. "Three-parent child"

In September, U.S. doctors confirmed the birth of a child with three genetic parents. How is this possible? In addition to the DNA that produces most of our physical traits, human cells contain energy-producing mitochondria, which have their own DNA. Mothers pass down their mitochondria to their children.

When women have a condition known as Leigh syndrome, their defective mitochondria can be fatal for their children. So scientists developed a procedure that combines a mother and father's DNA from their egg and sperm, along with an egg donor's mitochondria, that will allow the children to develop healthfully. The procedure was carried out in Mexico for Jordanian parents, because many countries have strict legal limits on this form of procreation.

While some worry that having three parents creates new ethical quandaries, and others argue that the procedure should be no more controversial than organ donation, it's doubtless the controversy will continue well into the future.

7. Brain-controlled robotic arm

While prosthetic technology has made impressive strides in recent years, the holy grail for those who have lost limbs appears to be in sight. This year, Nathan Copeland, an American who was paralyzed in a car accident received a robotic arm connected to his brain, which allowed him to both control the arm and receive sensory feedback from it.

“I can feel just about every finger, it’s a really weird sensation,” said Copeland in an article in The Guardian. “Sometimes it feels electrical and sometimes its pressure, but for the most part, I can tell most of the fingers with definite precision. It feels like my fingers are getting touched or pushed.”

This burgeoning technology opens up many doors for those hoping to regain forms of movement they have lost — and potentially for whole new forms of human enhancement.

Lead photo credit: Halfblue at the English language Wikipedia