For editors Scientific American, the new year is your chance to get ahead and predict what will unfold in the world of science and health. In 2022, we will see sophisticated images from space telescopes, drastic reductions in reproductive rights in the United States, efforts to lift environmental regulations, a war that exposed our energy codependency, and a Nobel Prize for Neanderthal ancestry. We covered exciting and disturbing news, including awards. much more. Here are some of the things we’re keeping an eye on as we head into 2023.
macrocosm
Massive satellite constellations litter the night sky, two manned space stations operate, and nations deploy new military capabilities in orbit. The government may see Earth’s orbital regions in urgent need of stronger international protection in 2023.
A successful first orbital flight of SpaceX’s Starship vehicle could usher in a new era of exploration, space science and commerce. Also in 2023, the James Webb Space Telescope will tell us about the biosignatures of distant exoplanets, and NASA’s Perseverance rover will discover fossils in the rocks of Mars’ Jezero Crater, where it’s currently collecting samples. I believe that discoveries will advance the search for life beyond Earth.
Climate change countermeasures
We still use vast amounts of fossil fuels, and European leaders face high costs and potential shortages from the war in Ukraine, and must make critical decisions about energy infrastructure. No. We are looking at what they are building and what existing structures they are maintaining online, especially for renewable energy and fossil fuel transportation. The recently elected US government may decide future climate-related financial support and regulation. At the same time, science is revealing just how much death and damage climate change is causing. We hope this burgeoning evidence will convince more people around the world that we must act now.
2023 will very likely be a critical year for recovering from storms, floods, droughts and wildfires, magnified by the ongoing global climate emergency. As part of that recovery, authorities will have to decide whether to rebuild and, if so, how to do so in a way that will help withstand climate change and avoid entrenching inequalities. Whether adaptive mechanisms are distorted by those in power at the expense of fair and just behaviour.
technology
With Twitter in new hands and other social media sites downplaying their true role in spreading misinformation, in 2023, how we, as news consumers, decide what to believe and how to We need to change the way we navigate the “infodemic”. The federal government is beginning to pay attention to privacy and antitrust issues, as well as the health implications of constant social media use, all of which could undermine the tech sector. Tech companies that thrived during the pandemic have suffered, with big companies like Meta, Stripe and Lyft laying off employees. A technological slump may occur.
health
Public interest and research funding for the new coronavirus is declining. But people are still dying from the disease or suffering from COVID for a long time, and medical experts are just starting to look into it. The SARS-CoV-2 virus continues to evolve and more vaccines and treatments are being developed. Outbreaks of other viruses, such as monkeypox, highlight the need for better pandemic preparedness.
Document how abortion bans and restrictions can harm pregnant people, especially those with limited access to health care, as the right to abortion is restricted; We will continue to cover the science behind. We will also continue to report on transgender health, the science of gender, and the impact of legislation on children and families seeking gender-affirming care.
mental health
In the long quest for new psychiatric drugs, psychedelics are promising. The Food and Drug Administration may approve his MDMA for post-traumatic stress disorder this year. Spravato (esketamine) he was approved as an antidepressant in 2019, and psilocybin is being tested to treat major depression. While these chemicals are gaining legitimacy, they are not a panacea. Three of his experts at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine recently warned that these treatments are plagued by a “hype bubble.”
ancient life
DNA sequencing has revolutionized the study of ancient organisms, but genetic material degrades relatively quickly. The oldest DNA sequenced so far is about 1.2 million years old. Because proteins survive longer than DNA molecules, paleoproteomics is gaining momentum as a technique that can help place extinct species in the tree of life. The next year could be a pivotal year for research tools that recently helped reveal the evolutionary history of rhino relatives 23 million years ago.
Our ancient world sciences—paleontology and archaeology, and ecology and anthropology—make massive calculations about the role of colonialism in scientific exploration. For one thing, racist species names have come to the fore. For another reason, a new generation of scientists is embracing the practice of collecting specimens from developing countries into the Western world without regard to local knowledge or of any benefit to the communities in which the items were collected. are fighting
