2008 in science

none 2008 science 2008 The year 2008 involved numerous significant scientific events and discoveries, some of which are listed below. Astronomy 10 January - NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope detects massive black holes in anomalously small galaxies.2008-01-10 Even Thin Galaxies Can Grow Fat Black Holes https://phys.org/news/2008-01-thin-galaxies-fat-black-holes.html Phys.org 15 January - NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft makes the first of its three flybys of Mercury at an altitude of 200 km mi, decreasing its velocity for its 2011 orbital insertion.April 2018 20 January – British space experts begin constructing an ion drive for a Mercury-bound spacecraft.2008-01-20 Ion engine to propel spacecraft to Mercury http://phys.org/news120026491.html phys.org 23 January – NASA's S-3 Viking aircraft returns to the agency's Glenn Research Center after extensive modifications to transform it from a carrier-based military aircraft to a state-of-the-art icing research aircraft.2008-01-23 Modifications Completed on NASA's New Research Aircraft http://phys.org/news120326905.html phys.org 7 February – An annular solar eclipse takes place. 5 March – Scientists solve a 40-year-old puzzle by identifying the origin of the intense radio waves in the Earth's upper atmosphere that control the dynamics of the Van Allen radiation belts.2008-03-05 Scientists identify origin of hiss in upper atmosphere http://phys.org/news123962692.html Phys.org 12 March – The Cassini spacecraft performed a close flyby of Enceladus, coming within 50 km mi of the moon's surface, its closest encounter yet with the sixth-largest moon of Saturn.2008-03-10 Cassini Spacecraft to Dive Into Water Plume of Saturn Moon - NASA Science https://science.nasa.gov/missions/cassini/cassini-spacecraft-to-dive-into-water-plume-of-saturn-moon/ 2025-02-16 en-US 19 March – The gamma-ray burst GRB 080319B, the farthest object that could be seen by the naked eye, is observed.2012-03-03 NASA - A Stellar Explosion You Could See on Earth! http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/swift/bursts/brightest_grb.html 2025-02-15 https://web.archive.org/web/20120303175418/http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/swift/bursts/brightest_grb.html 3 March 2012 8 June – NASA's Pluto probe New Horizons crosses the orbit of Saturn, after a journey of over two years. 1 August – A total solar eclipse takes place, visible in northern Canada, Siberia, Mongolia and northern China. 25 September – Shenzhou 7, the third spaceflight of the Chinese space program and their first to include extra-vehicular activity, launches from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center.January 2015 28 September – Falcon 1 Flight 4 was the first successful orbital launch of any privately funded and developed, liquid-propelled carrier rocket, the SpaceX Falcon 1.Clark Stephen 2008-09-28 Sweet Success at Last for Falcon 1 Rocket http://www.spaceflightnow.com/falcon/004/index.html 2015-01-01 Spaceflight Now the first privately developed liquid-fueled rocket to successfully reach orbit. 6 October – NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft makes the second of its three flybys of Mercury. 7 October – 2008 TC3 becomes the first Earth-impacting meteoroid spotted and tracked prior to impact. Biology 2 January – Researchers report that just four months of hormonal therapy before and with standard external beam radiation therapy can slow cancer growth by as much as eight years – especially the development of bone metastases – and increase survival rates in older men with potentially aggressive prostate cancer.Just 4 months of hormone therapy can delay prostate cancer growth by up to 8 years https://medicalxpress.com/news/2008-01-months-hormone-therapy-prostate-cancer.html#jCp medicalxpress.com 3 January – Gene therapy can reduce long-term drinking among rodents “An ‘experiment of nature’ is observed in some individuals of East Asian origin, who are 66 to 99 percent protected against alcoholism,” explained Yedy Israel, professor of pharmacological and toxicological chemistry.2008-01-03 Gene therapy can reduce long-term drinking among rodents http://phys.org/news118599044.html phys.org 7 January Researchers identify a gene linked to cerebral venous thrombosis, a condition that causes blood clots in the veins of the brain that can lead to stroke. The condition is more common in young and middle-aged women.2008-01-07 New gene identified for condition that causes blood clots in brain http://phys.org/news118948753.html medicalxpress.com New research reveals that Pleistocene cave bears, a species which became extinct 20,000 years ago, ate both plants and animals and competed for food with the other contemporary animals, instead of being vegetarian as previously assumed.2008-01-07 Cave bears from the Carpathians as omnivorous as modern bears https://phys.org/news/2008-01-cave-carpathians-omnivorous-modern.html Phys.org 10 January Overweight people who lose a moderate amount of weight get an immediate benefit in the form of better heart health, according to a study conducted at Washington University School of Medicine.2008-01-10 Eat less or exercise more? Either way leads to more youthful hearts http://phys.org/news119202673.html medicalxpress.com 11 January – Biologists create baker's yeast capable of living to 800 in yeast years – a tenfold increase in longevity – without apparent side effects.2008-01-11 10-fold life span extension reported in simple organism http://phys.org/news119276583.html Phys.org 13 January An international study of 20,000 people discovers seven genes that influence blood cholesterol levels.2008-01-13 Study locates cholesterol genes; finds surprises about good, bad cholesterol http://phys.org/news119456501.html 2018-04-19 medicalxpress.com Following studies involving more than 35,000 people and a survey across the entire human genome, an international team supported in part by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) discovers that common genetic variants linked to osteoarthritis are also involved in governing human height.2008-01-13 Researchers uncover new piece to the puzzle of human height http://phys.org/news119454428.html medicalxpress.com University of Minnesota researchers create a functioning heart in the laboratory by using whole organ decellularization.2008-01-13 Researchers create beating heart in laboratory http://phys.org/news119445798.html 2018-04-19 medicalxpress.com 16 January – NASA begins a collaboration with charities and universities to investigate the potential of carbon nanotubes to diagnose and treat brain tumors.2008-01-16 Nanotubes Help Advance Brain Tumor Research http://phys.org/news119715526.html phys.org 24 January – Scientists develop a pill-sized medical camera that can be safely swallowed by patients, allowing illnesses to be diagnosed more quickly.2008-01-24 Camera in a pill offers cheaper, easier window on your insides http://phys.org/news120415167.html phys.org 28 January – Researchers confirm a genetic alteration that triggers prostate cancer in both mice and humans.2008-01-28 Researchers confirm genetic alteration that triggers prostate cancer in mice and man http://phys.org/news120763402.html medicalxpress.com 1 February – Research from Vanderbilt University proves that the brain processes aggression as a reward, offering insights into the human preoccupation with violence.2008-02-01 Brain rewards aggression much like it does sex, food, drugs http://phys.org/news121098401.html medicalxpress.com 4 February – American researchers demonstrate microneedles that can be used to efficiently transfer medicines into the bloodstream without the use of conventional syringes.2008-02-04 Microneedles enhance drug administration through skin http://phys.org/news121367289.html phys.org 5 February – Two proteins studied by a University at Buffalo immunologist appear to have the potential to enhance the production of antibodies against a multitude of infectious agents.2008-02-05 Novel molecules can boost vaccine potency http://phys.org/news121447014.html phys.org 26 February – Encyclopedia of Life website launched.Guide to Digitized Natural History Collections October 2015 New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/10/19/science/digitized-museums-guide.html 20 March – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approves a new medical adhesive – a fibrin sealant called Artiss – for use in attaching skin grafts to burn patients.2008-03-20 FDA OKs new adhesive to treat burn victims http://phys.org/news125249362.html medicalxpress.com 2 April – A hybrid human-cow embryo survives a third straight day after being fertilized at Newcastle University, England. A director for embryonic stem cell laboratories at the Australian Stem Cell Centre says that the "99-per-cent human" embryo could improve research within the field of human diseases. However, the Catholic Church states that the creation is "monstrous", and says that the later destruction of it is unethical.(News.com.au) https://web.archive.org/web/20080405164926/http://www.news.com.au/story/0%2C23599%2C23476268-38200%2C00.html?from=public_rss April 5, 2008 June – Spanish surgeon Paolo Macchiarini carries out the world's first tissue-engineered whole organ transplant, successfully replacing a Colombian woman's tuberculosis-damaged windpipe with a new windpipe made with the patient's own stem cells.Roberts Michelle 19 November 2008 Windpipe transplant breakthrough https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7735696.stm 2011-07-07 BBC News Computer Science 5 January – Designer Avery Holleman develops the concept of a Napkin PC, a device that uses e-paper and radio frequency (RF) technology to enable creative groups to collaborate more effectively.Zyga Lisa 2008-01-05 Napkin PC Enables High-Tech Doodling https://phys.org/news/2008-01-napkin-pc-enables-high-tech-doodling.html Phys.org 8 January – SanDisk Corporation begins to sample 12-gigabyte (GB) microSDHC flash memory cards to major phone manufacturers for testing and evaluation.2008-01-08 SanDisk Announces the 12-Gigabyte microSDHC Card https://phys.org/news/2008-01-sandisk-gigabyte-microsdhc-card.html 17 January – Duke University scientists use the brain activity of a monkey to control the real-time walking patterns of a robot halfway around the world.2008-01-17 Monkey's Thoughts Make Robot Walk from Across the Globe http://phys.org/news119806390.html medicalxpress.com 20 November – The Conficker computer worm is first detected.Bowden Mark Mark Bowden June 2010 The Enemy Within https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2010/06/the-enemy-within/8098/ live https://web.archive.org/web/20120228180715/http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2010/06/the-enemy-within/8098/ 2012-02-28 2012-02-19 The Atlantic Earth Science 4 January – The National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) jointly achieve a new milestone in scientific ballooning in Antarctica, by launching and operating three long-duration suborbital flights within a single Southern Hemisphere summer.2008-01-04 Scientific Balloons Achieve Antarctic Flight Record http://phys.org/news118684195.html phys.org 19 January – The first evidence of a volcanic eruption from beneath Antarctica’s most rapidly changing ice sheet is published in the journal Nature Geoscience.2008-01-20 First evidence of under-ice volcanic eruption in Antarctica http://phys.org/news120059297.html phys.org 2 May – The Chaitén volcano in Chile enters a new eruptive phase for the first time since around 1640. 3 May – Cyclone Nargis passes through Myanmar, killing more than 138,000 people.12 May 2008 Cameron urges aid drops for Burma https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7396313.stm 2017-01-13 BBC News UK en-GB 12 May – An earthquake measuring 7.9 on the moment magnitude scale strikes Sichuan, China, killing an estimated 87,000 people.2013-05-09 Sichuan 2008: A disaster on an immense scale https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-22398684 2017-01-13 BBC News November–December – A scientific expedition to Lake Untersee in Antarctica finds chemolithotropes.Tobin Kate 2009-09-16 Extremophile Hunter https://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/science_nation/extremophile.jsp dead https://web.archive.org/web/20091025080607/http://nsf.gov/news/special_reports/science_nation/extremophile.jsp 2009-10-25 2009-09-21 Science Nation National Science Foundation Finance 1 November – Bitcoin is first proposed in a mailing posted to The Cryptography Mailing by a developer under the name of Satoshi Nakamoto. Material Science 14 January – An American scientist creates the darkest known material, around four times darker than the previous record holder.2008-01-14 Scientists create darkest material http://phys.org/news119554586.html phys.org 15 January – University of Pennsylvania engineers and physicians develop a carbon nanopipette thousands of times thinner than a human hair that can measure electric currents and deliver fluids into cells.2008-01-15 Penn engineers create carbon nanopipettes that are smaller than cells and measure electric current http://phys.org/news119638230.html phys.org 25 January – European researchers develop a breakthrough interface that allows users to touch, stretch and pull virtual fabrics that feel like the real thing.2008-01-25 Haptics: just reach out and touch, virtually http://phys.org/news120489000.html phys.org June – The mineral magnesiopascoite is formally described.Kampf Anthony R. Steele Ian M. June 2008 Magnesiopascoite, a new member of the pascoite group: description and crystal structure Canadian Mineralogist 46 3 679–686 2008CaMin..46..679K 10.3749/canmin.46.3.679 Palaeontology 14 January – Scientists find that dinosaurs' growth and sexual maturation were surprisingly similar to that of mammals, even encompassing teenage pregnancy.2008-01-14 T. rex had teen pregnancies http://phys.org/news119552671.html phys.org Physics 25 January – Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics and Leibniz University Hanover produce a laser beam of especially high quality.2008-01-25 The world's lowest noise laser: Researchers outsmart quantum physics http://phys.org/news120489240.html phys.org 10 September – The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN begins proton beam tests.CERN - LHC First Beam http://lhc-first-beam.web.cern.ch/lhc-first-beam/Welcome.html lhc-first-beam.web.cern.ch 2012-06-06 2008-09-09 https://web.archive.org/web/20080909191434/http://lhc-first-beam.web.cern.ch/lhc-first-beam/Welcome.html dead 19 September – A magnet in the LHC fails, damaging several other magnets and requiring substantial repairs.15 October 2008 Interim Summary Report on the Analysis of the 19 September 2008 Incident at the LHC https://edms.cern.ch/ui/file/973073/1/Report_on_080919_incident_at_LHC__2_.pdf 16 February 2025 CERN EDMS 973073 Technology 28 January – Scientists build the world's first all-nanotube transistor radios.2008-01-28 New kind of transistor radios shows capability of nanotube technology http://phys.org/news120762990.html phys.org 1 April – A handheld 3D imaging device is developed for use in forensics and medical imaging.2008-04-01 3-D images – cordless and any time http://phys.org/news126280837.html Phys.org 24 September – The world's first commercial wave farm begins operation off the coast of Portugal.24 September 2008 First commercial wave farm https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7632947.stm news.bbc.co.uk 10 November – The Martin Jetpack flies for 46 seconds, 13 seconds longer than any previous jetpack.The DIY Flier http://www.popsci.com/bown/2008/innovator/diy-flier dead https://web.archive.org/web/20111108082511/http://www.popsci.com/bown/2008/innovator/diy-flier 2011-11-08 2011-07-07 Popsci Prizes Abel Prize Abel Prize 2008 Abel Prize: John G. Thompson and Jacques Tits Nobel Prize List of Nobel laureates in Physiology or Medicine List of Nobel laureates in Physics List of Nobel laureates in Chemistry 2008 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine: Harald zur Hausen, Françoise Barré-Sinoussi and Luc Montagnier 2008 Nobel Prize in Physics: Makoto Kobayashi, Toshihide Maskawa and Yoichiro Nambu 2008 Nobel Prize in Chemistry: Osamu Shimomura, Martin Chalfie and Roger Y. Tsien Deaths thumb|right|200px|19 March 2008: Arthur C. Clarke, a British futurist and science fiction author, dies aged 90. 12 January – Howard Dalton (b. 1944), British microbiologist. 11 February – Norbert Pfennig (b. 1925), German microbiologist. 5 March – David Challinor (b. 1920), American biologist, naturalist, and scientific administrator at the Smithsonian Institution. 11 March – Howard Gobioff (b. 1971), American computer scientist. 19 March – Arthur C. Clarke (b. 1917), British science fiction author, futurist and inventor. 8 April – Graham Higman (b. 1917), British mathematician. 13 April – John Wheeler (b. 1911), American theoretical physicist, coined the terms black hole and wormhole. 16 April – Edward Norton Lorenz (b. 1917), American mathematician and meteorologist, coined the term butterfly effect. 29 April – Albert Hofmann (b. 1906), Swiss chemist, synthesizer of LSD. 15 May – Willis Lamb (b. 1913), American physicist, winner of the 1955 Nobel Prize in Physics. 20 May – Jürgen Ehlers (b. 1929), German physicist. 15 June – Arthur Galston (b. 1920), American botanist and bioethicist. 22 July – Victor A. McKusick (b. 1921), American geneticist, known as the "Father of Genetic Medicine". 5 August – Neil Bartlett (b. 1932), British chemist who prepared the first compound of a noble gas. 23 August – Thomas Huckle Weller (b. 1915), American virologist and co-winner of the 1954 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his work on polio. 8 September – Ruxandra Sireteanu (b.1945), Romanian neuroscientist.Ganea Constanþa Ruxandra Sireteanu-Constantinescu (1945-2008) Curierul de Fizica 63 1 2009 18 RO 8 October – George Emil Palade (b. 1912), Romanian cell biologist, winner of the 1974 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, discoverer of the ribosomes of the endoplasmic reticulum. 10 November – George Rédei (b. 1921), Hungarian biologist. 14 November – Adrian Kantrowitz (b. 1918), American cardiac surgeon. 30 November – Ralph A. Lewin (b. 1921), Anglo-American biologist, known as "the father of green algae genetics". 12 December – Daniel Carleton Gajdusek (b. 1923), Hungarian-Slovak-American physician, winner of the 1976 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, famous for his work on kuru, the first human prion disease demonstrated to be infectious. See also 2008 in archaeology 2008 in paleontology 2008 in spaceflight List of emerging technologies References Category:21st century in science Category:2000s in science