Surprising recent discoveries A great number of discoveries has happened
in the past few years, reshaping our understanding of the planet we inhabit, the Universe and
our limits as human beings. We’ve selected some of the most amazing ones. So let’s
start the countdown: First gravitational waves
One of the postulates of Einstein’s Theory of Relativity, the so called gravitational
waves, has puzzled scientists for decades and they have been trying to prove their existence
for years. Even though there were some indications that gravitational waves existed even in the
1970s, experts couldn’t really say anything with certainty until 2015, when the US-based
observatory LIGO experienced the aftershock of a remote collision between two black holes.
The publishing of this discovery marked a new chapter in physics and, in general, in
our perception
of
the cosmos. Pushing reproductive boundaries
An astounding discovery that pushed reproductive limits even further was announced in 2016.
Thanks to clinicians and their extensive research the birth of a three-parent baby grown from
the father’s sperm, the mother’s cell nucleus, and a third donor’s egg that had
its nucleus removed, is now
a reality. Climate change risks
Do you feel it’s getting warmer with each day? The long, scorching summers started bothering
you? Well, welcome to the 21st century and the reality filled with consequences of, now
undisputable, climate change we ignored for far too long.
Extremely high temperatures, as a result of unparalleled levels of atmospheric carbon
dioxide, have become our reality. On May 9, 2013, global CO2 levels reached 400 parts
per million for the first time in human history, and by 2016, CO2 levels were staying firmly
above this threshold. The coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic is the global
health crisis of our time and the greatest challenge we have dealt with since World War
Two. Since its spreading in Asia late last year, the virus has spread to every continent except
Antarctica. On December 31, 2019, the World Health Organisation’s
(WHO) China office heard the first reports of a previously-unknown virus behind a number
of pneumonia cases in Wuhan, a city in Eastern China with a population of over 11 million.
What started as an epidemic mainly restricted to same parts of China has now become a truly
global pandemic we are still fighting against.
A new spaceflight era The past decade was abundant in space exploration
as well. Since access to low-Earth orbit and beyond became globally and commercially more
and more available, no wonder that spaceflight experienced its boom in the previous decade.
Opening doors to ancient civilizations Some of the greatest archeological discoveries
happened in 2010s. In 2013, the body of King Richard III was found beneath what’s now
a parking lot. In 2014, a still intact royal tomb was discovered in the Peru’s Castilllo
de Haurmey temple complex. In 2016, the first Philistine cemetery was unearthed, offering
an unprecedented insight into the lives of the Hebrew Bibile’s most infamous, mysterious
people.
An exquisite Van Gogh drawing discovered A previously uknown monochrome sketch entitled
The Hill of Monmartre with Quarries was created in 1886, not long ago after the artist moved
to Paris. It hasn’t been shown to the public for decades, sitting forgotten in a private
collection for almost a century. Teio Meedendorp, senior researcher for the
Amsterdam-based Van Gogh Museum, thinks that the drawing is reminiscent of Van Gogh’s
earlier formal style, which he developed at the art academy in Antwerp, before moving
to Paris, where his art became more experimental. The newly-discovered drawing, titled The
Hill of Montmartre with Stone Quarry (1886), has been a part of a private collection owned
by Van Vlissingen
for more than 100 years, and
passed down through generations.
New species of animals found We’ve been witness to some extraordinary
and unexpected discoveries in animal kingdom. We’re going to mention some of the most
impressive ones. A green and red biofluorescent sea turte was discovered by National Geographic
emerging explorer David Gruber in 2015. This is the first biofluorescence ever recorded
in a reptile. In 2016, researchers proved that the Greenland shark can live at least
272 years, making it the longest-lived vertebrate yet known. Our understanding of animal tool
use also improved: One 2019 study showed for the first time that Visayan warty pigs use
tools, and several studies showed that Brazil’s capuchins have been using tools for at least
3,000 years, the oldest such non-human record found outside Africa. In an extremely rare
2018 sighting, biologists in Kenya scientifically documented a black leopard in Africa for
the first time since 1909.