13 MIND BLOWING Discoveries

 

13 Mind Blowing Discoveries 13. The Cave Angel Fish

 Ever since the publication of his book On the Origin of Species in 1859, scientists have been searching for evidence to fill the gaps in Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution.

 In 1985, researchers discovered Cryptotora thamicola, more commonly known as the waterfall climbing fish or the cave angel fish. Found predominantly in water-filled caves in Thailand, this reclusive fish can climb steep inclines both in and out of water. It belongs to the hillstream loach family, a durable grouping of marine life that grows in algae. While other sea creatures such as pricklebacks, killifishes, eels, mudskippers, frogfish and some species of catfish are capable of temporary land-dwelling or mobility on the ocean floor, the cave angel fish is the only one with the sophisticated spinal and fin structure to do both. Its discovery brought researchers one step closer to understanding how the first vertebrates emerged from the sea roughly 375 million years ago.

 12. Data Super Storage

 In 2013, data storage experts from the University of Southampton in England demonstrated the concept of five-dimensional data storage.

 By early 2016, their method reached its prototype phase with the creation of an encoded disc capable of storing unparalleled file sizes and amounts that could last for up to 14 billion years. Unlike other forms of data storage, the 5D disc uses a protected form of digital dimensions called nano-gratings. Unlike optical discs like the everyday CD, 5D technology allows information to be stored more densely and is less vulnerable to heat or chemical corruption. The first files preserved using this new technology were the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the King James Bible, and the book Opticks by Isaac Newton. Though it will likely be a few decades before these super-discs are available for widespread commercial use, the scientists who created them are already looking into more economical ways to duplicate and distribute their game-changing technology.

 11. Understanding Malaria

 Researchers in the College of Medicine at Penn State University have discovered the process by which Plasmodium falciparum, the deadliest malaria parasite, attacks red blood cells by overtaking the immune system. Using proteins that are meant to protect the human body from outside infection, P. falciparum reverses the normal process of attacking invading bacteria by causing antibodies to do the opposite of what they are supposed to - turning against the body itself. When these defenses become immobilized, the parasite targets red blood cells and spreads the virus throughout the body. In discovering this previously-unknown tactic of the disease, researchers gained an invaluable and long-awaited insight into developing a stronger vaccine.

 10. The Known Placebo Effect The placebo effect describes the physical or mental state of relief experienced by an oblivious patient after they are provided with a treatment or prescription that does not contain any real medical component. Such “placebos” are often given out in the form of innocuous supplements like sugar pills.

 This phenomenon has been the subject of extensive debate and research within the scientific community since it was discovered by by a medic during World War II. But the recent emergence of the “known placebo effect” may entirely change the way doctors attend to their patients. Researchers at Harvard Medical School have introduced the concept of what they call “open-label placebos.” These are prescriptions that patients are honestly told do not contain any proven medical benefit before they take them. Despite being aware of their so-called medication’s complete lack of chemical integrity, many patients in an irritable bowel syndrome study experienced significant symptom relief. While it is unlikely to become a realistic treatment for all diseases, further examination of the known placebo effect has the potential to revolutionize medical care in the 21st Century.

 9. Earth’s Second Moon

 Named in part for the year during which it was discovered by stargazers at the University of Hawaii Institute of Astronomy, 2016 HO3 is an asteroid that is estimated to have entered Earth’s orbit in the early 20th Century.

 It will likely be trapped within our orbit cycle for hundreds of years. Unlike Earth’s moon, which is a satellite to the planet, 2016 HO3’s extreme distance led to its designation by NASA as a quasi-satellite. Its small size and unique shape both cause it to circle the third rock from the sun in a weaving, up-and-down ring pattern. This makes its rotation far less conventional than that the moon or most other orbiting satellites.

 8. Preserved Dinosaur Feathers Unlike the dinosaurs depicted in movies like Jurassic Park, many real-life dinosaurs sported feathers. But due to their preservation in sedimentary fossils, understanding the full function and proclivity of these feathers has proven to be a difficult task for paleontologists.

 That changed when an almost 100 million-year-old dinosaur tail was found preserved in amber by a team of experts from the China University of Geosciences headed by Dr. Lida Xing. Unlike the excavations that led to other paleontological revelations, this item was found not deep below the ground, but in the bustling amber markets of Myanmar. The discovery marked the first time scientists were able to connect the presence of feathers with the existing soft tissue and bones of the once-dominant species on the planet. The piece of amber in which the tail was found was no bigger than an apple, but the evidence it contained represents a turning point as the first non-fossil artifact separating dino-feathers from bird feathers.

 7. The Undead Gene

 The concept of the dead remaining sentient or emerging from the grave may seem like a myth, but the discovery of the undead gene was a very real scientific advancement. In 2016, Peter Noble, a microbiologist at the University of Washington, led a team of researchers in following post-mortem gene activity in the bodies of dead fish, mice and later humans.

 What they were not expecting to find was the sudden acceleration of gene mobility throughout the bodies of these animals after death. This may allow us to unravel some of the human body’s most puzzling mysteries. For example, it turns out that the same genetic coding that forms the body during embryonic development is re-awakened after death due to a lifeless body’s cellular similarity to an embryo.

 This could add greater specificity in determining how long a murder victim has been dead in the wake of a crime. The scientists also uncovered higher mobility among cancer genes in their test subjects, a possible explanation for the increased rate of cancer diagnoses among recipients of organs from deceased donors.

 6. Planet Nine

 Believed to be 20 times larger than our own planet, Planet Nine is a still-unseen celestial body that is apparently so large that it may be tilting the orbit of Earth and perhaps even the orbit of the entire solar system.

 While it is too distant to be spotted, even by the most enhanced telescope, its existence was confirmed in early 2017 by Spanish astronomers as they monitored the unusual movement of two asteroids recently pushed into a different orbit cycle. Other evidence pointing to the far-off planet’s existence includes the unique actions of objects trapped within the Kuiper Belt. The cluster’s movements around the sun were previously inexplicable, but the presence of an additional planet seems to provide a new answer to that question and potentially many more.

 5. Sleeping Trees

 After extensive research into the nocturnal habits of trees, a team of researchers from Hungary, Finland and Australia discovered in 2016 that trees have the ability to sleep and regularly take advantage of it, just like we do. Using laser-scanning technology that provided highly detailed digital maps of overnight tree activity, these researchers monitored the movement of branches and leaves, thereby discovering a pattern based on the time of day. The night-time drooping and day-time straightening of the trees that were monitored suggested a system of rest before subsequent photosynthetic processes. Measuring these actions in drastically different climates and environmental conditions, the experiment proved that trees fall dormant for the periods of time during which then can no longer take in the sun’s energy. These findings provide evidence of a night cycle for plant life, further linking the needs of humans with those of our fellow earth-bound inhabitants.

 4. “Proxima B”

 Unlike Planet Nine, Proxima B is an even farther planet that can be seen due to its proximity with the sun. The only difference is that it isn’t near our sun; Proxima B orbits Proxima Centauri, the closest known star to the one supporting our galaxy. First discovered at an observatory in Chile using a collection of telescopes from all over the world, Proxima B is the first planet outside of our solar system believed to be able to support life.

 This is due to its estimated climate based on its orbit around the dwarf star to which it is linked. Rocky and warm, it may have the elements needed for water to exist on its surface, enabling the growth and movement of living organisms. But the prospect of life on this new planet remains unproven because it has yet to be determined whether or not it has a pressurized atmosphere. Since it is roughly four light-years, or almost 24 trillion miles, away from Earth, it is unlikely that a human expedition to Proxima B will take place any time soon.

 3. Dark Energy and Time

 The mysterious presence of dark energy, a force that pushes the universe outward into a rate of accelerated expansion, has long been a source of astonishment for physicists.

 But new evidence related to the strength of gravity may explain the relationship between dark energy and the speedup of time. The name “dark energy” comes from the force’s invisible and unparalleled ability to expand space faster than the familiar process by which gravity can pull it back in. According to the findings of physicists V. G. Gurzadyan and A. E. Allahverdyan, dark energy is linked to thermodynamics. This means that the orbit of objects like planets around the stars are not dependent on the so-called “arrow of time” leading from the past through the present into the future. Gravitational influence remains the same whether time moves forward or in reverse. Thus, it is dark matter - not the push or pull of gravity - that has led to the expansion of the universe. Therefore, if the awe-inspiring power of dark energy could somehow be harnessed, it could potentially lead to time travel.

 2. Majorana Fermion

 In a first in the field of quantum mechanics, scientists at Princeton University discovered a new particle capable of simultaneous existence as both matter and antimatter. The elusive particle - designated Majorana Fermion - was captured by a two-story-tall microscope in late 2014. Confirmed by Dr. Ali Yazdani, the exposure proved Italian physicist Ettore Majorana’s theory of dual-role particlization to be accurate.

 This breakthrough created the likelihood of major advancements in solving what had previously been incalculable systems of computing. Furthermore, the unexpectedly stable nature of the new particle is likely to lead to tremendous advances in science and technology, as many systems will now have components that can function as both the ones and zeros integral to modern enumeration.

 1. Paralysis Reversal

 In April of 2016, doctors and neuroscientists at Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center working with experts from Battelle Memorial Institute, completed the prototype for a device called NeuroLife. The groundbreaking technology, fitted to a microchip implanted into the brain of a quadriplegic test subject, reverses the effects of paralysis caused by spinal damage by reconvening the brain with long-unresponsive muscles. Interpreting the 24-year-old car accident victim’s thoughts, the device bypassed the impaired spine to interact directed with the affected limbs through a set of mechanical sleeves. While the NeuroLife technology was first shown to enable movement in 2014, the 2016 advancements marked the first time in which a paralysed individual could return to complex motor functions using artificial means. This activity included swiping a credit card and even playing the article game Guitar Hero. All this was the result of more than a decade of research into how to decipher brain signals using algorithms to determine an effective sequence of electrodes.

 These findings may lead the way to returning victims of paralysis to unrestrained, fully functional and independent lives.