Science in 2007
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Monday, 24, Dec 2007 01:45
We take a look at some of the biggest science news in 2007, including dinosaur discoveries, stem cell research and space missions.
Climate change
Without a doubt, 2007 was the year the world woke up to the realisation that climate change is a very real threat that needs to be addressed. Yes, some people are still sceptical about the extent of global warming - but a growing consensus is slowly being reached and countries are starting to ask when, not if, steps should be taken to help the environment.
The UK government is pushing for lower carbon dioxide emissions (CO2) and in March it published a climate bill setting out its framework for reaching a low carbon economy. In November the prime minister committed the UK to reducing CO2 emissions by 60 per cent by 2050, a move which environmental groups cautiously welcomed, saying they would be pushing for a higher target - 80 per cent - in 2008.
Momentum for environmental actions also remained strong throughout a large proportion of the world, culminating in the United Nations (UN) climate talks in Bali during the first two weeks of December. UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon attended the conference, telling delegates that all countries must meet "the moral challenge of our generation" and tackle climate change.
Mr Ban saw first-hand the effects of global warming when he became the first UN chief to visit Antarctica in November.
Addressing climate change will remain high on the international agenda in 2008, with countries preparing for the next set of UN climate talks in 2009 to create an environmental agreement for after the Kyoto protocol expires in 2012.
Stem cells and hybrid embryos
While climate change may have grabbed the most headlines in 2007, stem cell research and in particular 'human/animal' hybrid embryos also achieved a great deal of column inches.
Also known as 'interspecies entities', hybrid embryos have caused huge controversy as they mix animal and human DNA. Although the embryo is destroyed after two weeks and cannot be implanted into a womb, their creation is opposed by groups on moral and religious grounds.
But in September the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) agreed this type of research can go ahead under a licence following a public consultation on the issue.
Scientists argue that human eggs are in short supply and the research that could be carried out on the hybrid embryos could help to understand more about debilitating diseases including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.
Space missions
As controversy raged over scientific issues on Earth, others were looking to the skies for the biggest developments this year.
Two missions were launched by Nasa this year to the International Space Station (ISS); expedition 15 and 16.
The first lifted-off from the Kennedy Space Centre in April with the second taking off in October. Both missions sought to develop the orbiting outpost, particularly to extend its energy-generating capabilities with new solar panels in a permanent location.
During expedition 15 astronaut Sunita Williams broke the record for the longest time a woman has spent in space, with a total of 194 days spent out of Earth before her return to land in June.
But it was not just Nasa who was taking to the skies, as China launched its first lunar probe in October as part of its wider moon mission. This followed the launch of Japan's lunar probe in September and preceded India's anticipated lunar probe launch next year.
Despite the progress made by scientists in space this year, 2007 ended on something of a damp note as the space shuttle Atlantis failed to take off in December for the STS-122 mission to the ISS due to problems with the fuel sensor system.
But with a rescheduled launch date of January 10th, 2008 is set to start with a mission just as exciting and crucial as any before it.
Weird and wonderful discoveries
Space may be the final frontier, but there is still plenty on Earth to discover and explore. Numerous weird and wonderful new species were found in 2007, including an entirely new cat species known as the clouded leopard in March. Conservationists made the find while exploring the remote wilds of Borneo.
In September scientists announced they had found 11 new species of animals and plants in a remote area of Vietnam. Two butterflies, a snake, five orchids and three other plants were among the nature treasure trove.
In December a less glamorous find was unearthed in Indonesia, when a giant, apparently fearless, rat five times the size of a common rat was spotted for the first time in a mountainous region.
As well as living creatures, archaeologists made some of the most exciting discoveries in the dinosaur world this year. In December a new dinosaur species (Glacialisaurus hammeri) was unearthed in Antarctica that is believed to have been among the largest animals to have walked the Earth.
A fresh look at some bones archived in the Natural History Museum led PhD student Mike Taylor in November to name a new dinosaur species that belonged to a group of sauropod dinosaurs which lived 140 million years ago that had large bodies, long necks and small heads.
At the other end of the scale, a new dinosaur species thought to be about the size of a fox was found in June.
Here's to more discoveries, both Earthly and cosmic, in 2008.
Carolyn Robertson