Five employees at the National Hurricane Center publish a tropical cyclone report (TCR) on Hurricane Ian, which officially upgrades the hurricane from a Category 4 to a Category 5 on the Saffir–Simpson scale. The TCR also stated that Hurricane Ian caused, with 90% confidence, $112.9 billion worth of damage to the United States, which made Ian the third-costliest United States hurricane on record as well as the costliest hurricane to strike Florida on record.[1]
A study affirms and explains why a moderate decrease in body temperature extends lifespan.[4]
5 April
The
greenhouse gases continued to increase rapidly in 2022 and that CO2 levels in the atmosphere are now the highest in 4.3 million years.[5]
An umbrella review summarizes scientific results on the extensivehealth effects of added-sugar foods and makes recommendations such as limiting sugar-sweetened beverages which are "the largest source of added sugars" and developing of policy such as advertising restrictions.[6]
6 April – A study shows neurons take up glucose (from food) and metabolize it by glycolysis. There was only limited research on how neurons get their energy in the context of links between glucose metabolism and cognition (brain health and performance).[7]
10 April – A study expands upon the role of elites' unsustainable consumption in urban water crises. In Cape Town, for example, the wealthiest 14% of the population use half of the city's water, while the poorest 62% use just a quarter.[8][9]
A study expands upon the international Earth heat inventory from 2020, which provides a measure of the
Earth system with comprehensive data. It suggests that the EEI is the "most fundamental global climate indicator" to gauge climate change mitigation efforts.[15][16]
A bolide is observed over Ukraine and Belarus for about five seconds. It is first observed at an altitude of 98 km above Velyka Dymerka, then passes directly above Kyiv at an altitude of 80 km and continues to the southwest with a speed of 29 km/s.[20] A bright flare occurs at an altitude of 38 km, when the bolide's absolute magnitude reaches approximately −18.[20]
A study with mice shows that microplastics pass the blood–brain barrier (BBB), entering and accumulating in the brain, and identifies a key determinant for whether or not they pass the BBB.[25][26]
20 April
A new 29-year record of ice sheet mass in Greenland and Antarctica is published as part of the IMBIE collaboration. It finds that the combined ice loss in these regions has more than tripled since the early 1990s, with 2019 seeing the greatest losses of any year on record. These findings have implications for future sea level rise.[27][28][29][30]
Paleoneurologists publish the first neuroevolutionary timeline about correlations of changes in the shape of the cerebral cortex and functions, showing "variability in surface geometry relates to species' ecology and behaviour" and cognition. It characterizes many of the neuromorphological events in the origin of distincthuman intelligence over the past 77 million years.[31]
neuromorphic AI hardware using nanowires(see also 2020-04-20) physically mimicking the brain's activity in identifying and remembering an image from memory.[36][37] On 26 April, a university reports on a demonstration (11 Mar) of multisensory motion cue integration by a neuromorphic nerve for robots.[38]
24 April
Astronomers release close-up global images, for the first time, of the Martian moon
A policy study identifies reduction of car travel activity as the most importanttransportation policy option in reducing GHG emissions to levels comparable to carbon budget levels, with a "decrease car distance driven and car ownership by over 80% as compared to current levels" by 2027 being effective in "edging close to the designated carbon budget" in their case-study of London and electrification being highly insufficient.[41] On 20 April, an international study indicates that the contemporary domestic policy-proposal of a general speed limit on highways in Germany, the only large country in the world without such, for a quick GHG emissions reduction would also be economically beneficial. It points to a climate change mitigation law (KSG) that mandated emission reductions in this sector[42] that was changed in 2023 so as to remove these obligations.[43]
25 April
Scientists, based on new evidence, conclude that Rosalind Franklin was a contributor and "equal player" in the discovery process of DNA, rather than otherwise, as may have been presented subsequently after the time of the discovery.[44][45][46]
The first
Phase 1 trial were found to have a greater than 50% reduction in levels of harmful tau protein after taking the drug.[47]
26 April
Astronomers present an image, for the first time viewed together, of the shadow of the black hole in the center of the Messier 87 galaxy, and its related high-energy jet.[48][49]
The first-ever global assessment of glacier mass loss from satellite radar altimetry is published. It shows that glaciers lost 2,720 gigatonnes of ice, about 2% of their volume, between 2010 and 2020.[50]
On 12 April, researchers demonstrate an 'AI scientist' that can create of models of natural phenomena from knowledge axioms and experimental data, showing the software can rediscover physical laws using logical reasoning and few data points.[60][61]
Promising results of therapeutic candidates are reported: a review suggests daily vitamin D3
L. reuteri-and-tryptophan-diet for checkpoint inhibitor potentiation (6 Apr),[64] doxycycline post-exposure prophylaxis against STIs (6 Apr), an engineered probiotic against alcohol-induced damage (11 Apr),[65] phase 2 trialed AXA1125 against long COVID fatigue (14 Apr),[66] review finds cranberry products useful against UTIs in women (17 Apr),[67] and macaques-tested low-intensity focus ultrasound delivery of AAV into brain regions against brain diseases (19 Apr).[68] Progress in screening: an α-synucleinSAA (assay) against Parkinson's disease (12 Apr),[69] and exogenously administered bioengineered sensors that amplify urinary cancer biomarkers for detection (24 Apr).[70]
transformer, is able to translate a person's neural activity into a continuous stream of text.[83][84]
News outlets report the first study (6 Feb) modelling contemporary detectability of human civilization from afar which suggests overall radio-leakage from mobile towers would still be too weak to be detectable with humanity's next-generation radio telescopes from three of Earth's current closest nearby star-systems.[85][86]Radar systems are not yet included in their model,[86] while radar emissions during – and possibly since[87] – the Cold War are thought to be the first most detectable cue by which hypothetical extraterrestrials could detect humanity.[88][89]
The second study, after one from early 2022 with similar results,
AI successfully identifies people at the highest risk for pancreatic cancer up to three years before diagnosis, using solely the patients' medical records.[105]
A study found that, of 70,000 monitored species, some 48% are experiencing population declines from human activity, whereas only 3% have increasing populations.[114][115]
16 May – A software tool called Allegro is reported to accurately simulate 44 million atoms, running on the Perlmutter supercomputer.[118][119]
17 May
Astronomers confirm the existence of MACS1149-JD1 (JD1), one of the farthest known galaxies from Earth.[120][121]
Scientists report, based on genetic studies, a more complicated pathway of
in Africa, instead of from a single location and period of time.[122][123]
The newly discovered exoplanet LP 791-18 d is theorised to be covered with volcanoes, due to the extreme gravitational pull of a super-Earth in the same system.[124]
Astronomers map the paths of potentially hazardous asteroids for the next 1,000 years. At least 28 asteroids of 1 km diameter or larger are found to have non-zero probabilities of a 'deep encounter' with Earth.[126]
review, based on a systematic examination of existing methane policies across sectors, concludes that both only "about 13% of methane emissions are covered by methane mitigation policies" and that the effectiveness of these policies "is far from clear".[128]
contribution by the number of articles published in a subgroup of their journals – other potential or less popular approaches and metrics for quantifications of success or impact can or could produce different rankings or annual tables[133]
costs of manuscript (re)formatting to fit journal guidelines, ~$230 million or ~75 million hours of lost academics' time in 2021. As researchers, usually with little time, usually conduct these tasks themselves and manually and the, largely cosmetic, unstandardized changes are required before, not after, the paper is accepted for publication, the study proposes journals start allowing "free-format submissions".[136]
A study (25 May) highlights a list of problematic persuasive methods in academic articles, such as exaggerating the importance of the work or insufficient contextualization by "Not citing previous work that decreases the perceived novelty of the current work".[137]
21 May –
quantum computer, the world's largest and most powerful, to be completed by 2033.[138][139]
22 May – A study quantifies "the human cost of global warming", showing current policies "leading to around 2.7 °C global warming could by 2080–2100 leave one-third (22–39%)" of people outside their climate niche(see also 4 May 2020) – humans' long-time range of mean annual temperatures to which their physiology may have largely adapted to. It indicates meeting the 1.5 °C goal would decrease the population exposed to unprecedented heat ~5-fold and ties itself to earlier research by initially noting that quantifying the social cost of carbon in monetary terms, as related or economics studies tend to do, may be inadequate.[140][141]
23 May
Using the
Gaia spacecraft, an analysis of proper motions of the closest known globular cluster, Messier 4, reveals an excess mass of roughly 800 solar masses in the center. This appears to not be extended, and could thus be the best kinematic evidence for an intermediate-mass black hole (even if an unusually compact cluster of compact objects, white dwarfs, neutron stars or stellar-mass black holes cannot be completely discounted).[142][143]
FAAH'-related disruption via genetic or epigenome editing can enable pain insensitivity(see also 10 March 2021). Their analyses, mainly about long non-coding RNA 'FAAH-OUT', following from decade-long study of a woman who can't feel pain or anxiety, could also enable novel therapeutic developments against other neurological problems.[149][150]
One of the first empirical studies on what real users are shown during their typical use of popular
better source needed] in 2022 suggest YouTube may also show ethically disputed advertising other than science-related misinformation such as extensively showing "scam ads".[155][156][157]
25 May
5,000 marine species new to science are discovered in the
bird flu's fast viral evolution of clade 2.3.4.4b including reassortment after "explosive geographic expansion in 2021 among wild birds", with relevance to measures such as existing candidate vaccines.[168]
An international study, using modelling and literature assessment, codifies, integrates into and quantifies "safe and just
intergenerational justice, propose that their framework may better enable a quantitative foundation for safeguarding the global commons, and report many of the ESBs are already exceeded.[170][171]
Caltech reports the first successful beaming of solar energy from space down to a receiver on the ground, via the MAPLE instrument on its SSPD-1 spacecraft, launched into orbit in January.[200][201]
2 June – Physicist Lucas Lombriser proposes a controversial alternative way of interpreting the available scientific data which suggests that the notion of an expanding universe may be more a "mirage" than otherwise.[202][203]
El Niño has begun, likely resulting in higher global temperatures in late 2023 and into 2024.[215] Various statistics show the year is unusual and climate change is already having significant impacts such as an Antarctic sea ice extent anomaly[216] and record-high ocean surface temperatures.[217]
societal changes, and economic time allocation. It identifies some factors of variations and activities "for which there is significant potential for change".[221][222]
Scientists report evidence that the planet Earth may have formed in just three million years, much faster than the 100 million years thought earlier.[225][226]
Astronomers report that the presence of
phosphates on Enceladus, a moon of the planet Saturn, has been detected, completing the discovery of all the basic chemical ingredients for life on the moon.[227][228]
A machine learning model is trained to recognise the key features of chemicals with senolytic activity. It finds three chemicals – ginkgetin, periplocin and oleandrin – able to remove senescent cells without damaging healthy cells.[231]
21 June – The first successful transplant of a functional
cryopreserved mammalian kidney is reported. The study demonstrates a "nanowarming" technique for vitrification for up-to-100 days preservation of transplant organs.[238][239]
22 June – A study projects that by
2050, the worldwide number of adults with diabetes will more than double, from 529 million to over 1.3 billion. No country is expected to see a decline.[240][241][242]
Researchers report in a preprint the CRISPR alternative fanzor naturally present in eukaryotes with several potential advantages over CRISPR in genome editing, notably smaller size and higher selectiveness.[252][253] A separate team further demonstrates in a preprint (14 June) the potential of this class of genome editors.[254][255]
existential risk of AI "plays into the tech companies' agenda" – partly in the form of 'criti-hype'[269] – and that this "hinders effective regulation of the societal harms AI is causing right now" and in the near-future.[270]
Lemmy and Kbin which can synchronize their posts via interoperability (12 June),[279][280][281] the first upgrade of the Global Earthquake Modeldata for disaster risk reduction is reported (13 June),[282][283] first approval for two cultured meat products in the U.S. and two of the first worldwide (21 June),[284] transgenic soya beans containing pig protein (Piggy Sooy) are reported (28 June),[285] a new type of glass (LionGlass) that is substantially more damage-resistant and more sustainable is reported (30 June).[286]
Dynamic shell formation is demonstrated experimentally for the first time. Researchers claim their technique is a feasible target for mass production of
ultra-hot Neptune LTT 9779 b is shown to reflect 80% of incoming light from its star (compared to 75% for Venus), due to the high metal content of its clouds.[295]
11 July
Three possible "dark star" candidates are reported, at times ranging from about 320 million to 400 million years after the Big Bang, based on analysis of observations by the James Webb Space Telescope[296]
A study suggests that carbon taxation approaches or instruments would be more effective and fairer when distinguishing between luxury- and basic goods and services.[298][299] A separate study (17 July) finds that for energy demand reduction (EDR), "capping energy use of the top quintile of consumers" would be effective, more equitable, and increase public acceptance of transformative climate action in Europe.[300][301]
In what could be the first global scientific analysis of plastic pollution of lakes and reservoirs that is not limited to recently increasingly studied microplastics,[303] a large team of researchers reports high prevalence and vulnerability factors.[304]
In what could be the first global scientific analysis of agricultural pesticide pollution, scientists report that of the studied third of the three million metric tons of pesticides used annually, ~10% remains as toxic residue in soil while rivers receive at least 730 tons where they nearly do not degrade.[305][306]
insects' ability to find food and a mate, in experiments. This may be contributing to the dramatic fall in global insect populations, the scientists conclude.[313]
Scientists use
poplar trees by as much as 50%, offering a potentially more sustainable method of fiber production.[314]
14 July – The
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully launches its Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft towards the Moon, aiming to become the fourth nation to achieve a soft landing on the lunar surface.[315]
19 July – Astronomers report the discovery of a bizarre 'two-faced' star, with one side made up of hydrogen and the other consisting of helium. The object, designated ZTF J203349.8+322901.1, is a white dwarf located about 1,000 light years away.[317]
18 July – The first example of naturally occurring graphene is reported, at a gold mine in South Africa.[318]
The first detection of water in the terrestrial region of a disk already known to host two or more protoplanets is announced. The discovery, in a young system called PDS 70, is based on data from the James Webb Space Telescope.[322]
A study reports a 226% improvement in a memory test of healthy older adults (60–85) from overnight odorant diffuser use for 6 months. The olfactory sense is known to be linked to memory, but its stimulation was previously not trialed where application occurs during sleep.[323][324]
physiologically too hot for daily activity by young healthy adults due to an increase in cardiovascular strain, showing this limit is crossed at a lower temperature than thought previously (20 July),[337] researchers elaborate in a scientific journal why they conclude that "new nuclear is a costly and dangerous distraction" in climate change mitigation (21 July),[338] a study affirms recent findings that suggest revived ancient pathogens from either potential lab-leaks or from permafrost thawing represent significant risks (27 July),[339] scientists provide data about the genetic basis of induced parthenogenesis in sexually reproducing fruit flies which could inform pest control (28 July).[340]
Promising
fMRI with new findings about neurologicaleffects of psychedelics (19 July),[344] researchers demonstrate a DNA-sequencing-based technique to more effectively curb illegal sealife trade at warehouses and boats (19 July),[345] a study provides an overview and living review of open source LLMs, assessing the levels of openness of their differentiated elements and reviewing the risks of relying on proprietary software or the importance of open source AI (19 July),[346] news outlets start reporting on study from June demonstrating record solar-to-hydrogen efficiencies (20 July),[347]multimodal biomedical Med-PaLM M is introduced (26 July).[348]
Promising results of health and medical research are reported: further
Vyjuvek, which was approved in May, against blindness (24 July),[352] the second release from the global WikiGuidelines, a practically oriented guideline on the diagnosis and management of infective endocarditis, demonstrates a novel approach that incorporates uncertainties more than conventional guideline reviews (31 July).[353]
August
1 August
Global warming: The world's oceans reach a new record high temperature of 20.96 °C, exceeding the previous record in 2016. July is also confirmed as having been the hottest month on record for globally averaged surface air temperatures by a considerable margin.[354][355]
Astrobiologists theorise that low-oxygen planets would be unlikely to produce advanced
civilisations, as the discovery of fire requires easy access to open-air combustion, which is only possible when oxygen partial pressure is above 18%.[356][357]
A small star called TOI-4860 is found to host an unusually large gas giant, named TOI-4860 b. Astronomers believe this pair to be the lowest-mass star hosting such a high-mass planet, challenging theories of planetary formation.[359]
Scientists report the discovery of an up to now unknown
hominin that may have lived 300,000 years ago in China.[360][361]
domesticated dog, discovered in the wild in Brazil in 2021, is reported.[364]
8 August
Walking more than 3,967 steps each day is shown to reduce the risk of dying prematurely of any cause, based on a study of 226,000 people around the world. This is considerably less than previous recommendations, which have sometimes cited a figure of 10,000+ steps being needed each day.[365][366]
A study shows activating astrocyte cells in mice with a novel technique makes them stayawake for much longer without making them sleepier or impacting cognition-associated EEG markers.[367]
10 August – Scientists at Fermilab report the most precise measurement yet of the magnetic moment of the muon. The particles are shown to wobble faster than predicted by the Standard Model, hinting at a possible fifth fundamental force.[368][369]
12 August – Amateur astronomer Hideo Nishimura announces the discovery of Comet Nishimura (officially, "
long-period comet that may be observable in the first days of September 2023 before sunrise.[375]
16 August
LK-99 is shown to lack the properties required for a room-temperature superconductor under ambient pressure, following weeks of speculation among the scientific community and in the media.[376]
17 August – Scientists publish what could be the first study both investigating climate-polluting investments and proposing taxation thereof as transformative revenue for climate finance, i.a. indicating "40% of total U.S. emissions were associated with income flows to the highest earning 10% of households" in 2019 with a growing emissions inequality.[380]
18 August – A study investigating public policies and spending as well as lobbying activities regarding a transition to a sustainable food system finds that governments "largely ignore the climate-mitigation potential of animal product analogs" and that food production has 'lock-in' problems.[381]
23 August
India's Chandrayaan-3 becomes the first spacecraft to land near the south pole of the Moon, where frozen water is believed to exist.[382]
The complete sequencing of a human Y chromosome with the discovery of 41 additional genes is announced in Nature.[383] On the same day, a study reports the assembly of 43 diverse Y chromosomes, revealing large variability such as a range in size from 45.2 to 84.9 million base-pairs.[384]
Researchers demonstrate in two separate studies that
trapped ions, can be used to directly observe quantum effects at time-scales far beyond prior approaches, slowing downfemtosecond-scale photo-chemical reactions or dynamics around conical intersections 100 billion times.[388][389]
31 August – Researchers report, based on genetic studies, that a
human ancestor population bottleneck (from a possible 100,000 to 1,000 individuals) occurred "around 930,000 and 813,000 years ago ... lasted for about 117,000 years and brought human ancestors close to extinction."[392][393]
Geologists report the discovery of what may be the largest known deposit of lithium, located in the crater of a dormant volcano along the Nevada–Oregon border, and estimated to contain 20 to 40 million tonnes of the metal.[429]
7 September
A university reports a study (24 Aug) that builds a theory linking a reduction in prey size in the Paleolithic to the evolution of technologies and cognitive abilities as they had to change their behaviors, abilities, weapons, and strategies.[430]
11 September – The James Webb Space Telescope detects carbon dioxide and methane in the atmosphere of K2-18b, a potentially habitable exoplanet around 8.6 times the mass of Earth. Webb's data suggests that it might be a hycean planet covered in oceans of water, with a hydrogen-rich atmosphere.[432][433]
14 September
NASA releases its first public study on UAP (also known as UFOs), and appoints Mark McInerney as the first Director of UAP, to scientifically and transparently study further such occurrences.[434][435][436][437]
oceans. Of nearly 800 rivers, warming occurred in 87% and oxygen loss occurred in 70%. The study projects that within 70 years, river systems could "induce acute death" and extinctions of aquatic species due to long low oxygen levels.[440]
Astronomers report studies related to the
Hubble constant, and find that the results from the James Webb Space Telescope support earlier results from the Hubble Space Telescope. According to astronomer Adam Riess, "With Webb confirming the measurements from Hubble, the Webb measurements provide the strongest evidence yet that systematic errors in Hubble's Cepheid photometry do not play a significant role in the present Hubble tension ... As a result, the more interesting possibilities remain on the table and the mystery of the tension deepens."[441][442]
Research suggests that replacing half of the beef, chicken, dairy and pork products consumed globally with plant-based alternatives by 2050 could reduce the amount of land used by agriculture by almost a third, bring deforestation for agriculture nearly to a halt, help restore biodiversity through rewilding the land and reduce
A new palm oil substitute called PALM-ALT is presented by researchers. The plant-based ingredient is shown to be 70% better for the environment than conventional palm oil and is described as "the holy grail to replace it".[445][446]
The
X-rays, which are fired 8,000 times faster and are 10,000 times brighter than the previous version.[447][448][449]
Scientists calculate that animal
sixth mass extinction event and that it is accelerating.[450]
A triple-junction solar cell with perovskite-perovskite-silicon subcell configuration is demonstrated with an open-circuit voltage of over 2.8 V, which compares to conventional cells with values ranging between 0.7 V and 0.8 V.[451]
19 September
Tasmanian tiger, or thylacine, the first isolation and decoding of such molecules from an extinct species.[452][453]
TRAPPIST-1 b exoplanet, finding no signs of an atmosphere, and commenting that the "planet could be a bare rock, have clouds high in the atmosphere or have a very heavy molecule like carbon dioxide that makes the atmosphere too small to detect."[459][460]
24 September – Scientists report the successful return of samples from NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission to the asteroid 101955 Bennu.[461] Shortly after the sample container was retrieved and transferred to an "airtight chamber at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas", the lid on the container was opened. Scientists commented that they "found black dust and debris on the avionics deck of the OSIRIS-REx science canister" on the initial opening. Later study was planned. A news conference on the asteroid sample is scheduled for 11 October 2023.[462]
25 September
A study on Pangaea Ultima finds that the hypothetical supercontinent will make Earth uninhabitable to most life forms in 250 million years, due to extreme temperatures and radiation.[463]
Biologists report the discovery of a ninth species of pangolin, a mammal which is covered with large, protective keratin scales.[464]
26 September – Work begins on the seventh and final primary mirror of the Giant Magellan Telescope, which is expected to provide quadruple the image resolution of previous observatories when completed.[465]
moons "a few hundred million years ago".[468][469]
A breakthrough in desalination is achieved by engineers, using a solar-powered device to create freshwater at lower cost than tap water.[470]
Earth system dimension above its capacity limit (13 Sep),[482] news outlets report on a study (31 Aug) that shows daily aspartame consumption leads to heritable cognitive deficits in mice – and more broadly that the exposome of men may also affect the mental health of the next generation (19 Sep),[483] a study reports an increasing global exposure to air pollution from fires (20 Sep).[484]
Promising results of health and medical research are reported: non-human vaccinated primates-tested
irisin against Aβ Alzheimer's disease pathology (8 Sep),[487] identified diverse features strongly associated with long COVID for better diagnosis (25 Sep).[488]
1 October – Astronomers propose a new, more comprehensive, view of the cosmos, which includes all objects in the universe, and suggested that the universe may have begun with instantons, and may be a black hole.[496][497]
Jupiter-Mass Binary Objects, or "JuMBOs" for short.[500][501][502]
3 October
subatomic particles moving at extremely fast speeds.[503]
Biologists report studies of animals (over 1,500 different species) that found
same-sex behavior (not necessarily related to human orientation) may help improve social stability by reducing conflict within the groups studied.[504][505]
review reports 25 consensus statements of 248 scientists, with a total of 2,697 peer-reviewed publications on light and circadian clocks since 2008, relating to its impacts on health. They find despite the health concerns, "less than 0.5% of the lighting sold today can modify spectral content and intensity between day and night".[507] On 9 October, the largest cross-sectional study about night-light exposure and psychiatric disorders supports and complements earlier results that indicate causal links.[508]
The first known afterglow of a collision between two exoplanets is captured by astronomers, who observe the event around a Sun-like star located 1,800 light years away.[513][514]
review summarizes the research on the transition from unconsciousness to consciousness in humans, integrating new neuroscientific findings about the content and structure of infant consciousness.[520]
ethics, safety and governance summarizes resonating principles and common concerns, providing an evaluating situation report amid what it calls an "AI ethics boom".[532]
14 October – The Joint European Torus nuclear fusion laboratory conducts its final experiments after 40 years in operation.[533]
Fast Radio Burst, took 8 billion years to reach Earth.[541][542]
Astronomers report the finding, for the first time, of
Ultra-Fast Radio Bursts lasting millionths of a second.[543][544]
A new edge-based computer processor called NorthPole is developed by IBM Research, able to run AI-based image recognition apps 22 times faster than chips currently on the market.[545][546]
28 October – Positive results are reported in a study with rats of the experimental vaccine calixcoca meant for treating cocaine addiction. Clinical trials in humans are the next step of the study.[561]
30 October – A study finds that the world's remaining
global warming is only half that of previous estimates, at less than 250 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide, or around six years of annual worldwide emissions.[562][563]
generative AI software specific to select prompts is described (20 Oct),[572] a study indicates low deep sleep percentage is a modifiable dementia risk factor (30 Oct).[573]
Promising
global challenges are reported: researchers release an AI system, SIDE, to improve source-quality and reliability of Wikipedia by identifying problematic citations and recommending better ones to editors (19 Oct),[574][575] researchers demonstrate potential AI applications in science such as for research suggestion tools and keeping track of accelerating scientific output.[576][577][578]
Promising results of health and medical research are reported: breast-cancer detection via cell-free tumor DNA in breastmilk (5 Oct),
summit devoted to safely managing the technology.[585][586]
Computer simulations reveal that remnants of a protoplanet named Theia could be inside the Earth, left over from a giant collision in ancient times, which afterwards formed the Moon.[587][588]
Dinkinesh, previously thought to be a single asteroid, is revealed by NASA's Lucy probe to in fact be a binary pair.[589][590]
5 November – A new record high efficiency of 33.9% is reported for a silicon-perovskite tandem solar cell. This also surpasses the Shockley-Quieser theoretical limit of 33.7% of single junction solar cells for the first time.[591]
6 November – Scientists release the first
optogenetic activation is published.[593] On 17 November, the development of fluorescent neuropeptide sensors is reported.[594]
7 November – A study finds that "catastrophic ecosystem collapse" of UK forests is likely within the next 50 years, due to a wide range of factors.[595][596]
White faces generated by artificial intelligence (AI) are perceived as more real than actual human faces while the same is not true for people of colour in a study.[603]
A study proposes characteristics of human evolution underlie current global environmental problems, favoring groups of increased size and group-level cultural traits of greater environmental exploitation. Based on the hypothesis that the primary mechanism of evolutionary inheritance has shifted from genes to culture, it suggests cultural evolution patterns to date work against global collective solutions to Anthropocene challenges.[604]
An umbrella review summarizes the research on benefits and risks associated with digital media use by youths, suggesting caregivers, policymakers and researchers should continue to move away from prevailing oversimplified recommendations to reduce screen time to instead focus on the types of screen use.[605]
15 November
Geologists report that Iceland may face "decades" of volcanic instability, following a series of recent eruptions on the Reykjanes Peninsula, breaking an 800-year hiatus.[606]
Scientists report first evidence that unfamiliar groups of nonhuman primates, particularly bonobos, are capable of cooperating with each other.[610][611]
The International Cryosphere Climate Initiative (ICCI) publishes its annual State of the Cryosphere Report. It warns of rapid, irreversible sea-level rise from Earth's ice sheets, which could potentially reach 12–20 metres in the coming centuries.[612][613]
17 November – The global average temperature temporarily exceeds 2°C above the pre-industrial average for the first time in recorded history.[614]
20 November – A study of censorship in science finds it to be often driven by scientists themselves, motivated by prosocial concerns or reputation protection.[615]
22 November – An autonomous excavator is demonstrated. Using sensors, the machine can generate 3D maps of a construction site, localising individual blocks and stones in order to build a wall.[616]
23 November
Astrophysicists report the detection of "Amaterasu", the second highest-energy cosmic ray ever known, second only to the Oh-My-God particle of 1991. Amaterasu originated from the Local Void and its energy exceeded 240 exa-electron volts (EeV).[617][618]
Researchers report the deep learning-based discovery of nearly 200 functionally diverse natural machineries for CRISPR gene editing.[619]
26 November – Astronomers report evidence, for the first time, of an
Promising results of health and medical research are reported: phase 2-trialed Mazdutide against type-2 diabetes (9 Nov),[630] phase 1-trialed lepodisiran against cardiovascular risk factor lipoprotein (12 Nov),[631] rat-tested depot technology for sustained delivery of GLP-1 receptor agonists against the need for frequent injections (21 Nov).[632]
review cautions "robust evidence has yet to emerge that [air treatment technologies] are effective at reducing respiratory or gastrointestinal infections in real world settings" (20 Nov),[637] a content analysis of packaging marketing of infant and toddler foods in supermarkets suggests protection of young children's diets from harmful influence of food marketing is needed (28 Nov),[638] a preprint suggests some large language models have an 'extractable memorization' flaw by which training data can be extracted at affordable costs by queries (28 Nov).[639]
December
6 December
Scientists, for the first time, report a recently discovered area on the current planet Earth, particularly in the Puna de Atacama territory of South America, which may be similar to ancient Earth, and the related environment of the first life forms on Earth – as well as – similar to possibly hospitable conditions on the planet Mars during earlier Martian times.[640]
Google DeepMind announces its Gemini multimodal language model, which it claims has advanced "reasoning capabilities" and can outperform GPT-4 on a variety of tasks.[641][642][643][644]
7 December
A gene therapy based on three transcription factors, Oct4, Sox2, and Klf4 (OSK), is shown to provide sustained vision recovery in mice affected by glaucoma.[645]
Physicists report future proposed plans for the next ten years. These proposals are intended to help better understand some of the current concerns of
A comprehensive review of ancient carbon dioxide levels and corresponding temperatures is published by a consortium of more than 80 researchers from 16 nations. Their study finds that current levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide are the highest in at least 14 million years, much longer ago than some existing assessments indicate.[648]
12 December – Asteroid 319 Leona occults the bright star Betelgeuse for about 12 seconds as viewed on a narrow path from China to Mexico.[650]
13 December
Scientists report that the contents of the
organic molecules as well as unknown materials which require more study to have a better idea of their composition and makeup.[651][652]
The smallest known brown dwarf, weighing just three to four times the mass of Jupiter, is discovered in star cluster IC 348 by astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope.[653]
15 December – Google DeepMind claims to have made the first ever scientific discovery with an AI chatbot by building a fact-checker to filter out useless outputs, leaving useful solutions to mathematical or computing problems.[659]
article processing charges paid to publish with open access in journals controlled by the five large commercial publishers from 2015–2018 to be $1.06 billion.[666] On 12 December, it is reported that the number of paper retractions has hit a new record of over 10,000 in 2023, with around 80% coming from journals owned by Hindawi, mostly special issues overseen by guest editors.[667]
Promising
firehose robot, the Dragon Firefighter (22 Dec),[668] completion of the first functional 105 meters tall more-modular Modvion wooden wind turbine is reported (28 Dec).[669]
Promising results of health and medical research are reported: news reports about a portable