The spiral galaxy M51, as considered by the James Webb Space Telescope
ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, A. Adamo (Stockholm University)/FEAST JWST crew
From extraordinary warmth to beautiful area imagery, New Scientist has introduced you in depth protection of the biggest developments, discoveries and occasions in science, know-how, well being and surroundings in 2023. Here is our recap of some of the perfect stories this yr.
Environment
Wildfires raged on the Greek island of Rhodes in July 2023
ANGELOS TZORTZINIS/AFP through Getty Images
The quantity of warmth data damaged in 2023 is just astounding. While we will’t say for positive till official figures are in subsequent month, this yr was virtually definitely the most popular ever recorded. In an indication of how extraordinary temperatures have been, New Scientist was already reporting this chance in mid-June, properly earlier than the northern hemisphere summer season had obtained into gear.
A number of weeks later noticed a very surreal string of occasions. The common international air temperature recorded 2 metres above Earth’s floor – basically, a method of taking the temperature of all the planet – hit its highest ever determine on 3 July, however this document was instantly damaged on 4 July, which was then matched on 5 July and damaged once more the following day. By the tip of August, we had seen the most popular three-month interval on document, and it was adopted by the most popular September ever. In November, researchers declared the most popular 12 months on document.
Against this backdrop, negotiations on the COP28 local weather summit in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, had been a fraught affair. Whether the world would lastly take motion towards fossil fuels was a key level of disagreement, and at one level regarded set to scupper the summit. In the tip, the world agreed to start “transitioning away” from fossil fuels – which was the primary time they’ve been talked about in a COP textual content – however many questions stay about what which means in observe.
Health
The weight-loss drug Wegovy noticed a surge in demand in 2023
Carsten Snejbjerg/Bloomberg through Getty Images
The demand for Wegovy, the weight-loss formulation of semaglutide, this yr has been like virtually no different drug in historical past. As properly as being extremely efficient for weight reduction, early trials this yr have proven that it might reduce the danger of coronary heart assault or stroke and will additionally assist deal with habit. Despite some moralising a few “quick fix” for weight problems, together with shortages and problem in accessing the drug, it’s clear a well being revolution has begun.
The previous yr has additionally been the primary since 2019 that covid-19 wasn’t on the forefront of everybody’s minds. With the World Health Organization asserting on 5 May that the viral sickness was now not a public well being emergency, in some sense the coronavirus pandemic has come to an finish – at the very least for some. Millions of individuals are nonetheless experiencing the lingering signs of lengthy covid, a situation that is still poorly understood.
Artificial intelligence
Writers in London staged a rally in solidarity with hanging US screenwriters, who demanded their jobs be protected against AI
Vuk Valcic / Alamy Stock Photo
By a tough depend, New Scientist has printed virtually 150 stories about synthetic intelligence this yr. Tech corporations had been falling over one another to compete, from OpenAI claiming “human level performance” for its GPT-4 giant language mannequin to Google saying its Gemini mannequin is even higher. There had been considerations concerning the rise of AI-driven misinformation, from a picture of the Pope in a puffer jacket to the danger of a suggestions loop of bias, together with makes an attempt at detecting AI-generated textual content.
AI was additionally the topic of high-level discussions throughout politics and enterprise. It grew to become an enormous sticking level within the Hollywood writers’ and actors’ strikes, whereas world leaders, researchers and businesspeople convened at Bletchley Park within the UK in November to signal a declaration on the dangers of the brand new know-how. Truly, this was the yr AI went mainstream.
Space
The dense centre of the Milky Way, as seen by the James Webb Space Telescope
NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Samuel Crowe (UVA)
The biggest area mission of the yr was additionally one of the least costly, with India’s low-budget Chandrayaan-3 moon touchdown costing simply £60 million. India’s success made it simply the fourth nation to securely contact down on the moon, after the US, the Soviet Union and China. It additionally got here simply days after a Russian probe crash-landed on the lunar floor in an try to recapture that Soviet-era glory.
Further out in area, the James Webb Space Telescope continued to shine, offering implausible photographs and advancing our understanding of the universe, from the quickest rising galaxy to probably the most distant black gap ever seen.
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