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A Year in Review
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Nevada Approves Driverless Cars
Nevada, Florida, and California all passed laws this year allowing self-driving cars on their roads. Internet giant Google has been extensively testing its autonomous car and has driven more than 300,000 miles without incident. -
New Drug to Combat HIV--Zolinza
In the new released study, a single dose of Zolinza reactivated the hidden cells in eight infected patients, a first step toward finding and eliminating all virus traces from the body. This drug may help kill the virus as it "sleeps." More studies are underway to test its safety and application. -
1st Private Spaceflight Successful
In May, CA's SpaceX became the first private company to successfully fly a spaceship to the International Space Station. The achievement could free NASA to focus on designing spacecraft that can leave low-earth orbit. Last week, the company successfully tested its reuseable Grasshopper rocket to a height of about 12 stories. If successful, the rocket could greatly reduce the cost of spaceflight. -
Higgs Boson Particle Discovered
On July 4, scientists at Europe's CERN announced they'd found a particle that could be the famous "Higgs boson" particle, which is believed to be responsible for all mass in the universe. -
"Curiosity Rover" Lands on Mars
Since NASA landed the "Curiosity Rover" on Mars, the rover has taken high-definition photos of Mars' surface and has begun analyzing soil samples. It has even found evidence of an ancient stream that "once ran vigorously" on the planet's surface. -
"Diamond Planent" Discovered
Scientists discover a carbon-rich exoplanet that they named the "Diamond Planet." This planet is so hot that it is perfect for turning carbon into diamonds. -
Earth-like Planet Discovered
2012 featured a ton of exoplanet discoveries, but the sighting of HD 40307g was without a doubt the most unexpected and exciting. The planet, bigger than earth but not so large as to be a gas giant, seems to orbit in its sun’s “goldilocks zone," so it's not too hot and not too cold, making it potentially capable of hosting liquid water, a prerequisite for life as we know it. Even better, it’s just 42 light-years away, making future projects to observe the planet much more feasible.
