The last two years have been beneficial to science. There is nothing like facing a major problem, such a pandemic, to get a new cashflow entering the world of science. Now that scientists have taken on the role of saviours, there isn’t much that can stop them from working at making our future better. Here are a few of the scientific advances we should see in 2022 and beyond.
Technology helps Science (and creates more technology)
Today’s scientific labs are filled with tools that enable them to do scientific research at a faster rate and to help them discover new drugs. It is the case with an absorbance microplate reader, which detects and quantifies the light photons absorbed and/or transmitted by a liquid sample. Technology has made it easier than ever to find solutions, but also to create more technology. That is what we see, when we look more closely at the advancement of science today. Here are some of the precise ways it will translate into, this year.
More COVID Discoveries
Will we ever get used to having COVID-19 sharing our lives? Although this question can be a bombshell, if launched in a social context, it is quite different when viewed from a scientific position. To the scientific community, the goal is to keep searching for new solutions, as the virus evolves into variants. Now that is has been proven that the prior vaccines don’t protect as well in regards to Omicron, they are looking at the severity of the disease, in order to know how to face it.
Most importantly, it will be a year where scientific knowledge, regarding the long-term effect of COVID-19, will start being clearer. It will also see scientists trying to find cheaper solutions, as half of the world is still without vaccines, while the other is obligating their citizens to take on a third “booster” shot. And as all this takes place, in laboratories around the world, the larger question of creating better vaccines, for other diseases, will direct scientists in their current study. This should mean, in the end, that vaccines will become more efficient and will probably be created to attack variants more precisely.
Let’s go to the Moon, Mars and Beyond
For a while, it seemed like the idea of visiting the moon had been abandoned. Well, 2022 should prove that it was just a phase, as many space agencies and private companies are planning to head there this year. Americans will land again, through a NASA mission, while India’s third mission aims to finally land softly on the moon, for the very first time. There, it will let a rover run free, to grab samples. The same will be done by Japan, in a mission they have named “SLIM”, while Russia has restarted its lunar programs, as well. Last is Korea, which will initiate its Moon Exploration program.
Mars has always fascinated scientists. Now, that we know a little bit more about it, thanks to the American rovers, it is time for other regions and countries to interest themselves on the subject. It is the case of Europe, who will be sending its own rover to Mars soon, thanks to a collaboration with the Russian.
Finally, the Chinese should be completing their space station. They have already planned to hold more than 1,000 experiments regarding astronomy and the study of earth, as well as cosmic radiation, on it.
Help the Climate
Although it may seem like we are running around the subject, there are scientific evidence that we are working on solutions to save the planet. The 2015 Paris agreement was a great advance, but as soon as Trump took over in the US, it became difficult to get anything done. The new President, Joe Biden, said it would go back to the table, towards the resolution of six years ago, and he did. Now, there is a lot at stake for the 2022 meeting, which will be held in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, in November. That is especially true since we were able to reduce carbon emissions greatly in 2020, but they came back to their previous levels in 2021.
It will be a great year for science, once again. And that means our lives should only keep getting better.
