2016 in Science: Gene Editing, Hyperloop and Donald Trump

2015 was an incredible year for science. Several historic discoveries and events occurred, and 2016 promises to be an exciting year too, with new space endeavours, Elon Musk’s futuristic Hyperloop and revolutionary advances in gene editing being some of the possible highlights.

An artist’s impression of Juno. Image: NASA / JPL

If the New Horizons flyby of Pluto captured your interest last year, then there are several new space missions to look forward to over the next twelve months. In July, NASA’s Juno spacecraft will arrive at Jupiter after a five year journey. Juno’s mission is to study the Solar System’s biggest planet and will no doubt capture some amazing images of the gas giant whilst there. NASA will also be busy with their unmanned Exomars mission, which will search Mars’ atmosphere for evidence of methane and other atmospheric gases further on in the year. Finally, the crowd funded LightSail-1, a $4.5 million spacecraft which uses the Sun’s energy as a method of propulsion, will launch in April.

Whilst spacecraft are exploring the cosmos, astronomers back here on Earth could also potentially be making some big discoveries. In 2016, physicists are hoping for the chance to see the first evidence of gravitational waves, which are ripples in space-time caused by dense, moving objects in space. This is thanks to the Advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (Advanced LIGO for short)- a large-scale physics experiment aimed at detecting gravitational waves which will be operational in 2016 and beyond.

Image: Mohd Khomaini Mohd Sidik / Flickr

2016 could also be the year we make some big advancements in the field of gene-editing in humans- whether for better or worse. This is due to the rise of CRISPR- a powerful, cheap and quick gene-editing tool that was awarded Breakthrough of the Year by Science Magazine. Whilst gene-editing has a lot of potential to eradicate diseases, there are quite a few people who have ethical concerns about its possible abuse – for instance, researchers are planning to create “humanized” monkeys that exhibit common human diseases such as autism and schizophrenia through the use of such gene-editing technologies. Whether you like it or not, the implications of gene-editing could launch us into true science-fiction territory this year.

Speaking of sci-fi ideas becoming reality, Elon Musk (the businessman and inventor often described as the real life Tony Stark) will continue to embark on his concept for a high-speed public transport system called the Hyperloop. Hyperloop would involve passenger capsules riding through low-pressure tubes on a cushion of air, accelerated to high speeds via magnets. If it works, it could theoretically allow users to travel from Los Angeles to San Francisco (a journey of 350 miles) in just 35 minutes. This summer, Musk will be holding an open competition to test out different pod designs from independent engineers and students- an event which could hold our first proper glimpse into how Musk’s futuristic transport system will work.

Climate change will continue to be another big issue in 2016. The global weather phenomenon El Nino in particular has potential to be a crippling force in several countries, bringing increased precipitation, flooding and other freakish weather. The effects of El Nino, along with climate change, means 2016 could be the hottest year globally on record. All this climate chaos will set the stage for an important debate this year, which will establish whether the current epoch should be formally recognized as the Anthropocene.

Climate change isn’t going away any time soon. Image: Alan Zomerfeld

Before you head into a bunker to escape the impending doom of climate change, you should know efforts are being stepped up this year in order to combat the issue. Last year, Swiss company Climeworks announced plans to construct and operate an industrial scale CO₂ capture plant. The plant is described as having “the capacity to capture 900 tons of CO₂ from the atmosphere per year” which will then be sold on to nearby greenhouses to increase crop growth. The company plans to open this plant in July, which could be a step forward in our struggle against climate change.

2016 will also see the first results from the hugely ambitious Earth Microbiome Project. The project involves an international team of 600 scientists, who are sampling microbial communities from around 200,000 locations across the globe and then sequencing their DNA. Current sampled locations include diverse places such as deep sea volcanoes, the International Space Station and a dolphin’s blowhole. The overall aims of the project are to “characterise the global microbial taxonomic” as well as to establish new theories about how life functions on our planet.

Trump could have a big impact on Science this year. Image: Gage Skidmore / Wikimedia Commons

Outside of science, 2016 will be memorable for a certain other event- the US presidential election. As politics and science are often entangled with one another, the results of the election could have big implications in the world of science. If a Republican candidate wins (such as Donald ‘Worse than Voldemort’ Trump), funding for climate and social science could possibly be cut. Additionally, the controversial and long-debated plan to bury nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain in Nevada could also be revisited. Although if Trumps wins the White House, that’ll probably be the least of our worries.

Sorry, I tried not to end this article on a depressing note. Even if He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named wins the election, you can be rest assured that 2016 still promises to be an eventful, historic and controversial year in science.