Ten-2021
Science magazine has published its traditional "top ten", a rating of the 10 main scientific breakthroughs of the year
Marina Astvatsaturyan, Echo of Moscow
A special issue of the journal – 2021 Breakthrough of the Year is dedicated to the scientific results of the outgoing year.
The main breakthrough of 2021 according to Science is the prediction of the conformation of protein molecules using artificial intelligence. In mid-July, David Baker from the University of Washington in Seattle and his colleagues reported on the determination of the structure of hundreds of proteins related to drug targets using the RoseTTAFold program they developed. A week later, DeepMind scientists reported that they had done the same thing using their algorithm for 350,000 proteins – this is 44% of all known proteins of the human body. Another "breakthrough" algorithm, AlphaFold2, is currently being used to determine the effect of mutations in the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein in the omicron variant.
In second place in the Science ranking is the work of geneticists from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, who in April published an article about the first ancient human nuclear DNA isolated from soil in the Estatuas cave in Spain. The DNA belonged to different groups of Neanderthals, the oldest of which is 113,000 years old.
In third place is the achievement of scientists from the National Complex of Laser Thermonuclear Reactions of the USA (National Ignition Facility, NIF), who achieved a record power output of energy in the process of a thermonuclear reaction. "This brings researchers to a level that precedes the creation of an artificial Sun on Earth," news agencies reported at the time.
In fourth place are drugs for the treatment of COVID–19, in particular, molnupiravir developed by Merck, which reduces the likelihood of hospitalization and death in unvaccinated risk groups by 30%.
Psychiatrists from the University of California at San Francisco (University of California, San Francisco) reported the results of trials of therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder using a psychedelic drug. It significantly reduces the severity of symptoms.
Artificial antibodies to fight infectious diseases are in sixth place. Until now, they have been used in oncology and the treatment of autoimmune diseases.
In a nutshell about the other favorites of the Science editorial board: the NASA InSight lander penetrated into the depths of Mars and received information about its mantle; the muon magnetism was confirmed to be greater than expected; the CRISPR gene editor injected into the bloodstream of three patients with amyloid polyneuropathy stopped the production of harmful protein in their bodies; embryos were obtained from reprogrammed human cells early stages that can be used for research purposes.
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