The 10 Biggest Scientific Hoaxes Of 2015

by Jonathan O'Callaghan

photo credit: JoemanjiArts/Shutterstock

With each new year comes a new wave of conspiracy theories, and 2015 was definitely no exception.

In the past, we’ve had to deal with shapes on Mars that slightly resemble a recognizable object, claims that UFOs are visiting Earth, and *shudder* Moon landing deniers.

Human Tissue Successfully Grafted Into Monkeys With Damaged Retinas

by Justine Alford

photo credit: The study suggests it could be possible to treat retinitis pigmentosa by transplanting stem cell-derived tissue. Left-Handed Photography/Shutterstock

There could be hope on the horizon for an untreatable genetic disease: Scientists have successfully grown eye tissue in the lab and transplanted it into monkeys with models of a human degenerative disease that affects the retina. Not only did the graft survive, but it also showed signs of integration with the recipient’s eye cells, forming connections across which information could potentially flow. While this certainly doesn’t mean a cure is close, it demonstrates that the strategy could at least be feasible in humans, and lays the foundations for further studies.

Scientists Enable Woman Who Can’t Feel Pain To Experience It For First Time

by Ben Taub

photo credit: Scientists used a drug called naloxone to help an analgesia sufferer feel pain for the very first time. Lotuscolor/Shutterstock

The ability to feel pain is an extremely important adaptation, without which we would have no way of knowing when external stimuli are harming us. For this reason, people born withanalgesia – a condition which prevents them from feeling pain – face considerable dangers in their daily lives, since they are prone to unwittingly placing themselves in physical danger.

Our Black Hole's Magnetic Field Has Been Studied For The First Time

by Alfredo Carpineti

photo credit: Artist's concept of the black hole at the center of our galaxy, surrounded by a hot disk of accreting material. Blue lines trace magnetic fields. M. Weiss/CfA

Astronomers, for the first time, have observed the expected magnetic field around the event horizon of Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way. The results are published in the journal Science.

Scientists Support Research Involving Editing Human Embryos

by Josh L Davis

photo credit: The scientists support editing human embryos for research, but not in a clinical setting. Thorsten Schmitt/Shutterstock

The speed in the rise of a new genome modifying technique has led to a landmark meetingof scientists, lawyers and ethics experts, who gathered to debate the potential of editing human genes. The conference, which took place in Washington over the last three days, has finally reached a verdict: They decided to rule out a ban on modifying human embryos, but cautioned against using them to bring any child to term.

Should We Be Editing Human DNA?

by Robin Andrews

photo credit: Should humanity be allowed to edit human DNA? Sergey Nivens/Shutterstock

Ever since the structure of DNA was discovered in 1953, our constantly evolving understanding of it, and our application of this knowledge, has represented one of thegreatest endeavors in human history. It’s a science not without controversy, however: The modification of human DNA is a particularly sensitive subject. In order to reach a global consensus on the ethics of editing human DNA, a three-day-long summit in Washington DC, from December 1-3, is taking place to discuss this contentious subject.

Scientists Map Four Billion Years Of Ribosomal Evolution

by Ben Taub

photo credit: The ribosome provides a site for protein synthesis in all living cells, but scientists have now tracked its development back to a time that predates biology. Vossman via Wikimedia Commons

Funded by NASA’s Astrobiology Institute, a team of researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology has retraced the development of the ribosome back almost four billion years, unlocking the chronology of its evolution from its primordial form to its present structure. The ribosome provides a site for protein synthesis in all living cells, and is therefore crucial for the existence of life. By unravelling the secrets of its formation, the new research has shed light on the pre-conditions for life, providing a window into a time that predates biology.

Almost 1/6 Of Tardigrade DNA Is Foreign

by Justine Alford

photo credit: Sinclair Stammers

Tardigrades are arguably some of the most awesome animals in the world. These microscopic organisms, sometimes called water bears or moss piglets, take living life on the edge to the extreme, capable of withstanding the harshest environments on the planet, and even outer space. Full of surprises, it turns out that a lot of their DNA – almost one-sixth – is not actually tardigrade in origin. Thus these organisms might owe some of their unparalleled survival skills to a bit of gene borrowing, according to a new study.

Scientists Locate The Neural Source Of Happiness

by Ben Taub

photo credit: Nothing makes us happy quite like a thick layer of gray matter. KieferPix/Shutterstock

Whether it’s cats, trains or Christmas presents that float your boat, it’s pretty well established that different things make different people happy. Yet in spite of our individual tastes, it turns out there’s one that brings all of us joy: gray matter.