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From orcas donned in salmon hats to April’s complete solar eclipse, this year has been significant for scientific headlines. We’ve compiled the five stories that captured your interest the most in 2024, beginning with a cosmic puzzle that could alter our entire understanding of the universe.
Our Perspective on the Universe Has Been Incorrect
At the beginning of the year, the James Webb and Hubble space telescopes collaborated to validate one of the most perplexing dilemmas in physics — that the universe is expanding at varying rates, contingent on our point of view.
This phenomenon was initially detected by Hubble in 2019 and again by James Webb in 2023, but researchers hoped there could have been a flaw in the data. Nevertheless, on February 6, a thorough verification confirmed these anomalies, challenging our previous understanding of the universe.
“With measurement inaccuracies eliminated, we are left with the real and thrilling possibility that our comprehension of the universe has been flawed,” lead study author Adam Riess, a physics and astronomy professor at Johns Hopkins University, stated in a statement.
Explore more highlights from James Webb in 2024
—James Webb telescope resolves a 20-year-old Hubble enigma — potentially elucidating why the universe’s oldest planets exist
—James Webb telescope detects carbon from the universe’s early days, challenging our beliefs about the emergence of life
—James Webb telescope witnesses the ‘formation’ of 3 of the universe’s earliest galaxies in groundbreaking observations
Arachnids on Mars
More alien intrigue arose near the end of April when the European Space Agency (ESA) captured images of numerous delicate, spider-like patterns scattered throughout Mars’ southern polar area, around a peculiar formation dubbed Inca City.
The dark formations seemed to exhibit tiny, spoke-like appendages, similar to a cluster of tiny spiderlings. However, ESA disclosed that the “extraterrestrial arachnids” were merely a seasonal geological occurrence resulting from layers of thawing carbon dioxide ice.
In fact, a few months later, scientists were able to recreate these unusual spider-like patterns on our own planet.
Uncover more space highlights
—Repercussions from NASA’s asteroid-colliding DART mission could affect Earth — potentially initiating the 1st human-induced meteor shower
–Astronauts trapped in space due to various complications with Boeing’s Starliner — with the timeline for a return flight rapidly dwindling
—No, you didn’t observe a solar flare during the total eclipse — but you may have witnessed something equally remarkable
Massive 200-million-year-old ‘sea monster’ discovered on beach
Also in April, researchers uncovered the remains of what they suspect to be the largest marine reptile ever identified, found on a beach in Somerset, U.K.
By piecing together the residual bone fragments from the 200-million-year-old Triassic predator, the research team estimated that the living creature would have measured roughly 82 feet (25 meters) long. This surpasses the previous record for the largest marine reptile — Shonisaurus sikanniensis, which would have been about 69 ft (21 m).
The researchers designated the newly identified fossil Icthyotitan severnensis, translating to giant lizard fish of the Severn, in honor of the Severn Estuary where it was discovered.
Uncover more animal highlights
—Concealed DNA in blue whales reveals they’ve been breeding with other species — and producing hybrid offspring
—Orcas resume the trend of wearing dead salmon hats after abandoning it for 37 years
—Ants conduct life-saving surgeries — the only organism aside from humans known to do this
The Slowing of Earth’s Inner Core
Since 2014, researchers havenoticed an intriguing phenomenon deep within our planet — Earth’s solid inner core is rotating at an unusually gradual pace.
The moon-sized mass of solid iron and nickel located at our planet’s center is encased by an outer layer of tumultuous liquid iron, and it is this outer core — in conjunction with gravitational influences from the overlying mantle — that seems to be decelerating the rotation of the inner core.
But what implications does this hold for us? At this point, we can only guess, but scientists indicate it might prolong days on Earth — though merely by a few milliseconds.
Explore additional highlights about planet Earth
—Unprecedented formations measuring up to 1,300 feet long found beneath Antarctic ice
—Essential Atlantic current may be on the verge of collapse, ‘affecting the entire globe for centuries ahead,’ climate scientists caution
—A ‘Superstructure’ larger than Idaho has been expanding on the ocean floor near Fiji since the age of dinosaurs
700-year-old child offering
In early November, archaeologists discovered a 700-year-old burial mound in Peru that contained the remains of 76 sacrificed children and two adults. Each had their chest opened, presumably to access their hearts.
The remains were accompanied by silver, gold, decorative items, and the shells of a tropical marine mollusk known as Spondylus — artifacts that the researchers claim were “more valued than gold” for the local society at that time.
The shells also suggest that the sacrifice victims may have originated from a subjugated northern territory, brought to the burial site to tend to the land. The researchers propose that the children were possibly sacrificed to “energize” the farming fields.
Explore more archaeology highlights
—2,600-year-old engraving in Turkey finally decoded — referencing a goddess simply termed ‘the Mother’
—Analysis of DNA reveals Pompeii victims aren’t who we previously assumed them to be
—‘Simply did not succeed’: Interbreeding between Neanderthals and modern humans might have been a result of unsuccessful alliances, states archaeologist Ludovic Slimak
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