3 scientific breakthroughs of 2021 that will make 2022 better
The year 2021 was dominated by news of COVID-19 and vaccines. However, apart from these, the year gone by also saw other major scientific inventions and discoveries that are sure to make 2022 a whole lot better. As we step into another new year, let us look back to 2021 and its significant scientific breakthroughs.
Malaria vaccine for kids
Since 2020, Covid-19 has managed to overshadow other harmful diseases, one of them being malaria. This mosquito-borne disease kills about half a million people annually, mostly in the developing countries like India. More than half the population that succumbs to malaria are children below the age of 5 years. To battle against this deadly disease, the World Health Organisation has finally approved the world’s first malaria vaccine for children in October Named Mosquirix, this is the first ever vaccine against any parasitic disease. It is delivered in a series of four doses and is said to fight five deadliest pathogens of malaria. This scientific breakthrough is expected to save millions of lives in the near future.
Launch of the most powerful quantum processor
What today’s best supercomputers do in several days or weeks, quantum computers are supposed to do the same within a few seconds. These high-end machines use the laws of quantum physics responsible for their incredible processing capabilities, expected to revolutionise the fields of cybersecurity, defence, meteorology, etc. Keeping this in mind, IBM launched the most powerful quantum processor in November 2021, It is known as the 127 qubit Eagle. Following IBM’s footsteps, a company called Quantinuum launched a cloud-based cybersecurity platform called Quantum Origin, that is thought to be the first ever commercial product generated from quantum computing.
Development of artificial titanium heart
Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) kill around 18 million people annually, making it the leading cause of death worldwide. Keeping this in mind, scientists from all over the globe have been trying to develop an artificial heart for more than five decades now. Fortunately, in 2021, an Australian research team has finally developed an artificial titanium heart called BiVACOR, that uses the spinning disc technology. This lab manufactured heart doesn’t exactly work like a human heart but follows a better mechanism to pump blood throughout the human body. This titanium heart has a circular pump that is suspended between two magnets and can act as a substitute for healthy hearts. A full human trial is yet to be carried out. However, it has generated successful results in heart transplant patients so far.