The incredible discoveries and scientific feats of 2023 prove just how far curiosity and wonder can take humanity. <\/p>\n
Archaeological findings allowed researchers to take intriguing steps into the past and reveal more about\u00a0our mysterious ancestors\u00a0and\u00a0creatures who roamed the planet\u00a0before humans. <\/p>\n
At the same time, technological advancements enabled\u00a0<\/strong>scientists to make daring leaps forward in how we understand the vast expanse of the universe and\u00a0our little cosmic neighborhood within it. <\/p>\n Each week brought new marvels and insights, along with dozens of pinch-me moments and awe-inspiring views of the cosmos\u00a0once invisible to the human eye. <\/p>\n In this golden age of scientific discovery, my hope is that, like\u00a0living legend Sylvia Earle, we never take the ability to solve mysteries and gain new knowledge for granted so we can better understand how to protect this extraordinary world. <\/p>\n Nearly 1,000 new species were found across the globe in 2023, adding significantly to the tree of life and illuminating how much biodiversity is waiting to be found on Earth. <\/p>\n Researchers at the California Academy of Sciences and London\u2019s Natural History Museum uncovered hundreds of creatures and plants from the bottom of the ocean to an isolated peak in Angola. <\/p>\n The majority of newfound species were insects \u2014 including\u00a0metallic-hued wasps named after \u201cDoctor Who\u201d characters\u00a0that help eliminate agricultural pests. And scientists found unusual creatures such as a rare type of silent frog and a gecko that shoots goo out of its tail. <\/p>\n As the climate crisis continues, scientists are racing to identify species in an attempt to protect them\u00a0before they disappear. <\/p>\n An emerging scientific trend in 2023 was resurrection biology, or the attempt to\u00a0revive once extinct molecule strands and complex organisms. <\/p>\n The field of study sounds like the basis of \u201cJurassic Park,\u201d but scientists are using it to raise awareness of the rise of once dormant viruses as the climate crisis causes permafrost to thaw for the first time in centuries. Resurrection biology is also being used in the search for pharmaceutical solutions by studying the genetic proteins of our ancient ancestors. <\/p>\n Scientists employed the technique to recreate the scent of Egyptian mummification balms. Visitors can catch this whiff of the past at Denmark\u2019s Moesgaard Museum. <\/p>\n And yes, efforts to bring extinct animals such as the dodo, woolly mammoth and Tasmanian tiger back to life are underway. <\/p>\n Truth is stranger than fiction, especially when recalling some of the\u00a0celestial moments from this year that rivaled sci-fi. <\/p>\n A moon race kicked off between multiple countries, with robotic missions ending both in success and crash landings. <\/p>\n Meanwhile, a spacecraft delivered a sample collected from an asteroid to Earth for the first time \u2014 the rocks and dust are already surprising researchers. <\/p>\n And the most powerful rockets ever constructed launched and exploded twice, reminding once again that the path to spaceflight is tricky. <\/p>\n When conservators used X-rays to scan one of Rembrandt\u2019s masterpieces, \u201cThe Night Watch,\u201d the scans revealed\u00a0a secret that had remained hidden for nearly 400 years. Tucked beneath the painting of Dutch civilian soldiers was a layer full of lead. <\/p>\n Completed in 1642, the massive painting was displayed in Amsterdam\u2019s Kloveniersdoelen, or a musketeer\u2019s shooting range. There, the piece would have been vulnerable to humidity and moisture. <\/p>\n Experts believe that Rembrandt used lead, rather than the typical stiff layer of glue, to protect the canvas of the dramatic piece, which featured his mastery of illumination and shadows. <\/p>\n Researchers have used an unusual source to solve\u00a0one of history\u2019s mysteries about the West Antarctic ice sheet, which is rapidly melting due to global warming. <\/p>\n By studying the DNA of Turquet\u2019s octopus, which can be found along the Antarctic seafloor, scientists have determined that the ice sheet last collapsed more than 100,000 years ago. Understanding how the ice sheet has behaved over time could provide insight into how future sea levels could rise. <\/p>\n \u201cDNA of living animals today contains all the information about their ancestors (in the) past, so it\u2019s like a time capsule,\u201d said Dr. Sally Lau, a postdoctoral research fellow at James Cook University in Australia. <\/p>\n Catch up on these mind-blowing stories: <\/p>\n \u2014\u00a0Apes can recognize old friends\u00a0they haven\u2019t seen for decades, according to new research that documented the lengthiest social memory ever seen outside of humans. <\/p>\n \u2014 The Hubble Space Telescope captured a new image showcasing ghostly shadows called\u00a0\u201cspokes\u201d dancing along the rings of Saturn. <\/p>\n \u2014 Traces of a power surge that occurred in Earth\u2019s magnetic field thousands of years ago were literally\u00a0baked into ancient Mesopotamian mud bricks. <\/p>\n \u2014 Before the year ends,\u00a0send your name to one of Jupiter\u2019s moons\u00a0to accompany\u00a0<\/strong>a poem written by US Poet Laureate Ada Lim\u00f3n that will fly aboard NASA\u2019s Europa Clipper mission. <\/p>\n The Wonder Theory team wishes you a Happy New Year, and we\u2019ll see you in 2024! <\/p>\n\n The incredible discoveries and scientific feats of 2023 prove just how far curiosity and wonder can take humanity. Archaeological findings allowed researchers to take intriguing steps into the past and reveal more about\u00a0our mysterious ancestors\u00a0and\u00a0creatures who roamed the planet\u00a0before humans. At the same time, technological advancements enabled\u00a0scientists to make daring leaps forward in how we <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":13423,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-13422","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13422","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13422"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13422\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13423"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13422"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13422"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13422"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}} Wild kingdom<\/h3>\n
Back to the future<\/h3>\n
Defying gravity<\/h3>\n
Curiosities<\/h3>\n
Ocean secrets<\/h3>\n
The wonder<\/h3>\n