10 hitos de la ciencia en el siglo XX

10 hitos de la ciencia en el siglo XX

Tomado de revista Nature

Detection of a strange particle

In 1947, scientists found a previously unseen particle, which is now called a neutral kaon. This work led to the discovery of elementary particles known as quarks, and ultimately to the establishment of the standard model of particle physics.

Taku Yamanaka

The advent and rise of monoclonal antibodies

A 1975 Nature paper reported how cell lines could be made that produce an antibody of known specificity. This discovery led to major biological insights and clinical successes in treating autoimmunity and cancer.

Klaus Rajewsky

How Australopithecus provided insight into human evolution

In 1925, a Nature paper reported an African fossil of a previously unknown genus called Australopithecus. This finding revolutionized ideas about early human evolution after human ancestors and apes split on the evolutionary tree.

Dean Falk

The nano-revolution spawned by carbon

In 1985, scientists reported the discovery of the cage-like carbon molecule C60. The finding paved the way for materials such as graphene and carbon nanotubes, and was a landmark in the emergence of nanotechnology.

Pulickel M. Ajayan

The discovery of the Antarctic ozone hole

The unexpected discovery of a hole in the atmospheric ozone layer over the Antarctic revolutionized science — and helped to establish one of the most successful global environmental policies of the twentieth century.

Susan Solomon

A breakthrough method that became vital to neuroscience

Originally developed to record currents of ions flowing through channel proteins in the membranes of cells, the patch-clamp technique has become a true stalwart of the neuroscience toolbox.

Alexander D. Reyes

Birth of a class of nanomaterial

Nearly 30 years ago, a simple chemical principle was reported that enabled the synthesis of a plethora of porous materials — some of which might enable applications ranging from biomedicine to petrochemical processing.

Ryong Ryoo

Cell identity reprogrammed

The discovery that cell differentiation can be reversed challenged theories of how cell identity is determined, laying the foundations for modern methods of reprogramming cell identity and promising new regenerative therapies.

Samantha A. Morris

The structure of DNA

In the early 1950s, the identity of genetic material was still a matter of debate. The discovery of the helical structure of double-stranded DNA settled the matter — and changed biology forever.

Georgina Ferris

First exoplanet found around a Sun-like star

In 1995, astronomers detected a blisteringly hot Jupiter-mass planet orbiting closer to its host star than Mercury is to the Sun. This discovery recast our thinking of how planets form and led to a new era of exoplanetary exploration.

Eliza Kempton