Top Science Stories of 2015

Luka Martinovic
1/18/2016
Science 9A
Parick Youell

In 2015 many events and discoveries were made. Some of these events were tragic like the terrorist attacks and the Nepal earthquakes. On the other hand some of these events or discoveries helped humans develop like the discovery of water on mars and the cure for Ebola. Most people don't notice these events or discoveries because they don't affect them, but these discoveries still do help so many other people around the world.

April 2015 Nepal Earthquake

On April 25th 2015 a devastating occasion occurred in South Asia Nepal. When a earthquake With a magnitude of 7.8 to 8.1 hit Nepal, 11:56 Nepal Standard Time. The earthquake didn't even end there, a massive aftershock occurred on May 12, 2015. 

Figure 1: After earthquake damage, in Nepal. 

This earthquake resulted in over 8000 deaths and over 21000 injuries. Earthquakes occur when to tectonic plates collide into each other. The Indian tectonic plate moves around 45 mm each year. And when it moved under the Eurasian plate it created the Himalayas to form. Tectonic plates move around all the time. They move very little but when they collide against each other they can cause earthquakes. Some of the time a tsunami occurs after the earthquake when the plates bash against each other. All of Asia has a great history of earthquakes because the tectonic plates there tend to move a lot more than in other places. Places like Serbia tend to have weaker earthquakes than in Asia because the tectonic plates are not as active there. In figure 1 we can see the devastating damage this earthquake caused when it hit Nepal. This earthquake was so strong that it was able to destroy buildings all across Nepal, such as the one in Figure 1.

Water on Mars

Figure 2: Water flows on Mars 

Recently people have discovered that there are hydrated salt minerals on Mars, meaning that there are water flows on Mars. The water flows on mars are clearly shown in figure 2. Scientists have come to this conclusion when they were using a spectrometer on Mars. Scientists have discovered hidden streaks of water on Mars. This discovery has potential proof that there is further living organisms on Mars. Every living organism needs a source of fuel in order to survive, humans use food and water in order to survive. This could essentially mean that there are living organisms on mars that we humans know nothing about. This is because every organism needs water to survive. Nitrogen as well has been found on Mars. Nitrogen is uses to create molecules like protein or DNA. This was as well found on Mars. Mars could eventually serve humans as another planet in the future because it has the needed resources for survival. 

Ebola Cure

Figure 3: Ebola virus 

Ebola is a viral fever that affects thousands of people all around the world. Last year in 2014 Ebola affected more than 24 thousand people. This virus is very easily passed on to people and it was a big problem in countries such as America and Africa. Ebola is easily transmitted, it is mostly transmitted by coughing. When a person is diagnosed with Ebola and doesn't treat it in time they can die in the following three weeks. Some of the symptoms of Ebola are the following: muscular pain, headaches, sore throat after this phase people often start to vomit, have rashes and often have diarrhea. Ebola has a up to 85% of killing people that are infected. Scientists have come up with two different vaccines that can serve as future outbreaks. These vaccines target a protein made up by an Ebola virus. The first Ebola vaccine was used for people with close contact with Ebola. Thousands of people were given this vaccine after close contact with Ebola and none of them were affected by Ebola in any way. The second Ebola vaccine includes a virus that can not replicate itself. This vaccine was tested at the University of Maryland. A dose of this vaccine is enough to keep your body immune from the Ebola virus.

In conclusion all of the discoveries and events in 2015 were interesting because they all contributed to revolutionizing the world in the near future. I personally chose these three topics because I found them the most interesting. The cure for Ebola is a huge step towards the future and hopefully less people will suffer from Ebola. The water on Mars is as well as a huge step in revolutionizing the word. This could also be a huge step in finding a new living organism. The earthquake in Nepal is not a discovery but it still needs to be valued because thousands of people lost their lives then.     

Bibliography
https://www.sciencenews.org/node/191210?mode=pick&context=166
https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-confirms-evidence-that-liquid-water-flows-on-today-s-mars
http://www.geologyin.com/2015/04/what-caused-nepal-earthquake.html