History of science / 1945 CE — 2024 CE
Research Frontiers
Life, Earth and the universe
Collaborative research and new tools extend inquiry to molecules, global systems and space. Findings remain open to testing.
Selected stories
DNA’s double helix emerges from models and evidence
Watson and Crick proposed a double-helix model. Diffraction research by Franklin, Gosling, Wilkins and colleagues, alongside chemical evidence, was indispensable.
The first artificial Earth satellite reaches orbit
The Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1 into Earth orbit. Radio signals and orbital tracking opened a new stage in space exploration and observation.
Chinese teams synthesize crystalline bovine insulin
Researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Peking University jointly achieved the total chemical synthesis of crystalline bovine insulin with biological activity.
Plate tectonics unites oceans, earthquakes and moving continents
McKenzie, Parker, Morgan, Le Pichon and others modeled moving plates on a sphere, connecting seafloor spreading, earthquakes and fault systems in a global framework.
Apollo 11 completes the first crewed lunar landing
Armstrong and Aldrin landed while Collins remained in lunar orbit. Samples, instruments and photographs gave lunar science new direct evidence.
Artemisinin research advances through extraction and isolation
Tu Youyou’s team improved low-temperature extraction, obtained highly active antimalarial extracts and advanced early clinical observation and isolation of the active substance.
CRISPR-Cas9 becomes a programmable DNA-cutting tool
Jinek, Charpentier, Doudna and colleagues showed how RNA could guide Cas9 to cut selected DNA, providing a crucial method for subsequent genome editing.
Experiments announce a new particle consistent with the Higgs
CERN’s ATLAS and CMS collaborations announced a new particle near 125 GeV, consistent with the long-sought Higgs boson.
Chang’e-6 returns the first lunar far-side samples
Chang’e-6 returned samples from the Moon’s far side to Inner Mongolia, providing direct material for comparing the geology of the lunar near and far sides.