163 thousand light-years away is the cosmic version of an underwater reef: a giant red nebula that integrates the star-forming region into the so-called Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy a the Milky way. The image “Cosmic Reef” was chosen by GODMOTHER to celebrate 30 years since its launch Hubble Space Telescope It became operational in 1990 and has made over 1.3 million observations throughout its history.
In one of the most important scientific events of this 2021, Hubble gives way to the space telescope James Webb, which is scheduled to be released in the fall. This wonderful scientific tool will revolutionize Hubble’s cutting-edge work. Being 100 times more powerful, the new telescope, which costs around $ 9 billion, will allow scientists to deepen their understanding of Universe and even to see the first galaxies born after The big bang.
Mars, the global goal
Another space science event expected earlier this year is the arrival of the probe Hope on Mars to the Martian atmosphere. Successfully launched in July last year, this project of the US space agency United Arab Emirates United will help characterize Mars’s lower atmosphere in detail to better understand climate dynamics and the global weather map; it also puts new protagonists on the map in the space race to the red planet. On the other hand, the NASA Perseverance rover is scheduled to land on February 18 crater lake from the Martian surface. The astrobiologist will look for signs of ancient life and collect samples of rock and soil. As part of this mission, the rover’s ingenious helicopter will also be deployed to perform the first flight demonstration on another planet.
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NASA will also try to produce oxygen its atmosphere, a fundamental step in consolidating the future human exploration of Mars.
The red planet will also be the target of the ambitious agenda China, because it is expected that in February the rover Tianwen Mission-1, which will search for water and traces of life using 13 tools, such as cameras, radars and particle analyzers. On the other hand, Artemis I, an unmanned mission to NASA Moon (the first in the Artemis program), will be launched in the middle of this year using the pioneering space launch system of Nava Orion. By the fall, this agency will also launch “Lucy”, the first mission to study five of the so-called Trojan asteroids, an ancient material that formed the outer planets and now orbit the Sun away from Jupiter.
Another relevant event in 2021 revolves around the first flight of the X-59 QueSST, NASA’s experimental supersonic aircraft with data that could lead to the development of the world’s fastest long-distance travel industry. The X-57 Maxwell, the agency’s all-electric experimental aircraft, will also make its first flight.
NASA’s aeronautics specialists will also increase electric propulsion for large commercial transport with a flight demonstration, developing a cost-effective alternative to traditional aircraft fuel.
The imprint of the pandemic
Although people are urgently forgetting about SARS-CoV-2, its imprint will remain for many years to come. For now, this 2021 will be crucial to verify the effectiveness of several vaccines that are expected to start circulating globally.
For example, the results of phase III clinical trials of vaccines developed by US pharmaceutical companies will be key. Novavax and Johnson & Johnson. The advantages of these immunizations are that they will be easier to distribute than those of Pfizer-BioNTechbecause it does not require extreme temperatures and up to 2 billion doses of vaccine could be produced per year in a single injection version.
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On the other hand, the introduction of the new virus in humans is a mystery that has not yet been revealed in detail, so a multidisciplinary team of experts from WHICH will resume investigations to gain more certainty about the zoonotic origin of Covid-19, because beyond SARS-CoV-2, new epidemic threats remain latent. Some of the most common and deadly diseases are caused by bacteria or viruses of animal origin; in recent decades its presence has become more evident. It is estimated that 70% of new and reappearing pathogens come from animals. According to WHO figures, experts warn that another 1.7 million viruses live in mammals and birds, of which up to 850,000 could have the ability to infect humans.
Alzheimer’s is one of the 10 most serious diseases in the world and is responsible for 60% and 80% of dementia cases, causing a progressive loss of nerve cells.
This year, the first drug trying to slow the progression of the disease could be licensed in the United States. Aducanumab is a drug designed with a monoclonal antibody ready to bind and regulate a brain protein called amyloid, which is considered the main trigger for Alzheimer’s. Scientists believe that its deposits are toxic to brain cells, so the use of this drug would be a breakthrough to eliminate them. Opinions are still divided on the effects of this Biogen-Eisai drug, but the only Alzheimer’s drugs approved so far only treat cognitive symptoms, such as memory loss, but do not interfere with the progression of the disease.
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Finally, one of the decisive events in the fight against climate change will take place in November 2021. The 26th Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 26) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Climate change will take place in Glasgow, Scotland. The summit countries will make a new round of commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions since the signing of the Paris Agreement in 2015. European Union The US and China have ambitious plans to become carbon neutral by 2050, but the US response is especially expected. After Trump leaves, President Biden could put similar goals on the agenda.
Parallel events will include the “From Farm to Plate” dialogue, which will seek to bring together representatives of farming communities around the world to facilitate a conference space on food and climate change. With the wave of the pandemic crisis, a new global discussion on food policies will be needed to affect the entire food chain, from production to consumption and which, according to the FAO, has already affected more than 10 million people in the world. Latin America.
NUMBERS TO BE CONSIDERED
10 MILLION PEOPLE in Latin America have been affected by the effects of the pandemic.
1.7 MILLION VIRUSES They live in mammals and birds, of which up to 850,000 could have the ability to infect humans, according to WHO data.