2012 is going to be a turbulent year financially and politically. What does it have in store for science? Here is a small selection of new year science stories….
Nasa is looking forward to an exciting year ahead, despite being its first year without manned space flight. Excitement is mounting as NASA’s rover Curiosity, is set to arrive on Mars in August and will be sniffing around for signs of microbial life. Also the Kepler mission could well reveal a twin for planet Earth, a planet with the right conditions to be habitable.
Also in the USA, global warming is a big issue in the race for the presidential election. Supporters of science across the globe must be hoping the American republican party do not select Rick Santorum as their candidate. Amongst his many controversial views , Mr Santorum has described it as “patently absurd” that humans have contributed to global warming and he also want schools to teach intelligent design as there are “legitimate problems and holes in the theory of evolution”.
Meanwhile in the UK, universities are cutting degree course in complementary medicine in the wake of the financial crisis. It will no longer be possible to do a bachelor degree in Homeopathy (I am amazed it was possible in the first place..!). Westminster University has cut all but 2 of its 14 degree course in complementary therapy, with only herbal medicine and acupuncture remaining. Other universities are following the trend. Much credit for this can be given to the a campaign by the organisation Sense about Science. Backed by many scientists, the campaign was fuelled by many researchers furious that tax -payers money should used to teach people about crystal fields and Yin energies. But students are also voting with their feet – in this difficult job market, rising fees and generally dire financial straits, students are opting for the more traditional degrees to see them through the crisis. Read more here.
Meanwhile at CERN, scientists are expected to confirm (or otherwise) the existence of the Higgs Boson. And that’s while they and other physicists across the globe try and explain why neutrinos seem to travel faster than light….
No doubt these results will be eagerly anticipated by Stephen Hawking, who yesterday celebrated his 70th birthday. Not bad for a man given only months to live back on his 21st birthday. Happy birthday, Professor!
