Year-End Wrap-Up: The 5 Biggest Science Stories of 2024

From life-changing medical advancements to colorful auroras, this year has been packed with incredible science. It was hard to pick our favorite headlines from 2024, but if we needed to put five science stories in a time capsule for safekeeping, these would be our top choices. 
Scientists found a whopping 100 new marine species in February when they dropped a deep-sea robot between Chile and Easter Island. Their state-of-the-art sonar array also mapped 52,777 square kilometers (20,377 square miles) of seafloor, leading to the discovery of four “new” underwater mountains. Each mountain hosts its own vibrant ecosystem, from never-before-seen spiral corals—which live 4,650 feet below sea level—to the funny-looking red fish above. From creepy crawlies to breathtaking “mystery mollusks,” scientists identify new species fairly often. But they rarely find so many at the same time, making this story particularly memorable.
Rakus, the orangutan pictured above, broke the internet back in May when he was observed applying a medicinal plant to a wound on his face. After his skin tore during an altercation with another orangutan, Rakus tore the leaves from a climbing vine known as akar kuning (Fibraurea tinctoria), chewed them, and applied the resulting paste to his wound. He then repeated this process the following day. The plant (which local humans have used for pain relief, skin protection, and more for many years) indeed helped heal Rakus’s face; in just over a week, the wound closed completely without any signs of infection. This is the first time an animal has been caught independently using a biologically active substance as medicine.
Medical researchers made great strides in the realm of diabetes this year, but their biggest was a new treatment called re-cellularization via electroporation therapy, or ReCET. Combined with an existing injectable drug called semaglutide, which mimics the body’s blood sugar-regulating hormone, ReCET reportedly improves the body’s sensitivity to naturally occurring insulin. Of 13 people who received the experimental treatment in 2023, 12 were able to forgo insulin injections for a year and counting. Researchers are now testing ReCET with a new group of diabetic people, some of whom will receive a placebo. If this treatment ever becomes mainstream, it could change hundreds of millions of lives and rattle the exploitative insulin industry.
This spring, skygazers in North America, Europe, Asia, and even some parts of Africa caught a relatively sparse phenomenon: the northern lights, or aurora borealis. Produced by a record-breaking flurry of geomagnetic activity, these vibrant auroras extended far further south than they typically go, allowing many people to view their colors for the first time. If you missed May’s auroras, don’t worry—you might have another opportunity to see them over the next year or so.
This story isn’t exactly a “favorite,” but it’s a vital one nonetheless. Hurricane Beryl ripped through the Caribbean in July, fluctuating between Category 4 and Category 5 status. Afterward, meteorologists and climate scientists noted that the storm had picked up speed quickly thanks to high ocean temperatures, making it easier for hurricanes to sweep warm air and moisture from the surface of the sea. Those same remarkably high temperatures later “supercharged” Hurricane John and Hurricane Helene, the latter of which tore a 500-mile path of destruction through the southeastern United States. As we move into 2025 and beyond, the overlap between natural disasters and climate change will be one to keep an eye on.
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