This article lists a number of significant events in science that have occurred in the first quarter of 2012.
Events
January
1 January – NASA's GRAIL-B satellite successfully enters lunar orbit, joining its twin spacecraft GRAIL-A. The two satellites will study the Moon's gravitational field, generating a detailed map of its fluctuations to help scientists understand how the Moon formed. 2 January China launches its first commercial 3DTV channel, operated by China Central Television (CCTV). A new study shows that deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a safe and effective intervention for treatment-resistant depression in patients with either unipolar major depressive disorder (MDD) or bipolar ll disorder (BP). 3 January – Genetically modified fast-ageing mice exhibited improved health and lived two to three times longer than expected after being injected with stem cells, according to findings published in Nature Communications. 4 January American scientists report that a parasitic species of fly which compels honey bees to abandon their hives may be responsible for a global honey bee die-off that has decimated hives around the world. Honey bees are crucial pollinators, and their rapidly diminishing population may have severe effects on human agriculture. University of Wyoming scientists develop genetically modified silkworms capable of producing large amounts of spidersilk, which has a greater tensile strength than steel. If available in bulk quantities, the silk could be used to produce high-strength medical sutures and lightweight forms of body armor. Scientists at the University of Southern California develop a method for generating accurate 3D models of cellular genomes. Researchers at Oxford University report promising results in human trials of a prototype hepatitis C vaccine. Scientists at Cornell University use a specialised lens to entirely cloak an object from view for 40 trillionths of a second by altering the speed of light. Classified documents are leaked detailing a range of advanced non-lethal weapons proposed or in development by the United States Armed Forces. Among the systems described are a laser-based weapon designed to divert hostile aircraft, an underwater sonic weapon for incapacitating SCUBA divers and a heat-based weapon designed to compel crowds to disperse.
5 January Mae Jemison, the first female African-American astronaut, is selected to head the DARPA- and NASA-sponsored 100-Year Starship project, which aims to conduct research into the technological and human elements needed for crewed interstellar travel. American scientists report that they have bred the first-ever monkeys grown from cells taken from different embryos. A team of international researchers reports that low-resistivity electrical wires can be produced at the nanometer scale by chaining phosphorus atoms together and encasing them in silicon. In future, the development may permit the production of efficient nanometer-scale electronics. A team of American, French and Italian researchers demonstrate working transistors made from cotton fibers, doped with gold nanoparticles and a conductive polymer. The invention could permit the creation of a range of electronic-fabric devices, including clothing capable of measuring pollutants, T-shirts that display dynamic information, and carpets that sense how many people are crossing them. 6 January The human brain's ability to function can start to deteriorate as early as age 45, according to a study published in the British Medical Journal. Scientists refute a Greenpeace claim that genetically modified corn has caused a new insect pest.
9 January Human emissions of carbon dioxide will defer the next ice age, according to a new study. Researchers in California develop a cheap plastic capable of removing large amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the air. The new material could enable the development of "artificial trees" that lower atmospheric concentrations of CO2 in an effort to lessen the effects of climate change. 10 January The 2012 Consumer Electronics Show opens in Las Vegas, Nevada. Among the new products and technologies showcased are large-screen OLED televisions, quad-core tablet computers and consumer-ready 3D printers. Climate change, in the form of reduced snowfall in mountains, is having a major impact on mountainous plant and bird communities, through the increased ability of elk to stay at high elevations over winter and consume plants, according to a study in Nature Climate Change. 11 January An international team of astronomers report that each star in the Milky Way Galaxy may host "on average ... at least 1.6 planets", suggesting that over 160 billion star-bound planets may exist in our galaxy alone. The team used gravitational microlensing to discover the gravitational effects of planets orbiting distant stars. American astronomers discover three rocky exoplanets smaller than Earth, the smallest such worlds yet found, orbiting a red dwarf star 130 light-years from Earth. Researchers report the discovery of a natural hormone that has a similar effect to exercise on muscle tissue – burning calories, improving insulin processing, and perhaps boosting strength. 12 January Scientists formally describe the world's smallest known vertebrate species, Paedophryne amauensis – a frog that measures just 7 millimeters in length. The species was first discovered in Papua New Guinea in 2009. A University of Connecticut researcher who studied the health benefits of resveratrol, a compound found in red wine, has been found to have falsified data on numerous occasions.
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