Some of the top science achievements of 2015 are personal to me. My grandmother was diagnosed with breast cancer in the 1940’s. After a mastectomy she miraculously, even back then, was a cancer survivor. Tragically, she died two decades later in a house fire. My mother has faced cancer twice in her lifetime. The first time, in her early 50’s she had a grapefruit-sized tumor removed from her colon. Again, she was a survivor just like her mother. Almost 3o years later, she faced melanoma on her arm. The surgeon removed a big section of skin and muscle. Again, she was a survivor. She turns 85 this year. She was and continues to be a trooper.
After looking at the results of my poll, Top Scientific Breakthroughs of 2015, three achievements accumulated the most activity. Two of them were medical breakthroughs while the third could give a much cleaner source of energy reducing or eliminating our dependence on fossil fuels.
HIV is a world plague that has taken millions of lives. Many of us have a personal connection to this disease. A cure to HIV would be a spectacular breakthrough.
HIV/AIDS has killed more than 25 million people. Without treatment, the disease gradually weakens the body’s immune system, usually over a period of up to 10 years after infection. —Doctors Without Borders
The World Health Organization (WHO) says there were about 36.9 million people worldwide living with HIV/AIDS at the end of 2014. 2.6 million were children (<15 years old). And, according to WHO, about 2.0 million people worldwide became newly infected with HIV in 2014.
These statistics are staggering and cry out for a cure of this devastating illness.
Cancer is another world scourge that has us screaming for a cure. We all have someone we know who’s been affected. A universal cure for this devastating illness would also be a huge achievement. Cancer is among the leading causes of death worldwide.
By Dr. Cecil Fox (Photographer) [Public domain or Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Global warming is a hot topic in both traditional and social media. The 10 warmest years in the 134-year record all have occurred since 2000, with the exception of 1998. The year 2015 ranks as the warmest on record. Certainly, a environmentally friendly fuel would be considered a top science achievement.
So, drum roll please, the top three science achievements as decided by you my readers are:
- Top voted article at 25% of votes went to: Possible new vaccine for all HIV strains.
- Pfizer and Ido Bachelet’s Labs develop programmable nanobots to kill cancer. 16.7%
- E-fuel developed by Audi. 16.7%
Interesting results!
How wonderful that your mom is doing well into her eighties.
Sorry about how you lost your grandmother.
Science is just amazing!!!
Thankyou, my grandmother died the year before I was born. New Year’s Day is still painful for my mom. But she has survived that and cancer as well. She’s a strong woman. Science is amazing and brings more innovation each year.