2 January – The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) publishes its JRA-55 dataset, confirming 2023 as the warmest year on record globally, at 1.43°C (2.57°F) above the 1850–1900 baseline. This is 0.14°C (0.25°F) above the previous record set in 2016.[1][full citation needed]
Researchers have discovered a new phase of matter, named a "light-matter hybrid", which may reshape understanding of how light interacts with matter.[14]
Scientists report the extinction of Gigantopithecus blacki, the largest primate to ever inhabit the Earth, that lived between 2 million and 350,000 years ago, was largely due to the inability of the ape to adapt to a diet better suited to a significantly changed environment.[20][21]
11 January
Biologists report the discovery of the oldest known skin, fossilized about 289 million years ago, and possibly the skin from an ancient reptile.[22][23]
A graphene-based implant on the surface of mouse brains, in combination with a two-photon microscope, is shown to capture high-resolution information on neural activity at depths of 250 micrometers.[27][28]
A review of genetic data from 21 studies with nearly one million participants finds more than 50 new genetic loci and 205 novel genes associated with depression, opening potential targets for drugs to treat depression.[29][30]
The Upano Valley sites are reported as the oldest Amazonian cities built over 2500 years ago, with a unique "garden urbanism" city design.[31][32]
A study presents results of a Riyadh-based trial of eight urban heat mitigation scenarios, finding large cooling effects with combinations that include reflective rooftop materials, irrigated greenery, and retrofitting.[33][34]
12 January
Global warming: 2023 is confirmed as the hottest year on record by several science agencies.[35]
NASA reports a figure of 1.4 degrees Celsius above the late 19th century average, when modern record-keeping began.[36]
NOAA reports a figure of 1.35 degrees Celsius.[37]
19 January: Japan becomes the fifth country to achieve a soft landing on the Moon.
17 January – A study in Nature finds that the Greenland ice sheet is melting 20% faster than previously estimated, due to the effects of calving-front retreat. The loss of 30m tonnes of ice an hour is "sufficient to affect ocean circulation and the distribution of heat energy around the globe."[45][46]
18 January
NASA reports the end of the Ingenuity helicopter's operation, after 72 successful flights on Mars, due to a broken rotor blade.[47][48]
A potential candidate for the first known radio pulsar-black hole binary is reported by astronomers. The heavier of the two lies in the "mass gap" between neutron stars and black holes. The pair are located in the globular clusterNGC 1851.[49][50]
Two insect-like robots, a mini-bug and a water strider, are reported as being the smallest, lightest, and fastest fully-functional micro-robots ever created.[51][52]
23 January – A viable and sustainable approach for gold recovery from e-waste is demonstrated.[59][60]
24 January: A global analysis of groundwater levels is published, including widespread rapid declines of over 0.5 meters per year.
24 January
The discovery of 85 exoplanet candidates based on data from the TESS observatory is reported. All have orbital periods of between 20 and 700 days, with temperatures similar to those of our own Solar System planets.[61]
A global analysis of groundwater levels reports rapid declines of over 0.5 meters per year are widespread and that declines have accelerated over the past four decades in 30% of the world's regional aquifers. The study also shows cases in which depletion trends have reversed following interventions such as policy changes.[62][63]
A robotic sensor able to read braille with 87.5% accuracy and at twice the speed of a human is demonstrated.[69]
31 January – NASA reports the discovery of a super-Earth called TOI-715 b, located in the habitable zone of a red dwarf star about 137 light-years away.[70][71]
Promising innovations relating to global challenges are reported: a self-powered solar panel cleaning system using an electrodynamic screen, removing contaminants through high-voltage electric fields, is demonstrated (4 Jan),[72][73] an atmospheric water generator (WaterCube) for humidity levels above 40% is released (9 Jan).[74]
Hazard research is published: ~240.000 particles of microplastic and nanoplastics (~90%) per liter are found in samples of plastic-bottled water (8 Jan),[87][88] a study estimates harmful chemicals used in plastic materials have caused $249 U.S. healthcare system costs in 2018 (11 Jan),[89][90] a study indicates fungal infections may be causing millions more deaths annually than thought (12 Jan),[91][92] a study of European plasticwaste exports to Vietnam finds a large fraction is dumped in nature and suggests air pollution from melting plastics and untreated wastewater have significant impact on health (18 Jan).[93][94]
A study based on 300-years-long temperature records preserved in Caribbean sclerosponge carbonate skeletons shows industrial-era warming already began in the mid-1860s and that by 2020, global warming was already 1.7±0.1 °C above pre-industrial levels. However, their reference period is not used by the IPCC and the 1.5 °C climate goal and the study's authors suggest their results show a better baseline.[101][102]
A battery based on calcium, able to charge and discharge fully 700 times at room temperature, is presented. It is described as a potential alternative to lithium, being 2,500 times more abundant on Earth.[110][111]
17 February – A global review of harms from personal car automobility finds cars have killed 60–80 million people since their invention, with automobility causing roughly every 34th death, and summarises interventions that are ready for implementation to reduce the, largely crash-linked or pollution-mediated, deaths from automobility-centrism and dependency.[125][126]
19 February
Astronomers announce the most luminous object ever discovered, quasar QSO J0529-4351, located 12 billion light-years away in the constellation Pictor.[127][128]
The first neuroimaging study that shows flow state-related brain activity during a creative production task, jazz improvisation, is published. Its results support a theory that creative flow represents optimized specialized processing enabled by extensive experience, relaxing conscious control.[132][133]
Hazard research is published: several dietary habits and products including teabags are linked to PFAS intake (4 Feb),[174][175] an additional three billion people may face water scarcity by 2050 when river pollution is considered, an aspect neglected by prior assessments (6 Feb),[176][177]HPV infection linked to higher cardiovascular mortality (7 Feb),[178] researchers use simulations to develop an early-warning signal for a potential collapse of the atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) and suggest it indicates the AMOC is "on route to tipping" (9 Feb),[179][180] researchers report the H5N1 bird flu virus may be changing and adapting to infect more mammals (12 Feb),[181][182] researchers report how compounding disturbances could trigger unexpected ecosystem transitions in the Amazon rainforest (14 Feb),[183][184] harmful chlormequat is found in ~80% of U.S. adult urine samples, rising during 2023, and in oat-based foods widely thought to be healthy (15 Feb),[185][186] excess amounts of widely-supplemented niacin (B3) are linked to cardiovascular risk (19 Feb),[187][188] a review concludes available evidence on the use of puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones in minors with gender dysphoria is very limited and based on only a few studies with small numbers which have problematic methodology and quality, warning about their use outside of clinical studies or research projects after careful risk-benefit evaluation (27 Feb).[189][190]
March
4 March
Astronomers report that the surface of Europa, a moon of the planet Jupiter, may have much less oxygen than previously inferred, suggesting that the moon has a less hospitable environment for the existence of lifeforms than may have been considered earlier.[191][192]
Biochemists report making an RNA molecule that was able to make accurate copies of a different type of RNA molecule, moving closer to an RNA that could make accurate copies of itself, and, as a result, providing support for an RNA world that may have been an essential way of starting the origin of life.[193][194]
12 March – Geologists identify a 2.4-million-year cycle in deep-sea sedimentary data, caused by an orbital interaction between Earth and Mars.[196][197][198]
The largest inventory of methane emissions from U.S. oil and gas production finds them to be largely concentrated and around three times the national government inventory estimate.[200][201] On 28 March, methane emissions from U.S. landfills are quantified, with super-emitting point-sources accounting for almost 90% thereof.[202][203]
13 March: Amid an ongoing boom in AI research, the EU passes the world's first comprehensive legislation governing the technology.
14 March – SpaceX successfully launches the Starship spacecraft, but loses the rocket upon re-entering the atmosphere.[204]
19 March
Scientists demonstrate a wireless network of 78 tiny sensors able to gather data from the brain, with potential to be scaled up to thousands of such devices.[205][206]
Researchers with the National Severe Storms Laboratory, Storm Prediction Center, CIWRO, and the University of Oklahoma's School of Meteorology publish a paper where they state, ">20% of supercell tornadoes may be capable of producing EF4–EF5 damage" and that "the legacy F-scale wind speed ranges may ultimately provide a better estimate of peak tornado wind speeds at 10–15 m AGL for strong–violent tornadoes and a better damage-based intensity rating for all tornadoes" and also put the general 0–5 ranking scale in question.[207]
20 March – The removal of HIV from infected cells using CRISPR gene-editing technology is reported.[208]
1 April – An entirely new class of antibiotics with potent activity against multi-drug resistant bacteria is discovered. These compounds target a protein called LpxH, and are shown to cure bloodstream infections in mice.[229][230]
9 April – A rare genetic variation in a gene that makes fibronectin is shown to reduce the odds of developing Alzheimer's disease by over 70%.[234]
12 April
Biologists report that bonobos behave more aggressively than thought earlier.[235][236]
Scientists report studies suggesting that tardigrades are protected from massive radiation exposure and damage by unique biochemicals, particularly, the Dsup protein.[237][238]
16 April – Scientists at the Riken institute demonstrate "advanced dual-chirped optical parametric amplification", which provides a 50-fold increase in the energy of single-cycle laser pulses. This new technique may advance the development of attosecond lasers.[241]
23 April – The world's largest 3D printer, dubbed Factory of the Future 1.0 (FoF 1.0), is presented by the University of Maine. Using thermoplastic polymers, the machine can print objects as large as 96 feet (29m) long by 32 feet (9.8m) wide by 18 feet (5.5m) high, at a rate of 500 pounds (230kg) per hour.[242][243]
24 April – Demonstration of synthetic diamond created at 1 atmosphere of pressure in around 150 minutes without needing seeds.[244][245]
A new theory states that Venus may have lost its water so quickly due to HCO+ dissociative recombination.[253][254]
People aged over 65 with two copies of the APOE4 gene variant are found to have a 95% chance of developing Alzheimer's disease.[255][256]
8 May
Google introduces AlphaFold 3, a new AI model for accurately predicting the structure of proteins, DNA, RNA, ligands and more, and how they interact.[257]
Atmospheric gases surrounding 55 Cancri e, a hot rocky exoplanet 41 light-years from Earth, are detected by researchers using the James Webb Space Telescope. NASA reports this as "the best evidence to date for the existence of any rocky planet atmosphere outside our solar system."[258]
9 May: A cubic millimetre of the human brain is mapped at nanoscale resolution by a team at Google30 May: NASA reports the discovery of the most distant known galaxy.
9 May
A record annual increase in atmospheric CO2 is reported from the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii, with a jump of 4.7 parts per million (ppm) compared to a year earlier.[259]
A cubic millimetre of the human brain is mapped at nanoscale resolution by a team at Google. This contains roughly 57,000 cells and 150 million synapses, incorporating 1.4 petabytes of data.[260][261]
13 May – OpenAI reveals GPT-4o, its latest AI model, featuring improved multimodal capabilities in real time.[265][266]
15 May
Astronomers report an overview of preliminary analytical studies on returned samples of asteroid101955 Bennu by the OSIRIS-REx mission.[267]
SPECULOOS-3 b, an exoplanet nearly identical in size to Earth, is discovered orbiting an ultracool dwarf star as small as Jupiter and located 55 light-years from Earth.[268]
Solar energy is combined with synthetic quartz to generate temperatures of more than 1,000°C. This proof-of-concept method shows the potential of clean energy to replace fossil fuels in heavy manufacturing, according to a research team at ETH Zurich.[269]
16 May – A multimodal algorithm for improved sarcasm detection is revealed by the University of Groningen. Trained on a database known as MUStARD, it can examine multiple aspects of audio recordings and has 75% accuracy.[270][271]
17 May – The world's smallest quantum light detector on a silicon chip is demonstrated by a team at the University of Bristol, 50 times smaller than their previous version.[272]
20 May – The first measurements of an exoplanet's core mass are obtained by the James Webb Space Telescope. This reveals a surprisingly low amount of methane and a super-sized core within the super-Neptune WASP-107b.[273]
23 May
New images from the Euclid space telescope are published, including a view of the Messier 78 star nursery.[274]
Astronomers using TESS report the discovery of Gliese 12 b, a Venus-sized exoplanet located 40 light-years away, with an equilibrium temperature of 315 K (42 °C; 107 °F). This makes it the nearest, transiting, temperate, Earth-sized world located to date.[275]
2 June – China successfully lands Chang'e 6 on the lunar far side. The robotic probe is set to begin sample collection before returning its 2 kg (4.4 lb) cargo on 4 June.[280]
5 June – Astronomers identify ASKAP J1935+2148, the slowest-spinning neutron star ever recorded, which completes a rotation just once every 54 minutes.[282]
The apparent gap in life expectancy between male and female organisms is explained by a team at Osaka University, Japan, who find that reproductive cells drive sex-dependent differences in lifespan and reveal a role for vitamin D in improving longevity.[285][286]
The Economist reports that China has become a "scientific superpower", citing numerous examples of its rapid development across a wide range of fields.[287]
Scientists announce the discovery of a lunar cave, approximately 250 miles (400km) from Apollo 11's landing site.[300][301]
China announces a plan to visit the asteroid 2015 XF261 in 2029. Similar to NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART), a probe will impact the body at a speed of 10 kilometres per second, and the resulting changes to its orbit will be studied.[302] This will occur when the asteroid is within seven million kilometres of Earth.[303]
A study on North Sea oil and gas extraction finds that pollution can spike by more than 10,000% within half a kilometre around offshore drilling sites.[305]
The world's first fully automated dental procedure on a human is reported by Boston company Perceptive.[306]
August
1 August – A study in Nature finds that based on current policies, there is a 45% risk of at least one major tipping point by 2300, even if global warming is brought back to below 1.5 °C. The risk is "strongly accelerated" for peak warming above 2.0 °C. The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Current (AMOC) is identified as being at the most urgent risk of collapse – possibly occurring as early as 2040 – followed by the Amazon rainforest in the 2070s.[307][308][309]
7 August – Scientists in Australia publish a new 400-year temperature reconstruction for the Coral Sea, showing that recent ocean heat has led to mass bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef.[310][311]
8 August – A study on the terraforming of Mars suggests that releasing metal nanorods into the planet's atmosphere could warm it by 30 K, and would be far more efficient than trying to do so with greenhouse gases.[312]
12 August
Liquid water is confirmed to be present at depths of 10 to 20km (6.2 to 12.4mi) below the surface of Mars, based on a new analysis of data from NASA's InSight lander.[313]
An Earth-sized, ultra-short period exoplanet called TOI-6255b is found to be undergoing extreme tidal distortion, caused by the close proximity of its parent star. This has resulted in an egg-shaped planet, likely to be destroyed within 400 million years.[314][315]
US: Various requested changes to budgets of science-related US institutions have been described with some information about the respective planned research programs.[324][325]
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