Brilliant Breakthroughs
Reader's Digest India|November 2022
Our rundown of 15 amazing scientific discoveries and innovations made this year
Richa Malhotra
Brilliant Breakthroughs

From moving a celestial object or unearthing an extinct human family, to enhanced nuclear fusion capability or 3D-printed transplants, a slew of scientific and technological firsts this year has given us a better understanding of our world. Along with groundbreaking discoveries, we’ve also learnt more about the multiple crises that exist today, both new and old—floods, wildfires, droughts and heatwaves—all while new variants of COVID-19 emerged. Here we list some of the most significant strides, discoveries, and warnings that science has made in 2022.

1 IN JANUARY, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), the largest telescope ever deployed, reached its destination after travelling 1.5 million kilometres from Earth. In just six months, it gave us the most detailed peek into the universe with its first set of full-colour images. With over 150 million pixels, the largest image in the collection was that of the Stephan's Quintet, a group of five galaxies, which revealed how the galaxies interact. JWST also discovered water in the atmosphere of WASP-96b, an exoplanet, which lies outside our solar system. More recently, NASA released the Webb telescope's image of the famous Pillars of Creationcolumns of gas and dust first seen by the Hubble Space Telescope in 1995. The image captures stars in various stages of formation with more clarity than ever before.

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM READER'S DIGEST INDIAView all
From the King's Table to Street Food: A Food History of Delhi
Reader's Digest India

From the King's Table to Street Food: A Food History of Delhi

Pushpesh Pant, one of India’s pre-eminent food writers, is back with a comprehensive food history of the capital.

time-read
1 min  |
October 2024
Who Wants Coffee?
Reader's Digest India

Who Wants Coffee?

It’s bitter—but beloved around the world

time-read
2 mins  |
October 2024
Prevent The Pain Of Shingles
Reader's Digest India

Prevent The Pain Of Shingles

You don't have to suffer, as long as you take two important steps

time-read
3 mins  |
October 2024
The Best And Worst Diets For Your Heart
Reader's Digest India

The Best And Worst Diets For Your Heart

Dozens of diets are touted as ‘best’, but it’s easy to lose track of the fact that healthy eating needs to be about overall wellness, not just weight loss.

time-read
1 min  |
October 2024
ME & MY SHELF
Reader's Digest India

ME & MY SHELF

Journalist Sopan Joshi has worked in a science and environment framework for nearly three decades. His book Mangifera indica: A Biography of the Mango (Aleph Book Company) synthesizes the sensory appeal of India's favourite fruit with its elaborate cultural roots and natural history. He writes in English and Hindi.

time-read
3 mins  |
October 2024
SWITCHED
Reader's Digest India

SWITCHED

In 1962, nurses at a small Canadian hospital sent home two women with the wrong babies. Then, 50 years later, their children discovered the shocking mistake.

time-read
10+ mins  |
October 2024
ECHOES OF THE PAST
Reader's Digest India

ECHOES OF THE PAST

A VISIT TO THE ANCIENT BARABAR CAVES IN BIHAR REVEALS A SURPRISING CONNECTION TO A LITERARY CLASSIC

time-read
6 mins  |
October 2024
Fathers of the Bride
Reader's Digest India

Fathers of the Bride

A young woman finds a unique way to honour the many men who helped her survive her childhood

time-read
8 mins  |
October 2024
Fiction's Foresight
Reader's Digest India

Fiction's Foresight

British-Bangladeshi author Manzu Islam's works reveal startling parallels to recent political upheavals in Bangladesh, begging the question: Besides helping us make sense of our world, can stories also offer a glimpse into the future?

time-read
7 mins  |
October 2024
It Happens ONLY IN INDIA
Reader's Digest India

It Happens ONLY IN INDIA

The Divine Defence Picture this: A tractor in Rajasthan‘s Banswara district,a group of loan agents closing in to seize it and the defaulting farmer and his family standing by.

time-read
2 mins  |
October 2024