COVID continues
As the world enters the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic with no end in sight, an immediate challenge is to better understand the impact of Omicron – the rapidly spreading coronavirus variant first seen in late November - and it creates danger. Early results suggest that vaccines against Omicron are less effective; Scientists are still racing to learn more about the severity of the disease it causes.
In 2022, researchers and public-health authorities will continue to monitor the rise of new SARS-CoV-2 variants as well as the long-term effects on people recovering from infection.
Rich countries have begun giving their populations booster shots of existing vaccines, and these roll-outs are likely to continue amid concerns about Omicron. But almost half of the world's population has not yet received a single dose of the vaccine. A big question is whether drug companies will waive patents or take other steps to help make their vaccines more affordable for low-income countries, to begin filling the huge gap in global coverage. In the meantime, the discussion about possibly the origin of the virus will continue. The World Health Organization has renewed its efforts to solve the puzzle by appointing a team of 26 scientists.
Vaccines upgraded
Vaccine developers have set their eyes on the next generation of vaccines designed to protect against the rapidly evolving coronavirus. Next year may see the development of messenger RNA vaccines that are targeted for specific variants, and some public-health officials are expecting an increased role for vaccines using other technologies. Protein-based vaccines are the more traditional type of vaccination - some have been used for decades against diseases including hepatitis and herpes - and they have shown promise in phase III COVID-19 clinical trials in 2021. DNA-based vaccines are cheaper to manufacture than mRNA vaccines and do not require cold storage, so may be a good option for low-income countries.
Progress is also expected on vaccines for other major viruses and diseases, including HIV, malaria and Lyme disease.
Big Physics Bonanza
After a multi-year shutdown and extensive maintenance work, the Large Hadron Collider is scheduled to resume operations in June at CERN, the European particle-physics laboratory outside Geneva, Switzerland. The LHC's flagship experiment ATLAS and CMS were upgraded and expanded with additional layers of detector components. This would enable them to collect data on more than 40 million collisions of protons, each of which they produce every second. At Michigan State University in East Lansing, the Rare Isotope Beam facility is expected to begin operations in early 2022. The US$730 million Multi-Stage Accelerator is intended to synthesize thousands of new isotopes of known elements, and will investigate the nuclear structure and physics of neutron stars and supernova explosions.
Moon mission
NASA will launch the Artemis I orbiter in the first test of the long-pending launch system, which is intended to eventually take astronauts back. Lunar surface.
Japan will also attempt its first soft landing on the Moon with the SLIM mission, and Russia aims to revive the glory of the Soviet lunar program with the Luna 25 lander.
Privately, Tokyo-based company Space is launching the Hakuto-R lander, which will carry the United Arab Emirates' Rashid Moon rover. Two US companies, Astronautic Technology in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Intuitive Machines in Houston, Texas, are building probes that will carry NASA instruments to the lunar surface.
To Mars and the stars
Another epic space trip to watch will be the joint Russian-European Exo-Mars mission, scheduled to blast off in September and carry the European Space Agency's Rosalind Franklin rover to Mars, where it will search for signs of past life. The launch was originally scheduled for 2020, but was delayed partly because of issues with the parachute needed to touch down safely.
China also plans to complete its space station, Tiangong, and has carried out more than 1,000 experiments, ranging from astronomical and Earth observations to the effects of microgravity and cosmic radiation on bacterial growth.
Climate action
Encouraged by this year's COP26 summit in Glasgow, UK, delegates from around the world will converge in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt in November 2022 for COP27, another round of UN climate talks. Countries are expected to meet climate commitments in line with the 2015 Paris Agreement, with the goal of limiting global warming to below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial temperatures. In the meantime, researchers will monitor greenhouse-gas emissions following promises made at COP26 - which included promises to reduce coal use and cut methane emissions. After a pandemic-induced decline in 2020, carbon emissions have resumed in 2021.
Push to save biodiversity
Countries are working on new targets to reduce the loss of biological diversity. The Rich Biodiversity Targets, set in 2010, were mostly missed by the 2020 deadline. The next meeting of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity - originally planned for 2020 - is due to take place in Kunming, China from April 25 to May 8, but concerns over the Omicron version of SARS-CoV-2 worsen those can do plans again. Habitat loss and other factors associated with human activity have put an estimated one million plant and animal species at risk of extinction.
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