From the first Ebola vaccine up to new technology to enhance your memories, this year has once again proven that science has an endless possibility.
1. Ebola vaccine
Earlier this month, the US Food and Drug Administration announced in a press release that the first vaccine for Ebola has been approved for distribution. The said vaccine, Ervebo, is a single-shot vaccine contains a protein from a deadly strain Zaire ebolavirus. It will benefit people age 18 and older.
Although the epidemic has seen a lot of improvement compared to 2014, when it killed at least 11,000 people in Western Africa, it still killed 2,000 people this year in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
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2. Bacteria-repelling plastic
You might be frowning now after reading the word "plastic", especially since we are in the time of our lives when using it is highly discouraged. However, this is an important discovery.
Superbugs -- or bacteria that cannot be killed by antibiotics -- are now considered as urgent threats. In the US alone, at least 35,000 people die yearly from this infection.
Bacteria, including the non-resistant, grow and spread if they found a certain spot that could serve as their breeding grounds -- like doorknob, rails, and even IV stands. And a group of scientists in Canada believed that preventing them from propagating is a good way to control the bacteria.
This gave birth to the development of bacteria-repelling plastics. By combining both nano-scale engineering and chemistry, the scientists successfully created this technology that even the stronger superbugs like Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Pseudomonas cannot land on.
Here's the bonus: it is food-grade plastic, so it can be used to wrap food items, especially the ready-to-eat.
3. An antidepressant mushroom that has no side effect
The mushroom can magically cure depression without side effect.
We have so many antidepressants available in the market and all of these have side effects. That is until this British study found out that about the property of psychedelic mushroom called "psilocybin".
The said compound can quickly promote relaxation on the parts of the brain responsible for thinking and behavior -- and it has no side effects. It was tested on 89 volunteers, and the majority experienced big differences in their mood and cognitive ability.
However, it might take time to be approved for treatment, as the study is still on its first phase of field test.
4. Once-a-month birth control pill
The pill will stay in the stomach for four weeks, while slowly releasing the contraceptives inside. Then, it will break down before exiting through digestive tract.
Do you often forget about drinking your pills? Fret no more as a new drug is being engineered to be taken only once a month -- and it is just as effective as a daily dosage!
The star-shaped contraceptive is engineered to release the medication gradually for four weeks before it goes out of the body through the digestive tract.
Founded by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, this will not just give a woman a more options for contraceptives but also significantly improve her control to her body and the family planning decision.
5. Zapping brain to boost memories
Transcranial Alternating-Current Stimulation or TACS will record and analyze the "slow waves" and send it back on the next "deep sleep" mode.
Imagine studying so hard on your midterm exam for a week, only to forget it on the same day of your test. But don't worry as this new technology can boost your memory -- through zapping your brain.
This works by mimicking your brain's wave during the "slow-wave phase", or the phase when your brain begins storing important memories. Then, the same wave will be sent back to your brain once you entered the deep sleep mode.
Vincent P. Clark, Ph.D., the director of UNM Psychology Clinical Neuroscience Center, said that this is just an act of "enhancing the natural process", so you do not have to worry about it being abused to cause terror. For now, at least.
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