2022: The year in science IMAGES OF AN UNSEEN UNIVERSE JULY: NASA releases the first images from the James Webb Space Telescope, a partnership with the European and Canadian Space Agencies. This landscape of glittering stars is the edge of a young, star-forming region called NGC 3324 in the Carina Nebula ALZHEIMER’S BREAKTHROUGH NOVEMBER: An experimental drug slows the destruction of the brain in Alzheimer’s, the most common form of dementia. Neuron Amyloid plaques Lecanemab is an antibody that attacks a protein called beta-amyloid that builds up between neurons in the brain ICE AGE WOOLLY MAMMOTH JULY: Miners working in the Yukon in northwestern Canada uncover a frozen baby mammoth while excavating permafrost. Geologists from the University of Calgary identify the animal as female and more than 30,000 years old, with perfectly preserved toenails, skin, trunk, and hair MINING THE MOON FOR HELIUM-3 SEPTEMBER: Chinese scientists announce the discovery of Changesite-(Y), a new mineral found in lunar samples that contains helium-3, widely seen as a potential fuel for fusion reactors Deuterium proton neutron Helium-3 Normal helium Energy proton Just 100 tonnes of the helium-3 isotope could power the world for a year WORLD’S SMALLEST MICRO-ROBOT MAY: Engineers at Northwestern University in Chicago demonstrate the smallest-ever walking robot, just 0.5mm wide and resembling a crab. Their research brings the field of robotics one step closer to performing practical tasks within tight spaces. Micro-robots could repair small machines or act as surgical assistants to clear clogged arteries or eliminate cancerous tumours LIFE SCIENCES GET BIG DATA MAY: More than 2,300 researchers across 83 countries compile a Human Cell Atlas, mapping the positions of over a million cells across 33 different organs. The international HCA aims to map every cell type in the human body to transform our knowledge of human health and disease PROTECTING OUR HOME PLANET SEPTEMBER: NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) – the world’s first planetary defence demonstration – successfully impacts its asteroid target. DART smashes into the 160m-wide asteroid Dimorphos about 11,000,000km from Earth. The craft slams into the space rock at 22,530km/h, pushing it off its previous orbit Sources and pictures: Government of Yukon, Human Cell Atlas, NASA, Northwestern University, People’s Daily © GRAPHIC NEWS