16 Scientific Breakthroughs of 2015

1.

It's no mystery that cats love boxes, but where does this love come from? Behavioral biologists and veterinarians have come up with some answers. For starters, the ability to hide in a box seems to be tied to cats' stress levels, with boxes helping to ease their worried feline minds.

2.

For the first time ever in a lab, researchers have grown human skeletal muscle that contracts and responds to external stimuli the same way native tissue does.

3.

Julian Melchiorri invented the first man-made, biologically functional leaf. The leaf, made of chloroplasts and silk protein is capable of absorbing carbon dioxide and light, and releasing breathable oxygen.

4.

Planet X might actually exist, along with at least one other planet, located in space far beyond Pluto, according to the latest analysis of the orbits of what researchers call "extreme trans-Neptunian objects

5.

In December 2014, Prof. André van der Merwe led a nine-hour surgery in South Africa that gave his 21-year-old patient a brand new working penis. The team initially thought it would take two years for the patient to recover and gain full use, but in fact, it only took four months.

6.

In February 2015, researcher Sidney Pierce and his team discovered that the slugs actually steal the algae's genes, specifically the prK gene, which plays an important role in photosynthesis in algae.

7.

Jupiter's moon Ganymede, the largest moon in our solar system, has been lying to us for years. Beneath its surface there is, in fact, a giant ocean beneath its surface.

8.

Engineers at the University of California have developed a supercapacitor that can store as much charge as a typical battery, but can be recharged in just seconds.

9.

Next time you reach for an energy bar after a major workout, know that a Double Double might do the trick as well! A study out of the University of Montana showed that the claims of superiority made by many diet supplements might not hold any weight, and that when it comes to recovering from strenuous workouts, fast food might provide just as much of an energy boost and as much recovery support as protein powder and Gatorade.

10.

Researchers at Ohio State University have created a stainless steel mesh which boasts an invisible oil-repelling surface coating. This makes it possible for water to pass through the mesh, while oil is trapped, filtering out the oil from the water.

11.

The jawbone (creatively named LD 350-1) discovered in Ethiopia is somewhere between 2.5 and 2.8 million years old, placing it somewhere between Lucy (a famous ape-like Australopithecus that stood upright and had teeth similar to those of modern humans.

12.

Scientists at the University of Bern have considerably extended the lifespan of flies, by activating a specific gene that destroys unhealthy cells.

13.

A Dutch and American team of astronomers said they discovered a planet with a ring system that is 200 times larger than the system that famously surrounds the planet Saturn. The planet, which was discovered by the SuperWASP observatory, is the first planet of this kind to be discovered outside of our own solar system.

14.

Light speed is regarded as absolute, and though it slows when passing through certain materials, like glass and water, it usually speeds back up again. But not in this case. The discovery may change how scientists have to think about measuring distances in space, and may have some practical applications as well.

15.

Scientists discovered a new species of marine reptile on the Isle of Skye in Scotland in January 2014. The dolphin-like creature inhabited warm waters around Scotland 170 million years ago, and could be up to 14 feet long from snout to tail.

16.

According to a new model, developed by physicists in Egypt and Canada, suggests that the universe may have existed forever. Their model is capable of accounting for the Big Bang singularity, something that previous theories and models, including the Big Bang Theory itself have not been capable of. In their model, the universe has no beginning and no end.