Her Campus UChicago On the World in 2012: Science

2011 has finally gone, leaving us to wonder what 2012 has in store for the world. Will the economy get better? What do the runways have in store for this year? And, of course, will the world actually end?
 
While we can’t see the future (would be cool, though), we at Her Campus UChicago definitely have our own predictions for what the world will look like in 2012. From politics to the movies, we highlight SOME of 2012’s possible events while leaving the rest to your imagination. A lot happens in a year so we weren’t able to cover everything, but hopefully our predictions remain more or less accurate. Each day we’ll cover one spectrum, starting with politics, then the economy, media, fashion, science, and finally, movies, highlighting what we believe will be the best thing about 2012, something that could go either way, and the worst.
 
But one thing we are sure of? The world isn’t going to end.
 
Happy New Year, and good reading.
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SCIENCE
 
The best thing about this year: MORE BREAKTHROUGHS ON HIV/AIDS TREATMENT
 
2011 was a galvanizing year for HIV/AIDS research as a huge breakthroughs hinted at prevention and even a cure. The HPTN 052 clinical trial in May strongly demonstrated a possible correlation between the timing of a patient’s first antiretroviral therapy and halting HIV/AIDS’s spread, while the public revelation of Timothy Brown of San Francisco reignited the belief that a cure for HIV/AIDS is possible.
 
Originally slated to be stopped in 2015, the unprecedented early success of the HPTN 052 trial prompted its researchers to publish their results. The study determined that if a heterosexual patient began their antiretroviral therapy at the early onset of the virus, they were up to 96% less likely to transmit it to their partners. While the trial didn’t definitively show that the results applied to homosexual couples, further research is to be conducted that may very well reveal more about HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention in 2012.
 
Then there is, of course, the case of Timothy Brown. Diagnosed with HIV in 1995, the San Franciscan translator underwent two bone marrow transplants that managed to rid him of the virus in 2008. Though Browns’ physician initially targeted his leukemia, he realized that by locating a bone marrow donor with the virus-resistant delta-32 gene mutation, he could potentially “cure” Brown of his HIV as well. Since 2008, even the most sophisticated tests have detected no trace of the virus in Brown’s body, giving researchers and victims hope that a marketable and affordable cure exists.
 
While HIV/AIDS research is, like many other scientific fields, vying for government funding to conduct more sophisticated tests, the foundations laid down by discoveries in 2011 give us hope about the future treatment and prevention of HIV/AIDS. A full-blown “cure” probably won’t be found in 2012, but don’t be surprised if we come ever closer.
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Could go either way:  DISCOVERY OF THE HIGGS-BOSON PARTICLE
 
Constructed in 2009, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) has reportedly discovered hints of new elements and recreated black holes from its underground base near Geneva, Switzerland. Commissioned to uncover some of physics’ greatest mysteries, the scientific community has held high expectations for the particle collider since it began running.
 
And in 2012, the expectations will be ever higher. On December 11^th, 2011, scientists running tests on the LHC detected possible signals of the elusive Higgs-Boson particle.  The particle is the last missing element to the Standard Model in physics, which explains the interaction of subatomic particles. Scientists have long believed that the Higgs-Boson was responsible for giving particles mass, creating a resistance that allowed them to travel slower than the speed of light. Therefore, the discovery of the Higgs-Boson would complete the Standard Model and deepen our understanding of the Universe’s creation.
 
Though many scientists believe that the particle can be discovered in 2012, the LHC’s most recent tests don’t completely confirm its presence. As of right now, the discovery of the Higgs-Boson particle is in its earliest stages, meaning that a lot more work needs to be done to prove its existence.

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NOT looking forward to: CLIMATE CHANGE
 
Scientists can continue debating the extent of man’s impact on the environment, but there’s no denying that climate change is occurring. We were surprised when, come December, Chicago still hadn’t undergone a major bout of snow as was tradition. Now, with this winter being forecasted as the worst in Chicago’s history along with melting ice caps and drier-than-ever summers, we can’t help but wonder what the world will be like in the next few years, let alone the next few decades.