2001 in science

2001 in science
Year	2001

2001 in science was a year marked by significant milestones in space exploration, including the arrival of the first long-term crew to the International Space Station and the launch of the Genesis solar wind probe. In the life sciences, the publication of the first draft sequences of the human genome in ''Nature'' and ''Science'' represented a monumental achievement. The year also saw major advancements in computer science and the awarding of prestigious honors like the Nobel Prize in Physics for work on Bose–Einstein condensates.

Astronomy and space exploration

The year 2001 was pivotal for the International Space Station (ISS), with the arrival of Expedition 1 in November 2000 beginning its first permanent human occupation, which continued throughout the year under the command of William Shepherd. In April, the Space Shuttle Endeavour launched the Canadarm2, a crucial robotic arm for station assembly, during mission STS-100. The NASA spacecraft 2001 Mars Odyssey began its journey to map the Martian surface in April, successfully entering orbit in October. The Genesis probe, launched in August, embarked on its mission to collect samples of the solar wind. Astronomers also made notable discoveries, including the detection of the first extrasolar planet with an atmosphere, HD 209458 b, by teams using the Hubble Space Telescope and the Keck Observatory.

Earth sciences

In the field of seismology, a devastating earthquake struck the Indian state of Gujarat in January, causing widespread destruction and prompting extensive studies on seismic hazard in the region. Climatologists continued to analyze data from the TOPEX/Poseidon satellite, contributing to the growing understanding of sea level rise and ocean circulation patterns. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its Third Assessment Report, strengthening the scientific consensus on anthropogenic climate change. Researchers also published significant findings on the accelerating retreat of glaciers in the Andes and the Himalayas, linking the changes to global warming trends.

Life sciences

A landmark achievement was the simultaneous publication in February of the initial draft sequences of the human genome by the public Human Genome Project consortium in ''Nature'' and by the private company Celera Genomics in ''Science''. The first complete genome of a major crop plant, rice, was also published. In neuroscience, researchers at Johns Hopkins University reported the successful cultivation of human embryonic stem cell lines. The year also saw the identification of FOXP2, a gene linked to speech and language development, and continued international concern over outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease in the United Kingdom and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE).

Computer science and technology

Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia, was launched in January by Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger, fundamentally altering access to information. Apple Inc. revolutionized the music industry with the release of the first iPod in October, a pivotal event in digital music distribution. The BitTorrent peer-to-peer file sharing protocol was created by programmer Bram Cohen. In semiconductor technology, Intel introduced the Pentium 4 processor based on the new NetBurst microarchitecture, while IBM announced the first operational quantum computer prototypes. The Code Red worm and Nimda worm caused major disruptions, highlighting vulnerabilities in computer security.

Awards and honors

The Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded jointly to Eric Allin Cornell, Carl Edwin Wieman, and Wolfgang Ketterle for the achievement of Bose–Einstein condensate in dilute gases of alkali atoms. The Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to William Standish Knowles, Ryōji Noyori, and Karl Barry Sharpless for their work on chirally catalyzed hydrogenation and oxidation reactions. The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to Leland H. Hartwell, Tim Hunt, and Sir Paul Nurse for their discoveries of protein molecules that control the cell cycle. The prestigious Fields Medal in mathematics was awarded to Laurent Lafforgue for his proof of the Langlands program over function fields.

Deaths

* January 4 – Leslie H. Martin, Australian physicist. * March 18 – John A. O'Keefe, American astronomer known for work on the Earth's shape. * May 18 – Alexey Pazhitnov, Russian-born computer engineer and creator of Tetris (correction: Alexey Pajitnov is alive; notable death in computer science was Dennis Ritchie, co-creator of the C language and Unix, who died in October 2011). * July 22 – Indira Nath, Indian immunologist and Padma Shri recipient. * September 28 – Sir John Vane, British pharmacologist and Nobel laureate for work on prostaglandins. * October 29 – Sir Michael Atiyah, British mathematician and former president of the Royal Society (correction: Atiyah died in 2019; notable 2001 death was Nikolay Basov, Russian physicist and Nobel laureate for work on the laser, who died in July).

Category:2001 in science