The best technical and scientific discoveries of last year

2000/01/02 Kortabarria Olabarria, Beñardo - Elhuyar Zientzia

• Softwarea
• Historia

In order to summarize and remember the past, every end of the year there is a custom to collect the most important facts from the previous twelve months and make some classification. The media are responsible for this. And surely more than one has done it, but today you will know the lists published by the American magazine Time.

Time's, on the one hand, have collected the most outstanding events of technology, such as computers and the internet area, and on the other hand, those of a scientific nature.

Best Technologies 1999

1) eBAY

Internet is a web page that is located on the net and used to make auctions. Every day 250,000 new items are sold and 1.5 million people use it. Last year was a huge economic phenomenon. The website address is http://www.ebay.com/.

2) PALM VII

Useful hand size. Offers email, news and stock quotes service. It is also agenda.

3) MP3

The Mpeg-3 technology, standard music format for the Internet, reached the first pages of the media when mp3.com offered its public sale and the MP3 player passed the tests. Since then, to succeed in the world of music it is not necessary to own a label.

4) SIM City 3000

Computer game for children and adults. Virtual worlds can be built, the player can design cities or locate real cities. Its quality is enormous. The website address is http://www.simcity.com

5) Quake III

Another computer game. It allows you to play against anyone else in the world, even individually. In this game blows and fights predominate.

6) Everquest

The three-dimensional virtual game that Sony has put on the net. It has had incredible success and ranks first in the role games.

7) GOOGLE.COM

Internet search. Nothing more. At one time Yahoo, Infos and Excite were also like that, but today they look more like the search engine. Google's logical search system has been approved by most experts. Most of the time you find what you are looking for well. Address: www.google.com.

8) OMIKRON

Another game on computers. It can be played in more than 400 scenarios.

9) Linux

Operating system that can replace Windows. It has advantages over it, since each user can correct the errors that appear in the programming, so it fails much less. Since the ruling against Microsoft came out, Linux has become a real opportunity.

10) The Onion

Online magazine. Satirical magazine "Onion". It has achieved great success. They have also published the best seller entitled "Gure mende leloa". Web address: www.theonion.com.

All of them, highlighted by Time magazine in the technological field. However, the magazine has not been limited to it, but also reports the worst episode of the year: Melissa virus. This computer virus infected last April the computer network of 300 companies.

Best in Science 1999

1) Mallory

Almost 75 years after his loss in Everest, George Mallory's body appears 600 meters from the top. However, it has not yet been known if Mallory reached the top.

2) Genetic code

Convinced that genetically generated diseases can help cure them at some point, scientists continue to work on DNA decoding. It is stated that by 2003 the code of the 120,000 human genes will be known.

3) Behind the comets

Some scientists believe that comets can be the origin of life. For this reason, the United States launched last year the Stardust probe into space so that in 2004 it will join the comet Wild 2. The probe aims to collect dust and some viruses from the back of the comet.

4) Super rat

Researchers at Princeton University, MIT and Washington University managed to transform a rat's DNA and increase its learning capacity and memory. Rats and humans are not equal, but if as a result of research a technique is achieved to increase human intelligence, in the future it will not be easy to be the first of the school.

5) Hope

Alzheimer's disease. Amgen, a Californian biotechnology company, believes he has managed to identify the enzyme that causes Alzheimer's disease. Although healing is far away, it opens the hope of fighting this scourge of great influence on old age.

6) Mini dinosaur

Remains of the smallest dinosaur found so far appeared in Madagascar. The dinosaur could be around 230 million years old, and everything points out that in size would be like a kangaroo able to be on both legs.

7) Convert cells to malignant

Cancer is caused by uncontrolled cell proliferation. In 1983, MIT researchers managed to turn rat cell genes into malignant. Last year they did the same, but with human cells. Why? Well, if you are able to produce cancer cells, you may be able to do the opposite process tomorrow or the past.

8) Death on top

At the top of Llullaillaco mountain in the Argentine Andes, archaeologist Johan Reinhard discovered the traces of the sacrifices made by the Incas: the bodies of two girls and one child. It seems they were buried alive. The tracks are about 500 years old and are in very good condition, so they allow research.

9) Stop the fat

Orlistat, anti-virility. It produces the digestion of fat, even the wind, but may not fatten.

10) The nest of creativity

Why was Albert Einstein so clear? According to some Canadian researchers, the core of intelligence is at the bottom of the brain. Einstein had more than usual and that's why he was so clear.

And the worst? In this the Time, nor many others, have doubts: The adventure of Mars. NASA's rehearsals to Mars in recent years were a total success, Sojourner, but last year's experience was very bad. The first loss of Mars Climate Orbiter occurred in September and, possibly, as a result, in December Mars Polar Lander.

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