14 Groundbreaking Scientific Discoveries of the Decade

The 2010s marked a remarkable period for scientific progress, with major breakthroughs spanning human evolution, disease treatments, space exploration, and artificial intelligence. Here are 14 of the decade's most significant scientific achievements and discoveries.

1. Neanderthal Genome Reveals Interbreeding with Modern Humans // 2010

Nearly two decades ago, biologist Damian Labuda from the University of Montreal discovered an unknown segment of DNA on the X chromosome in non-African populations. Although he couldn't determine how it ended up in the human genome, in 2010, another group of scientists sequenced the Neanderthal genome and identified the same DNA fragment. This genetic piece could not have transferred from Neanderthal to Homo sapiens unless the two species had interbred shortly after modern humans left Africa. Further research from the University of Berne in Switzerland revealed that these interspecies unions resulted in offspring less than 2 percent of the time, yet about 2 percent of the genetic material in present-day Eurasian populations is Neanderthal in origin.

2. HIV Transmission Addressed with 'Treatment as Prevention' Strategy // 2011

Through the groundbreaking findings of study HPTN 052, the HIV Prevention Trials Network revealed that antiretroviral therapy (ART) for individuals living with HIV also significantly lowered the rates of virus transmission. The research took over a decade to complete. When HIV-positive participants started ART early—while their immune systems remained relatively strong—the transmission of the virus to their HIV-negative partners dropped by 93 percent. When HIV was fully suppressed at any stage, no transmission was observed. The results from HPTN 052 emphasize the critical role of treatment as prevention, showing that ART can prevent transmission and pave the way toward eliminating HIV and AIDS altogether.

3. Higgs Boson Discovered by Physicists at Last // 2012

In 2012, physicists finally uncovered the Higgs boson—nearly 50 years after it was first proposed. Referred to as the 'god particle,' the Higgs boson is responsible for giving mass to all other particles, allowing them to combine and form larger entities, such as stars. Utilizing the large hadron collider at CERN in Switzerland, researchers confirmed the discovery with two separate detectors. Peter Higgs, who first hypothesized the particle's existence in 1964, was present to witness the jubilant moment of discovery. With the Higgs boson identified, the standard model of particle physics, which was built upon over 500 years of research and explains the fundamental forces of the universe, was finally complete.

4. Curiosity Rover Successfully Lands on Mars // 2012

In 2012, NASA successfully landed the plutonium-powered rover, Curiosity, on Mars. The rover, about the size of a compact car, was equipped with cutting-edge technology—a mobile science lab set to explore the Red Planet and uncover its secrets. Curiosity has sent back stunning images of Mars’s landscapes, collected soil samples to analyze their chemical composition, studied geological formations, observed atmospheric phenomena, and even captured photos of Mars’s two moons eclipsing the sun.

5. Immunotherapy Paves a New Path for Cancer Treatment // 2013

Fighting cancer is often a challenging and lengthy process, but immunotherapy has opened up new possibilities. This innovative treatment method turns the conventional approach to cancer treatment on its head—rather than targeting tumors with chemotherapy drugs, immunotherapy leverages the patient’s immune system to target and destroy the tumors, much like it would combat any other pathogen. There are two main approaches: either the patient’s T-cells (the body’s disease fighters) are unleashed to destroy cancer by removing a protein that suppresses their ability to fight, or modified T-cells are introduced into the bloodstream. Studies have shown that immunotherapy can shrink tumors and even lead to full remission, especially in challenging cancers like lung cancer. While immunotherapy doesn’t work for everyone, ongoing research is modifying and improving these methods. This breakthrough marked a major shift in cancer treatment in 2013.

6. Genetic Evidence Links Birds to Dinosaurs // 2014

For four years, scientists examined 48 bird species, representing all major types of modern birds, sequencing, assembling, and comparing their genomes. This largest bird dataset in history finally confirmed a widely accepted theory: birds evolved from dinosaurs. The first ancestors of modern birds appeared around 100 million years ago, but their astonishing diversity blossomed in a mere 10 million years right after most dinosaurs went extinct 66 million years ago. This study provides further evidence that the extinction of dinosaurs created an opportunity for birds, mammals, and other life forms to rapidly diversify.

7. New Horizons Sends Back Breathtaking Images of Pluto // 2015

When New Horizons first sent back high-resolution, colorized images of Pluto and its moon, Charon, the images captivated the world with their stunning detail. The surface of Pluto was revealed in all its jagged, frozen-water mountains and vast chasms. We also learned that the surface had been constantly reshaped, making craters and pockmarks—common on other planets—rare on both Pluto and Charon. The forces behind this resurfacing continue to be a subject of research.

8. CRISPR-Cas9 Transforms Genetic Engineering // 2015

Scientists have been editing genes since the 1970s, but in 2015, the process was revolutionized with the advent of Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats, or CRISPR-Cas9. This technology enables precise genetic engineering of any organism, from plants and insects to animals and humans, by cutting out and replacing specific DNA segments using the Cas9 protein. However, CRISPR raises ethical concerns, particularly regarding its potential to create designer babies—children with altered genes before birth. While it offers the possibility of eliminating genetic diseases or altering traits like eye color, the question remains: should we make such changes?

9. Ancient Human Ancestor Homo naledi Expands Our Family Tree // 2015

In 2013, two spelunkers stumbled upon an extraordinary collection of human-like bones in Rising Star Cave, South Africa. They reached out to paleoanthropologist Lee Berger, who, with a team of six women scientists, spent the next two years carefully extracting and analyzing the bones. In 2015, they announced the discovery of a new species of ancient human ancestor: Homo naledi. This species had small brains, prominent brow ridges, ape-like pelvises, human-like hands, flat feet, and small teeth. Remarkably, the 250,000-year-old bones exhibited traits reminiscent of Australopithecus, which lived around 2 million years ago, suggesting that Homo naledi could have been an offshoot of the genus Homo. Over 1,500 fossils were found in the cave, and Berger believes it was a burial site where deceased kin were left, though he speculates that Homo naledi's small brains may have limited their ability to navigate the cave’s darkness.

10. AI Defeats a Human Player at Go // 2016

The ancient strategy game Go, over 2,500 years old, is far more complex than chess. Until 2016, human players always had the advantage over artificial intelligence, which struggled to anticipate human moves. That year, however, Google’s DeepMind division introduced a new AI program called AlphaGo. This system had access to 30 million moves played by humans and could predict a human player’s next move with 57 percent accuracy. In its first public tournament, AlphaGo decisively beat another computer system. In subsequent tournaments, it defeated European Go champion Fan Hui and world champion Lee Sedol. The groundbreaking performance sparked widespread interest in the broader applications of advanced AI technology.

11. Einstein’s Gravitational Waves Prediction Confirmed // 2016

In 1916, Albert Einstein predicted the existence of gravitational waves—waves that carry energy through the universe in a manner akin to electromagnetic radiation. These waves remained undetected for nearly a century until 2016, when scientists made the groundbreaking discovery of direct evidence. The evidence came in the form of a chirping sound heard when two black holes, located a billion light years away, collided. The collision caused a distortion in the fabric of space-time, creating the sound. This finding validated Einstein’s final prediction and marked the culmination of 40 years of research by scientists.

12. Earth Endures Its Five Hottest Years on Record // 2014-2018

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has been tracking temperature and climate shifts since 1880, and the years between 2014 and 2018 shattered all previous records. These years represent the hottest temperatures ever recorded, driven by human-caused climate change. During this period, no part of the planet experienced record-breaking cold temperatures. The impact of ongoing climate change is becoming more pronounced, with severe weather events such as floods, wildfires, droughts, and more. The effects are so intense that they are now visible from space, with rising temperature extremes and melting ice caps.

13. Astronomers Capture the First Image of a Black Hole // 2019

Studying something you've never seen is challenging—just ask the countless researchers who have worked on black holes over the last two centuries. However, thanks to the two-year-old Event Horizon Telescope, black hole scientists no longer have to work without a visual. In 2019, the telescope captured the first-ever image of a black hole: a supermassive one at the heart of the M87 galaxy. The image shows a glowing ring of light encircling a central dark spot, representing the black hole where intense gravity pulls in everything around it. This breakthrough could help scientists unlock the mysteries of how the universe began—and perhaps how it might end.

14. FDA Approves Long-Awaited Cystic Fibrosis Treatment // 2019

Cystic fibrosis is a progressive, life-threatening genetic disease that affects the lungs and digestive system. Approximately 90 percent of those with cystic fibrosis carry a mutation on the CFTR gene called F508del. Until 2019, there were no treatment options targeting the root cause of the disease. After 30 years since the gene's discovery, the FDA approved the first drug designed to address the genetic cause of cystic fibrosis rather than just alleviating symptoms. The drug, Trikafta, has shown significant improvements in lung function during clinical trials, offering new hope to patients. While a complete cure may still be on the horizon, this advancement brings the prospect of one closer than ever before.