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maltatoday, SUNDAY, 28 DECEMBER 2014 7 2014 in review MATTHEW AGIUS From potentially curing paraplegia to landing robots on comets, science and technology have advanced in leaps and bounds in 2014. Whilst almost everyone's attention has been focused elsewhere, teams of scientists around the world have spent 2014 quietly turning the future into the present. Below is a selection of the fascinating advances in science and technology that took place during the last 12 months. Brain memory storage technology developed For example, it may surprise you to learn that last September saw the first ever commercial brain scan for the purpose of recording thoughts and memories for future playback. American software developer Anthony Broussard paid Millennium Magnetic Technologies around £1,200 to have his memories preserved. Microchip helps a paralysed man regain the use of his arm In April, researchers at Ohio State University reported success in using a microchip implant to help a paralysed man regain use of his arm. The device, known as Neurobridge, is the product of ten years of development. It works by stimulating muscles according to brain patterns. The invention raises hopes for many disabled people and showed that by plugging into our brainwaves we may one day control all manner of devices by thought alone. Nose cells used to repair severed spinal cord A medical team at Wroclaw Medical University grew a culture of nerve cells taken from a paraplegic man's nose. The nerve cells were then surgically inserted into his spinal cord, stimulating the regrowth of broken nerve fibres that bridged the damaged section, allowing the paraplegic to walk again. Smartglasses allow the blind to 'see' Smartglasses designed to assist blind and partially sighted people by using a specially adapted 3D camera were developed by researchers at the University of Oxford. The camera projects highlighted images of objects ahead of the wearer on to the lens, in order to maximize the remaining vision of the wearer. Cockroaches host life-saving DNA nanobots Last February, an Israeli team claimed to have successfully injected into cockroaches, devices which they had made from DNA. The DNA nanobots then assembled themselves and were able to control a molecule that targeted specific cells, demonstrating their potential to carry out life-saving medical functions such as attacking cancers. Smart Contact Lens to monitor blood sugar A smart contact lens that can monitor the glucose levels of diabetes sufferers was developed by Google in January. The Google X skunk works division developed the contact lenses, which use chips and sensors the size of glitter to analyse the user's tears and offer an early blood sugar level warning to the wearer. Invisibility cloaks become a possibility Taking a leaf out of the Harry Potter books, scientists at the University of Cambridge have developed a new method to manufacture invisible "metamaterials" using lasers, leading to the possibility of invisibility cloaks. The researchers created a material using particles of gold that reflected light through inverse refraction, making objects behind it appear invisible. Recording the movement of light A camera that captures light at 4.4 trillion frames per second was invented by researchers in Japan, setting the record for the world's fastest camera. The Sequentially Timed All-optical Mapping Photography (STAMP) camera is so fast that it can capture the movement of light across a frame. Researchers claim that the technology has opened the door to further studies of fast dynamics in photochemistry, spintronics, phononics, fluidics and plasma physics. Amateur photographers around the globe undoubtedly also hope the technology will one day relegate blurred images to history. Printable, bendable batteries developed A flexible, long-life rechargeable battery that holds the potential to transform wearable devices, using a zinc-polymer battery – opening the door to a new generation of power units. Potential uses include medical devices, wearable sensors and on-body electronics. Breakthrough lets the sunshine in on solar-panel windows "Quantum dots" - nanocrystals made of a semiconductor material - were embedded in a transparent polymer in order to capture the sun's energy and successfully harvested it as power. Green power and clean water in one device One practical and life-saving invention this year was a portable system called Sunflower developed in Switzerland. The compact system uses sunlight to generate electricity whilst simultaneously providing heating, refrigeration for food as well as purified water. Shape-shifting robots resist extreme conditions 2014 saw a major advancement in the field of soft robotics, which replaces rigid parts used in traditional robots with malleable ones in order to deal with uncertain and changing tasks and environments. Engineers from Cornell and Harvard Universities created a shape-changing robot that can be used in extreme conditions that would spell disaster even for traditional robots. The soft robot's silicone body is highly resilient to a variety of adverse environmental conditions including snow, puddles of water, direct exposure to flames and the crushing force of being run over by an car, according to a paper describing the technology. Introducing: the bionic plant from Massachusetts Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have gone one-up on nature by successfully developing the world's first bionic plant in March. The plant, which replicates and even improves upon a plant's natural ability to photosynthesise uses carbon nanotubes integrated into the leaves, allowing them to absorb light at least 30% more efficiently than normal plants. Smart food expiry label A London-based student has potentially developed a way to prevent the wastage of millions of tonnes of food across the globe each year, by coming up with a bio-reactive expiry label that decays at the same rate as food. The Bump Mark, which won the UK round of the James Dyson Award, uses a natural substance – gelatine – which visibly changes to show when a food product has gone bad. Unmanned drones deliver mail Last August, Google used a drone to deliver chocolates to a farm in Outback Queensland, leading to a mad rush by Amazon, DHL and several other companies to establish unmanned delivery services in several countries. Swarms of tiny robots to build homes A swarm of 1,000 mini-robots at Harvard was able to assemble itself into pre-defined shapes. The project highlighted the potential for self-assembling structures, a concept which could revolutionise construction. disrupted Technology advances at the speed of light counterparts in Israel and the rest of the world – might be corrupt and hawkish, but the Israeli bombardments and in- cursions into Gaza only reinforce the spirit of a besieged peo- ple. Since the end of the Israeli military operation in August, which killed over 2,000 Palestinians, attacks on Gaza contin- ued on a daily basis and this has led to increased retaliatory attacks in Jerusalem and the West Bank. Despite US secretary of state John Kerry's efforts to keep the peace talks on life support, both parties, especially Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seem unwilling to make any concessions making any peace solution a distant dream for all citizens of all classes in Israel and the occupied lands. Africa Closer to home, the situation in Libya in 2014 has gone from bad to worse, with most Maltese and foreign citizens in the oil-rich North African nation having to flee the violence which has gripped the country. Having two parliaments, two governments, two prime min- isters, hundreds of militias and tribes involved in an armed conflict and Islamist militias claiming control over vast ter- ritories, everything is pointing towards a split and at best a federation of autonomous regions. Following the advent of the Arab Spring in 2011, Tunisia is the only beacon of hope in the turbulent region, with two piv- otal elections in the last few months paving the way towards a full democracy, which involves parties from all ideological backgrounds, including moderate Islamists. Ideally, North African and Midde Eastern countries go down the same route, however the rest of the world cannot expect citizens of these countries to take ownership of a Western blueprint of democracy. The only certainty is that the counter-revolutions following the Arab Spring and social change in the wake of political and institutional vacuums left behind by dictators will take a very long time to take shape. Another shocking event in 2014 was the kidnapping of near- ly 300 schoolgirls in Chibok, Nigeria, by the radical Islamic group, Boko Haram. In May, the hashtag #BringBackOurGirls began to spread on Twitter, raising the world's awareness of the mass abduction. However, to date, the majority of the girls remain missing and the spate of attacks carried out in Nigeria by Boko Haram and other groups go largely unnoticed by the rest of the world. 2014 will go down as an annus horribilis for Africa, with the deadly virus of Ebola causing havoc in Western Africa. More than 85 cases of Ebola were reported in Guinea in March, marking the spreading of an outbreak that quickly spread to Sierra Leone and Liberia. The surge would eventu- ally become the largest Ebola epidemic in history. It all started frightening people in April, with some 90 cases of Ebola reported in Guinea but as the virus swept West Af- rica, the death toll continued to rise due to porous borders and poor health care conditions. Meanwhile, the virus spread to the US and Europe, inciting international panic and confirming the vulnerability of the world and the huge disparity in health care in rich and poor countries. Following the spread of Ebola, countries took notice of the desperate situation in West Africa and the huge inequalities and governments stepped in to help contain the virus in the region. Americas However, many rich countries such as the US and Britain were put to shame by the smaller and very poor Caribbean is- land of Cuba, which despite being under a punishing embargo for over 50 years sent hundreds of care workers to West Af- rica before the World Health Organisation issued an urgent call for help in the struggle to contain the disease. Then in December, the US and Cuba took the first step in patching diplomatic relations in a deal brokered by the Vati- can. With hundreds of thousands of second and third genera- tion Cuban migrants in the US having softened their views on their homeland and the Castro brothers, it was inevitable for the US government to soften its stance and finally start talks on removing the blockade. The end of the Castros' hold on Cuba is long due but if the island wants to prosper and keep its extraordinary record of social justice at home and solidarity abroad alive, it shouldn't allow the spirit of the 1959 revolution to die. 2014 also was a timely reminder of racial inequality in the US. Hours after 18-year-old Michael Brown, who was black, was shot and killed by a white police officer, hundreds took to the streets of Ferguson, Missouri to protest. Brown's death and the violent protests triggered an old debate about racism in America. Despite having a black President for the first time ever, racial inequality in America still exists and the dream which drove Barack Obama to win office in 2009 remains a dream to this day. jbalzan@mediatoday.com.mt