Review of 2022 (article)

2022: signs of hope in hard times - 26th December 2022

As climate change touches so many places on Earth, in 2022 scientists have been working hard to solve some of its problems. In countries which suffer from dry weather conditions, the 'enset' banana in Ethiopia is seen as a lifesaver. Meanwhile, in Europe, farmers are feeling increasingly hopeful about seaweed. These crops could provide some solutions to food and environmental issues.

Nature has provided us with some good surprises this year. In the UK, workers dug up some ancient bones during repair work. Experts were excited to learn they belonged to an ancient sea dragon, which lived 180 million years ago.

This year, scientists moved closer to bringing a lost animal back to life. Researchers are using genetic material – DNA – to return the Tasmanian tiger, a doglike creature. And experts are predicting that digital twins of human beings are now a very real possibility.

2022 has seen further development in genetic analysis in the world of medicine. There's been a major discovery in the treatment of haemophilia B. This disease prevents blood from clotting after a cut, which means a person's blood continues to flow. Now, scientists can prevent this from happening.

Researchers were also surprised to discover the exact link between air pollution and lung cancer. Air pollution actually wakes up sleeping cells which are unhealthy. This new knowledge will also have a huge effect.

Other key events of 2022 included Pope Francis' visit to Canada. He wanted to say sorry to the first, 'indigenous' people in North America. For decades up until the 1990s, the church took young children from their families. The children were sent to catholic schools, where their language and culture were forbidden.

Some other famous people also presented messages of hope. The figure of the poet, Maya Angelou, appeared on the US 25 cent coin. That was a first for a black woman. Meanwhile, the businessman Yvon Chouinard, gave away his multimillion-dollar business Patagonia – the outdoor clothing company. He gave the property to the Earth, and to communities in danger from climate change.

Millionaires also attended the World Economic Forum in Switzerland in 2022. They had an unexpected request for their governments. They demanded to pay higher taxes, to make society more equal.