What were the top science stories in 2023? The fact that it was the hottest year on record should be at the top of any list, leading to wildfires and floods and other climate-related catastrophes, with 2024 possibly being even hotter, but the news wasn’t all grim. Spacecraft from a variety of countries are making it to the moon again. Government scientists used lasers to demonstrate nuclear fusion. Gene editing therapy is being used to treat sickle cell disease. Researchers reconstructed a Pink Floyd song entirely from someone’s brain waves.

Rigaku participated in the analysis of samples returned from the asteroid Bennu. The OSIRIS-Rex probe landed in the Utah desert last September bearing about 250 grams of rock and dust. The Rigaku Application Laboratory Thermal Analysis Group used a thermogravimetry-differential-thermal-analysis/gas-chromatography—mass-spectrometry (TG-DTA/GC-MS) system to measure the amount of water and carbon contained in the specimen. The 4.5-billion-year-old asteroid existed before Earth did, so it could hold clues about how our planet formed and which building blocks of life meteorites delivered here long ago.

AI was a hot topic last year, with researchers looking for new ways to make use of machine learning and other related concepts after the release of ChatGPT at the end of 2022. Who knows what innovations will arise out of this technology? It has been used to predict the folded 3D structure of a protein molecule based on its amino-acid sequence. One fascinating example used AI to forecast the nocturnal flight patterns of birds. That seems like an abstract study, but it has real-world applications—it can help city officials determine when to turn off building lights to prevent bird strikes. The use of AI was also a central topic of discussion during last year’s writers’ and actors’ contract negotiations.

Symmetry plays an important part in diffraction, so it was with interest that we read about the discovery by mathematicians of a polygon (called an “einstein,” or “one stone”) that could be used to tile a floor, but only makes non-repeating patterns. It’s the kind of thing M.C. Escher would have enjoyed.

We hope to visit with you at the many events listed below. Please check out the podcasts, webinars and other material contained in this issue of The Bridge and let us know if there are any topics you’d like us to cover in future issues.