Geologist Li Chunlai of the China National Space Administration was the first scientist to get his hands on soil samples from the Moon.
Nature’s list, released this Monday, is the result of a selection compiled by the editors of the scientific magazine and highlights the 10 people who “played a role in some of the most significant moments in science in 2024”.
The first scientist who touched soil samples from the Moon or the researcher who is “spied” by Russia for exposing scientific fraud are included this year in Nature magazine’s 10 people who shaped science.
The geologist Li Chunlaifrom the China National Space Administration, was the first scientist to get his hands on soil samples from the Moon, sent to Earth this year by the Chang’e 6 mission, the first to bring material from the most unexplored side of our natural satellite.
Anna Abalkinaa researcher at the Institute of Eastern European Studies at the Free University of Berlin, in Germany, saw her name included on a Russian state watch list for looking for and exposing fraud in scientific publications, including plagiarism.
The epidemiologist Placid Mbalafrom the National Institute of Biomedical Research in Kinshasa, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, sounded the alert for a deadly outbreak of ‘mpox’ (viral infection) in the country.
According to Nature, Placide Mbala “accurately predicted the ability of the virus to spread beyond the borders of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and advocated for greater global focus on these outbreaks to support faster responses and save lives.”
A Swiss lawyer, Cordelia Bährwas chosen for successfully representing thousands of women in a landmark lawsuit arguing that climate change is a human rights issue.
The economist Muhammad Yunus2006 Nobel Peace Prize winner, was selected for answering the call to become interim leader of Bangladesh in the wake of a student-led revolution.
Kaitlin Kharasa doctoral candidate at the University of Toronto, Canada, stood out for her involvement in a campaign that led to the first salary increase for Canadian scientists in 20 years.
The doctor Huji Xufrom the Shanghai Naval Medical University, in China, is notable for having developed successful treatments for autoimmune diseases, using T cells derived from donors and edited by genetic tools.
Or physical Ekkehard Peikfrom the German National Institute of Metrology, recorded the first tick of a clock tuned to the frequency of an atomic nucleus, “which promises to one day provide technology that can surpass the accuracy of current atomic clocks.”
Nature’s 2024 list also features the astronomer Wendy Freedmanfrom the University of Chicago, in the United States, who presented results that could solve the mystery about the speed of expansion of the Universe.
Rémi Lamresearcher at the company Google DeepMind, who produced artificial intelligence tools for weather forecasting, making it faster and more accurate than conventional models.
To “stay tuned” in 2025: Trump?
The list also warns us to “keep an eye out” for three personalities in 2025: Mark Thomson, Emma Hodcroft and… Donald TrumpPresident-elect of the United States.
“His team promised to review leading scientific agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Institutes of Health,” says the renowned magazine.
