Study finds an increase in the rate of soil erosion post the extreme floods in August 2018.

The year 2018 was marked by exciting discoveries and inventions in the field of medical sciences, life sciences, archeology, physical sciences, and planetary sciences. While some are headline-hitting, most are crucial in cementing our understanding of various tenets in these areas. As we come close to bidding goodbye to 2018, here is a sneak-peek into the trendsetters in science in this year, in no particular order.

Over 8.7 million species are known to be found on Earth today, and many scientists believe that we have only scratched the surface.

You asked it and here we have! Wondering what was popular on Research Matters in 2018? Following are our top-ten stories that gained traction by readers like you. Thank you for your support and hope to see it continue in the years to come.

As the curtain falls on 2018, here is a tribute to those great Indian scientists and innovators who died in the year. These eminent people contributed to various fields of science and helped put India in the frontiers of global scientific advancements. This is in no way an exhaustive list, but it is an effort to bring to the fore the achievers who have left an indelible mark behind. 

Last week, the world enthusiastically awaited one of the year’s exciting announcements—the Nobel Prize in the fields of Physiology or Medicine, Physics, and Chemistry. First of them to be announced was the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, jointly awarded to James P. Allison, Professor at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, USA, and Tasuku Honjo, Professor at Kyoto University, Japan. They were considered for this prestigious honour for their contributions to cancer therapy using our body’s immune system to attack cancer cells.