On Dec. 13, the international journal Science introduced the 10 best research breakthroughs of the year and pointed out moments when science has failed.
Science cited the inability to prevent the spread of second and third viral diseases despite experiencing the COVID-19 pandemic as a failure of science. The World Health Organization (WHO) suggested measures to strengthen surveillance, enhance access to vaccines, treatments, and diagnostic tools, and improve the organization's capacity to avoid repeating similar situations after COVID-19.
However, despite these follow-up measures, this year saw an unprecedented spread of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza virus in the United States. There have been 58 confirmed cases of infection in humans. Science noted that "the U.S. was lukewarm in addressing the situation and sharing data," adding that it faced criticism when compared to China’s early response to COVID-19. Last month, the H5N1 virus was detected in non-pasteurized milk being sold in California.
MPOX (formerly known as monkeypox) has spread this year in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and neighboring countries, raising alarm among health authorities worldwide. Just two years ago, another variant of the MPOX virus was spreading, but there are still no MPOX vaccines available in the Congo, leaving the most vulnerable children entirely unprotected.
Negotiations for a pandemic treaty to strengthen global preparedness are at a standstill due to a divide between rich and poor countries. Science expressed concern that then President-elect Donald Trump could derail this agreement. The appointment of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a vaccine skeptic, as head of U.S. health authorities has heightened tensions among global health officials.
War has also regressed science. Russia, engaged in war with Ukraine, has decided to cut civilian research funding by 25% over two years, and hiring in the Russian National Scientific Agency has decreased by 6%. Many research facilities in Ukraine have been destroyed due to the war. In the Gaza Strip, 12 university campuses have been destroyed by Israeli attacks. Israel, which invested about 5.5% of its gross domestic product (GDP) in research, plans to cut its higher education budget by 5% over the next two years to cover war expenses.
In South America, Argentina has cut research funding by 31% under the guise of economic stabilization. The National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Argentina's main scientific agency, has lost 1,000 personnel.
There has been no progress in global negotiations on climate change, biodiversity, and plastic pollution. The 29th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29), which concluded in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Nov. 24, ended with an agreement that wealthy countries would provide $300 billion in annual financial support by 2035. However, this amount falls significantly short of the $1.3 trillion demanded by developing countries. Panama's climate envoy declared this outcome a "complete failure."
The biodiversity conference held in Cali, Colombia, last October also concluded without agreement on the scale of funding needed to establish a financial base. The plastic treaty that took place this month in Busan, South Korea, also ended empty-handed due to opposition from oil-producing countries.
Science identified the effort to elevate MDMA (ecstasy) from a hallucinogen to a medication for treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as one of the failures of science. The American pharmaceutical company Lycos Therapeutics applied to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in December 2023 to classify MDMA as a PTSD treatment. However, the FDA rejected the application in August and requested further clinical trials.
Science assessed that while the timeline for utilizing hallucinogens as medications may have been delayed, it has not been completely derailed. It noted that the approval of MDMA could pave the way for other hallucinogenic substances, such as psilocybin or dimethyltryptamine (DMT), to be recognized as mental health treatment drugs.
Reference materials
Science (2024), DOI: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adv2100