The Year in Science Review

to the end of a 20 year

mission to Saturn.

That's Review 2017:

The Year in Science.

From a spectacular eruption at Mount

Etna, this was the year we

experienced a volcano's devastating

power first-hand. To one of nature's

most awe-inspiring sights, a total

eclipse that wowed America. In 2017

we also met this rhino, she could be

the key to saving a species from

extinction. And we saw a card that

is pushing the boundaries by

attempting to hit record-breaking

speeds. -- car. This was also a year

that the global warming in the

spotlight again, when America pulled

out of the worldwide climate deal.

And after 20 years in space, a

mission to Saturn ended in a blaze

of glory. A grand finale to a

momentous year in science. I'm at

the science museum in London and

here the public can come to learn

about our planet's place in the

service is dim and with this

incredible close-up view you get a

sense of the dynamic world that we

live in. The earth is governed by

immense geological forces and some

of these are of course volcanoes and

earlier this year I went to see one

of these wonders of nature for

myself but I wasn't expecting such a

close up encounter. An explosive

reawakening. After years of quiet,

Matt Etna in Italy started to put on

a dramatic display. I was there to

report on a cutting edge new

project. Mount Etna and every

volcano around the world are being

monitored by satellites and they can

track minute movements on the ground

which show when an eruption is

likely, but the technology could not

foresee what was about to happen to

us. We had gone to film a lava flow

that had formed overnight, tourists

had come to see this, as well, the

molten rocks so slow-moving it is

usually considered safe but then

this happened.

A huge explosion.

Our camerawoman filmed as steam,

boiling hot rocks and lava was blown

into the air, and we ran for our

lives. Many were hit. There were

cuts and burns and bruises but

amazingly nothing worse.

Are you OK?

Are you OK? Stay down.

Eruptions at

Etna frequent but incidents like

this are very rare, the volcano

experts say this was a very

dangerous experience can have a

mostly had experienced in his

career. We have made it back down

the mountain and what happened is

only starting to sink in. This hole

was made by one of the incredibly

hot pieces of volcanic rock that

rained down upon us, we really

thought we were going to die, we had

a very very narrow escape. We later

found out the blast was called a

type of explosion called when --

caused when the incredibly hot lava

mixes with ice and stone and our

footage will now help scientists,

who want to better understand these

rare events, but for us, our close

call was a real insight into the

danger that volcanoes can pose.

Dish it also brought a dazzling

spectacle in the skies above. --

this year. The moon casting a shadow

above the sign, eating away at the

disc, it was the start at the gully

-- of the great American eclipse,

millions flocked to see it, the

first total eclipse to sweep from

coast-to-coast in the United States

for 100 years. The lights dipped as

day became night and then a bright

final flash before the sunshine

disappeared. Blocked by the moon the

atmosphere shimmered like a halo.

It

was like a religious experience. I

photographed it, I got some

successful pictures, I cried.

This

was definitely something you have to

see in person. You can't describe

unless you have been here and

actually seen it.

The eclipse could

be seen across ten states, turning

all lights skywards across its part.

For astronomers it was a chance to

collect vital data for the we would

like to learn more about how

these

eclipses affect the planet and the

atmosphere, if there is any wind

changes or temporary climate changes

in the area.

The much anticipated

event passed by in a matter of

minutes, a brief but breathtaking

moment to revel in a true

astronomical wonder.

In 2017 we also met this rhino,

seven years of old >> STUDIO: Age,

at Longleat safari park in the South

West at the hope is she can save the

species from extinction, she was

sedated, a little agitated at first,

but soon sound asleep. Ready to take

part in an experiment of fertility

treatment. Scientists were

harvesting her eggs to be fertilised

in a lab, it is rhino IVF. She has

been given hormone treatment over

the last week, but what is being

done today requires millimetre

precision. A collection is only a

technique that has been perfected

over the last year, and this is

conservation science at its most

extreme. This is the animal that the

rhino could bring back from the

brink, the northern white rhino,

once widespread across central

Africa, today there are just three

left on the planet, but they are not

able to breed. Back at the safari

park in a makeshift lab the

researchers checked for eggs,

success. The plan is to take this

southern white rhino egg and mix it

with sperm from one of the last

northern white rhinos, creating a

hybrid. Designed so it is better

than using the species altogether.

Anything can happen to them, and

then the genetics would be lost. If

we had at least 50% of this species

reserved in a hybrid embryo we would

preserve at least half of it for

future generations.

With her job

done, she was back on her feet. At a

later stage it could be implanted

with a fertilised egg, but with her

northern cousins so close to

extinction it will be a race against

time. In this gallery we can find

out about the science of who we are

and ask what are the factors that

give each of us a unique identity,

these are questions that researchers

are examining, especially when it

comes to the brain. This year they

made a major breakthrough, that

sheds light on the inner workings of

our brain matter. The human brain

revealed in unprecedented detail,

this is one of the most

comprehensive scans that scientists

have produced a showing nerve

fibres, De Bruyne's internal wiring

that carries billions of electrical

workings, this could show a range of

neurological disorders.

It is

similar to being handed a Hubble

telescope when you have only had

binoculars, and for the first time

we can address what I have called

the missing link between structure

and function.

In Canada they were

carrying out the world's bigger

study into sleep, what happens if

you don't get enough of it.

If you

don't get four hours I will

personally come and wake you up.

Volunteers were asked to carry out

tests designed to work at how well

we function if we are tired, the

hope is we will find out how much

sleep we need for our brains to be

at their best. And at this lab in

London researchers have been

manipulating the DNA of very early

embryos, to see how one fertilised

cell can create a human.

This is

basic research that is providing a

foundation of knowledge about early

human development within this first

seven-day window and our hope is

that this information can be used as

a basis to build further

understanding about underlying

causes of infertility.

The technique

is called gene editing, and inside

the nucleus of each cell in our body

is our Jinan, the blueprint for

life, and a single error can affect

development, trigger disease or

disorders, but now scientists can

scan the genome and replaced the

gene they want to target. The goal

is to see if gene editing can

eradicate inherited disease and

already this year scientists have

shown it is possible to remove a

gene in embryos that causes heart

disease. It is early days but some

believe the technology has the

potential to transform medicine. But

with ethical and safety concerns

others warn that any research needs

to advance with caution.

In 2017 mysterious Mercury was also

in scientists sites. It's the

smallest planet in our solar system

and the closest to The Sun, covered

in craters, towering cliffs and

ageing volcanoes, until now it has

been little explored but this year

preparations were underway for a

major new mission. This is the

spacecraft called Colombo after a

famous Italian scientist and the

launch will take place in 2018. It

is only when you get up close that

you get a sense of the size of this

huge piece of kit and this is a

spacecraft built to withstand

extremes, and to get to Mercury has

to travel towards The Sun and that

means dealing with intense radiation

and hate. On the surface of Mercury

Arsenal can reach 450 Celsius and

that is hot enough to melt --

temperatures can reach. The journey

will take seven years, arriving at

Mercury in 2025, once it is there

the engine will be jettisoned and

two spacecraft will separate, and

they will work together to give us

our best ever view, we will see its

features in incredible detail, and

look inside to solve the mystery of

what lies at the core of Mercury.

This is the instrument we have built

at the University of Leicester.

British scientists have developed

x-ray cameras for this mission.

We

will be the first people on the

planet to see this data coming back

from Mercury, the first people to

see x-ray images of the Mercury

surface which will tell us about

what the surface is made of and it

will revolutionise our

understanding.

The spacecraft is now

almost ready for its long journey,

and while it might take some time

before we get the first results

back, scientists say the wait will

be worth it. The science museum's

mathematics gallery was designed by

the late Zaha had read and this

beautiful curved overhead structure

represents the mathematical

modelling behind airflow, and in

2017 studying the atmosphere was a

priority for scientists, as well,

and with the surprise rise in

greenhouse gas emissions and levels

of carbon dioxide it in a wreck sort

high, -- a record high, climate

change was in the spotlight again.

The effects can be seen in the

stunning landscape of the Arctic.

This year British scientists went to

Greenland to understand why the ice

sheet is melting and they found that

white ice is turning dark. And the

black of the surface the more

sunlight it absorbs and the faster

it warms. Scientists believe it is

linked to microscopic algae.

What we

want to know is, how far the algae

can spread under the Greenland ice

as the climate warms, and it might

well be that they will cause more

melting and an acceleration of

sea-level rise.

Over the last 20

years Greenland has been losing more

ice than it gains, scientists want

to work out how much the meltwater

will raise sea levels and impact on

communities around the globe.

Extreme weather also hit the

headlines. From a deadly hurricane

season causing widespread

devastation across the Caribbean, to

catastrophic flooding in south Asia.

And wildfires burning across

southern Europe, 2017 was forecasted

to be one of the top three warmest

years on record, making tackling

climate change a priority. Two years

early and Paris the world came to a

landmark agreement to limit

temperature rise but the US

president Donald Trump dealt the

deal a devastating blow this summer.

In order to fulfil my solemn duty to

protect America and its citizens,

the United States will withdraw from

the Paris climate accord.

He claimed

the deal did not put America first

and penalised the country's workers.

Disagreement less about the climate,

and more about other countries

gaining a financial advantage --

this agreement. Over the United

States.

It provoked an angry

response for the euro the

second-largest

pollutant in the

world and the largest economy, to

say they don't care any more is a

real gesture to the rest of the

world.

Donald Trump says Cole can be

a clean technology but the number of

Americans working in coal is dwarfed

by those employed by the solar and

wind industries and falling prices

are leading to growing investments

in renewable energy. The impact that

Donald Trump's position will have is

still under debate, but many remain

determined that even without America

the climate deal can survive.

Three,

two, one.

This year in the world of

tech it was all about finding

innovative solutions. This drone is

being developed to deliver medical

goods in remote parts of Rwanda. It

uses Sako to fly to its destination

and then drops off vital supplies.

In the UK scientists have found a

new use for the wonder material

graphene. They are using it as a

sieve to filter out salt from sea

water, making it in Kabul. -- making

it printable. At last, a solution to

the age-old problem, how to get the

last drop of ketchup out of a

bottle. Researchers have developed a

new slippery coating the containers

that allows sticky liquids to glide

out effortlessly. So in the future

not even a drop of source will go to

waste. From the first steam train to

early forays into the air, and the

automobile revolution, when it comes

to getting around we have been

constantly pushing the engineering

boundaries but in 2017 one British

team revealed how they wanted to

take things further and much much

faster. Getting ready for a test

drive, the bloodhound supersonic

car, put through its paces in public

for the very first time. Hurtling

down the runway it reached from 0-

200 mph in just eight seconds. But

the aim is to speed things up, in

2019 the car is heading to South

Africa, with the help of the jet

engine and a rocket that would

normally launch vehicles into space,

the team will try to break the world

land speed record and hit 1000 mph.

Built in Britain and the project has

cost £30 million so far and has

taken ten years to get to this

stage, engineer Ron Ayres has

already worked on two successful

speed record attempts and he is

ready to do it again.

I'm glad we

have got this far but of course I

will really start getting crowd when

it starts breaking records and what

I really want to do is to make nice

supersonic bangs that will

reverberate around the world.

In his

first public trials the carpal

formed beyond expectations and is

now on track to go for throttle in

the ultimate high-speed test -- the

car performed. This year the

shocking trade in baby chimps was

exposed by an undercover

investigation in Africa. The BBC

team was sent these videos by

dealers, offering the animals per

sale. -- for for the this one is

about a year old, an orphan,

captured in the wild when poachers

kill his family. A reporter used a

hidden camera to film him being held

in the Ivory Coast, but the police

were ready and moved in.

Police.

The

dealer was arrested and later found

to be part of a global trade network

and for the police stopping this is

a priority.

The chimp was given a name and was

taken to a new boy suitability after

-- nearby. But he never recovered

from his ordeal I just a few months

after his rescue he died.

Conservationists say his death

highlights the plight of animals

caught up in this brutal trade. This

was also a year that a new field of

astronomy came into its own,

deepening our view of the universe.

Inside this tunnel in the United

States is an experiment that can

detect some of the faintest signals

in the cosmos, gravitational waves

are invisible ripples in space and

time, and in 2017 they revealed a

celestial smash-up, two small but

incredibly dense objects called

neutron stars, 130 million light

years away, they spiralled ever

closer to each other before

eventually they collide. The huge

explosion stretched and distorted

space, hurling at gravitational

waves. And they were picked up here,

the first time astronomers have been

able to watch a collision like this

unfold.

We do not know if we were

lucky and this happened to be an

event that happened close,

relatively close to Earth, or

perhaps there are many more neutron

stars than we thought.

Gravitational

waves were only seen for the very

first time in 2016 and this latest

finding confirms their potential.

A

new observational window on the

universe is typically leads to

surprises that cannot be foreseen.

We are still rubbing our eyes as we

have just woken up to the sound of

gravitational waves.

Researchers say

this is just the start and they are

expecting many discoveries, a new

era in astronomy is finally here.

I'm in the science museum's space

Gallery and from the Apollo lander

to the Scout rocket, objects from

decades of exploration of our solar

system are on display but one

missionary stands out, the orbiters

Cassini spent 20 years in space and

transform our understanding of

Saddam but this time it was time for

scientists to say goodbye, but I

wanted the mission to go out with a

bang -- understanding of Saturn.

Instantly recognisable, Saturn and

its stunning rings, the deceased

spacecraft reveal this giant planet

in incredible detail -- the Pasini

for the taking countless amazing

images but in 2017 it was time for

one last look. After spending an

epic 20 years in space and

completing hundreds of orbits around

Saturn the spacecraft was running

out of fuel. So scientists planned a

very grand finale, sending it on a

death dive into Saturn's thick

atmosphere. This is the control room

where the very final moments of the

spacecraft will be tracked and every

last drop of science is being

squeezed out of this mission. As it

enters the atmosphere of Saturn the

data will be streamed back here

right up until the very instant it

is destroyed.

This will actually be

the grand truth as it were, being

able to sample the atmosphere as the

spacecraft goes in, it doesn't have

much time, but it will be one of the

most exciting points of the mission.

Right at the end of the mission.

The

day itself was bittersweet for the

team.

Congratulations to everyone,

this has been an incredible mission

and a incredible spacecraft and you

are an incredible team. I will call

this the end of mission.

Some have

spent entire careers working on this

mission.

It's being a part of my

life for 20 years, we have spent day

in and day out thinking about this

spacecraft, planning the

observations and focusing on the

science, and my career has been

based on it. It's really hard to see

that go.

But the spacecraft has left

a remarkable legacy, it has spotted

colossal storms and found structures

as high as mountain is hidden within

its rings, it also revealed the

panic's many moons, from Titan with

its methane lakes, two and salad is

with a liquid ocean beneath the icy

crust, shooting plumes of faith into

space, a discovery that has shaken

up the idea of where we could look

for life.

We want to know, is there

life in the solar system, could

there be oceans inside of other

moons, that will take future

missions to go back and answer those

questions.

As the spacecraft hurtled

toward Saturn it vaporised, finally

becoming part of the planet it had

studied for so long, but the

scientists the work isn't over, so

much data has been collected Saturn

will keep surprising for decades to

come.