A 3D printer lays plastic, ceramics, metal, and even cookie dough in layers to 'print' objects Image: DW/E.Rubinīeyond ocean and space exploration, there was plenty of innovation. It's almost 11 kilometers below the surface of the Pacific Ocean. Titanic film director James Cameron became the first person to dive into the deepest spot on the planet – the bottom of the Marina Trench.

In a four minute and twenty second freefall, he became the first person to break the speed of sound without the aid of a supersonic jet or space shuttle.Īnother plunge also made headline a few months earlier. But it is yet to find organic molecules that would prove that there was once life on Mars.Įven though, we are yet to land humans on the Red Planet, Austrian daredevil Felix Baumgartner captured the headlines when he plummeted from the edge of space to the surface of the Earth. Ever since, Curiosity has been providing startling images and analysis of the Martian surface and atmosphere. Its 2,000 pound, plutonium-powered rover, Curiosity, landed safely on the surface of Mars. Nasa's rover, Curiosity, beamed images from Mars during its landing on the planet in August Image: NASA/JPL-Caltechĭespite this, NASA can bask in an even bigger success in 2012. However, the Hubble eXtreme Deep Field sighting is still awaiting confirmation as a galaxy.

But it took scientists nearly 50 years to prove the now retired University of Edinburgh professor right.Īnd while CERN scientists looked deep into the Earth for the fundamental element, NASA’s Hubble Telescope captured galaxies some 13.2 billion light years away. In 1964, British physicist Peter Higgs proposed the existence of a sub-atomic particle that could explain how matter attains its mass. It is arguably one of the greatest discoveries of our time. The European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) announced that its scientists had 'reached into the fabric of the universe' with the discovery of the existence of the Higgs boson. Every year seems bring a torrent of new records, discoveries, gizmos and developments that surprise and inspire.

Dive to the titanic torrent