Top 10 People Who Helped Shape Science in 2023

Many individuals made huge contributions to Science this year. One transformed the research for cancer, another rewired production, and a different person changed society with artificial intelligence (AI). So, without further ado, here's a list of Nature's top 10 people who shaped Science in 2023.

Kalpana Kalahasti: To the Moon

Kalpana Kalahasti, a manager and engineer, was instrumental in ensuring that Chandrayaan-3 landed on the moon successfully, making India the fourth nation to accomplish the accomplishment. She is thrilled that the Chandrayaan-3 mission has inspired younger people in India and that they can now focus on the project's other capabilities, such as the crucial task of proving a moon landing has been completed.

Marina Silva: Amazon protector

Marina Silva is a Brazilian politician who turned the tide on deforestation. She contributed to reestablishing institutions that had been undermined by the previous administration and putting an end to the widespread deforestation.

According to satellite photos of the Amazon rainforest, there was a 43% decrease in deforestation alerts between January and July of 2023 compared to the same period in 2022, according to Brazil's environment and climate change minister. This was a significant change from the preceding four years, when there had been a noticeable increase in these alerts.

Katsuhiko Hayashi: Rewiring reproduction

Katsuhiko Hayashi revised the sexual reproduction regulations. His achievement of producing viable eggs from male mouse cells may help preserve endangered species. Hayashi has established a reputation for taking on challenging and creative assignments. Although his coworkers commended him for his patience and work ethic, he dismissed their compliments by acknowledging that he occasionally finds completing his tasks on time difficult.

Annie Kritcher: Fusion igniter

Annie Kritcher is a physicist who helped to achieve the first-ever energy gain. Kritcher and her US National Ignition Facility team designed fusion experiments that generated more energy than they consumed. She had assisted the National Ignition Facility (NIF) of the US Department of Energy in achieving a feat that had evaded labs worldwide for decades: compressing atoms so tightly that their nuclei fuse and producing more energy than the reaction uses.

Eleni Myrivili: Warming warden

Eleni Myrivili is the Earth's first global heat officer for the fight against climate change. As the Chief Heat Officer of the United Nations, she assists in preparing the world for the challenges posed by climate change. She is a former deputy mayor of Athens and has focused her career as a cultural anthropologist on heat.

Ilya Sutskever: AI visionary

Ilya Suskever has played a key part in developing the conversational AI systems that are starting to change society. He became the head scientist of San Francisco, California's OpenAI, where he played a key part in creating ChatGPT. However, he is equally concerned about AI's future. He changed his focus in July to co-lead OpenAI's four-year "superalignment" project, which it stated would explore "how to steer and control AI systems much smarter than us" by utilizing 20% of its processing capacity.

James Hamlin: Superconductivity sleuth

James Hamlin is a physicist and popular superconductivity debunker who has exposed the flaws in controversial physicist Ranga Dias' works. He is not a full-time sleuth as he is eager to devote more time to his superconducting studies.

Svetlana Mojsov: Unsung drug developer

Svetlana Mojsov is a biochemist who finally gained recognition for her part in developing multibillion-dollar weight-loss drugs. She spearheaded the early studies of GLP-1, the hormone behind popular drugs like Wegovy and Ozempic.

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Halidou Tinto: Malaria fighter

Halidou Tinto is a researcher who paved the way for the world's first malaria vaccine's approval. Tinto oversaw clinical studies for malaria medications and vaccinations for over ten years, so he was aware of the disease's potential severity. He also earned a PhD at the University of Antwerp in Belgium, where he studied how malaria becomes resistant to various medications.

Thomas Powles: Cancer explorer

Thomas Powles is a cancer physician who helps deliver a life-extending treatment. His breakthrough is an innovative approach to treating a fatal bladder cancer that may portend the development of new, potent immunotherapeutic medication for the condition.