2010s in science and technology

This article is a summary of the 2010s in science and technology.

Technology

{{See also|Timeline of computing 2010–2019}}Big data and "Big Tech" saw an expansion in size and power in the 2010s, particularly FAANG corporations. The growing influence of "Big Tech" over cyberspace drew scrutiny and increased oversight from national governments. The G20 countries began closing tax loopholes{{cite news|date=9 June 2019|title=G20 agrees to wrap up Big Tech tax rules by 2020|work=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-g20-japan-tax/g20-agrees-to-wrap-up-big-tech-tax-rules-by-2020-idUSKCN1TA05F}} and the European Union began asserting legal guidelines over domains such as data privacy, copyright, and hate speech, the latter of which helped fuel a debate over tech censorship and free speech online, particularly deplatforming. Throughout the decade, the United States government increasingly scrutinized the tech industry, from attempted copyright regulations to threatening antitrust probes.{{cite news|date=5 June 2019|title=Big Tech was the heart of the bull market. Now it's under fire|work=CNN Business|url=https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/04/investing/tech-antitrust-facebook-google-amazon/index.html|access-date=9 June 2019}}{{cite news|date=4 June 2019|title=The Coalition Out to Kill Tech as We Know It|work=The Atlantic|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2019/06/how-politicians-and-scholars-turned-against-big-tech/591052/|access-date=9 June 2019}} Increased protectionism and attempts to regulate and localize the internet by national governments also raised fears of cyber-balkanization in the later half of the decade.{{cite news|date=10 December 2018|title=2018 In Review: What Happened In The World Of Big Tech|work=NPR|url=https://www.npr.org/2018/12/10/675382748/2018-in-review-what-happened-in-the-world-of-big-tech|access-date=25 April 2019}}{{cite news|date=13 March 2019|title=The 'splinternet' is already here|work=Tech Crunch|url=https://techcrunch.com/2019/03/13/the-splinternet-is-already-here/|access-date=26 April 2019}}{{cite news|date=7 September 2018|title=Get ready for the "splinternet": The web might not be worldwide much longer|url=https://www.fastcompany.com/90229453/get-ready-for-the-splinternet-the-web-might-not-be-worldwide-much-longer|access-date=26 April 2019}}

= Communications and electronics =

File:Steve_Jobs_with_the_Apple_iPad_no_logo_(cropped).jpg CEO Steve Jobs unveiled the first iPad at a press conference on 27 January 2010.]]

Smartphones maintained their strong popularity throughout the 2010s, along with the arrival of tablets. Apple Inc. launched the iPad in 2010, its first tablet computer, which offered multi-touch interaction. The iPad became an immediate bestseller and only months after its release became the best selling tech product in history.{{cite magazine|author=Paul McDougall|title=iPad Is Top Selling Tech Gadget Ever|url=http://www.informationweek.com/news/storage/portable/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=227700347|magazine=InformationWeek|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101208051812/http://www.informationweek.com/news/storage/portable/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=227700347|archive-date=8 December 2010|url-status=dead}} By the mid-2010s, almost all smartphones were touchscreen-only, and Android and iPhone smartphones dominated the market.{{cite news|last1=Andrew|first1=Owen|date=28 August 2018|title=The History and Evolution of the Smartphone: 1992–2018|work=Text Request|url=https://www.textrequest.com/blog/history-evolution-smartphone/|access-date=22 January 2019}}
Mobile apps become commercially available in the early 2010s, along with popular app stores such as Google Play, iOS App Store, and Microsoft Store.
Throughout the early 2010s, sales for PCs declined in favor of tablet computers and laptop convertibles;{{cite news|last=Rigby|first=Bill|date=19 April 2013|title=Microsoft multiyear license growth softens pain of PC decline|work=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/microsoft-results-licensing-idUSL2N0D52WB20130419}} in 2012, tablet and smartphone sales overtook netbooks and Samsung overtook Nokia for the first time as the largest mobile phone maker in the world;{{Cite news|title=Samsung overtakes Nokia in mobile phone shipments – BBC News|work=BBC News |date=26 April 2012 |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/business-17865117|access-date=24 June 2016|language=en-GB}}{{cite news|last=Arthur|first=Charles|date=3 February 2012|title=Netbooks plummet while tablets and smartphones soar, says Canalys|newspaper=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/blog/2012/feb/03/netbooks-pc-canalys-tablet|access-date=29 August 2015}} in 2013 in developed countries, smartphone sales surpassed feature phones.{{Cite news|last=Svensson|first=Peter|date=29 April 2013|title=Smartphones now outsell 'dumb' phones|url=http://www.newshub.co.nz/technology/smartphones-now-outsell-dumb-phones-2013042912|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303064802/http://www.newshub.co.nz/technology/smartphones-now-outsell-dumb-phones-2013042912|url-status=dead|archive-date=March 3, 2016|website=Newshub}}
In April 2019, South Korea became the first country to adopt 5G broadband.{{cite web|title=South Korea to seize on world's first full 5G network|url=https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/5G-networks/South-Korea-to-seize-on-world-s-first-full-5G-network|website=Nikkei Asian Review}} Verizon launched its 5G services in the United States just hours later, along with disputing South Korea's claim of becoming the world's first country with a 5G network.{{cite web|title=US dismisses South Korea's launch of world-first 5G network as 'stunt' – 5G – The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2019/apr/04/us-dismisses-south-koreas-launch-of-world-first-5g-network-as-stunt|website=amp.theguardian.com}} The United Kingdom's first 5G mobile network became operational on 30 May, initially covering parts of six cities.{{cite news|date=30 May 2019|title=5G: EE launches UK's next-generation mobile network|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-48458280|access-date=30 May 2019}}
In 2011, more than 2 billion people used the Internet,{{cite web|author=website optimization on 2|date=29 March 2011|title=Over 2 Billion Internet Users Worldwide – Wireless Broadband 30% Slower than Wired – March 2011 Bandwidth Report|url=http://www.websiteoptimization.com/bw/1103/|access-date=10 November 2011|publisher=Websiteoptimization.com}} one billion mobile broadband users predicted and 4.6 billion people worldwide were subscribed to mobile phones,{{cite web|author=Florence Labedays|title=Mobile Broadband Users to Top One Billion Mark in 2011|url=http://www.mobiledia.com/news/79588.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120716204553/http://nelsonphysicaltherapy.com/active-gaming/|archive-date=16 July 2012|publisher=Mobiledia}} and Americans spent more time using mobile apps than using the World Wide Web.{{cite web|last=Newark|first=Charles|date=20 June 2011|title=Mobile Apps Put the Web in Their Rear-view Mirror|url=http://blog.flurry.com/bid/63907/Mobile-Apps-Put-the-Web-in-Their-Rear-view-Mirror|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111112162050/http://blog.flurry.com/bid/63907/Mobile-Apps-Put-the-Web-in-Their-Rear-view-Mirror|archive-date=12 November 2011|access-date=10 November 2011|publisher=Blog.flurry.com}}
Social media continuously gained prominence through the convenience of mobile apps, including the services of WhatsApp, Pinterest, Instagram, Snapchat, Tinder, Vine, and TikTok being released throughout the decade. Facebook and Twitter, both of which were released in the 2000s, were still among the most popular social media platforms in the world.{{cite news|last1=Maina|first1=Antony|date=6 June 2018|title=20 Popular Social Media Sites Right Now|work=Small Business Trends|url=https://smallbiztrends.com/2016/05/popular-social-media-sites.html|access-date=21 January 2019}} Social media offered massive reach to mainstream audiences for both individuals and organizations unseen before, facilitating phenomena such as influencer marketing.{{cite web|title=10 Reasons Why Influencer Marketing is the Next Big Thing|date=14 July 2015 |url=http://www.adweek.com/socialtimes/10-reasons-why-influencer-marketing-is-the-next-big-thing/623407|access-date=19 July 2017}}{{cite web|last=Hall|first=John|title=The Influencer Marketing Gold Rush Is Coming: Are You Prepared?|website=Forbes |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnhall/2016/04/17/the-influencer-marketing-gold-rush-is-coming-are-you-prepared/#1e6ae60d2964|access-date=19 July 2017}}
Streaming media and rental kiosk services such as Netflix and Redbox forced video rental chains such as Blockbusters to close.{{cite news|last=Broida|first=Rick|date=13 November 2013|title=How to rent movies now that Blockbuster is dead|work=CNET|url=https://www.cnet.com/how-to/how-to-rent-movies-now-that-blockbuster-is-dead/}}
At the turn of the decade, the supply of IPv4 internet addresses was exhausted; an early period of transition to IPv6 continued during 2011.{{cite magazine|author=Dan Nosowitz|title=The Internet Officially Runs Out of Addresses Today, But It's Not Cause for Panic|url=http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2011-02/internet-has-run-out-addresses-its-not-cause-panic-yet|magazine=Popular Science}}
In 2012, Google Chrome became the world's most used web browser, replacing Internet Explorer,{{cite web|author=Matt Warman|date=21 May 2012|title=Google Chrome beats Internet Explorer to become world's most popular web browser|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/internet/9280254/Google-Chrome-beats-Internet-Explorer-to-become-worlds-most-popular-web-browser.html|access-date=27 May 2012|work=The Telegraph}} and the Wikimedia Foundation started developing Wikidata, its first new project in six years.{{Cite web|last=Dickinson|first=Boonsri|title=Paul Allen Invests in a Massive Project To Make Wikipedia Better|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/paul-allen-invests-in-wikidata-project-2012-3|website=Business Insider}}
Cryptocurrency, such as Bitcoin and Ethereum, gained ground as a digitally alternative way to secure financial transactions, control the creation of additional units, and verify the transfer of assets. Cryptocurrencies also expanded the usage and boundaries of Blockchain.
Virtual reality took a radical shift in the 2010s, with headsets such as the Oculus Rift gaining popularity. While the device was only capable of rotational tracking, the initial design would later serve as a basis from which the later designs came.Rubin, Peter. (2014). Oculus Rift. Wired, 22(6), 78. Other popular headsets include PlayStation VR, Google Cardboard, HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, and the Samsung Gear VR.
During the decade, 3D printing, 3D modeling, and 3D scanners became increasingly popular, in which the technologies enabled users to join or solidify certain materials to create a concrete three-dimensional object. The 3D printer industry gained over $7 billion in sales.{{cite news|last1=McCue|first1=TJ|date=4 June 2018|title=Wohlers Report 2018: 3D Printer Industry Tops $7 Billion|work=Forbes|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/tjmccue/2018/06/04/wohlers-report-2018-3d-printer-industry-rises-21-percent-to-over-7-billion/#e6e17b92d1a4|access-date=21 January 2019}}
Wireless headphones saw technological advancements and a large growth in usage.{{cite web|title=Global sales volume for true wireless hearables 2018-2020|url=https://www.statista.com/statistics/985608/worldwide-sales-volume-true-wireless-hearables/|website=Statista}}
Wireless charging for smartphones became more popular, with companies such as Samsung and Apple releasing wireless charging phones and chargers.{{cite web|title=Everything you need to know about wireless charging|url=https://www.moshi.com/en/post/everything-you-need-to-know-about-wireless-charging|website=Moshi}}
Smart watches became more widespread in usage, with over 175 million of them sold in 2018.{{cite web|title=Smartwatch unit sales worldwide from 2014 to 2018 (in millions)|url=https://www.statista.com/statistics/538237/global-smartwatch-unit-sales/|access-date=22 January 2019|website=Statista}}
Smart glasses, such as Google Glass, were also released during this decade.
Transparent display screens and curved touchscreen displays entered the market, and slowly gained popularity throughout the decade.{{cite web|last1=Vincent|first1=James|title=LG's latest ridiculous OLED screen is transparent, flexible, and taller than Tom Cruise|url=https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2017/6/22/15851994/lg-flexible-transparent-oled-display|access-date=23 January 2019|website=The Verge|date=22 June 2017 }}{{cite news|last1=Archer|first1=John|title=Curved TVs: The pros and cons for buying a curved TV in 2018|work=Trusted Reviews|url=https://www.trustedreviews.com/opinion/curved-tvs-the-pros-and-cons-2912678|access-date=23 January 2019}}{{cite web|last1=Larsen|first1=Rasmus|title=Samsung's 2014 TV line-up – with prices|url=https://www.flatpanelshd.com/article.php?subaction=showfull&id=1395392640|access-date=7 May 2019|website=FlatPanelsHD}}
In the mid-late portion of the decade, 4K resolution was implemented through high-definition displays and gained traction into more U.S. homes in a much faster adoption rate than that of Full HD (1080p).{{cite web|author=Mark Hoelzel|date=2 September 2014|title=4K TV Shipments Are Ramping Up Much Faster Than HD TV Did in the Past|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/4k-tv-shipments-are-taking-off-2014-5|access-date=24 November 2015|work=Business Insider}}
In 2016, scientists at MIT created the first five-atom quantum computer with the potential to crack the security of traditional encryption schemes.{{cite web|title=MIT's new 5-atom quantum computer could make today's encryption obsolete|url=http://www.pcworld.com/article/3041115/security/mits-new-5-atom-quantum-computer-could-transform-encryption.html|access-date=5 March 2016}}
Fixstars Solutions created the world's first 13 Terabyte SSD in 2016.{{cite web|title=The world's first 13TB SSD is here|date=13 January 2016 |url=http://www.computerworld.com/article/3021291/data-storage/the-worlds-first-13tb-ssd-is-here.html|access-date=10 February 2016}}{{cite web|title=The world's first 13TB SSD is here|url=http://www.pcworld.com/article/3021886/hardware/the-worlds-first-13tb-ssd-is-here.html|access-date=10 February 2016}}
The number of IoT devices increased 31% year-over-year to 8.4 billion in the year 2017{{Cite news|last1=Köhn|first1=Rüdiger|title=Online-Kriminalität: Konzerne verbünden sich gegen Hacker|newspaper=Faz.net|url=https://www.faz.net/aktuell/wirtschaft/diginomics/grosse-internationale-allianz-gegen-cyber-attacken-15451953-p2.html?printPagedArticle=true#pageIndex_1}} and it was estimated that there will be 30 billion devices by 2020.{{Cite journal|last1=Hsu|first1=Chin-Lung|last2=Lin|first2=Judy Chuan-Chuan|year=2016|title=An empirical examination of consumer adoption of Internet of Things services: Network externalities and concern for information privacy perspectives|journal=Computers in Human Behavior|volume=62|pages=516–527|doi=10.1016/j.chb.2016.04.023}}

= Software =

Artificial intelligence progressed significantly as a result of discoveries made in deep learning in 2012; it bolstered speech recognition and computer vision development and allowed for the fruition of technologies such as Deepfakes.{{cite news|date=2016|title=Why Deep Learning Is Suddenly Changing Your Life|work=Fortune|url=http://fortune.com/ai-artificial-intelligence-deep-machine-learning/|access-date=13 April 2018}}
Virtual assistant devices and apps become widely available in the decade, such as Apple's Siri, Amazon Alexa on the Amazon Echo device, Samsung's Bixby, Google Assistant on Google-enabled/Android mobile devices, and text (online chat), especially in an instant messaging app or other app.
Collaborative source code sharing website GitHub became the world's most popular open source hosting site.{{cite web|author=Klint Finley|date=2 June 2011|title=GitHub Has Surpassed Sourceforge and Google Code in Popularity|url=http://www.readwriteweb.com/hack/2011/06/github-has-passed-sourceforge.php|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120530022611/http://www.readwriteweb.com/hack/2011/06/github-has-passed-sourceforge.php|archive-date=30 May 2012|access-date=26 May 2012|work=ReadWriteWeb}}
Oracle sued Google over the use of Java-related technology in Google's popular Android operating system in 2011. Google won the lawsuit on 26 May 2016, citing fair use.{{Cite web|title=Oracle sues Google over Android and Java|url=https://www.cnet.com/news/oracle-sues-google-over-android-and-java/|access-date=23 June 2016|website=CNET}}{{Cite web|date=26 May 2016|title=Google beats Oracle—Android makes "fair use" of Java APIs|url=https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2016/05/google-wins-trial-against-oracle-as-jury-finds-android-is-fair-use/|website=Arstechnica}}
Following an unprecedented internet protest and blackout campaign, the controversial Stop Online Piracy Act bill was temporarily withdrawn in the United States Congress in 2012.{{Cite news|last=Weisman|first=Jonathan|date=20 January 2012|title=After an Online Firestorm, Congress Shelves Antipiracy Bills|newspaper=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/21/technology/senate-postpones-piracy-vote.html|access-date=23 June 2016|issn=0362-4331}}
The controversial Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 in the Philippines was adopted.{{cite web|title=Cybercrime bill signed into law by Aquino – Newsbytes.ph | Infotech News|url=http://www.interaksyon.com/infotech/cybercrime-bill-signed-into-law-by-aquino-newsbytes-ph|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121015230516/http://www.interaksyon.com/infotech/cybercrime-bill-signed-into-law-by-aquino-newsbytes-ph|archive-date=15 October 2012|access-date=4 October 2012|publisher=InterAksyon.com}}

= Automobiles and transportation =

File:2019_Tesla_Model_3_Performance_AWD_Front.jpg sedan, the Tesla Model 3, was unveiled in March 2016 and became the best-selling plug-in electric car.]]

Drones became increasingly popular, especially in the assistance of making deliveries, aerial photography, and drone racing.{{cite news|last1=Gupta|first1=Anil|date=28 February 2018|title=Drone Technology's Popularity and Regulatory Environment|work=Infospace|url=https://ischool.syr.edu/infospace/2018/02/28/drone-technologys-popularity-regulatory-environment/|access-date=22 January 2019}}{{cite web|last=Bateman|first=Joshua|date=1 September 2017|title=China drone maker DJI: Alone atop the unmanned skies|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2017/09/01/in-race-to-dominate-drone-space-west-is-no-match-for-chinas-dji.html|work=News Ledge}}
Electric and hybrid vehicles became popular in many countries in the Western world during the decade. Notable electric vehicles include the Chevrolet Volt, which became the world's top selling plug-in hybrid of all time with over 100,000 units sold in 2015.{{cite news|author=Jeff Cobb|date=4 November 2015|title=GM Sells Its 100,000th Volt in October|work=HybridCars.com|url=http://www.hybridcars.com/gm-sells-its-100000th-volt-in-october/|access-date=4 November 2015}}About 102,000 units of the Volt/Ampera family have been sold worldwide by the end of October 2015. Other hybrid vehicles have also been noted such as the Porsche Panamera and BMW i3.
Self-driving cars, while still in their infancy, were widely tested throughout the 2010s with significant progress. Google developed Waymo, the world's first self-driving car, to be licensed for use on public roads in 2011.{{Cite news|date=8 May 2012|title=Google gets first self-driven car license in Nevada|newspaper=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-usa-nevada-google-idUSLNE84701320120508|access-date=24 June 2016}} In 2018, a woman in Tempe, Arizona became the first recorded casualty of an accident involving an autonomous vehicle.{{Cite web|date=19 March 2018|title=Uber's fatal self-driving crash: all the news and updates|url=https://www.theverge.com/2018/3/28/17174636/uber-self-driving-crash-fatal-arizona-update|access-date=17 May 2018|website=The Verge}}
Automaker Volkswagen is alleged to have been involved in worldwide rigging of diesel emissions tests in 2015, affecting an estimated 11 million vehicles globally.{{Cite web|last=Ruddick|first=Graham|date=23 September 2015|title=Volkswagen chief quits over emissions scandal as car industry faces crisis|url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/sep/23/volkswagen-chief-martin-winterkorn-quits-emissions-scandal|access-date=24 June 2016|website=The Guardian}}{{cite web|date=18 September 2015|title=Volkswagen under investigation over illegal software that masks emissions|url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/sep/18/epa-california-investigate-volkswagen-clean-air-violations|access-date=30 September 2015|work=The Guardian}}{{cite news|date=18 September 2015|title=EPA: Volkswagen used 'defeat device' to illegally skirt air-pollution controls|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2015/09/18/epa-volkswagen-used-defeat-device-to-circumvent-air-pollution-controls/|access-date=30 September 2015|newspaper=The Washington Post}}
The trend of shared mobility grew significantly during the decade. Carsharing, bike-sharing, and scooter-sharing services saw substantial growth as multiple economic, social and technological factors such as developments in "last mile" transportation helped changed the way people think about modern transportation, particularly in the Western world.{{Cite journal|last1=Shaheen|first1=Susan|last2=Cohen|first2=Adam|date=April 2016|title=Smartphone Applications to Influence Travel Choices: Practices and Policies|url=https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/fhwahop16023/fhwahop16023.pdf|journal=Dot/Fha|pages=90}}
The world's first 100% low-floor tram with articulated bogies, Škoda 15 T, began operations in Riga, Latvia.{{cite web |title=Riga upgrades public transport services and rolling stock |url=https://www.intelligenttransport.com/transport-articles/3140/riga-upgrades-public-transport-services-and-rolling-stock/ |website=Intelligent Transport |language=en}}

Space

{{multiple image|caption_align=center|header_align=center

| align = right

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| width = 220

| header =

| image1 = Oblique View of Warm Season Flows in Newton Crater.jpg

| alt1 = Image from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter showing photographic evidence of possible liquid water on Mars.

| caption1 = NASA announced that its Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter captured photographic evidence of possible liquid water on Mars on 4 August 2011.

| image2 = CERN LHC Tunnel1.jpg

| alt2 = Image of the CERN Large Hadron Collider featuring the main pipe and tracks for transports.

| caption2 = The first collisions of CERN's Large Hadron Collider took place on 31 March 2010.

| image3 = Black hole - Messier 87 crop max res.jpg

| caption3 = The first-ever image of a supermassive black hole, located in the Messier 87 galaxy, was revealed on 10 April 2019.

}}

Spaceflight became increasingly privatized, including crewed spaceflight. SpaceX captures a significant share of the commercial launch market with Falcon 9.{{cite web|url=https://www.popularmechanics.com/space/rockets/a27290/one-chart-spacex-dominate-rocket-launches/|title=One Chart Shows How Much SpaceX Has Come to Dominate Rocket Launches|date=13 July 2017}}{{cite web|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2019/05/20/spacex-revenue-2-billion-from-rockets-last-year-jefferies-estimate.html|title=SpaceX is the No. 1 rocket company by revenue, with $2 billion last year, Jefferies estimates|website=CNBC |date=20 May 2019}} Falcon 9 became the first rocket to land its booster propulsively for reuse, in 2019 most flights reused boosters. Several other companies started working on partially reusable rockets while SpaceX started development of a fully reusable rocket, Starship. Towards the end of the decade around 100 companies were developing rockets for the small satellite market,{{cite web |last=Clark |first=Stephen |url=https://spaceflightnow.com/2019/01/18/relativity-space-obtains-air-force-approval-for-cape-canaveral-launch-pad/ |title=Relativity Space obtains Air Force approval for Cape Canaveral launch pad |work=Spaceflight Now |date=18 January 2019 |access-date=24 January 2019}} some have made test flights and Rocketlab's Electron made multiple commercial flights.{{cite web|url=https://www.rocketlabusa.com/missions/completed-missions/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191206123651/https://www.rocketlabusa.com/missions/completed-missions/|url-status=dead|archive-date=6 December 2019|title=Completed missions|access-date=6 December 2019}} The Space Shuttle was retired in 2011. SpaceX and Boeing developed commercial crewed spacecraft for orbital flights (SpaceX Dragon 2, Starliner), Dragon 2 made its first crewed flights in 2020. Blue Origin develops the crewed New Shepard for suborbital flights. Virgin Galactic develops a spacecraft for suborbital flights and performs first crewed flights. NASA Dawn probe was the first spacecraft to orbit two extraterrestrial bodies,{{cite speech

|title=Now Appearing At a Dwarf Planet Near You: NASA's Dawn Mission to the Asteroid Belt

|first=Marc |last=Rayman |event=Silicon Valley Astronomy Lectures

|location=Foothill College, Los Altos, CA |date=8 April 2015

|url= https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_3jKyqAIqY |access-date= 2018-07-07}} the first spacecraft to visit either Vesta or Ceres, and the first to orbit a dwarf planet,{{cite book|url=https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/beyond-earth-tagged.pdf|title=Beyond Earth: A Chronicle of Deep Space Exploration, 1958–2016|page=2|last1=Siddiqi|first1=Asif A.|lccn=2017059404|isbn=9781626830424|publisher=NASA History Program Office|edition=second|year=2018|id=SP2018-4041|series=The NASA history series|location=Washington, DC}} arriving at Ceres in March 2015, a few months before New Horizons flew by Pluto in July 2015.

Other notable developments in astronomy and spaceflight over the decade included:

2011: NASA announced that its Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter captured photographic evidence of possible liquid water on Mars during warm seasons.{{cite web|date=4 August 2011|title=Salt Water May Flow on Mars|url=https://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2011/04aug_marsflows|access-date=15 July 2018|publisher=NASA}}
2011: The United States' Space Shuttle program officially ended following its last mission, STS-135, flown by Space Shuttle Atlantis.{{Cite news|last1=Amos|first1=Jonathan|date=11 October 2010|title=Obama signs Nasa up to new future – BBC News|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-11518049|access-date=23 June 2016}}
2012: SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft became the first private commercial spacecraft to attach to the International Space Station, the first commercial spacecraft to rendezvous with another spacecraft.{{Cite web|date=25 May 2012|title=SpaceX's Dragon Docks With Space Station—A First|url=http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/05/120525-spacex-dragon-robot-arm-international-space-station-nation/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120527095244/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/05/120525-spacex-dragon-robot-arm-international-space-station-nation/|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 27, 2012|website=National Geographic}}
2012: NASA landed the Curiosity rover in Gale crater on Mars.{{Cite news|date=6 August 2012|title=Mars rover landing miracle of engineering, scientists say|newspaper=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-mars-idUSBRE8721A920120806|access-date=23 June 2016}}
2013: The Chinese Chang'e 3 landed on the Moon, the first Lunar landing in 37 years.{{Cite news|last1=Rincon|first1=Paul|date=14 December 2013|title=China lands Jade Rabbit robot rover on Moon – BBC News|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-25356603|access-date=23 June 2016}}
2014: The Philae probe from the Rosetta spacecraft landed on the surface of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko{{Cite web|last=Fischer|first=Daniel|date=6 August 2014|title=Rendezvous with a crazy world|url=http://www.planetary.org/blogs/guest-blogs/2014/0806-fischer-rendezvous-with-a-crazy-world.html|website=The Planetary Society}}
2014: The Orion spacecraft completed its first test flight, an unmanned orbital and reentry flight.{{Cite web|last=Northon|first=Karen|date=12 November 2014|title=NASA's Orion Spacecraft Arrives at Launch Pad, Hoisted onto Rocket Ahead of its First Spaceflight|url=http://www.nasa.gov/press/2014/november/nasa-s-orion-spacecraft-arrives-at-launch-pad-hoisted-onto-rocket-ahead-of-its/index.html|access-date=23 June 2016}}
2015: NASA's Dawn probe entered orbit around Ceres, becoming the first spacecraft to visit a dwarf planet.{{cite news|date=6 March 2015|title=NASA Spacecraft Becomes First to Orbit a Dwarf Planet|work=NASA|url=http://www.nasa.gov/press/2015/march/nasa-spacecraft-becomes-first-to-orbit-a-dwarf-planet/index.html|access-date=6 March 2015}}{{cite news|date=6 March 2015|title=Nasa's Dawn probe achieves orbit around Ceres|work=BBC|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-31754586|access-date=6 March 2015}}
2015: NASA announced that liquid water had been found on Mars.{{Cite news|title=Evidence of liquid water found on Mars – BBC News|work=BBC News |date=13 April 2015 |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-32287609|access-date=23 June 2016|language=en-GB}}
2015: NASA's New Horizons probe became the first spacecraft to reach Pluto, completing its main mission.{{Cite web|title=Excite News – Pluto close-up: Spacecraft makes flyby of icy, mystery world|url=http://apnews.excite.com/article/20150714/us-sci--pluto-1a20f848e7.html|access-date=23 June 2016|website=apnews.excite.com}}
2015: SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket successfully landed after a launch, making it the first rocket to successfully return and perform a vertical landing.{{Cite web|date=22 December 2015|title=SpaceX Makes History: Falcon 9 Launches, Lands Vertically|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/innovation/spacex-makes-history-successfully-launches-lands-falcon-9-rocket-n483921|website=NBC News}}
2016: The ESA and Roscosmos launched the joint ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter on a mission to Mars.{{Cite news|last1=Amos|first1=Jonathan|date=14 March 2016|title=Mars TGO probe despatched on methane investigation – BBC News|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-35799792|access-date=24 June 2016}}
2016: SpaceX lands the first reusable rocket, a CRS-8 rocket on a droning platform at sea.
2016: NASA's Juno spacecraft enters orbit around Jupiter and begins a 20-month survey of the planet.{{Cite web|date=5 July 2016|title=Juno probe enters into orbit around Jupiter|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-36710768|access-date=5 July 2016|website=BBC}}
2016: Solar Impulse 2 becomes the first solar-powered aircraft to circumnavigate the Earth.{{cite web|date=26 July 2016|title=Solar Impulse completes historic round-the-world trip|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-36890563|access-date=26 July 2016|publisher=BBC}}
2016: Proxima Centauri b is discovered as closest exoplanet to Earth that may be habitable.{{cite news|last=Amos|first=Jonathan|date=24 August 2016|title=Neighbouring star Proxima Centauri has Earth-sized planet|work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-37167390}}
2016: NASA launches OSIRIS-REx, its first asteroid sample return mission. The probe will visit Bennu and is expected to return with samples in 2023.{{cite web|date=9 September 2016|title=NASA's OSIRIS-REx Speeds Toward Asteroid Rendezvous|url=https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-s-osiris-rex-speeds-toward-asteroid-rendezvous|access-date=9 September 2016|publisher=NASA}}{{cite news|date=9 September 2016|title=Asteroid probe begins seven-year quest|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-37309903|access-date=9 September 2016}}
2016: The Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope, the largest radio telescope in the world, built in Guizhou, China, makes its first light.
2018: SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket successfully performs its first flight. As of its launch it was the most powerful rocket in operation.{{cite news|last=Yuhas|first=Alan|date=6 February 2018|title=SpaceX Falcon Heavy launch: world's most powerful rocket blasts off – live|newspaper=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/science/live/2018/feb/06/spacex-falcon-heavy-launch-elon-musk-live-updates|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180206215645/https://www.theguardian.com/science/live/2018/feb/06/spacex-falcon-heavy-launch-elon-musk-live-updates|archive-date=6 February 2018}}
2018: NASA's Kepler mission ends after the spacecraft runs out of fuel.{{cite web|last1=Wall|first1=Mike|last2=October 30|first2=Space com Senior Writer|last3=ET|first3=2018 03:10pm|title=RIP, Kepler: NASA's Revolutionary Planet-Hunting Telescope Runs Out of Fuel|url=https://www.space.com/41363-kepler-exoplanet-hunting-telescope-dead.html|website=Space.com|date=30 October 2018 }}
2018: NASA's Dawn mission concludes after it runs out of hydrazine fuel.{{cite web|title=NASA's Dawn Mission to Asteroid Belt Comes to End|url=https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=7275|website=NASA/JPL}}
2019: Chinese probe Chang'e 4 becomes the first human-made object to land on the far side of the Moon.{{cite news|last=Moss|first=Trefor|date=3 January 2019|title=China Lands Probe on the 'Dark Side' of the Moon|work=The Wall Street Journal|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/china-lands-probe-on-dark-side-of-the-moon-11546493599|access-date=3 January 2019}}
2019: NASA concludes the 15-year Opportunity rover mission after being unable to wake the rover from hibernation.{{cite web|last1=Ryan|first1=Jackson|date=13 February 2019|title=NASA's history-making Mars rover Opportunity declared dead|url=https://www.cnet.com/news/nasa-history-making-mars-rover-opportunity-declared-dead/|access-date=14 February 2019|website=CNET}}
2019: The first image of the supermassive black hole inside galaxy Messier 87 was captured by the Event Horizon Telescope.{{cite magazine|last1=Grossman|first1=Lisa|last2=Conover|first2=Emily|date=10 April 2019|title=The first picture of a black hole opens a new era of astrophysics|url=https://www.sciencenews.org/article/black-hole-first-picture-event-horizon-telescope|magazine=Science News|access-date=11 April 2019}}

Computing and artificial intelligence

The number of internet users doubled from about 2 billion to about 4 billion, surpassing half the world population in 2018.{{cite web|url=https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Pages/stat/default.aspx|title=ITU – Statistics|access-date=9 December 2019}}
Smartphones became increasingly common due to a rapid increase in sales.{{cite web|url=https://www.statista.com/statistics/263437/global-smartphone-sales-to-end-users-since-2007/|title=Number of smartphones sold to end users worldwide from 2007 to 2020|access-date=9 December 2019}} Their applications and use time by the average user increased, too.{{cite web|url=https://newatlas.com/computers/smartphones-streaming-social-media-technology-decade-transformed-2010s/|title=Smartphones, streaming & social media: Tech that shaped us in the 2010s|date=4 December 2019}}
Google develops the world's first self-driving car to be licensed for use on public roads.{{cite web|url=https://www.waymo.com/journey/|title=Journey – Waymo}}{{Cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHbMt6WDhQ8 |title=Say hello to Waymo |website=YouTube |date=13 December 2016 |access-date=2019-12-05 |archive-date=2019-12-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191230224137/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHbMt6WDhQ8 |url-status=live }} It was the first driverless ride that was on a public road and was not accompanied by a test driver or police escort. The car had no steering wheel or floor pedals.{{cite web |url=http://www.complex.com/life/2016/12/blind-man-rides-self-driving-google-car-by-himself |title=Google Confirms First Ever Driverless Self-Driving Car Ride |first=Debbie |last=Encalada |publisher=Complex Media |date=December 14, 2016}}
In 2012, Google Chrome became the world's most used web browser, displacing former long-time frontrunner Internet Explorer.{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/internet/9280254/Google-Chrome-beats-Internet-Explorer-to-become-worlds-most-popular-web-browser.html|title=Google Chrome beats Internet Explorer to become world's most popular web browser|work=Telegraph|author=Matt Warman|access-date=27 May 2012|date=21 May 2012}}
Microsoft announces Windows Mixed Reality (previously Windows Holographic).
Quantum computers made rapid progress.{{cite web|url=https://www.quantamagazine.org/does-nevens-law-describe-quantum-computings-rise-20190618/ |title=A New Law to Describe Quantum Computing's Rise?|website=Quanta Magazine|date=June 18, 2019 |last=Hartnett |first=Kevin}} In 2019 Google announced to have achieved quantum supremacy,{{cite web|url=https://ai.googleblog.com/2019/10/quantum-supremacy-using-programmable.html|title=Quantum Supremacy Using a Programmable Superconducting Processor|date=23 October 2019|access-date=23 October 2019}}{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-50154993|title=Google claims 'quantum supremacy' for computer|date=23 October 2019|access-date=23 October 2019|publisher=BBC News}}{{cite journal|title=Hello quantum world! Google publishes landmark quantum supremacy claim|date=23 October 2019|journal=Nature|volume=574|issue=7779|pages=461–462|doi=10.1038/d41586-019-03213-z|pmid=31645740|last1=Gibney|first1=Elizabeth|bibcode=2019Natur.574..461G|doi-access=free}}{{cite journal|title=Quantum supremacy using a programmable superconducting processor|date=23 October 2019|journal=Nature|volume=574|issue=7779|pages=505–510|doi=10.1038/s41586-019-1666-5| arxiv=1910.11333|pmid=31645734|last1=Arute|first1=Frank|last2=Arya|first2=Kunal|display-authors=1|bibcode=2019Natur.574..505A|doi-access=free}} although this claim is disputed.{{cite web|url=https://www.ibm.com/blogs/research/2019/10/on-quantum-supremacy/|title=On "Quantum Supremacy"|date=21 October 2019|access-date=23 October 2019|publisher=IBM}}
During this decade artificial intelligence based on deep learning neural networks experienced rapid advancement, resulting in multiple practical applications in diverse fields such as speech and image recognition, social network moderation, virtual assistants, surveillance, healthcare or even art generation.{{Cite web|author=Rachel Metz|title=How AI came to rule our lives over the last decade|url=https://www.cnn.com/2019/12/21/tech/artificial-intelligence-decade/index.html|access-date=2020-11-17|website=CNN|date=21 December 2019 }} In 2016, Google artificial intelligence program AlphaGo beat human grandmaster in the game of Go for the first time.{{Cite magazine|title=AlphaGo's Designers Explore New AI After Winning Big in China|language=en-us|magazine=Wired|url=https://www.wired.com/2017/05/win-china-alphagos-designers-explore-new-ai/|access-date=2020-11-17|issn=1059-1028}}

=Legal issues=

In August 2010, Oracle sued Google for copyright and patent infringement over the use of Java-related technology in Google's popular Android operating system for smartphones and tablet computers. Oracle asserted Google was aware that they had developed Android without a Java license and copied its APIs, creating the copyright violation. Oracle cited patents related to the Java technology created by Sun and now owned by Oracle that Google should have been aware of.{{cite news | url=https://www.reuters.com/article/2010/08/13/us-google-oracle-android-lawsuit-idUKTRE67B5G720100813 | title=Oracle sues Google over Android | work=Reuters | date=August 13, 2010 | access-date=June 1, 2012 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150112215632/http://www.reuters.com/article/2010/08/13/us-google-oracle-android-lawsuit-idUKTRE67B5G720100813 | archive-date=January 12, 2015 }}{{cite web | url = https://www.cnet.com/news/oracle-sues-google-over-android-and-java/ | title = Oracle sues Google over Android and Java | first = Tom | last =Krazit | date = August 13, 2010 | access-date = March 28, 2018 | work = CNet }}
Following an unprecedented internet protest and blackout campaign in 2012 in which many popular websites took part, the widely criticised Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) bill was temporarily withdrawn in the US Congress, pending resolution of the issues identified.

=Software development=

Collaborative source code sharing website GitHub becomes in 2011 the world's most popular open source hosting site,{{cite web|work=ReadWriteWeb|access-date=26 May 2012|date=2 Jun 2011|author=Klint Finley|url=http://www.readwriteweb.com/hack/2011/06/github-has-passed-sourceforge.php|title=GitHub Has Surpassed Sourceforge and Google Code in Popularity|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120530022611/http://www.readwriteweb.com/hack/2011/06/github-has-passed-sourceforge.php|archive-date=2012-05-30|url-status=dead}} after in the previous decade attaining the title of the world's most popular Git hosting site.{{cite web|url=http://www.survs.com/WO/WebObjects/Survs.woa/wa/shareResults?survey=2PIMZGU0&rndm=678J66QRA2|title=Git User's Survey 2009|access-date=2012-05-26|archive-date=2018-02-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180221162111/https://survs.com/WO/WebObjects/Survs.woa/wa/shareResults?survey=2PIMZGU0&rndm=678J66QRA2|url-status=dead}}

Physics

2012: The Higgs boson is discovered, completing the discovery of particles of the Standard Model.{{cite web |last=O'Luanaigh |first=C. |date=14 March 2013 |title=New results indicate that new particle is a Higgs boson |url=http://home.web.cern.ch/about/updates/2013/03/new-results-indicate-new-particle-higgs-boson |publisher=CERN |access-date=2013-10-09}}{{cite press release |website=Media and Press relations |url=https://home.cern/news/news/cern/lhc-experiments-delve-deeper-precision|title=LHC experiments delve deeper into precision|date=11 July 2017 |publisher=CERN |access-date=2017-07-23}}
2016: Gravitational waves are detected for the first time.{{cite web|title=Gravitational Waves Detected 100 Years After Einstein's Prediction | url=https://www.ligo.caltech.edu/news/ligo20160211 |website=LIGO | date=11 February 2016 | access-date=13 February 2016}}{{cite journal |author=Abbott, B.P. |title=Observation of Gravitational Waves from a Binary Black Hole Merger |journal=Phys. Rev. Lett. |volume=116 |issue=6 |pages=061102 |year=2016 |doi=10.1103/PhysRevLett.116.061102 |display-authors=etal|bibcode=2016PhRvL.116f1102A |pmid=26918975|arxiv=1602.03837|s2cid=119286014 }}

Robotics and machine learning

In 2019, a robot is developed at MIT that can do multiple experiments in fluid dynamics at high speed.[https://techxplore.com/news/2019-12-intelligent-tank-automatically-year.html Intelligent tow tank automatically carries out 100,000 experiments in just one year] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191207004732/https://techxplore.com/news/2019-12-intelligent-tank-automatically-year.html |date=2019-12-07 }}, by Bob Yirka, DECEMBER 5, 2019.

Biology

=Organisms=

Researchers at Harvard report the creation of "cyborg organoids", which consist of 3D organoids grown from stem cells, with embedded sensors to measure activity in the developmental process.{{cite news |title=Cyborg organoids offer rare view into early stages of development |url=https://www.seas.harvard.edu/news/2019/08/cyborg-organoids-offer-rare-view-into-early-stages-of-development |date=8 August 2019 |work=Harvard|access-date=12 August 2019 }}

=Genetics=

In 2019, Scientists announce a new form of DNA, named Hachimoji DNA, composed of four natural and four unnatural nucleobases. Benefits of such an eight-base DNA system may include an enhanced ability to store digital data, as well as insights into what may be possible in the search for extraterrestrial life.{{cite journal |last=Hoshika |first=Shuichi |display-authors=etal |title=Hachimoji DNA and RNA: A genetic system with eight building blocks (paywall) |date=22 February 2019 |journal=Science |volume=363 |issue=6429 |pages=884–887 |doi=10.1126/science.aat0971 |pmid=30792304 |pmc=6413494 |bibcode=2019Sci...363..884H }}{{cite news |last=Zimmer |first=Carl |author-link=Carl Zimmer |title=DNA Gets a New{{Snd}} and Bigger{{Snd}} Genetic Alphabet |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/21/science/dna-hachimoji-genetic-alphabet.html |date=21 February 2019 |work=The New York Times |access-date=21 February 2019 }}
In 2019, Scientists report that the purportedly first-ever germline genetically edited humans, the twin babies Lulu and Nana, by Chinese researcher He Jiankui, may have inadvertently (or perhaps, intentionally{{cite news |last=Belluz |first=Julia |title=CRISPR babies: the Chinese government may have known more than it let on |url=https://www.vox.com/2019/3/4/18245864/chinese-scientist-crispr |date=4 March 2019 |work=Vox |access-date=6 March 2019 }}) had their brains enhanced.{{cite news |last=Regalado |first=Antonio |title=China's CRISPR twins might have had their brains inadvertently enhanced |url=https://www.technologyreview.com/s/612997/the-crispr-twins-had-their-brains-altered/ |date=21 February 2019 |work=MIT Technology Review |access-date=21 February 2019 }}
In 2019, Researchers design an inhalable form of messenger RNA aerosol that could be administered directly to the lungs to help treat diseases such as cystic fibrosis.{{cite news |title=Engineers create an inhalable form of messenger RNA|url=https://news.mit.edu/2019/inhalable-messenger-rna-lung-disease-0104 |date=4 January 2019 |work=MIT News |access-date=9 January 2019 }}

=Medicine=

In 2019, medical scientists announce that iridium attached to albumin, creating a photosensitized molecule, can penetrate cancer cells and, after being irradiated with light (a process called photodynamic therapy), destroy the cancer cells.{{cite news |author=University of Warwick |title=Simply shining light on dinosaur metal compound kills cancer cells |url=https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-02/uow-ssl013119.php |date=3 February 2019 |work=EurekAlert! |access-date=3 February 2019 |author-link=University of Warwick }}{{cite journal|author=Zhang, Pingyu|display-authors=et al |title=Nucleus-Targeted Organoiridium–Albumin Conjugate for Photodynamic Cancer Therapy |date=15 December 2018 |journal=Angewandte Chemie |volume=58 |issue=8 |pages=2350–2354 |doi=10.1002/anie.201813002 |pmid=30552796 |pmc=6468315 }}

Gallery

File:Wikipedia iPhone App.jpg|Smartphones, tablets, and other IoT devices surged in popularity during the 2010s, allowing easy access to the internet and mass media via mobile apps, social networking, and videotelephony. Growing sophistication and prevalence of IoT devices also spawned new debates over privacy, censorship, and over-dependence.

File:Voice Search Amazon Echo vs Google.webm|Over the course of the decade virtual assistant devices/apps enter the market.

File:Waymo self-driving car front view.gk.jpg|Google's autonomous car Waymo

File:Delivery drone.jpg|A drone used to make deliveries

File:Red self-balancing two-wheeled board with a person standing on it.png|The self-balancing scooter, invented in 2013 by the American inventor Shane Chen, became popular in the middle of the decade.

File:Robot 3D print timelapse on RepRapPro Fisher.gif|During the decade there was a significant increase in the sales of home 3D printers.

File:Pebble watch email 1.png|A smartwatch displaying an email message

File:Amsterdam 06 2015 1656 (2).jpg|Electric and hybrid vehicles started becoming popular in many countries in the Western world during the decade.

File:Bird scooters on the sidewalk in San Jose.jpg|Electric kick scooters saw a resurgence in popularity in the later half of the decade thanks to scooter-sharing services, part of a larger trend of shared mobility in Asia and the Western world.

File:Engage Lab.jpg|Virtual reality headset

File:Electronic-Cigarettes-E-Cigs-E-Cigarettes-Juul-Vape-Pod.jpg|E-cigarettes (Juul pods in image) saw a surge in popularity in the 2010s.

File:Historic cost of sequencing a human genome.svg|Total cost of sequencing a whole human genome greatly reduced, as calculated by the NHGRI.

References

Category:Science and technology by decade

Category:2010s-related lists