January–March 2020 in science#March

• 1 January
• Researchers demonstrate an artificial intelligence (AI) system, based on a Google DeepMind algorithm, that is capable of surpassing human experts in breast cancer detection.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.wired.co.uk/article/deepmind-google-ai-breast-cancer|title=DeepMind's new AI can spot breast cancer just as well as your doctor|magazine=Wired UK|date=1 January 2020|access-date=1 January 2020|publisher=Wired|last1=Kobie|first1=Nicole}}{{cite journal|title=International evaluation of an AI system for breast cancer screening|date=1 January 2020|journal=Nature|doi=10.1038/s41586-019-1799-6|pmid=31894144|last1=McKinney|first1=Scott Mayer|last2=Sieniek|first2=Marcin|last3=Godbole|first3=Varun|last4=Godwin|first4=Jonathan|last5=Antropova|first5=Natasha|last6=Ashrafian|first6=Hutan|last7=Back|first7=Trevor|last8=Chesus|first8=Mary|last9=Corrado|first9=Greg C.|last10=Darzi|first10=Ara|last11=Etemadi|first11=Mozziyar|last12=Garcia-Vicente|first12=Florencia|last13=Gilbert|first13=Fiona J.|last14=Halling-Brown|first14=Mark|last15=Hassabis|first15=Demis|last16=Jansen|first16=Sunny|last17=Karthikesalingam|first17=Alan|last18=Kelly|first18=Christopher J.|last19=King|first19=Dominic|last20=Ledsam|first20=Joseph R.|last21=Melnick|first21=David|last22=Mostofi|first22=Hormuz|last23=Peng|first23=Lily|last24=Reicher|first24=Joshua Jay|last25=Romera-Paredes|first25=Bernardino|last26=Sidebottom|first26=Richard|last27=Suleyman|first27=Mustafa|last28=Tse|first28=Daniel|last29=Young|first29=Kenneth C.|last30=De Fauw|first30=Jeffrey|volume=577|issue=7788|pages=89–94|bibcode=2020Natur.577...89M|hdl=10044/1/76203 |s2cid=209523468|url=https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/299195|display-authors=29|hdl-access=free}}
• Astrophysicist Ronald Mallett proposes a theoretical way of building a time machine, albeit with limitations, based on ring lasers and special and general relativity equations.{{cite news |last1=Street |first1=Francesca |title=Meet the scientist trying to travel back in time |url=https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/time-travel-ron-mallett-scn/index.html |access-date=29 February 2020 |work=CNN |language=en}}{{cite news |last=Houser |first=Kristin |title=Astrophysicist Says He Knows How to Build a Time Machine – But his peers are far from convinced that it'll work. |url=https://futurism.com/astrophysicist-build-time-machine-past |date=3 January 2020 |work=Futurism.om |access-date=3 January 2020 }}
• 3 January
• Astronomers report evidence that suggests that the planet Venus is currently volcanically active, and the residue from such activity may be a potential source of nutrients for possible microorganisms in the Venusian atmosphere, according to researchers.{{cite news |last=Hall |first=Sannon |title=Volcanoes on Venus Might Still Be Smoking – Planetary science experiments on Earth suggest that the sun's second planet might have ongoing volcanic activity. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/09/science/venus-volcanoes-active.html |date=9 January 2020 |work=The New York Times |access-date=10 January 2020 }}{{cite journal |author=Filiberto, Justin |title=Present-day volcanism on Venus as evidenced from weathering rates of olivine |date=3 January 2020 |journal=Science |volume=6 |pages=eaax7445 |number=1 |doi=10.1126/sciadv.aax7445 |pmid=31922004 |pmc=6941908 |bibcode=2020SciA....6.7445F }}{{cite journal |author=Limaye, Sanjay S. |title=Venus' Spectral Signatures and the Potential for Life in the Clouds |date=12 September 2018 |journal=Astrobiology |volume=18 |pages=1181–1198 |number=9 |doi=10.1089/ast.2017.1783 |pmid=29600875 |pmc=6150942 |bibcode=2018AsBio..18.1181L }}
• 3–5 January – Chinese virologist Zhang Yongzhen sequences the Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 genome.{{cite news|title=Nature's 10: ten people who helped shape science in 2020|url=https://www.nature.com/immersive/d41586-020-03435-6/index.htm |access-date=2021-01-11|work=Nature}}
• 6 January
• The American College of Physicians issues clinical guidelines for exogenous testosterone treatment in adult men with age-related low levels of testosterone. The guidelines are supported by the American Academy of Family Physicians.{{cite news |last=Parry |first=Nicola M. |title=New Guideline for Testosterone Treatment in Men With 'Low T' |url=https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/923449 |date=7 January 2020 |work=Medscape.com |access-date=7 January 2020 }}{{cite journal |author=Qaseem, Amir |display-authors=et al. |title=Testosterone Treatment in Adult Men With Age-Related Low Testosterone: A Clinical Guideline From the American College of Physicians |date=6 January 2020 |journal=Annals of Internal Medicine |volume=172 |issue=2 |pages=126–133 |doi=10.7326/M19-0882 |pmid=31905405 |doi-access=free }}
• NASA reports the discovery of TOI 700 d, the first Earth-sized exoplanet in the habitable zone discovered by the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). The exoplanet orbits the star TOI 700 101.4 light-years away in the Dorado constellation.{{cite news |last1=Andreolo |first1=Claire |last2=Cofield |first2=Calla |last3=Kazmierczak |first3=Jeanette |title=NASA Planet Hunter Finds Earth-Size Habitable-Zone World |url=https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=7569 |date=6 January 2020 |work=NASA |access-date=6 January 2020 }}{{Cite journal|last1=Rodriguez|first1=Joseph E.|last2=Vanderburg|first2=Andrew|last3=Zieba|first3=Sebastian|last4=Kreidberg|first4=Laura|last5=Morley|first5=Caroline V.|last6=Kane|first6=Stephen R.|last7=Spencer|first7=Alton|last8=Quinn|first8=Samuel N.|last9=Eastman|first9=Jason D.|last10=Cloutier|first10=Ryan|last11=Huang|first11=Chelsea X.|date=3 January 2020|title=The First Habitable Zone Earth-Sized Planet From TESS II: Spitzer Confirms TOI-700 d |journal=The Astronomical Journal|volume=160|issue=3|page=117|doi=10.3847/1538-3881/aba4b3|arxiv=2001.00954|bibcode=2020AJ....160..117R|s2cid=209862553 |doi-access=free }}
• Astronomers report that a repeating Fast Radio Burst (FRB) (namely, FRB 180916), the second such FRB precisely located, originated from a medium-sized spiral galaxy 500 million light-years away.{{cite news |last=Mann |first=Adam |title=Origin of Deep-Space Radio Flash Discovered, and It's Unlike Anything Astronomers Have Ever Seen – Things are only getting more confusing. |url=https://www.space.com/fast-radio-bursts-traced-to-origin.html |date=8 January 2020 |work=Space.com |access-date=8 January 2020 }}{{cite news |author=West Virginia University |title=In a nearby galaxy, a fast radio burst unravels more questions than answers |url=https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-01/wvu-ian010620.php |date=6 January 2020 |work=EurekAlert! |access-date=6 January 2020 |author-link=West Virginia University }}{{cite journal |last=Balles |first=Matthew |title=Not all fast radio bursts are created equal – Astronomical signals called fast radio bursts remain enigmatic, but a key discovery has now been made. A second repeating fast radio burst has been traced to its host galaxy, and its home bears little resemblance to that of the first. |date=6 January 2020 |journal=Nature |volume=577 |issue=7789 |pages=176–177 |doi=10.1038/d41586-019-03894-6 |pmid=31907452 |doi-access=free }}
• The Chinese paddlefish is found to be extinct after extensive surveys failed to find any living specimens, pending official IUCN confirmation.{{cite journal |last1=Zhang |first1=Hui |last2=Jarić |first2=Ivan |last3=Roberts |first3=David L. |last4=He |first4=Yongfeng |last5=Du |first5=Hao |last6=Wu |first6=Jinming |last7=Wang |first7=Chengyou |last8=Wei |first8=Qiwei |title=Extinction of one of the world's largest freshwater fishes: Lessons for conserving the endangered Yangtze fauna |journal=Science of the Total Environment |date=25 March 2020 |volume=710 |pages=136242 |doi=10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.136242 |pmid=31911255 |bibcode=2020ScTEn.71036242Z |s2cid=210086307 |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969719362382 |access-date=13 April 2020 |language=en |issn=0048-9697}}
• A rare circumbinary planet, called TOI 1338 b, is discovered by Wolf Cukier, a 17-year-old intern at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/york-teen-discovers-planet-interning-nasa/story?id=68169897|title=New York teen discovers new planet while interning with NASA|date=9 January 2020|access-date=11 January 2020|publisher=ABC News}}{{cite web |title=GMS: TESS Satellite Discovered Its First World Orbiting Two Stars |url=https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/13510 |website=svs.gsfc.nasa.gov |date=6 January 2020 |access-date=13 April 2020}}{{Cite journal|last1=Kostov|first1=Veselin B.|last2=Orosz|first2=Jerome A.|last3=Feinstein|first3=Adina D.|last4=Welsh|first4=William F.|last5=Cukier|first5=Wolf|last6=Haghighipour|first6=Nader|last7=Quarles|first7=Billy|last8=Martin|first8=David V.|last9=Montet|first9=Benjamin T.|last10=Torres|first10=Guillermo|last11=Triaud|first11=Amaury H. M. J.|date=7 May 2020|title=TOI-1338: TESS' First Transiting Circumbinary Planet|journal=The Astronomical Journal|volume=159|issue=6|pages=253|doi=10.3847/1538-3881/ab8a48|arxiv=2004.07783|bibcode=2020AJ....159..253K|issn=1538-3881|hdl=10023/20067|s2cid=215785933|hdl-access=free |doi-access=free }}

File:PIA23408-Exoplanet-TOI700d-20200106.jpg exoplanet in the habitable zone discovered by the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). The image shows concept art.]]

• 7 January
• Astronomers describe the "Radcliffe Wave", a large ribbon of gas extending 9,000 light years in length and flowing 500 light years above and below the galactic plane, with approximately three million solar masses.{{cite web|url=https://harvardmagazine.com/2020/01/intergalactic-radcliffe-wave|title=An Interstellar Ribbon of Clouds in the Sun's Backyard|date=7 January 2020|access-date=8 January 2020|publisher=Harvard}}{{cite news |title=Astronomers discover huge gaseous wave holding Milky Way's newest stars |url=https://www.theguardian.com/science/2020/jan/07/astronomers-discover-huge-gaseous-wave-holding-milky-ways-newest-stars |access-date=13 April 2020 |work=The Guardian |date=7 January 2020}}{{cite journal |last1=Alves |first1=João |last2=Zucker |first2=Catherine |last3=Goodman |first3=Alyssa A. |last4=Speagle |first4=Joshua S. |last5=Meingast |first5=Stefan |last6=Robitaille |first6=Thomas |last7=Finkbeiner |first7=Douglas P. |last8=Schlafly |first8=Edward F. |last9=Green |first9=Gregory M. |title=A Galactic-scale gas wave in the solar neighbourhood |journal=Nature |date=February 2020 |volume=578 |issue=7794 |pages=237–239 |doi=10.1038/s41586-019-1874-z |pmid=31910431 |arxiv=2001.08748 |bibcode=2020Natur.578..237A |s2cid=210086520 }}
• The National Science Foundation (NSF) renames the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) to the Vera C. Rubin Observatory (VRO) in honor of astronomer Vera Rubin who is notable for her pioneering work with galaxy rotation rates which provided evidence for the existence of dark matter.{{cite news |last=Overbye |first=Dennis |author-link=Dennis Overbye |title=Vera Rubin Gets a Telescope of Her Own – The astronomer missed her Nobel Prize. But she now has a whole new observatory to her name. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/11/science/vera-rubin-telescope-astronomy.html |date=11 January 2020 |work=The New York Times |access-date=11 January 2020 }}{{Cite web|url=https://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=299739|title=NSF-supported observatory renamed for astronomer Vera C. Rubin|website=www.nsf.gov|date=7 January 2020 |language=en|access-date=2020-01-07}}
• 8 January
• The American Cancer Society reports a 2.2% drop in the cancer death rate between 2016 and 2017, the largest single-year decline in mortality for this disease ever recorded in the United States.{{cite web|url=http://pressroom.cancer.org/CancerStats2020|title=Cancer Mortality Continues Steady Decline, Driven by Progress against Lung Cancer|date=8 January 2020|access-date=8 January 2020|publisher=American Cancer Society}}{{cite journal|title=Cancer statistics, 2020|journal=CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians|volume=70|issue=1|pages=7–30|date=8 January 2020|publisher=ACS Journals|doi=10.3322/caac.21590|pmid=31912902|last1=Siegel|first1=Rebecca L.|last2=Miller|first2=Kimberly D.|last3=Jemal|first3=Ahmedin|doi-access=free}}
• Scientists publish evidence from Siberian caves suggesting that summer sea ice in the Arctic Ocean plays an essential role in stabilising permafrost and its large store of carbon.{{cite web|url=https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/01/200108131657.htm|title=Sea-ice-free Arctic makes permafrost vulnerable to thawing|date=8 January 2020|access-date=10 January 2020|publisher=Science Daily}}{{cite journal |last1=Vaks |first1=A. |last2=Mason |first2=A. J. |last3=Breitenbach |first3=S. F. M. |last4=Kononov |first4=A. M. |last5=Osinzev |first5=A. V. |last6=Rosensaft |first6=M. |last7=Borshevsky |first7=A. |last8=Gutareva |first8=O. S. |last9=Henderson |first9=G. M. |title=Palaeoclimate evidence of vulnerable permafrost during times of low sea ice |journal=Nature |date=January 2020 |volume=577 |issue=7789 |pages=221–225 |doi=10.1038/s41586-019-1880-1 |pmid=31915398 |bibcode=2020Natur.577..221V |s2cid=210118901 |url=http://nrl.northumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/41917/1/Vaks_et_al_Revised_Manuscript_with_Methods_26_09_2019.pdf }}
• 10 January – Scientists report the discovery of the oldest known occurrence of an animal digestive tract, found in fossils, unearthed near Pahrump, Nevada, of Cloudinidae, an extinct wormlike organism that lived during the late Ediacaran period about 550 million years ago.{{cite news |last=Joel |first=Lucas |title=Fossil Reveals Earth's Oldest Known Animal Guts – The find in a Nevada desert revealed an intestine inside a creature that looks like a worm made of a stack of ice cream cones. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/10/science/fossil-guts-intestines.html |date=10 January 2020 |work=The New York Times |access-date=10 January 2020 }}{{cite journal |author=Schiffbauer, James D. |display-authors=et al. |title=Discovery of bilaterian-type through-guts in cloudinomorphs from the terminal Ediacaran Period |date=10 January 2020 |journal=Nature Communications |volume=11 |pages=205 |number=205 |doi=10.1038/s41467-019-13882-z |pmid=31924764 |pmc=6954273 |bibcode=2020NatCo..11..205S }}
• 11 January – After a three-year trial that included testing, commissioning, calibrations and operations authorities declare that China's FAST telescope – the world's largest filled-aperture radio telescope – is starting formal operations after it passed its national acceptance test.{{cite web|url=http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2020-01/11/c_138696939.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200112045454/http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2020-01/11/c_138696939.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=12 January 2020|title=World's largest radio telescope starts formal operation|website=Xinhua|date=9 March 2020}}

File:Murchison crop.jpg on Earth found so far are Murchison meteorite particles that have been determined to be 7 billion years old, billions of years older than the 4.54 billion years age of the Earth.]]

• 13 January
• A study finds that ocean temperatures were at a record high in 2019 and underwent the largest single-year increase of the decade.{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jan/13/ocean-temperatures-hit-record-high-as-rate-of-heating-accelerates|title=Ocean temperatures hit record high as rate of heating accelerates |date=13 January 2020|access-date=13 January 2020|work=The Guardian}}{{cite web|url=https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-01/ioap-row010920.php|title=Record-setting ocean warmth continued in 2019 |date=13 January 2020|access-date=13 January 2020|publisher=EurekAlert!}}{{cite journal|title=Record-Setting Ocean Warmth Continued in 2019|date=13 January 2020|journal=Advances in Atmospheric Sciences|volume=37|issue=2|pages=137–142|doi=10.1007/s00376-020-9283-7|last1=Cheng|first1=Lijing|last2=Abraham|first2=John|last3=Zhu|first3=Jiang|last4=Trenberth|first4=Kevin E.|last5=Fasullo|first5=John|last6=Boyer|first6=Tim|last7=Locarnini|first7=Ricardo|last8=Zhang|first8=Bin|last9=Yu|first9=Fujiang|last10=Wan|first10=Liying|last11=Chen|first11=Xingrong|last12=Song|first12=Xiangzhou|last13=Liu|first13=Yulong|last14=Mann|first14=Michael E.|bibcode=2020AdAtS..37..137C|doi-access=free}}
• Astronomers report that the oldest material on Earth found so far are Murchison meteorite particles that have been determined to be 7 billion years old, billions of years older than the 4.54 billion years age of the Earth itself.{{cite news |last=Weisberger |first=Mindy |title=7 Billion-Year-Old Stardust Is Oldest Material Found on Earth – Some of these ancient grains are billions of years older than our sun. |url=https://www.livescience.com/oldest-material-on-earth.html |date=13 January 2020 |work=Live Science |access-date=13 January 2020 }}{{cite journal |author=Heck, Philipp R. |display-authors=et al. |title=Lifetimes of interstellar dust from cosmic ray exposure ages of presolar silicon carbide |date=13 January 2020 |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America |volume=117 |issue=4 |pages=1884–1889 |doi=10.1073/pnas.1904573117 |pmid=31932423 |pmc=6995017 |bibcode=2020PNAS..117.1884H |doi-access=free }}
• 15 January
• Astronomers report, for the first time, the origin of phosphorus, an essential element of life as we know it. Phosphorus was found to be initially formed in star-forming regions, and carried by comets, in the form of phosphorus monoxide, throughout outer space, including the early Earth.{{cite news |author=ESO |title=Astronomers reveal interstellar thread of one of life's building blocks |url=https://phys.org/news/2020-01-astronomers-reveal-interstellar-thread-life.html |date=15 January 2020 |work=Phys.org |access-date=15 January 2020 }}{{cite journal |author=Rivilla, V. M. |display-authors=et al |title=ALMA and ROSINA detections of phosphorus-bearing molecules: the interstellar thread between star-forming regions and comets|journal=Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society |volume=492 |issue=1 |pages=1180–1198 |arxiv=1911.11647 |doi=10.1093/mnras/stz3336 |year=2020 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2020MNRAS.492.1180R |s2cid=208290964 }}
• Scientists report that Candidatus Prometheoarchaeum syntrophicum, a type of Asgard archaea microorganism, may be a possible link between simple prokaryotic and complex eukaryotic microorganisms about two billion years ago.{{cite news |last=Zimmer |first=Carl |title=This Strange Microbe May Mark One of Life's Great Leaps – A organism living in ocean muck offers clues to the origins of the complex cells of all animals and plants. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/15/science/cells-eukaryotes-archaea.html |date=15 January 2020 |work=The New York Times |access-date=15 January 2020 }}{{cite journal |author=Imachi, Hiroyuki |display-authors=et al. |title=Isolation of an archaeon at the prokaryote–eukaryote interface |date=15 January 2020 |journal=Nature |volume=577 |issue=7791 |pages=519–525 |doi=10.1038/s41586-019-1916-6 |pmid=31942073 |pmc=7015854 |bibcode=2020Natur.577..519I }}
• Paleontologists report the discovery of Wulong bohaiensis, Chinese for "dancing dragon," a very small feathered dinosaur that lived 120 million years ago, and that may help better explain the link between non-avian dinosaurs and avian dinosaurs (birds).{{cite news |last=Hodge |first=Rae |title=Pocket-size raptor sheds new light on the links between dino and bird life – This "dancing dragon," a new species of feathered dinosaur, was discovered in one of the richest fossil deposits in the world. |url=https://www.cnet.com/news/pocket-size-raptor-sheds-new-light-on-links-between-dino-and-bird-life/ |date=17 January 2020 |work=CNET |access-date=19 January 2020 }}{{cite news |last=Rayne |first=Elizabeth |title=This New Dinosaur Just Called It: Even Featured Birds Were Nothing Like Birds |url=https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/new-dinosaur-proves-feathered-dinos-werent-birds |date=18 January 2020 |work=SyfyWire |access-date=19 January 2020 }}{{cite journal |last1=Poust |first1=AW |last2=Gao |first2=C |last3=Varricchio |first3=DJ |last4=Wu |first4=J |last5=Zhang |first5=F |title=A new microraptorine theropod from the Jehol Biota and growth in early dromaeosaurids |journal=The Anatomical Record |volume=303 |issue=4 |pages=963–987 |publisher=American Association for Anatomy |date=15 January 2020 |doi=10.1002/ar.24343 |pmid=31943887 |s2cid=210334980 |doi-access=free }}

File:Impact event.jpg about 66 million years ago was mostly a result of a meteorite impact, the Chicxulub impactor, and not volcanism.]]

• 16 January
• Scientists report that the extinction of the non-avian dinosaurs about 66 million years ago was mostly a result of a meteorite impact (the Chicxulub impactor) and not a result of volcanism.{{cite news |last=Joel |first=Lucas |title=Meteorite or Volcano? New Clues to the Dinosaurs' Demise – Twin calamities marked the end of the Cretaceous period, and scientists are presenting new evidence of which drove one of Earth's great extinctions. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/16/science/dinosaurs-extinction-meteorite-volcano.html |date=16 January 2020 |work=The New York Times |access-date=17 January 2020 }}{{cite journal |author=Hull, Picncelli M. |display-authors=et al. |title=On impact and volcanism across the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary |date=17 January 2020 |journal=Science |volume=367 |issue=6475 |pages=266–272 |doi=10.1126/science.aay5055 |pmid=31949074 |bibcode=2020Sci...367..266H |s2cid=210698721 |url=https://escholarship.org/content/qt5sr2q5tr/qt5sr2q5tr.pdf?t=q4ib9s |hdl=20.500.11820/483a2e77-318f-476a-8fec-33a45fbdc90b |hdl-access=free }} In a study published on 29 June other researchers also conclude that the asteroid impact was the main driver of this extinction.{{cite news |title=Asteroid impact, not volcanoes, made the Earth uninhabitable for dinosaurs |url=https://phys.org/news/2020-06-asteroid-impact-volcanoes-earth-uninhabitable.html |access-date=6 July 2020 |work=phys.org |language=en}}{{cite journal |last1=Chiarenza |first1=Alfio Alessandro |last2=Farnsworth |first2=Alexander |last3=Mannion |first3=Philip D. |last4=Lunt |first4=Daniel J. |last5=Valdes |first5=Paul J. |last6=Morgan |first6=Joanna V.|author6-link= Joanna Morgan |last7=Allison |first7=Peter A. |title=Asteroid impact, not volcanism, caused the end-Cretaceous dinosaur extinction |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |date=24 June 2020 |volume=117 |issue=29 |pages=17084–17093 |doi=10.1073/pnas.2006087117 |pmid=32601204 |pmc=7382232 |bibcode=2020PNAS..11717084C |language=en |issn=0027-8424|doi-access=free }}
• The giant squid genome is sequenced for the first time.{{cite web|url=https://eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-01/mbl-tml011320.php|title=The mysterious, legendary giant squid's genome is revealed|date=16 January 2020|access-date=17 January 2020|publisher=EurekAlert!}}{{cite journal |last1=da Fonseca |first1=Rute R. |last2=Couto |first2=Alvarina |last3=Machado |first3=Andre M. |last4=Brejova |first4=Brona |last5=Albertin |first5=Carolin B. |last6=Silva |first6=Filipe |last7=Gardner |first7=Paul |last8=Baril |first8=Tobias |last9=Hayward |first9=Alex |last10=Campos |first10=Alexandre |last11=Ribeiro |first11=Ângela M. |last12=Barrio-Hernandez |first12=Inigo |last13=Hoving |first13=Henk-Jan |last14=Tafur-Jimenez |first14=Ricardo |last15=Chu |first15=Chong |last16=Frazão |first16=Barbara |last17=Petersen |first17=Bent |last18=Peñaloza |first18=Fernando |last19=Musacchia |first19=Francesco |last20=Alexander |first20=Graham C. |last21=Osório |first21=Hugo |last22=Winkelmann |first22=Inger |last23=Simakov |first23=Oleg |last24=Rasmussen |first24=Simon |last25=Rahman |first25=M. Ziaur |last26=Pisani |first26=Davide |last27=Vinther |first27=Jakob |last28=Jarvis |first28=Erich |last29=Zhang |first29=Guojie |last30=Strugnell |first30=Jan M. |last31=Castro |first31=L. Filipe C. |last32=Fedrigo |first32=Olivier |last33=Patricio |first33=Mateus |last34=Li |first34=Qiye |last35=Rocha |first35=Sara |last36=Antunes |first36=Agostinho |last37=Wu |first37=Yufeng |last38=Ma |first38=Bin |last39=Sanges |first39=Remo |last40=Vinar |first40=Tomas |last41=Blagoev |first41=Blagoy |last42=Sicheritz-Ponten |first42=Thomas |last43=Nielsen |first43=Rasmus |last44=Gilbert |first44=M. Thomas P. |title=A draft genome sequence of the elusive giant squid, Architeuthis dux |journal=GigaScience |date=1 January 2020 |volume=9 |issue=1 |doi=10.1093/gigascience/giz152 |pmid=31942620 |pmc=6962438 |url=|language=en}}
• Quantum physicists report the first direct splitting of one photon into three using spontaneous parametric down-conversion and which may have applications in quantum technology.{{cite web |title=Quantum researchers able to split one photon into three |url=https://phys.org/news/2020-02-quantum-photon.html |website=phys.org |access-date=9 March 2020 |language=en-us}}{{cite journal |last1=Chang |first1=C. W. Sandbo |last2=Sabín |first2=Carlos |last3=Forn-Díaz |first3=P. |last4=Quijandría |first4=Fernando |last5=Vadiraj |first5=A. M. |last6=Nsanzineza |first6=I. |last7=Johansson |first7=G. |last8=Wilson |first8=C. M. |title=Observation of Three-Photon Spontaneous Parametric Down-Conversion in a Superconducting Parametric Cavity |journal=Physical Review X |date=16 January 2020 |volume=10 |issue=1 |pages=011011 |doi=10.1103/PhysRevX.10.011011|arxiv=1907.08692 |bibcode=2020PhRvX..10a1011C |doi-access=free }}

File:Platypus.jpg is at risk of extinction.]]

• 17 January – For the first time, scientists report a video of atoms bonding and separating.{{cite news |author=Staff |title=Scientists Capture First-Ever Video of Atoms Bonding and Separating |url=https://www.yahoo.com/news/scientists-capture-first-ever-video-104058305.html |date=22 January 2020 |work=Yahoo News |access-date=23 January 2020 }}{{cite journal |author=Cao, Kecheng |display-authors=et al. |title=Imaging an unsupported metal–metal bond in dirhenium molecules at the atomic scale |date=17 January 2020 |journal=Science Advances |volume=6 |pages=eaay5849 |number=3 |doi=10.1126/sciadv.aay5849 |pmid=32010771 |pmc=6968940 |bibcode=2020SciA....6.5849C }}
• 20 January
• Astronomers, using X-ray reverberation echo mapping techniques, report the mass and spin, for the first time, of a supermassive black hole, particularly the black hole in the middle of the IRAS 13224-3809 galaxy located about 1 billion light-years from Earth.{{cite news |last=Drake |first=Nadia |author-link=Nadia Drake |title=Astronomers just got a deep peek at a black hole – Using a technique akin to echolocation, scientists were able to map the region around a distant black hole's event horizon in unprecedented detail. |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2020/01/astronomers-just-got-deep-peek-at-black-hole-xray-newton/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200120213025/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2020/01/astronomers-just-got-deep-peek-at-black-hole-xray-newton/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=20 January 2020 |date=20 January 2020 |work=National Geographic Society |access-date=20 January 2020 }}{{cite journal |author=Alston, William N. |display-authors=et al. |title=A dynamic black hole corona in an active galaxy through X-ray reverberation mapping |date=20 January 2020 |journal=Nature Astronomy |volume=4 |issue=6 |pages=597–602 |doi=10.1038/s41550-019-1002-x |bibcode=2020NatAs...4..597A |arxiv=2001.06454 |s2cid=210713866 }}
• COVID-19 pandemic: Chinese authorities first publicly confirm that there is human-to-human transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2.{{cite web|title=Covid-19: Five days that shaped the outbreak|first=Jane|last=McMullen|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-55756452|date=25 January 2021|access-date=25 January 2021}}
• 21 January
• Scientists report that the oldest recognised asteroid impact occurred in Western Australia more than 2.2 billion years ago and that it might have ended the ice age at that time.{{cite news |last=Kornel |first=Katherine |title=Earth's Oldest Asteroid Impact Found in Australia – The cataclysm, which occurred roughly 2.2 billion years ago, might have catapulted the planet out of an ice age. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/21/science/oldest-asteroid-impact-australia.html |date=21 January 2020 |work=The New York Times |access-date=22 January 2020 }}{{cite journal |author=Erikson, Timmons M. |display-authors=et al. |title=Precise radiometric age establishes Yarrabubba, Western Australia, as Earth's oldest recognised meteorite impact structure |date=21 January 2020 |journal=Nature Communications |volume=11 |issue=300 |pages=300 |doi=10.1038/s41467-019-13985-7 |pmid=31964860 |pmc=6974607 |bibcode=2020NatCo..11..300E }}
• A study finds record high emissions of the potent greenhouse gas, HFC-23.{{cite web|url=http://bristol.ac.uk/news/2020/january/hfc-23-emissions-.html|title=Emissions of potent greenhouse gas have grown, contradicting reports of huge reductions

|date=21 January 2020|access-date=21 January 2020|publisher=University of Bristol}}{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jan/21/study-finds-shock-rise-in-levels-of-potent-greenhouse-gas-hfc-23|title=Study finds shock rise in levels of potent greenhouse gas|date=21 January 2020|access-date=21 January 2020|work=The Guardian}}{{cite journal |last1=Stanley |first1=K. M. |last2=Say |first2=D. |last3=Mühle |first3=J. |last4=Harth |first4=C. M. |last5=Krummel |first5=P. B. |last6=Young |first6=D. |last7=O'Doherty |first7=S. J. |last8=Salameh |first8=P. K. |last9=Simmonds |first9=P. G. |last10=Weiss |first10=R. F. |last11=Prinn |first11=R. G. |last12=Fraser |first12=P. J. |last13=Rigby |first13=M. |title=Increase in global emissions of HFC-23 despite near-total expected reductions |journal=Nature Communications |date=21 January 2020 |volume=11 |issue=1 |pages=397 |doi=10.1038/s41467-019-13899-4 |pmid=31964859 |pmc=6972758 |bibcode=2020NatCo..11..397S |language=en |issn=2041-1723}}

• Researchers present evidence that the platypus is at risk of extinction, due to a combination of water resource development, land clearing, climate change and increasingly severe periods of drought.{{cite web|url=https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-01/uons-pob011920.php|title=Platypus on brink of extinction|date=21 January 2020|access-date=22 January 2020|work=EurekAlert!}}{{cite journal |last1=Bino |first1=Gilad |last2=Kingsford |first2=Richard T. |last3=Wintle |first3=Brendan A. |title=A stitch in time – Synergistic impacts to platypus metapopulation extinction risk |journal=Biological Conservation |date=1 February 2020 |volume=242 |pages=108399 |doi=10.1016/j.biocon.2019.108399 |s2cid=213833757 |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0006320719312601 |access-date=13 April 2020 |language=en |issn=0006-3207}}
• Researchers develop a single molecule that can absorb sunlight from the entire visible spectrum for the production of the fuel hydrogen, harnessing more than 50% more solar energy than current solar cells can.{{cite web|url=https://phys.org/news/2020-01-harness-entire-spectrum-sunlight.html|title=Researchers find a way to harness the entire spectrum of sunlight|date=21 January 2020|access-date=22 January 2020|work=Phys.org}}{{cite journal |last1=Whittemore |first1=T. J. |last2=Xue |first2=C. |last3=Huang |first3=J. |last4=Gallucci |first4=J. C. |last5=Turro |first5=C. |title=Single-chromophore single-molecule photocatalyst for the production of dihydrogen using low-energy light |journal=Nature Chemistry |date=February 2020 |volume=12 |issue=2 |pages=180–185 |doi=10.1038/s41557-019-0397-4 |pmid=31959960 |bibcode=2020NatCh..12..180W |s2cid=210833426 }}
• A study by researchers finds that man-made ozone-depleting substances (ODS) caused the largest share of Arctic warming, one-third of global warming and roughly half of Arctic warming and sea ice loss from 1955 to 2005.{{cite news |title=Closing the Ozone Hole Helped Slow Arctic Warming |url=https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/closing-the-ozone-hole-helped-slow-arctic-warming/ |access-date=1 July 2020 |work=Scientific American |language=en}}{{cite journal |last1=Polvani |first1=L. M. |last2=Previdi |first2=M. |last3=England |first3=M. R. |last4=Chiodo |first4=G. |last5=Smith |first5=K. L. |title=Substantial twentieth-century Arctic warming caused by ozone-depleting substances |journal=Nature Climate Change |date=February 2020 |volume=10 |issue=2 |pages=130–133 |doi=10.1038/s41558-019-0677-4 |bibcode=2020NatCC..10..130P |s2cid=210835010 }}

File:SARS-CoV-2 without background.png SARS-CoV-2.]]

• 22 January – China releases a large amount of data and high-resolution images from the lander and rover of the Chang'e 4 mission which has been studying the far side of the Moon since 3 January 2019.{{cite news |last=Jones |first=Andrew |title=China releases huge batch of amazing Chang'e-4 images from moon's far side |url=https://www.space.com/china-moon-far-side-lander-rover-photos-14th-lunar-day.html |date=22 January 2020 |work=Space.com |access-date=22 January 2020 }}
• 23 January
• Researchers announce the first replication of a vocal tract and voice simulation of an Egyptian mummy (the priest Nesyamun).{{cite web|url=https://www.sciencenews.org/article/3d-printed-vocal-tract-ancient-mummy-voice-speak-beyond-grave|title=A 3-D printed vocal tract lets an ancient mummy speak from beyond the grave|date=23 January 2020|access-date=25 January 2020|work=ScienceNews.org}}{{cite journal |last1=Howard |first1=D. M. |last2=Schofield |first2=J. |last3=Fletcher |first3=J. |last4=Baxter |first4=K. |last5=Iball |first5=G. R. |last6=Buckley |first6=S. A. |title=Synthesis of a Vocal Sound from the 3,000 year old Mummy, Nesyamun 'True of Voice' |journal=Scientific Reports |date=23 January 2020 |volume=10 |issue=1 |pages=45000 |doi=10.1038/s41598-019-56316-y |pmid=31974412 |pmc=6978302 |bibcode=2020NatSR..1045000H |language=en |issn=2045-2322}}
• Marine biologists announce new findings that provide evidence that genus Hemiscyllium – also known as "walking sharks" as they can walk on land – was the newest genus of sharks in terms of historical findings on biological evolution.[http://www.sci-news.com/biology/walking-sharks-08043.html Marine Biologists Solve Mystery of How 'Walking' Sharks Split], 23 January 2020 by Natali Anderson, An international team of marine biologists has found that members of the genus Hemiscyllium are the 'youngest' — as in, the most recently evolved – sharks to ever walk (or swim) our planet.{{cite journal |last1=Dudgeon |first1=Christine L. |last2=Corrigan |first2=Shannon |last3=Yang |first3=Lei |last4=Allen |first4=Gerry R. |last5=Erdmann |first5=Mark V. |last6=Sugeha |first6=Hagi Y. |last7=White |first7=William T. |last8=Naylor |first8=Gavin J. P. |title=Walking, swimming or hitching a ride? Phylogenetics and biogeography of the walking shark genus Hemiscyllium |journal=Marine and Freshwater Research |date=21 January 2020 |volume=71 |issue=9 |page=1107 |doi=10.1071/MF19163 |s2cid=213441621 |url=https://www.publish.csiro.au/MF/MF19163 |access-date=13 April 2020 |language=en |issn=1448-6059}}
• 24 January – For the first time, scientists discover mitochondria existing in human blood that are not part of larger cells.[http://www.sci-news.com/biology/cell-free-mitochondria-human-blood-08051.html Scientists Find Cell-Free Mitochondria in Human Blood]. 24 January 2020 by Enrico de Lazaro. Mitochondria are considered as the power-generating units of the cell due to their key role in energy metabolism and intercellular communication. However, cell-derived mitochondrial components could be found in the extracellular space, as fragments or encapsulated in vesicles. Now, a team of researchers has demonstrated that human blood contains whole functional mitochondria in normal physiological state.[https://newatlas.com/biology/unexpected-new-component-discovered-bloodstream/ Unexpected new component discovered circulating in bloodstream], New Atlas{{cite journal |last1=Dache |first1=Zahra Al Amir |last2=Otandault |first2=Amaëlle |last3=Tanos |first3=Rita |last4=Pastor |first4=Brice |last5=Meddeb |first5=Romain |last6=Sanchez |first6=Cynthia |last7=Arena |first7=Giuseppe |last8=Lasorsa |first8=Laurence |last9=Bennett |first9=Andrew |last10=Grange |first10=Thierry |last11=Messaoudi |first11=Safia El |last12=Mazard |first12=Thibault |last13=Prevostel |first13=Corinne |last14=Thierry |first14=Alain R. |title=Blood contains circulating cell-free respiratory competent mitochondria |journal=The FASEB Journal |date=2020 |volume=34 |issue=3 |pages=3616–3630 |doi=10.1096/fj.201901917RR |pmid=31957088 |language=en |issn=1530-6860|doi-access=free }}
• 27 January
• A new species of dinosaur is discovered, Allosaurus jimmadseni, from genus Allosaurus.[http://www.sci-news.com/paleontology/allosaurus-jimmadseni-08054.html New Species of Carnivorous Dinosaur Unveiled: Allosaurus jimmadseni] 27 January 2020 by Enrico de Lazaro. A new species of carnivorous theropod dinosaur has been identified from the fossilized remains discovered in the 1990s in northeastern Utah and Wyoming, the United States.{{cite journal |last1=Chure |first1=Daniel J. |last2=Loewen |first2=Mark A. |title=Cranial anatomy of Allosaurus jimmadseni, a new species from the lower part of the Morrison Formation (Upper Jurassic) of Western North America |journal=PeerJ |date=24 January 2020 |volume=8 |pages=e7803 |doi=10.7717/peerj.7803 |pmid=32002317 |pmc=6984342 |language=en |issn=2167-8359 |doi-access=free }}
• Scientists demonstrate a "Trojan horse" designer-nanoparticle that makes blood cells eat away – from the inside out – portions of atherosclerotic plaque that cause heart attacks{{cite web|url=https://msutoday.msu.edu/news/2020/nanoparticle-chomps-away-plaques-that-cause-heart-attacks/|title=Nanoparticle chomps away plaques that cause heart attacks|date=27 January 2020|access-date=31 January 2020|publisher=Michigan State University}}{{cite web |title=Nanoparticle helps eat away deadly arterial plaque |url=https://newatlas.com/medical/nanoparticle-eats-arterial-plaque/ |website=New Atlas |access-date=13 April 2020 |date=28 January 2020}}{{cite journal |last1=Flores |first1=Alyssa M. |last2=Hosseini-Nassab |first2=Niloufar |last3=Jarr |first3=Kai-Uwe |last4=Ye |first4=Jianqin |last5=Zhu |first5=Xingjun |last6=Wirka |first6=Robert |last7=Koh |first7=Ai Leen |last8=Tsantilas |first8=Pavlos |last9=Wang |first9=Ying |last10=Nanda |first10=Vivek |last11=Kojima |first11=Yoko |last12=Zeng |first12=Yitian |last13=Lotfi |first13=Mozhgan |last14=Sinclair |first14=Robert |last15=Weissman |first15=Irving L. |last16=Ingelsson |first16=Erik |last17=Smith |first17=Bryan Ronain |last18=Leeper |first18=Nicholas J. |title=Pro-efferocytic nanoparticles are specifically taken up by lesional macrophages and prevent atherosclerosis |journal=Nature Nanotechnology |date=February 2020 |volume=15 |issue=2 |pages=154–161 |doi=10.1038/s41565-019-0619-3 |pmid=31988506 |bibcode=2020NatNa..15..154F |pmc=7254969 }} and are the current most common cause of death globally.{{cite web |title=Fundamental beliefs about atherosclerosis overturned: Complications of artery-hardening condition are number one killer worldwide |url=https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/07/150706123730.htm |website=ScienceDaily |language=en}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/the-top-10-causes-of-death|title=The top 10 causes of death|website=www.who.int|language=en|access-date=2020-01-26}}
• 28 January – A new study finds that many of Earth's biodiverse ecosystems are in danger of collapse. The study mapped over 100 high-risk ecosystems and habitats in specific locations, and notes the highly detrimental patterns in each one that result from climate change and local human activities.[https://thehill.com/changing-america/sustainability/climate-change/480287-study-earths-most-biodiverse-ecosystems-face New study says Earth's most biodiverse ecosystems facing collapse. A new study mapped more than 100 locations where extreme weather events have affected forests and coral reefs. By Joseph Guzman, thehill.com, Jan 28, 2020. ][https://news.yahoo.com/climate-change-tropical-reef-biodiversity-collapse-183622306.html Climate change, heatwaves and humans are 'sparking a collapse in reefs and forests'], by Rob Waugh, 27 January 2020, Yahoo News.{{cite journal |last1=França |first1=Filipe M. |last2=Benkwitt |first2=Cassandra E. |last3=Peralta |first3=Guadalupe |last4=Robinson |first4=James P. W. |last5=Graham |first5=Nicholas A. J. |last6=Tylianakis |first6=Jason M. |last7=Berenguer |first7=Erika |last8=Lees |first8=Alexander C. |last9=Ferreira |first9=Joice |last10=Louzada |first10=Júlio |last11=Barlow |first11=Jos |title=Climatic and local stressor interactions threaten tropical forests and coral reefs |journal=Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences |date=16 March 2020 |volume=375 |issue=1794 |pages=20190116 |doi=10.1098/rstb.2019.0116 |pmid=31983328 |pmc=7017775 |url=https://e-space.mmu.ac.uk/624950/1/Fran%C3%A7a_et_al%282019%29PTRSB_PREPRINT.pdf}}
• 31 January – Scientists and journalists report overviews of the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 outbreak, later classified as a pandemic, including on the infectability, mortality rate, incubation time, worldwide ability to contain the outbreak, and estimated time for a vaccine (along with a comparison with other similar outbreaks).{{cite news |last1=Sheikh |first1=Knvul |last2=Watkins |first2=Derek |last3=Wu |first3=Jin |last4=Gröndahl |first4=Mika |title=How Bad Will the Coronavirus Outbreak Get? Here Are 6 Key Factors |url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/world/asia/china-coronavirus-contain.html |date=31 January 2020 |work=The New York Times |access-date=31 January 2020 }}{{cite news |author=Staff |title=2019 Novel Coronavirus |url=https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/index.html |date=30 January 2020 |work=Centers for Disease Control and Prevention |access-date=31 January 2020 }}{{cite news |author=Staff |title=Statement on the second meeting of the International Health Regulations (2005) Emergency Committee regarding the outbreak of novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) |url=https://www.who.int/news-room/detail/30-01-2020-statement-on-the-second-meeting-of-the-international-health-regulations-(2005)-emergency-committee-regarding-the-outbreak-of-novel-coronavirus-(2019-ncov) |date=30 January 2020 |work=World Health Organization |access-date=31 January 2020 }}

File:AntarcticaTemps 1957-2006.jpg. The image shows the warming trend 1957 to 2006.]]

• 3 February – Astronomers report in a preprint, later published in a journal in June, that, for the first time, repeating pulses from a source of fast radio bursts seem to have a regular periodicity, particularly FRB 180916, about 500 million light years from Earth, which have been found to have a {{val|16.35|+0.18|-0.18}}-day pulse cycle.{{cite news |last=Ferreira |first=Becky |title=Something in Deep Space Is Sending Signals to Earth in Steady 16-Day Cycles – Scientists have discovered the first fast radio burst that beats at a steady rhythm, and the mysterious repeating signal is coming from the outskirts of another galaxy. |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/something-in-deep-space-is-sending-signals-to-earth-in-steady-16-day-cycles/ |date=7 February 2020 |work=Vice |access-date=8 February 2020 }}{{cite arXiv |last1=Lyutikov |first1=Maxim |last2=Barkov |first2=Maxim |last3=Giannios |first3=Dimitrios |title=FRB-periodicity: weak pulsar in tight early B-star binary |date=5 February 2020 |class=astro-ph.HE |eprint=2002.01920v1 }}{{cite arXiv |author=Amiri, M. |display-authors=et al. |title=Periodic activity from a fast radio burst source |date=3 February 2020 |class=astro-ph.HE |eprint=2001.10275v3 }}{{cite news |title=Astronomers detect regular rhythm of radio waves, with origins unknown |url=https://phys.org/news/2020-06-astronomers-regular-rhythm-radio-unknown.html |access-date=5 July 2020 |work=phys.org |language=en}}{{cite journal |last1=Amiri |first1=M. |last2=Andersen |first2=B. C. |last3=Bandura |first3=K. M. |last4=Bhardwaj |first4=M. |last5=Boyle |first5=P. J. |last6=Brar |first6=C. |last7=Chawla |first7=P. |last8=Chen |first8=T. |last9=Cliche |first9=J. F. |last10=Cubranic |first10=D. |last11=Deng |first11=M. |last12=Denman |first12=N. T. |last13=Dobbs |first13=M. |last14=Dong |first14=F. Q. |last15=Fandino |first15=M. |last16=Fonseca |first16=E. |last17=Gaensler |first17=B. M. |last18=Giri |first18=U. |last19=Good |first19=D. C. |last20=Halpern |first20=M. |last21=Hessels |first21=J. W. T. |last22=Hill |first22=A. S. |last23=Höfer |first23=C. |last24=Josephy |first24=A. |last25=Kania |first25=J. W. |last26=Karuppusamy |first26=R. |last27=Kaspi |first27=V. M. |last28=Keimpema |first28=A. |last29=Kirsten |first29=F. |last30=Landecker |first30=T. L. |last31=Lang |first31=D. A. |last32=Leung |first32=C. |last33=Li |first33=D. Z. |last34=Lin |first34=H.-H. |last35=Marcote |first35=B. |last36=Masui |first36=K. W. |last37=Mckinven |first37=R. |last38=Mena-Parra |first38=J. |last39=Merryfield |first39=M. |last40=Michilli |first40=D. |last41=Milutinovic |first41=N. |last42=Mirhosseini |first42=A. |last43=Naidu |first43=A. |last44=Newburgh |first44=L. B. |last45=Ng |first45=C. |last46=Nimmo |first46=K. |last47=Paragi |first47=Z. |last48=Patel |first48=C. |last49=Pen |first49=U.-L. |last50=Pinsonneault-Marotte |first50=T. |last51=Pleunis |first51=Z. |last52=Rafiei-Ravandi |first52=M. |last53=Rahman |first53=M. |last54=Ransom |first54=S. M. |last55=Renard |first55=A. |last56=Sanghavi |first56=P. |last57=Scholz |first57=P. |last58=Shaw |first58=J. R. |last59=Shin |first59=K. |last60=Siegel |first60=S. R. |last61=Singh |first61=S. |last62=Smegal |first62=R. J. |last63=Smith |first63=K. M. |last64=Stairs |first64=I. H. |last65=Tendulkar |first65=S. P. |last66=Tretyakov |first66=I. |last67=Vanderlinde |first67=K. |last68=Wang |first68=H. |last69=Wang |first69=X. |last70=Wulf |first70=D. |last71=Yadav |first71=P. |last72=Zwaniga |first72=A. V. |title=Periodic activity from a fast radio burst source |journal=Nature |date=June 2020 |volume=582 |issue=7812 |pages=351–355 |doi=10.1038/s41586-020-2398-2 |pmid=32555491 |arxiv=2001.10275 |bibcode=2020Natur.582..351C |s2cid=210932232 }}
• 4 February – The drugs remdesivir and chloroquine are shown to effectively inhibit SARS-CoV-2 in vitro.{{cite news |last1=Goodman |first1=Brenda |title=Doctors Look to Existing Drugs in Coronavirus Fight |url=https://www.webmd.com/lung/news/20200218/doctors-look-to-existing-drugs-in-coronavirus-fight |access-date=21 March 2020 |work=WebMD |language=en}}{{cite journal |last1=Wang |first1=Manli |last2=Cao |first2=Ruiyuan |last3=Zhang |first3=Leike |last4=Yang |first4=Xinglou |last5=Liu |first5=Jia |last6=Xu |first6=Mingyue |last7=Shi |first7=Zhengli |last8=Hu |first8=Zhihong |last9=Zhong |first9=Wu |last10=Xiao |first10=Gengfu |title=Remdesivir and chloroquine effectively inhibit the recently emerged novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in vitro |journal=Cell Research |date=March 2020 |volume=30 |issue=3 |pages=269–271 |doi=10.1038/s41422-020-0282-0 |pmid=32020029 |pmc=7054408 |language=en |issn=1748-7838}}
• 5 February
• Scientists of the International Muon Ionization Cooling Experiment announce that they have found a way to squeeze the muons of a muon beam into a smaller volume. The muons are cooled into a denser cloud by being directed through specially designed energy-absorbing materials while the beam is tightly focused by powerful superconducting magnetic lenses and can then be accelerated by a normal particle accelerator in a precise direction. This technique may allow the construction of a muon collider. Cooling the muons beams is crucial to achieve a high collision rate.{{cite news |title=World's most powerful particle accelerator one big step closer |url=https://phys.org/news/2020-02-world-powerful-particle-big-closer.html |website=phys.org |access-date=8 March 2020 |language=en-us}}{{cite news |last1=Garisto |first1=Daniel |title=MICE Cold: Collaboration Demonstrates Muon Ionization Cooling |url=https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/mice-cold-collaboration-demonstrates-muon-ionization-cooling/ |website=Scientific American |access-date=8 March 2020 |language=en}}{{cite journal |last1=Bogomilov |first1=M. |last2=Tsenov |first2=R. |last3=Vankova-Kirilova |first3=G. |last4=Song |first4=Y. P. |last5=Tang |first5=J. Y. |last6=Li |first6=Z. H. |last7=Bertoni |first7=R. |last8=Bonesini |first8=M. |last9=Chignoli |first9=F. |last10=Mazza |first10=R. |last11=Palladino |first11=V. |last12=de Bari |first12=A. |last13=Orestano |first13=D. |last14=Tortora |first14=L. |last15=Kuno |first15=Y. |last16=Sakamoto |first16=H. |last17=Sato |first17=A. |last18=Ishimoto |first18=S. |last19=Chung |first19=M. |last20=Sung |first20=C. K. |last21=Filthaut |first21=F. |last22=Jokovic |first22=D. |last23=Maletic |first23=D. |last24=Savic |first24=M. |last25=Jovancevic |first25=N. |last26=Nikolov |first26=J. |last27=Vretenar |first27=M. |last28=Ramberger |first28=S. |last29=Asfandiyarov |first29=R. |last30=Blondel |first30=A. |last31=Drielsma |first31=F. |last32=Karadzhov |first32=Y. |last33=Boyd |first33=S. |last34=Greis |first34=J. R. |last35=Lord |first35=T. |last36=Pidcott |first36=C. |last37=Taylor |first37=I. |last38=Charnley |first38=G. |last39=Collomb |first39=N. |last40=Dumbell |first40=K. |last41=Gallagher |first41=A. |last42=Grant |first42=A. |last43=Griffiths |first43=S. |last44=Hartnett |first44=T. |last45=Martlew |first45=B. |last46=Moss |first46=A. |last47=Muir |first47=A. |last48=Mullacrane |first48=I. |last49=Oates |first49=A. |last50=Owens |first50=P. |last51=Stokes |first51=G. |last52=Warburton |first52=P. |last53=White |first53=C. |last54=Adams |first54=D. |last55=Bayliss |first55=V. |last56=Boehm |first56=J. |last57=Bradshaw |first57=T. W. |last58=Brown |first58=C. |last59=Courthold |first59=M. |last60=Govans |first60=J. |last61=Hills |first61=M. |last62=Lagrange |first62=J.-B. |last63=Macwaters |first63=C. |last64=Nichols |first64=A. |last65=Preece |first65=R. |last66=Ricciardi |first66=S. |last67=Rogers |first67=C. |last68=Stanley |first68=T. |last69=Tarrant |first69=J. |last70=Tucker |first70=M. |last71=Watson |first71=S. |last72=Wilson |first72=A. |last73=Bayes |first73=R. |last74=Nugent |first74=J. C. |last75=Soler |first75=F. J. P. |last76=Chatzitheodoridis |first76=G. T. |last77=Dick |first77=A. J. |last78=Ronald |first78=K. |last79=Whyte |first79=C. G. |last80=Young |first80=A. R. |last81=Gamet |first81=R. |last82=Cooke |first82=P. |last83=Blackmore |first83=V. J. |last84=Colling |first84=D. |last85=Dobbs |first85=A. |last86=Dornan |first86=P. |last87=Franchini |first87=P. |last88=Hunt |first88=C. |last89=Jurj |first89=P. B. |last90=Kurup |first90=A. |last91=Long |first91=K. |last92=Martyniak |first92=J. |last93=Middleton |first93=S. |last94=Pasternak |first94=J. |last95=Uchida |first95=M. A. |last96=Cobb |first96=J. H. |last97=Booth |first97=C. N. |last98=Hodgson |first98=P. |last99=Langlands |first99=J. |last100=Overton |first100=E. |last101=Pec |first101=V. |last102=Smith |first102=P. J. |last103=Wilbur |first103=S. |last104=Ellis |first104=M. |last105=Gardener |first105=R. B. S. |last106=Kyberd |first106=P. |last107=Nebrensky |first107=J. J. |last108=DeMello |first108=A. |last109=Gourlay |first109=S. |last110=Lambert |first110=A. |last111=Li |first111=D. |last112=Luo |first112=T. |last113=Prestemon |first113=S. |last114=Virostek |first114=S. |last115=Palmer |first115=M. |last116=Witte |first116=H. |last117=Adey |first117=D. |last118=Bross |first118=A. D. |last119=Bowring |first119=D. |last120=Liu |first120=A. |last121=Neuffer |first121=D. |last122=Popovic |first122=M. |last123=Rubinov |first123=P. |last124=Freemire |first124=B. |last125=Hanlet |first125=P. |last126=Kaplan |first126=D. M. |last127=Mohayai |first127=T. A. |last128=Rajaram |first128=D. |last129=Snopok |first129=P. |last130=Torun |first130=Y. |last131=Cremaldi |first131=L. M. |last132=Sanders |first132=D. A. |last133=Summers |first133=D. J. |last134=Coney |first134=L. R. |last135=Hanson |first135=G. G. |last136=Heidt |first136=C. |title=Demonstration of cooling by the Muon Ionization Cooling Experiment |journal=Nature |date=February 2020 |volume=578 |issue=7793 |pages=53–59 |doi=10.1038/s41586-020-1958-9 |pmid=32025014 |pmc=7039811 |bibcode=2020Natur.578...53M |language=en |issn=1476-4687}}
• In a study researchers assess that Extant-Native Trophic (ENT), a trophic rewilding approach which restores lost species to ecosystems, can help mitigate climate change. This form of rewilding would restore large-bodied herbivore and carnivore guilds which could reduce methane emissions and according to the study could be an "important complementary strategy to natural climate solutions to ensure other nature-based benefits to biodiversity conservation and society are also delivered".{{cite news |title=Rewilding can mitigate climate change, researchers report after global assessment |url=https://phys.org/news/2020-02-rewilding-mitigate-climate-global.html |website=phys.org |access-date=8 March 2020 |language=en-us}}{{cite journal |last1=Sandom |first1=Christopher J. |last2=Middleton |first2=Owen |last3=Lundgren |first3=Erick |last4=Rowan |first4=John |last5=Schowanek |first5=Simon D. |last6=Svenning |first6=Jens-Christian |last7=Faurby |first7=Søren |title=Trophic rewilding presents regionally specific opportunities for mitigating climate change |journal=Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences |date=16 March 2020 |volume=375 |issue=1794 |pages=20190125 |doi=10.1098/rstb.2019.0125 |pmid=31983340 |pmc=7017765}}
• Scientists develop a CRISPR-Cas12a-based gene editing system that can probe and control several genes at once and can implement logic gating to e.g. detect cancer cells and execute therapeutic immunomodulatory responses.{{cite news |title=New CRISPR-based tool can probe and control several genetic circuits at once |url=https://phys.org/news/2020-02-crispr-based-tool-probe-genetic-circuits.html |website=phys.org |access-date=8 March 2020 |language=en-us}}{{cite journal |last1=Kempton |first1=Hannah R. |last2=Goudy |first2=Laine E. |last3=Love |first3=Kasey S. |last4=Qi |first4=Lei S. |title=Multiple Input Sensing and Signal Integration Using a Split Cas12a System |journal=Molecular Cell |date=5 February 2020 |volume=78 |issue=1 |pages=184–191.e3 |doi=10.1016/j.molcel.2020.01.016 |pmid=32027839 |language=en |issn=1097-2765|doi-access=free }}
• Scientists report that 70 million years ago Earth rotated 372 times a year, with a day lasting a half an hour less than today after studying the growth rings of fossilized mollusk shells from the late Cretaceous.{{cite news |title=Ancient shell shows days were half-hour shorter 70 million years ago |url=https://phys.org/news/2020-03-ancient-shell-days-half-hour-shorter.html |access-date=5 April 2020 |work=phys.org |language=en-us}}{{cite journal |last1=Winter |first1=Niels J. de |last2=Goderis |first2=Steven |last3=Malderen |first3=Stijn J. M. Van |last4=Sinnesael |first4=Matthias |last5=Vansteenberge |first5=Stef |last6=Snoeck |first6=Christophe |last7=Belza |first7=Joke |last8=Vanhaecke |first8=Frank |last9=Claeys |first9=Philippe |title=Subdaily-Scale Chemical Variability in a Torreites Sanchezi Rudist Shell: Implications for Rudist Paleobiology and the Cretaceous Day-Night Cycle |journal=Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology |date=2020 |volume=35 |issue=2 |pages=e2019PA003723 |doi=10.1029/2019PA003723 |bibcode=2020PaPa...35.3723W |language=en |issn=2572-4525|doi-access=free |hdl=1854/LU-8685501 |hdl-access=free }} The slowdown is due to the tidal effects the Moon has on Earth's rotation.
• 6 February
• A record-breaking {{convert|18.3|C|F|abbr=on}} temperature is recorded at an Argentine weather base on the northern tip of Antarctica, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The previous record was {{convert|17.5|C|F|abbr=on}} in March 2015.{{cite news|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/science/science-news/base-antarctica-recorded-temperature-64-9-degrees-if-confirmed-it-n1132541|title=An Antarctic base recorded a temperature of 64.9 degrees F. If confirmed, it's a record high.|date=7 February 2020|access-date=7 February 2020|publisher=NBC News}} On 9 February another Antarctic weather research station, located on Seymour Island registered a temperature of 20.75 Celsius, considered to be a "likely record" and requiring some open questions to be answered before being confirmed.{{cite news |last1=Freedman |first1=Andrew |title=Temperature in Antarctica soars to near 70 degrees, appearing to topple continental record set days earlier |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2020/02/13/antarctica-hottest-temperature-70-degrees/ |access-date=25 March 2020 |newspaper=Washington Post |date=14 February 2020}}
• Scientists report that preliminary results from a phase I trial using CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing of T cells in patients with refractory cancer demonstrates that such CRISPR-based therapies can be safe and feasible.{{Cite web|url=https://www.sciencealert.com/researchers-genetically-alter-the-immune-system-of-cancer-patients-without-side-effect|title=US Trial Shows 3 Cancer Patients Had Their Genomes Altered Safely by CRISPR|last=AFP|website=ScienceAlert|date=7 February 2020 |language=en-gb|access-date=2020-02-09}}{{cite news |title=CRISPR-edited immune cells for fighting cancer passed a safety test |url=https://www.sciencenews.org/article/crispr-edited-immune-cells-cancer-clinical-trial |access-date=13 July 2020 |work=Science News |date=6 February 2020}}{{cite journal |last1=Stadtmauer |first1=Edward A. |last2=Fraietta |first2=Joseph A. |last3=Davis |first3=Megan M. |last4=Cohen |first4=Adam D. |last5=Weber |first5=Kristy L. |last6=Lancaster |first6=Eric |last7=Mangan |first7=Patricia A. |last8=Kulikovskaya |first8=Irina |last9=Gupta |first9=Minnal |last10=Chen |first10=Fang |last11=Tian |first11=Lifeng |last12=Gonzalez |first12=Vanessa E. |last13=Xu |first13=Jun |last14=Jung |first14=In-young |last15=Melenhorst |first15=J. Joseph |last16=Plesa |first16=Gabriela |last17=Shea |first17=Joanne |last18=Matlawski |first18=Tina |last19=Cervini |first19=Amanda |last20=Gaymon |first20=Avery L. |last21=Desjardins |first21=Stephanie |last22=Lamontagne |first22=Anne |last23=Salas-Mckee |first23=January |last24=Fesnak |first24=Andrew |last25=Siegel |first25=Donald L. |last26=Levine |first26=Bruce L. |last27=Jadlowsky |first27=Julie K. |last28=Young |first28=Regina M. |last29=Chew |first29=Anne |last30=Hwang |first30=Wei-Ting |last31=Hexner |first31=Elizabeth O. |last32=Carreno |first32=Beatriz M. |last33=Nobles |first33=Christopher L. |last34=Bushman |first34=Frederic D. |last35=Parker |first35=Kevin R. |last36=Qi |first36=Yanyan |last37=Satpathy |first37=Ansuman T. |last38=Chang |first38=Howard Y. |last39=Zhao |first39=Yangbing |last40=Lacey |first40=Simon F. |last41=June |first41=Carl H. |title=CRISPR-engineered T cells in patients with refractory cancer |journal=Science |date=28 February 2020 |volume=367 |issue=6481 |pages=eaba7365 |doi=10.1126/science.aba7365 |pmid=32029687 |s2cid=211048335 |language=en |issn=0036-8075|doi-access=free |pmc=11249135 }}

File:PIA23645-Earth-PaleBlueDot-6Bkm-Voyager1-orig19900214-upd20200212.jpg image taken of Earth 6 billion km away by the Voyager 1 space probe on 14 February 1990.]]

• 10 February
• NASA announces preliminary approval of a sample-return mission to the planet Mars.{{cite news |last=Kahn |first=Amina |title=NASA gives JPL green light for mission to bring a piece of Mars back to Earth |url=https://www.latimes.com/science/story/2020-02-10/nasa-mars-sample-return-mission |date=10 February 2020 |work=Los Angeles Times |access-date=11 February 2020 }}{{cite news |author=Staff |title=Mission to Mars – Mars Sample Return |url=https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/mars-sample-return-msr/ |date=2020 |work=NASA |access-date=11 February 2020 }}
• Scientists of NASA's Arctic Boreal Vulnerability Experiment (ABoVE) publish conclusions from mapped methane hotspots of an Arctic 30,000‐km² study domain. They used the AVIRIS—NG instrument on flights over the Arctic to map the hotspots and quantified a power law dependence of the emissions on distance to nearest standing water.{{cite news |title=NASA flights detect millions of Arctic methane hotspots |url=https://phys.org/news/2020-02-nasa-flights-millions-arctic-methane.html |website=phys.org |access-date=8 March 2020 |language=en-us}}{{cite journal |last1=Elder |first1=Clayton D. |last2=Thompson |first2=David R. |last3=Thorpe |first3=Andrew K. |last4=Hanke |first4=Philip |last5=Anthony |first5=Katey M. Walter |last6=Miller |first6=Charles E. |title=Airborne Mapping Reveals Emergent Power Law of Arctic Methane Emissions |journal=Geophysical Research Letters |date=2020 |volume=47 |issue=3 |pages=e2019GL085707 |doi=10.1029/2019GL085707 |bibcode=2020GeoRL..4785707E |s2cid=214560793 |language=en |issn=1944-8007}}
• Scientists report that bats' heightened immune responses to their viruses, of which SARS-CoV-2 is a likely example, can facilitate the evolution of rapidly-replicating viruses that likely cause enhanced virulence following emergence into secondary hosts with other immune systems such as humans. The researchers used a combination of in vitro experimentation and within-host modeling to explore the impact of the previously already well-known unique bat immunity on virus dynamics.{{cite news |title=Coronavirus outbreak raises question: Why are bat viruses so deadly? |url=https://phys.org/news/2020-02-coronavirus-outbreak-viruses-deadly.html |website=phys.org |access-date=9 March 2020 |language=en-us}}{{cite journal |last1=Brook |first1=Cara E |last2=Boots |first2=Mike |last3=Chandran |first3=Kartik |last4=Dobson |first4=Andrew P |last5=Drosten |first5=Christian |author-link5=Christian Drosten |last6=Graham |first6=Andrea L |last7=Grenfell |first7=Bryan T |last8=Müller |first8=Marcel A |last9=Ng |first9=Melinda |last10=Wang |first10=Lin-Fa |last11=van Leeuwen |first11=Anieke |title=Accelerated viral dynamics in bat cell lines, with implications for zoonotic emergence |journal=eLife |date=3 February 2020 |volume=9 |pages=e48401 |doi=10.7554/eLife.48401 |pmid=32011232 |pmc=7064339 |issn=2050-084X |doi-access=free }}
• 11 February
• Quantum engineers report that they have created artificial atoms in silicon quantum dots for quantum computing and that artificial atoms with a higher number of electrons can be more stable qubits than previously thought possible. Enabling silicon-based quantum computers may make it possible to reuse of manufacturing technology of "classical" modern-day computer chips among other advantages.{{cite news |title=Artificial atoms create stable qubits for quantum computing |url=https://phys.org/news/2020-02-artificial-atoms-stable-qubits-quantum.html |website=phys.org |access-date=9 March 2020 |language=en-us}}{{cite journal |last1=Leon |first1=R. C. C. |last2=Yang |first2=C. H. |last3=Hwang |first3=J. C. C. |last4=Lemyre |first4=J. Camirand |last5=Tanttu |first5=T. |last6=Huang |first6=W. |last7=Chan |first7=K. W. |last8=Tan |first8=K. Y. |last9=Hudson |first9=F. E. |last10=Itoh |first10=K. M. |last11=Morello |first11=A. |last12=Laucht |first12=A. |last13=Pioro-Ladrière |first13=M. |last14=Saraiva |first14=A. |last15=Dzurak |first15=A. S. |title=Coherent spin control of s-, p-, d- and f-electrons in a silicon quantum dot |journal=Nature Communications |date=11 February 2020 |volume=11 |issue=1 |pages=797 |doi=10.1038/s41467-019-14053-w |pmid=32047151 |pmc=7012832 |arxiv=1902.01550 |bibcode=2020NatCo..11..797L |language=en |issn=2041-1723}}
• Researchers report that their projections show that the number of compound hot extremes that combine daytime and nighttime heat could quadruple by 2100 in the Northern Hemisphere even if emissions are brought down to meet the Paris climate deal goals.{{cite news |title=Northern Hemisphere faces 4-fold rise in extreme heat periods: study |url=https://phys.org/news/2020-02-northern-hemisphere-fold-extreme-periods.html |website=phys.org |access-date=9 March 2020 |language=en-us}}{{cite journal |last1=Wang |first1=Jun |last2=Chen |first2=Yang |last3=Tett |first3=Simon F. B. |last4=Yan |first4=Zhongwei |last5=Zhai |first5=Panmao |last6=Feng |first6=Jinming |last7=Xia |first7=Jiangjiang |title=Anthropogenically-driven increases in the risks of summertime compound hot extremes |journal=Nature Communications |date=11 February 2020 |volume=11 |issue=1 |pages=528 |doi=10.1038/s41467-019-14233-8 |pmid=32047147 |pmc=7012878 |bibcode=2020NatCo..11..528W |language=en |issn=2041-1723}}

File:UltimaThule CA06 color vertical (rotated).pngs on 486958 Arrokoth, a Kuiper Belt object visited by the New Horizons space probe on 1 January 2019.]]

• 12 February
• NASA releases a greatly improved image of the iconic Pale Blue Dot view of Earth from {{convert|6|e9km|e9mi|abbr=off}} away that was taken by the Voyager 1 space probe on 14 February 1990.{{cite news |author=Staff |title=Pale Blue Dot Revisited | url=https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA23645 |date=12 February 2020 |work=NASA |access-date=12 February 2020 }}
• A research team shows that by combining two nanomaterials they can create a nanoscale device that mimics the neural pathways of brain cells used for human vision and can be used to detect faces.{{cite news |title=Researchers develop device that mimics brain cells used for human vision |url=https://phys.org/news/2020-02-device-mimics-brain-cells-human.html |website=phys.org |access-date=8 March 2020 |language=en-us}}{{cite journal |last1=Pradhan |first1=Basudev |last2=Das |first2=Sonali |last3=Li |first3=Jinxin |last4=Chowdhury |first4=Farzana |last5=Cherusseri |first5=Jayesh |last6=Pandey |first6=Deepak |last7=Dev |first7=Durjoy |last8=Krishnaprasad |first8=Adithi |last9=Barrios |first9=Elizabeth |last10=Towers |first10=Andrew |last11=Gesquiere |first11=Andre |last12=Tetard |first12=Laurene |last13=Roy |first13=Tania |last14=Thomas |first14=Jayan |title=Ultrasensitive and ultrathin phototransistors and photonic synapses using perovskite quantum dots grown from graphene lattice |journal=Science Advances |date=1 February 2020 |volume=6 |issue=7 |pages=eaay5225 |doi=10.1126/sciadv.aay5225 |pmid=32095529 |pmc=7015692 |bibcode=2020SciA....6.5225P |language=en |issn=2375-2548}}
• Researchers publish their discovery of a new class of glycopeptide antibiotics with a novel mode of action – the known antibiotic complestatin and the newly discovered corbomycin. These have low levels of resistance development, can be capable of treating drug-resistant infections and were discovered using a methodology that analyses the phylogeny of genes and lack of known resistance determinants.{{cite news |title=Antibiotics discovered that kill bacteria in a new way |url=https://phys.org/news/2020-02-antibiotics-bacteria.html |website=phys.org |access-date=9 March 2020 |language=en-us}}{{cite journal |last1=Culp |first1=Elizabeth J. |last2=Waglechner |first2=Nicholas |last3=Wang |first3=Wenliang |last4=Fiebig-Comyn |first4=Aline A. |last5=Hsu |first5=Yen-Pang |last6=Koteva |first6=Kalinka |last7=Sychantha |first7=David |last8=Coombes |first8=Brian K. |last9=Van Nieuwenhze |first9=Michael S. |last10=Brun |first10=Yves V. |last11=Wright |first11=Gerard D. |title=Evolution-guided discovery of antibiotics that inhibit peptidoglycan remodelling |journal=Nature |date=February 2020 |volume=578 |issue=7796 |pages=582–587 |doi=10.1038/s41586-020-1990-9 |pmid=32051588 |bibcode=2020Natur.578..582C |s2cid=211089119 |language=en |issn=1476-4687}}
• Scientists publish a study which shows that present-day west Africans trace a substantial proportions of up to almost a fifth of their genetic ancestry to an extinct archaic human species – a ghost population. They estimate that the species split from the ancestors of Neanderthals and modern humans between 360,000 and 1 million years ago and that interbreeding occurred at some point in the past 124,000 years and approximately 43,000 years ago.{{cite news |first1=Ian |last1=Sample |title=Scientists find evidence of 'ghost population' of ancient humans |url=https://www.theguardian.com/science/2020/feb/12/scientists-find-evidence-of-ghost-population-of-ancient-humans |access-date=9 March 2020 |work=The Guardian |date=12 February 2020}}{{cite news |last1=Reynolds |first1=Emma |title=Mysterious 'ghost population' of ancient humans discovered |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2020/02/13/world/ancient-humans-africa-intl-scli-scn/index.html |access-date=9 March 2020 |work=CNN}}{{cite journal |last1=Durvasula |first1=Arun |last2=Sankararaman |first2=Sriram |title=Recovering signals of ghost archaic introgression in African populations |journal=Science Advances |date=1 February 2020 |volume=6 |issue=7 |pages=eaax5097 |doi=10.1126/sciadv.aax5097 |pmid=32095519 |pmc=7015685 |bibcode=2020SciA....6.5097D |language=en |issn=2375-2548}}
• 13 February – NASA publishes studies that investigate 486958 Arrokoth's shape and its formation and evolution as well as its age, composition, geology and geophysics. Arrokoth is a trans-Neptunian object in the Kuiper Belt that the New Horizons space probe visited during a flyby on 1 January 2019. They find that its shape was caused by a gentle, low-speed merger in the early Solar System.{{cite news |last=Timmer |first=John |title=The Wait Is Over – Details pour in from New Horizons' visit to a Kuiper Belt Object – We've now got some ideas about how its two-lobed shape came to be. |url=https://arstechnica.com/science/2020/02/details-pour-in-from-new-horizons-visit-to-a-kuiper-belt-object/ |date=13 February 2020 |work=Ars Technica |access-date=14 February 2020 }}{{cite news|title= The Most Distant World We've Ever Explored Just Shed Light on How Planets Are Born |url=https://www.sciencealert.com/here-s-what-arrokoth-can-tell-us-about-how-baby-planets-are-born |date=13 February 2020 |work=Science Alert |access-date=13 February 2020 }}{{cite journal |last1=McKinnon |first1=W. B. |last2=Richardson |first2=D. C. |last3=Marohnic |first3=J. C. |last4=Keane |first4=J. T. |last5=Grundy |first5=W. M. |last6=Hamilton |first6=D. P. |last7=Nesvorný |first7=D. |last8=Umurhan |first8=O. M. |last9=Lauer |first9=T. R. |last10=Singer |first10=K. N. |last11=Stern |first11=S. A. |last12=Weaver |first12=H. A. |last13=Spencer |first13=J. R. |last14=Buie |first14=M. W. |last15=Moore |first15=J. M. |last16=Kavelaars |first16=J. J. |last17=Lisse |first17=C. M. |last18=Mao |first18=X. |last19=Parker |first19=A. H. |last20=Porter |first20=S. B. |last21=Showalter |first21=M. R. |last22=Olkin |first22=C. B. |last23=Cruikshank |first23=D. P. |last24=Elliott |first24=H. A. |last25=Gladstone |first25=G. R. |last26=Parker |first26=J. Wm |last27=Verbiscer |first27=A. J. |last28=Young |first28=L. A. |last29=Team† |first29=the New Horizons Science |title=The solar nebula origin of (486958) Arrokoth, a primordial contact binary in the Kuiper Belt |journal=Science |date=28 February 2020 |volume=367 |issue=6481 |pages=eaay6620 |doi=10.1126/science.aay6620 |pmid=32054695 |arxiv=2003.05576 |bibcode=2020Sci...367.6620M |s2cid=211113061 }} They also provide further support for the presence of a mixture of organic compounds called tholins and find that it appears to be a classical Kuiper belt object comparable to others and that it hence can likely be used to understand the cold classical belt as a whole.{{cite journal |last1=Grundy |first1=W. M. |last2=Bird |first2=M. K. |last3=Britt |first3=D. T. |last4=Cook |first4=J. C. |last5=Cruikshank |first5=D. P. |last6=Howett |first6=C. J. A. |last7=Krijt |first7=S. |last8=Linscott |first8=I. R. |last9=Olkin |first9=C. B. |last10=Parker |first10=A. H. |last11=Protopapa |first11=S. |last12=Ruaud |first12=M. |last13=Umurhan |first13=O. M. |last14=Young |first14=L. A. |last15=Ore |first15=C. M. Dalle |last16=Kavelaars |first16=J. J. |last17=Keane |first17=J. T. |last18=Pendleton |first18=Y. J. |last19=Porter |first19=S. B. |last20=Scipioni |first20=F. |last21=Spencer |first21=J. R. |last22=Stern |first22=S. A. |last23=Verbiscer |first23=A. J. |last24=Weaver |first24=H. A. |last25=Binzel |first25=R. P. |last26=Buie |first26=M. W. |last27=Buratti |first27=B. J. |last28=Cheng |first28=A. |last29=Earle |first29=A. M. |last30=Elliott |first30=H. A. |last31=Gabasova |first31=L. |last32=Gladstone |first32=G. R. |last33=Hill |first33=M. E. |last34=Horanyi |first34=M. |last35=Jennings |first35=D. E. |last36=Lunsford |first36=A. W. |last37=McComas |first37=D. J. |last38=McKinnon |first38=W. B. |last39=McNutt |first39=R. L. |last40=Moore |first40=J. M. |last41=Parker |first41=J. W. |last42=Quirico |first42=E. |last43=Reuter |first43=D. C. |last44=Schenk |first44=P. M. |last45=Schmitt |first45=B. |last46=Showalter |first46=M. R. |last47=Singer |first47=K. N. |last48=Weigle |first48=G. E. |last49=Zangari |first49=A. M. |title=Color, composition, and thermal environment of Kuiper Belt object (486958) Arrokoth |journal=Science |date=28 February 2020 |volume=367 |issue=6481 |pages=eaay3705 |doi=10.1126/science.aay3705 |pmid=32054693 |arxiv=2002.06720 |bibcode=2020Sci...367.3705G |hdl=1721.1/125025 |s2cid=211110588 }}{{cite journal |last1=Spencer |first1=J. R. |last2=Stern |first2=S. A. |last3=Moore |first3=J. M. |last4=Weaver |first4=H. A. |last5=Singer |first5=K. N. |last6=Olkin |first6=C. B. |last7=Verbiscer |first7=A. J. |last8=McKinnon |first8=W. B. |last9=Parker |first9=J. Wm |last10=Beyer |first10=R. A. |last11=Keane |first11=J. T. |last12=Lauer |first12=T. R. |last13=Porter |first13=S. B. |last14=White |first14=O. L. |last15=Buratti |first15=B. J. |last16=El-Maarry |first16=M. R. |last17=Lisse |first17=C. M. |last18=Parker |first18=A. H. |last19=Throop |first19=H. B. |last20=Robbins |first20=S. J. |last21=Umurhan |first21=O. M. |last22=Binzel |first22=R. P. |last23=Britt |first23=D. T. |last24=Buie |first24=M. W. |last25=Cheng |first25=A. F. |last26=Cruikshank |first26=D. P. |last27=Elliott |first27=H. A. |last28=Gladstone |first28=G. R. |last29=Grundy |first29=W. M. |last30=Hill |first30=M. E. |last31=Horanyi |first31=M. |last32=Jennings |first32=D. E. |last33=Kavelaars |first33=J. J. |last34=Linscott |first34=I. R. |last35=McComas |first35=D. J. |last36=McNutt |first36=R. L. |last37=Protopapa |first37=S. |last38=Reuter |first38=D. C. |last39=Schenk |first39=P. M. |last40=Showalter |first40=M. R. |last41=Young |first41=L. A. |last42=Zangari |first42=A. M. |last43=Abedin |first43=A. Y. |last44=Beddingfield |first44=C. B. |last45=Benecchi |first45=S. D. |last46=Bernardoni |first46=E. |last47=Bierson |first47=C. J. |last48=Borncamp |first48=D. |last49=Bray |first49=V. J. |last50=Chaikin |first50=A. L. |last51=Dhingra |first51=R. D. |last52=Fuentes |first52=C. |last53=Fuse |first53=T. |last54=Gay |first54=P. L. |last55=Gwyn |first55=S. D. J. |last56=Hamilton |first56=D. P. |last57=Hofgartner |first57=J. D. |last58=Holman |first58=M. J. |last59=Howard |first59=A. D. |last60=Howett |first60=C. J. A. |last61=Karoji |first61=H. |last62=Kaufmann |first62=D. E. |last63=Kinczyk |first63=M. |last64=May |first64=B. H. |last65=Mountain |first65=M. |last66=Pätzold |first66=M. |last67=Petit |first67=J. M. |last68=Piquette |first68=M. R. |last69=Reid |first69=I. N. |last70=Reitsema |first70=H. J. |last71=Runyon |first71=K. D. |last72=Sheppard |first72=S. S. |last73=Stansberry |first73=J. A. |last74=Stryk |first74=T. |last75=Tanga |first75=P. |last76=Tholen |first76=D. J. |last77=Trilling |first77=D. E. |last78=Wasserman |first78=L. H. |title=The geology and geophysics of Kuiper Belt object (486958) Arrokoth |journal=Science |date=28 February 2020 |volume=367 |issue=6481 |pages=eaay3999 |doi=10.1126/science.aay3999 |pmid=32054694 |arxiv=2004.00727 |bibcode=2020Sci...367.3999S |s2cid=211113071 }}
• 14 February
• Astronomers report that the brightness of the star Betelgeuse had not only dropped by a factor of approximately 2.5, from magnitude 0.5 to 1.5, but now the star may no longer be round. Nonetheless, astronomers believe a supernova event may not be imminent.{{cite news |last=Overbye |first=Dennis |author-link=Dennis Overbye |title=The Further Adventures of Betelgeuse, the Fainting Star – The red supergiant is no closer to exploding, it seems. It also no longer appears round. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/14/science/betelgeuse-pictures-supernova.html |date=14 February 2020 |work=The New York Times |access-date=15 February 2020 }}{{cite web |title=ESO Telescope Sees Surface of Dim Betelgeuse |url=https://www.eso.org/public/news/eso2003/?lang |website=www.eso.org |access-date=13 April 2020 |language=en}}
• Quantum physicists develop a novel single-photon source which may allow to bridge semiconductor-based quantum-computers that use photons by converting the state of an electron spin to the polarisation of a photon. They show that they can generate a single photon in a controlled way without the need for randomly formed quantum dots or structural defects in a diamonds.{{cite news |title=Producing single photons from a stream of single electrons |url=https://phys.org/news/2020-02-photons-stream-electrons.html |website=phys.org |access-date=8 March 2020 |language=en-us}}{{cite journal |last1=Hsiao |first1=Tzu-Kan |last2=Rubino |first2=Antonio |last3=Chung |first3=Yousun |last4=Son |first4=Seok-Kyun |last5=Hou |first5=Hangtian |last6=Pedrós |first6=Jorge |last7=Nasir |first7=Ateeq |last8=Éthier-Majcher |first8=Gabriel |last9=Stanley |first9=Megan J. |last10=Phillips |first10=Richard T. |last11=Mitchell |first11=Thomas A. |last12=Griffiths |first12=Jonathan P. |last13=Farrer |first13=Ian |last14=Ritchie |first14=David A. |last15=Ford |first15=Christopher J. B. |title=Single-photon emission from single-electron transport in a SAW-driven lateral light-emitting diode |journal=Nature Communications |date=14 February 2020 |volume=11 |issue=1 |pages=917 |doi=10.1038/s41467-020-14560-1 |pmid=32060278 |pmc=7021712 |arxiv=1901.03464 |bibcode=2020NatCo..11..917H |language=en |issn=2041-1723}}
• A research team announces the discovery of a new electronic state of matter. They show that when electrons can be made to attract one another, they can form sets of two to five electrons that behave like new types of particles.{{cite news |title=Study uncovers new electronic state of matter |url=https://phys.org/news/2020-02-uncovers-electronic-state.html |website=phys.org |access-date=8 March 2020 |language=en-us}}{{cite journal |last1=Briggeman |first1=Megan |last2=Tomczyk |first2=Michelle |last3=Tian |first3=Binbin |last4=Lee |first4=Hyungwoo |last5=Lee |first5=Jung-Woo |last6=He |first6=Yuchi |last7=Tylan-Tyler |first7=Anthony |last8=Huang |first8=Mengchen |last9=Eom |first9=Chang-Beom |last10=Pekker |first10=David |last11=Mong |first11=Roger S. K. |last12=Irvin |first12=Patrick |last13=Levy |first13=Jeremy |title=Pascal conductance series in ballistic one-dimensional LaAlO3/SrTiO3 channels |journal=Science |date=14 February 2020 |volume=367 |issue=6479 |pages=769–772 |doi=10.1126/science.aat6467 |pmid=32054758 |arxiv=1909.05698 |bibcode=2020Sci...367..769B |s2cid=202565966 }}
• The Breakthrough Listen project for the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) announces the release of nearly 2 petabytes of data after a petabyte of radio and optical telescope data was released in June 2019. It comes from a survey of the radio spectrum between 1 and 12 gigahertz (GHz) and is the largest release of SETI data in the history of the field.{{cite news |title=Breakthrough Listen releases 2 petabytes of data from SETI survey of Milky Way |url=https://phys.org/news/2020-02-breakthrough-petabytes-seti-survey-milky.html |website=phys.org |access-date=8 March 2020 |language=en-us}}{{cite web |title=Breakthrough Initiatives |url=https://breakthroughinitiatives.org/opendatasearch |website=breakthroughinitiatives.org |access-date=13 April 2020 |language=en}}
• Scientists report the development of a relatively long-lasting and economical catalyst "Nanocatalysts on Single Crystal Edges" that recycles the greenhouse gases carbon dioxide and methane into hydrogen and carbon monoxide that can e.g. be used in fuels.{{cite news |title=New catalyst recycles greenhouse gases into fuel and hydrogen gas |url=https://phys.org/news/2020-02-catalyst-recycles-greenhouse-gases-fuel.html |access-date=9 March 2020 |work=phys.org |language=en-us}}{{cite journal |last1=Song |first1=Youngdong |last2=Ozdemir |first2=Ercan |last3=Ramesh |first3=Sreerangappa |last4=Adishev |first4=Aldiar |last5=Subramanian |first5=Saravanan |last6=Harale |first6=Aadesh |last7=Albuali |first7=Mohammed |last8=Fadhel |first8=Bandar Abdullah |last9=Jamal |first9=Aqil |last10=Moon |first10=Dohyun |last11=Choi |first11=Sun Hee |last12=Yavuz |first12=Cafer T. |title=Dry reforming of methane by stable Ni–Mo nanocatalysts on single-crystalline MgO |journal=Science |date=14 February 2020 |volume=367 |issue=6479 |pages=777–781 |doi=10.1126/science.aav2412 |pmid=32054760 |bibcode=2020Sci...367..777S |s2cid=211110445 |language=en |issn=0036-8075|doi-access=free }}

File:Volcán Tungurahua Riobamba - Ecuador.jpg in Ecuador that may result in a large landslide.]]

• 17 February – Astronomers report, for the first time, the detection of radio waves related to an exoplanet: in this instance, the radio waves may have resulted from the interaction between the red dwarf star, GJ 1151 and a "short-period terrestrial-mass planet".{{cite news |last=Starr |first=Michelle |title=For The First Time, Astronomers Have Detected an Exoplanet Using Radio Waves |url=https://www.sciencealert.com/a-new-way-to-search-for-exoplanets-has-yielded-a-distant-earth-sized-world |date=29 February 2020 |work=ScienceAlert.com |access-date=1 March 2020 }}{{cite journal |author=Vedantham, H.K. |display-authors=et al. |title=Coherent radio emission from a quiescent red dwarf indicative of star–planet interaction |date=17 February 2020 |journal=Nature Astronomy |volume=4 |issue=6 |pages=577–583 |doi=10.1038/s41550-020-1011-9 |arxiv=2002.08727 |bibcode=2020NatAs...4..577V |s2cid=211204712 }}{{cite journal |author=Pope, Benjamin J.S. |display-authors=et al. |title=No Massive Companion to the Coherent Radio-emitting M Dwarf GJ 1151 |date=17 February 2020 |journal=The Astrophysical Journal Letters |volume=890 |pages=L19 |number=2 |doi=10.3847/2041-8213/ab5b99 |arxiv=2002.07850 |bibcode=2020ApJ...890L..19P |s2cid=211171765 |doi-access=free }}
• 18 February – Scientists report warning signs of flank instability of the Ecuadorian Tungurahua volcano. A potential collapse of the western flank could result in a large landslide.{{cite news |title=South American volcano showing early warning signs of 'potential collapse,' research shows |url=https://phys.org/news/2020-02-south-american-volcano-early-potential.html |website=phys.org |access-date=9 March 2020 |language=en-us}}{{cite news |last1=Rice |first1=Doyle |title=Ecuador's 'throat of fire' volcano showing signs of 'potential collapse,' study shows |url=https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2020/02/20/tungurahua-volcano-ecuador-throat-of-fire-could-collapse/4821551002/ |website=USA TODAY |access-date=9 March 2020}}{{cite journal |last1=Hickey |first1=James |last2=Lloyd |first2=Ryan |last3=Biggs |first3=Juliet |last4=Arnold |first4=David |last5=Mothes |first5=Patricia |last6=Muller |first6=Cyril |title=Rapid localized flank inflation and implications for potential slope instability at Tungurahua volcano, Ecuador |journal=Earth and Planetary Science Letters |date=15 March 2020 |volume=534 |pages=116104 |doi=10.1016/j.epsl.2020.116104 |bibcode=2020E&PSL.53416104H |language=en |issn=0012-821X|doi-access=free |hdl=10871/40425 |hdl-access=free }}
• 19 February
• Scientists present an atomic-level image using cryogenic electron microscopy of an essential protein used to access cells by the SARS-CoV-2 novel coronavirus that is responsible for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and COVID-19 pandemic. This image may help in more quickly finding a cure or to develop medical countermeasures (MCMs) for the viral infection.{{cite news |last=Mandelbaum |first=Ryan F. |title=Scientists Create Atomic-Level Image of the New Coronavirus's Potential Achilles Heel |url=https://gizmodo.com/scientists-create-atomic-level-image-of-the-new-coronav-1841795715 |date=19 February 2020 |work=Gizmodo |access-date=20 February 2020 }}{{cite journal |author=Wrap, Daniel |display-authors=et al. |title=Cryo-EM structure of the 2019-nCoV spike in the prefusion conformation |date=19 February 2020 |journal=Science |volume=367 |issue=6483 |pages=1260–1263 |doi=10.1126/science.abb2507 |pmid=32075877 |pmc=7164637 |bibcode=2020Sci...367.1260W |doi-access=free }}
• Researchers report evidence consistent with an early domestication of dogs before 28,500 years ago, dating the earliest known example of a human domestication to sometime in the Middle or Upper Paleolithic during the Last Glacial Period. The teeth of a fossilized jaw that age found near ancient human settlements suggest a less wolf-like diet after microwear analysis, suggesting that these were "protodogs".{{cite news |title=New study results consistent with dog domestication during Ice Age |url=https://phys.org/news/2020-02-results-dog-domestication-ice-age.html |access-date=9 March 2020 |work=phys.org |language=en-us}}{{cite journal |last1=Vignieri |first1=Sacha |title=Feed the dog |journal=Science |pages=1439–1440 |language=en |doi=10.1126/science.367.6485.1439-d |date=27 March 2020|volume=367 |issue=6485 |bibcode=2020Sci...367.1439V |doi-access=free }}{{cite journal |last1=Prassack |first1=Kari A. |last2=DuBois |first2=Josephine |last3=Lázničková-Galetová |first3=Martina |last4=Germonpré |first4=Mietje |last5=Ungar |first5=Peter S. |title=Dental microwear as a behavioral proxy for distinguishing between canids at the Upper Paleolithic (Gravettian) site of Předmostí, Czech Republic |journal=Journal of Archaeological Science |date=1 March 2020 |volume=115 |pages=105092 |doi=10.1016/j.jas.2020.105092 |bibcode=2020JArSc.115j5092P |s2cid=213669558 |language=en |issn=0305-4403|url=https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1212&context=natlpark }}
• 20 February – Scientists use the world's most powerful supercomputer, SUMMIT, to screen molecules which bind to either SARS-CoV-2's spike protein or to its human ACE2 interface and publish their results, including a ranked list of compounds which may be repurposed to attenuate COVID-19, in a preprint.{{cite news |title=Early research on existing drug compounds via supercomputing could combat coronavirus |url=https://phys.org/news/2020-03-early-drug-compounds-supercomputing-combat.html |access-date=5 April 2020 |work=phys.org |language=en-us}}{{cite journal |last1=Smith |first1=Micholas |last2=Smith |first2=Jeremy C. |title=Repurposing Therapeutics for COVID-19: Supercomputer-Based Docking to the SARS-CoV-2 Viral Spike Protein and Viral Spike Protein-Human ACE2 Interface |journal=Figshare |date=11 March 2020 |doi=10.26434/chemrxiv.11871402.v4 |s2cid=216527404 |url=https://chemrxiv.org/articles/Repurposing_Therapeutics_for_the_Wuhan_Coronavirus_nCov-2019_Supercomputer-Based_Docking_to_the_Viral_S_Protein_and_Human_ACE2_Interface/11871402/4 |access-date=5 April 2020 |language=en}}
• 22 February
• Astronomers report that the star Betelgeuse, that has been undergoing a substantial decrease in brightness since October 2019, may have stopped dimming, and may now be beginning to again brighten, all but ending the current dimming episode.{{cite news |last1=Guinan |first1=Edward |last2=Wasatonic |first2=Richard |last3=Calderwood |first3=Thomas |last4=Carona |first4=Donald |title=ATel# 13512 – The Fall and Rise in Brightness of Betelgeuse |url=http://www.astronomerstelegram.org/?read=13512 |date=22 February 2020 |work=The Astronomer's Telegram |access-date=22 February 2020 }} Further studies of the star, reported on 24 February 2020, found no significant change in the infrared over the last 50 years, and seems unrelated to the recent visual fading, suggesting, despite speculations, that an impending core collapse, resulting in a supernova explosion, may be unlikely.{{cite news |author=Gehrz, R.D. |display-authors=et al. |title=ATel #13518 – Betelgeuse remains steadfast in the infrared |url=http://www.astronomerstelegram.org/?read=13518 |date=24 February 2020 |work=The Astronomer's Telegram |access-date=24 February 2020 }} Even further related studies, also reported on 24 February 2020, suggest that occluding "large-grain circumstellar dust" may be the most likely explanation for the dimming of the star.{{cite news |author=University of Washington |title=Dimming Betelgeuse likely isn't cold, just dusty, new study shows |url=https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-03/uow-dbl030520.php |date=6 March 2020 |work=EurekAlert! |access-date=6 March 2020 |author-link=University of Washington }}{{cite journal |last1=Levesque |first1=Emily M. |last2=Massey |first2=Philip |title=Betelgeuse Just Isn't That Cool: Effective Temperature Alone Cannot Explain the Recent Dimming of Betelgeuse |journal=The Astrophysical Journal |date=24 February 2020 |volume=891 |issue=2 |pages=L37 |doi=10.3847/2041-8213/ab7935 |arxiv=2002.10463 |bibcode=2020ApJ...891L..37L |s2cid=211296241 |doi-access=free }}
• Scientists from Harvard University, along with physics and biotech companies PLEX Corporation and Bruker Scientific, publish details of hemolithin they claim to have found in meteorite Acfer 086 – the first protein found in a meteorite if peer-review confirms their findings.{{cite news |last=Starr |first=Michelle |title=Scientists Claim to Have Found The First Known Extraterrestrial Protein in a Meteorite |url=https://www.sciencealert.com/scientists-claim-to-have-found-the-first-known-extraterrestrial-protein-in-a-meteorite |date=2 March 2020 |work=ScienceAlert.com |access-date=2 March 2020 }}{{cite news|url=https://phys.org/news/2020-03-protein-meteorite.html|title=Protein discovered inside a meteorite|date=3 March 2020|access-date=4 March 2020|publisher=Phys.org}}{{cite arXiv |last1=McGeoch |first1=Malcolm. W. |last2=Dikler |first2=Sergei |last3=McGeoch |first3=Julie E. M. |title=Hemolithin: a Meteoritic Protein containing Iron and Lithium |date=22 February 2020 |eprint=2002.11688 |class=astro-ph.EP }} Their findings may be relevant to theories of panspermia and pseudo-panspermia according to which life exists throughout the Universe and is distributed directly or indirectly via objects such as meteoroids. However, some scientists have expressed skepticism about the results of the study.{{cite web |last1=Crane |first1=Leah |title=Have we really found an alien protein inside a meteorite? |url=https://www.newscientist.com/article/2235981-have-we-really-found-an-alien-protein-inside-a-meteorite/ |website=New Scientist |access-date=26 March 2020}}

File:Henneguya zschokkei.jpg of salmon named Henneguya salminicola, that lost its mitochondria and does not use oxygen to produce energy.]]

• 24 February
• A study of the 2019–20 Australian bushfire season, published in Nature, finds that 21% of Australia's forests (excluding Tasmania) have burnt down, an amount described in the journal as "unprecedented" and "greatly exceed[ing] previous fires both within Australia and globally" in terms of scale within the last 20 years.{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/feb/25/unprecedented-globally-more-than-20-of-australias-forests-burnt-in-bushfires|title='Unprecedented' globally: more than 20% of Australia's forests burnt in bushfires|date=24 February 2020|access-date=25 February 2020|work=The Guardian}}{{cite journal|title=In the line of fire|date=24 February 2020|journal=Nature|volume=10|issue=3|pages=169|doi=10.1038/s41558-020-0720-5|bibcode=2020NatCC..10..169.|doi-access=free}} Other characteristics that distinguish the fires from similar ones include that they happened in populated areas instead of remote areas in e.g. Siberia{{cite news |last1=Tarabay |first1=Jamie |title=Why These Australia Fires Are Like Nothing We've Seen Before |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/21/world/australia/fires-size-climate.html |access-date=25 March 2020 |work=The New York Times |date=21 January 2020}} – due to which a large number of people were affected by smoke of the fires – and their intensity and geographical spread across the country.{{cite news |last1=Morton |first1=Adam |last2=Evershed |first2=Nick |last3=Readfearn |first3=Graham |title=Australia bushfires factcheck: are this year's fires unprecedented? |url=https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/nov/22/australia-bushfires-factcheck-are-this-years-fires-unprecedented |access-date=25 March 2020 |work=The Guardian |date=22 November 2019}}
• Paleontologists report the discovery of 1 billion-year-old micro-fossils of 2 mm sized green seaweeds called Proterocladus antiquus. The algae could produce oxygen via photosynthesis and is a close relative of the ancestor of all contemporary green plants including land plants which evolved ca. 450 million years ago. Previously the oldest green seaweeds were dated to roughly 800 million years ago.{{cite news |title=Tiny Chinese seaweed is oldest green plant fossil ever found |url=https://www.theguardian.com/science/2020/feb/24/tiny-chinese-seaweed-is-oldest-green-plant-fossil-ever-found |access-date=9 March 2020 |work=The Guardian |date=24 February 2020}}{{cite journal |last1=Tang |first1=Qing |last2=Pang |first2=Ke |last3=Yuan |first3=Xunlai |last4=Xiao |first4=Shuhai |title=A one-billion-year-old multicellular chlorophyte |journal=Nature Ecology & Evolution |date=24 February 2020 |volume=4 |issue=4 |pages=543–549 |doi=10.1038/s41559-020-1122-9 |pmid=32094536 |pmc=8668152 |s2cid=211266015 |doi-access=free }}
• Scientists report that thiophene organic molecules detected by the Curiosity rover on the planet Mars between 2012 and 2017 are consistent with earlier life on Mars and summarize conceivable pathways for its generation and degradation on the planet. It's not currently known if the detected thiophenes – usually associated on Earth with kerogen, coal and crude oil — are the result of biological or non-biological processes. They show that they could have either a biological or abiotic origin.{{cite news |author=Washington State University |title=Organic molecules discovered by Curiosity Rover consistent with early life on Mars: study |url=https://phys.org/news/2020-03-molecules-curiosity-rover-early-life.html |date=5 March 2020 |work=Phys.org |access-date=5 March 2020 |author-link=Washington State University }}{{cite journal |last1=Heinz |first1=Jacob |last2=Schulze-Makuch |first2=Dirk |title=Thiophenes on Mars: Biotic or Abiotic Origin? |date=24 February 2020 |journal=Astrobiology |volume=20 |issue=4 |pages=552–561 |doi=10.1089/ast.2019.2139 |pmid=32091933 |bibcode=2020AsBio..20..552H |doi-access=free }}
• Initial phase 1 testing of a Coronavirus vaccine from biotechnology company Moderna is reported to start soon.{{cite news |last=Prvulovic |first=Mark |title=Will Moderna Make a Fortune Off Its Coronavirus Vaccine? – There's a lot of excitement surrounding this vaccine, but is there any money to be made from it? |url=https://www.fool.com/investing/2020/03/11/will-moderna-make-a-fortune-off-its-coronavirus-va.aspx |date=11 March 2020 |work=The Motley Fool |access-date=11 March 2020 }}{{cite news |author=Staff |title=Moderna Press Release – 3 March 2020 |url=https://investors.modernatx.com/news-releases |date=3 March 2020 |work=Moderna |access-date=11 March 2020 }}

File:Ophicus Explosion.jpg – a cavity in the Ophiuchus Supercluster (pictured).]]

• 25 February
• Scientists at Tel Aviv University report the first discovery of an animal that has lost its mitochondria. Therefore, it is not using oxygen for generating its chemical energy. Henneguya zschokkei, a <10-celled parasite that lives in salmon muscle, has lost its ability for oxygen-respiration and thereby also shows that evolution can lead to abandonment of useful functions and less complex organisms.{{cite news|url=https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/02/200225114408.htm|title=Unique non-oxygen breathing animal discovered|date=25 February 2020|access-date=28 February 2020|work=Science Daily}}{{cite news |last1=Greenwood |first1=Veronique |title=This Parasite Doesn't Need Oxygen to Survive |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/28/science/parasite-oxygen-mitochondria.html |access-date=21 March 2020 |work=The New York Times |date=28 February 2020}}{{cite journal |last1=Yahalomi |first1=Dayana |last2=Atkinson |first2=Stephen D. |last3=Neuhof |first3=Moran |last4=Chang |first4=E. Sally |last5=Philippe |first5=Hervé |last6=Cartwright |first6=Paulyn |last7=Bartholomew |first7=Jerri L. |last8=Huchon |first8=Dorothée |title=A cnidarian parasite of salmon (Myxozoa: Henneguya) lacks a mitochondrial genome |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |date=10 March 2020 |volume=117 |issue=10 |pages=5358–5363 |doi=10.1073/pnas.1909907117 |pmid=32094163 |pmc=7071853 |bibcode=2020PNAS..117.5358Y |language=en |issn=0027-8424|doi-access=free }}
• Scientists visualize a quantum measurement: by taking snapshots of ion states at different times of measurement via coupling of a trapped ion qutrit to the photon environment they show that the changes of the degrees of superpositions and therefore of probabilities of states after measurement happens gradually under the measurement influence.{{cite news |title=Scientists 'film' a quantum measurement |url=https://phys.org/news/2020-02-scientists-quantum.html |website=phys.org |access-date=9 March 2020 |language=en-us}}{{cite journal |last1=Pokorny |first1=Fabian |last2=Zhang |first2=Chi |last3=Higgins |first3=Gerard |last4=Cabello |first4=Adán |last5=Kleinmann |first5=Matthias |last6=Hennrich |first6=Markus |title=Tracking the Dynamics of an Ideal Quantum Measurement |journal=Physical Review Letters |date=25 February 2020 |volume=124 |issue=8 |pages=080401 |doi=10.1103/PhysRevLett.124.080401 |pmid=32167322 |arxiv=1903.10398 |bibcode=2020PhRvL.124h0401P |s2cid=85501331 }}
• KAGRA joins LIGO and Virgo in the search for more gravitational wave events.{{Cite web|url=https://gwcenter.icrr.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/archives/1381|title=KAGRA Gravitational-wave Telescope Starts Observation|website=KAGRA|access-date=2020-03-31}}
• 26 February – Chinese astronomers report, for the first time, a high-resolution image of a lunar ejecta sequence, and, as well, direct analysis of its internal architecture. These were based on observations made by the Lunar Penetrating Radar (LPR) on board the Yutu-2 rover, part of the Chang'e 4 mission, while studying the far side of the Moon.{{cite news |last=Chang |first=Kenneth |title=China's Rover Finds Layers of Surprise Under Moon's Far Side – The Chang'e-4 mission, the first to land on the lunar far side, is demonstrating the promise and peril of using ground-penetrating radar in planetary science. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/26/science/china-moon-far-side.html |date=26 February 2020 |work=The New York Times |access-date=27 February 2020 }}{{cite journal |author=Li, Chunlai |display-authors=et al. |title=The Moon's farside shallow subsurface structure unveiled by Chang'E-4 Lunar Penetrating Radar |date=26 February 2020 |journal=Science Advances |volume=6 |issue=9 |pages=eaay6898 |doi=10.1126/sciadv.aay6898 |pmid=32133404 |pmc=7043921 |bibcode=2020SciA....6.6898L }}
• 27 February – Astronomers report the discovery of a large cavity in the Ophiuchus Supercluster, first detected in 2016 and originating from a supermassive black hole with the mass of 10 million solar masses. The cavity is a result of the largest known explosion in the Universe. The formerly active galactic nucleus created it by emitting radiation and particle jets, possibly as a result of a spike in supply of gas to the black hole that could have occurred if a galaxy fell into the centre of the cavity.{{cite news |last=Overbye |first=Dennis |author-link=Dennis Overbye |title=This Black Hole Blew a Hole in the Cosmos – The galaxy cluster Ophiuchus was doing just fine until WISEA J171227.81-232210.7 — a black hole several billion times as massive as our sun — burped on it. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/06/science/black-hole-cosmos-astrophysics.html |date=6 March 2020 |work=The New York Times |access-date=6 March 2020 }}{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/science/2020/feb/27/biggest-cosmic-explosion-ever-detected-makes-huge-dent-in-space|title=Biggest cosmic explosion ever detected left huge dent in space|date=27 February 2020|access-date=28 February 2020|work=The Guardian}}{{cite journal |last1=Giacintucci |first1=S. |last2=Markevitch |first2=M. |last3=Johnston-Hollitt |first3=M. |last4=Wik |first4=D. R. |last5=Wang |first5=Q. H. S. |last6=Clarke |first6=T. E. |title=Discovery of a Giant Radio Fossil in the Ophiuchus Galaxy Cluster |journal=The Astrophysical Journal |date=27 February 2020 |volume=891 |issue=1 |pages=1 |doi=10.3847/1538-4357/ab6a9d |arxiv=2002.01291 |bibcode=2020ApJ...891....1G |s2cid=211020555 |issn=1538-4357 |doi-access=free }}

• 2 March – Scientists report to have achieved repeated quantum nondemolition measurements of an electron's spin in a silicon quantum dot: measurements that do not change the electron's spin in the process.{{cite news |title=Scientists measure electron spin qubit without demolishing it |url=https://phys.org/news/2020-03-scientists-electron-qubit-demolishing.html |access-date=5 April 2020 |work=phys.org |language=en-us}}{{cite journal |last1=Yoneda |first1=J. |last2=Takeda |first2=K. |last3=Noiri |first3=A. |last4=Nakajima |first4=T. |last5=Li |first5=S. |last6=Kamioka |first6=J. |last7=Kodera |first7=T. |last8=Tarucha |first8=S. |title=Quantum non-demolition readout of an electron spin in silicon |journal=Nature Communications |date=2 March 2020 |volume=11 |issue=1 |pages=1144 |doi=10.1038/s41467-020-14818-8|arxiv=1910.11963 |pmid=32123167 |pmc=7052195 |bibcode=2020NatCo..11.1144Y |language=en |issn=2041-1723}}
• 3 March – Researchers report that stable d*(2830) hexaquark Bose–Einstein condensates could have formed in the early universe with a production rate sufficiently large to account for the 85% of matter thought to be dark matter, and therefore could be a plausible new candidate for dark matter. They were previously shown to possibly behave like dark matter.{{cite web |title=Is the "D-star Hexaquark" the Dark Matter Particle? |url=https://www.universetoday.com/145345/is-the-d-star-hexaquark-the-dark-matter-particle/ |website=Universe Today |access-date=5 April 2020 |date=11 March 2020}}{{cite news |title=Scientists shed light on mystery of dark matter |url=https://phys.org/news/2020-03-scientists-mystery-dark.html |access-date=5 April 2020 |work=phys.org |language=en-us}}{{cite journal |last1=Bashkanov |first1=M |last2=Watts |first2=D P |title=A new possibility for light-quark dark matter |journal=Journal of Physics G: Nuclear and Particle Physics |date=1 February 2020 |volume=47 |issue=3 |pages=03LT01 |doi=10.1088/1361-6471/ab67e8 |arxiv=2001.08654 |bibcode=2020JPhG...47cLT01B |s2cid=210861179 |language=en |issn=0954-3899}}

File:2019-12-07 East Australian Fires Aqua MODIS-VIIRS-LABELS.png project publicize a study which found that human-caused climate change had an influence on the 2019–20 Australian wildfires.]]

• 4 March
• A global scientific collaboration of ca. 100 institutions publishes their analysis of three decades of tree growth and death in 565 undisturbed tropical forests across Africa and the Amazon. The researchers found that the overall uptake of carbon into Earth's intact tropical forests peaked in the 1990s, dropped by one-third on average by the 2010s and may have started a downward trend. While extra carbon dioxide boosts tree growth, the effect is countered by negative impacts of higher temperatures and droughts which slow growth and can kill trees. Their models project a long-term decline in the African carbon sink and the Amazonas likely becoming a carbon source, rather than sink, in the mid-2030s.{{cite news |title=Tropical forests' carbon sink is already rapidly weakening |url=https://phys.org/news/2020-03-tropical-forests-carbon-rapidly-weakening.html |access-date=5 April 2020 |work=phys.org |language=en-us}}{{cite news |last1=Harvey |first1=Fiona |author-link=Fiona Harvey |date=4 March 2020 |title=Tropical forests losing their ability to absorb carbon, study finds |url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/mar/04/tropical-forests-losing-their-ability-to-absorb-carbon-study-finds |access-date=5 April 2020 |work=The Guardian}}{{cite journal |last1=Hubau |first1=Wannes |last2=Lewis |first2=Simon L. |last3=Phillips |first3=Oliver L. |last4=Affum-Baffoe |first4=Kofi |last5=Beeckman |first5=Hans |last6=Cuní-Sanchez |first6=Aida |last7=Daniels |first7=Armandu K. |last8=Ewango |first8=Corneille E. N. |last9=Fauset |first9=Sophie |last10=Mukinzi |first10=Jacques M. |last11=Sheil |first11=Douglas |last12=Sonké |first12=Bonaventure |last13=Sullivan |first13=Martin J. P. |last14=Sunderland |first14=Terry C. H. |last15=Taedoumg |first15=Hermann |last16=Thomas |first16=Sean C. |last17=White |first17=Lee J. T. |last18=Abernethy |first18=Katharine A. |last19=Adu-Bredu |first19=Stephen |last20=Amani |first20=Christian A. |last21=Baker |first21=Timothy R. |last22=Banin |first22=Lindsay F. |last23=Baya |first23=Fidèle |last24=Begne |first24=Serge K. |last25=Bennett |first25=Amy C. |last26=Benedet |first26=Fabrice |last27=Bitariho |first27=Robert |last28=Bocko |first28=Yannick E. |last29=Boeckx |first29=Pascal |last30=Boundja |first30=Patrick |last31=Brienen |first31=Roel J. 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T. |last81=Bengone |first81=Natacha Nssi |last82=Ojo |first82=Lucas |last83=Ondo |first83=Fidèle Evouna |last84=Peh |first84=Kelvin S.-H. |last85=Pickavance |first85=Georgia C. |last86=Poulsen |first86=Axel Dalberg |last87=Poulsen |first87=John R. |last88=Qie |first88=Lan |last89=Reitsma |first89=Jan |last90=Rovero |first90=Francesco |last91=Swaine |first91=Michael D. |last92=Talbot |first92=Joey |last93=Taplin |first93=James |last94=Taylor |first94=David M. |last95=Thomas |first95=Duncan W. |last96=Toirambe |first96=Benjamin |last97=Mukendi |first97=John Tshibamba |last98=Tuagben |first98=Darlington |last99=Umunay |first99=Peter M. |display-authors=29 |last100=van der Heijden |first100=Geertje M. F. |last101=Verbeeck |first101=Hans |last102=Vleminckx |first102=Jason |last103=Willcock |first103=Simon |last104=Wöll |first104=Hannsjörg |last105=Woods |first105=John T. |last106=Zemagho |first106=Lise |title=Asynchronous carbon sink saturation in African and Amazonian tropical forests |journal=Nature |date=March 2020 |volume=579 |issue=7797 |pages=80–87 |doi=10.1038/s41586-020-2035-0 |pmid=32132693 |pmc=7617213 |bibcode=2020Natur.579...80H |hdl=1854/LU-8655832 |s2cid=212406428 |url=https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/natlpark/204 |hdl-access=free }}
• Scientists report the discovery of a second mechanism that repairs interstrand crosslink (ICL) DNA damage caused by the alcohol metabolite acetaldehyde next to the Fanconi anemia pathway, which cuts DNA to remove the ICL: enzymes cutting the crosslink itself.{{cite news |title=Scientists discover new repair mechanism for alcohol-induced DNA damage |url=https://phys.org/news/2020-03-scientists-mechanism-alcohol-induced-dna.html |access-date=5 April 2020 |work=phys.org |language=en-us}}{{cite journal |last1=Hodskinson |first1=Michael R. |last2=Bolner |first2=Alice |last3=Sato |first3=Koichi |last4=Kamimae-Lanning |first4=Ashley N. |last5=Rooijers |first5=Koos |last6=Witte |first6=Merlijn |last7=Mahesh |first7=Mohan |last8=Silhan |first8=Jan |last9=Petek |first9=Maya |last10=Williams |first10=David M. |last11=Kind |first11=Jop |last12=Chin |first12=Jason W. |last13=Patel |first13=Ketan J. |last14=Knipscheer |first14=Puck |title=Alcohol-derived DNA crosslinks are repaired by two distinct mechanisms |journal=Nature |date=March 2020 |volume=579 |issue=7800 |pages=603–608 |doi=10.1038/s41586-020-2059-5 |pmid=32132710 |pmc=7116288 |bibcode=2020Natur.579..603H |s2cid=212406661 |url=http://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/159399/1/Hodskinson%20Nature%202020.pdf }}
• Researchers report that their review indicates that the unguarded X hypothesis may be valid: according to this hypothesis one reason for why the average lifespan of males is not as long as that of females – by 18% on average according to the study – is that they have a Y chromosome which cannot protect an individual from harmful genes expressed on the X chromosome, while a duplicate X chromosome, as present in female organisms, can ensure harmful genes are not expressed.{{cite news |title=Why men (and other male animals) die younger: It's all in the Y chromosome |url=https://phys.org/news/2020-03-men-male-animals-die-younger.html |access-date=5 April 2020 |work=phys.org |language=en-us}}{{cite journal |last1=Xirocostas |first1=Zoe A. |last2=Everingham |first2=Susan E. |last3=Moles |first3=Angela T. |author-link3=Angela Moles |date=25 March 2020 |title=The sex with the reduced sex chromosome dies earlier: a comparison across the tree of life |journal=Biology Letters |volume=16 |issue=3 |pages=20190867 |doi=10.1098/rsbl.2019.0867 |pmc=7115182 |pmid=32126186 |doi-access=free}}
• Scientists report that they have developed a way to 3D bioprint graphene oxide with a protein. They demonstrate that this novel bioink can be used to recreate vascular-like structures. This may be used in the development of safer and more efficient drugs.{{cite news |title=Biomaterial discovery enables 3-D printing of tissue-like vascular structures |url=https://phys.org/news/2020-03-biomaterial-discovery-enables-d-tissue-like.html |access-date=5 April 2020 |work=phys.org |language=en-us}}{{cite journal |last1=Wu |first1=Yuanhao |last2=Okesola |first2=Babatunde O. |last3=Xu |first3=Jing |last4=Korotkin |first4=Ivan |last5=Berardo |first5=Alice |last6=Corridori |first6=Ilaria |last7=di Brocchetti |first7=Francesco Luigi Pellerej |last8=Kanczler |first8=Janos |last9=Feng |first9=Jingyu |last10=Li |first10=Weiqi |last11=Shi |first11=Yejiao |last12=Farafonov |first12=Vladimir |last13=Wang |first13=Yiqiang |last14=Thompson |first14=Rebecca F. |last15=Titirici |first15=Maria-Magdalena |last16=Nerukh |first16=Dmitry |last17=Karabasov |first17=Sergey |last18=Oreffo |first18=Richard O. C. |last19=Carlos Rodriguez-Cabello |first19=Jose |last20=Vozzi |first20=Giovanni |last21=Azevedo |first21=Helena S. |last22=Pugno |first22=Nicola M. |last23=Wang |first23=Wen |last24=Mata |first24=Alvaro |title=Disordered protein-graphene oxide co-assembly and supramolecular biofabrication of functional fluidic devices |journal=Nature Communications |date=4 March 2020 |volume=11 |issue=1 |pages=1182 |doi=10.1038/s41467-020-14716-z |pmid=32132534 |bibcode=2020NatCo..11.1182W |pmc=7055247 |language=en |issn=2041-1723|doi-access=free }}
• Scientists of the international World Weather Attribution project publicize a study which found that human-caused climate change had an influence on the 2019–20 Australian wildfires by causing high-risk conditions that made widespread burning at least 30 percent more likely. They comment on the results, stating that climate change probably had more effects on the fires which couldn't be attributed using their climate simulations and that not all drivers of the fires showed imprints of anthropogenic climate change.{{cite news |last1=Fountain |first1=Henry |title=Climate Change Affected Australia's Wildfires, Scientists Confirm |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/04/climate/australia-wildfires-climate-change.html |access-date=6 April 2020 |work=The New York Times |date=4 March 2020}}{{cite journal |last1=Oldenborgh |first1=Geert Jan van |last2=Krikken |first2=Folmer |last3=Lewis |first3=Sophie |last4=Leach |first4=Nicholas J. |last5=Lehner |first5=Flavio |last6=Saunders |first6=Kate R. |last7=Weele |first7=Michiel van |last8=Haustein |first8=Karsten |last9=Li |first9=Sihan |last10=Wallom |first10=David |last11=Sparrow |first11=Sarah |last12=Arrighi |first12=Julie |last13=Singh |first13=Roop P. |last14=Aalst |first14=Maarten K. van |last15=Philip |first15=Sjoukje Y. |last16=Vautard |first16=Robert |last17=Otto |first17=Friederike E. L. |title=Attribution of the Australian bushfire risk to anthropogenic climate change |journal=Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences Discussions |date=11 March 2020 |pages=1–46 |doi=10.5194/nhess-2020-69 |url=https://www.nat-hazards-earth-syst-sci-discuss.net/nhess-2020-69/ |access-date=6 April 2020 |language=en |issn=1561-8633|doi-access=free |hdl=20.500.11850/475524 |hdl-access=free }}
• Scientists report to have used CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing inside a human's body for the first time. They aim to restore vision for a patient with inherited Leber congenital amaurosis and state that it may take up to a month to see whether the procedure was successful. In an hour-long surgery study approved by government regulators doctors inject three drops of fluid containing viruses under the patient's retina. In earlier tests in human tissue, mice and monkeys scientists were able to correct half of the cells with the disease-causing mutation, which was more than what is needed to restore vision. Unlike germline editing these DNA modifications aren't inheritable.{{cite news |title=Doctors use gene editing tool Crispr inside body for first time |url=https://www.theguardian.com/science/2020/mar/04/doctors-use-gene-editing-tool-crispr-inside-body-for-first-time |access-date=6 April 2020 |work=the Guardian |date=4 March 2020 |language=en}}{{cite news |title=Doctors try 1st CRISPR editing in the body for blindness |url=https://apnews.com/17fcd6ae57d39d06b72ca40fe7cee461 |access-date=6 April 2020 |work=AP NEWS |date=4 March 2020}}{{cite web |last1=White |first1=Franny |title=OHSU performs first-ever CRISPR gene editing within human body |url=https://news.ohsu.edu/2020/03/04/ohsu-performs-first-ever-crispr-gene-editing-within-human-body |website=OHSU News |access-date=12 April 2020 |language=en}}

{{multiple images|header=5 March |align=right |direction=vertical |width=200

|image1=Perseverance rover design.png |caption1=NASA names the Mars 2020 rover Perseverance.

|image2=Harm Aversion video explanation.webm |caption2=A video explaining the study "Harm to Others Acts as a Negative Reinforcer in Rats"}}

• 5 March
• NASA officially names the originally titled Mars 2020 rover to the newly titled Perseverance rover, after conducting a student naming contest in the Fall of 2019.{{cite news |last=Chang |first=Kenneth |title=NASA's Mars 2020 Rover Gets New, Official Name: Perseverance – The robotic explorer is to join Curiosity on the red planet next year, and is expected to get more rolling companions built by China, Europe and Russia. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/05/science/mars-2020-rover-name.html |date=5 March 2020 |work=The New York Times |access-date=6 March 2020 }}{{cite news |last1=Hautaluoma |first1=Grey |last2=Johnsom |first2=Alana |last3=Agle |first3=DC |title=Virginia Middle School Student Earns Honor of Naming NASA's Next Mars Rover → "Perseverance" |url=https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/virginia-middle-school-student-earns-honor-of-naming-nasas-next-mars-rover |date=5 March 2020 |work=NASA |access-date=5 March 2020 }}
• Computer security experts report another Intel chip security flaw, besides the Meltdown and Spectre flaws, with the systematic name {{CVE|2019-0090}} (or, "Intel CSME Bug").{{cite news |last=Cimpanu |first=Catalin |title=Intel CSME bug is worse than previously thought – Researchers say a full patch requires replacing hardware. Only the latest Intel 10th generation CPUs are not affected. |url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/intel-csme-bug-is-worse-than-previously-thought/ |date=5 March 2020 |work=ZDNet |access-date=8 March 2020 }} This newly found flaw is not fixable with a firmware update, and affects nearly "all Intel chips released in the past five years".{{cite news |last=Goodin |first=Dan |title=5 years of Intel CPUs and chipsets have a concerning flaw that's unfixable – Converged Security and Management Engine flaw may jeopardize Intel's root of trust. |url=https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2020/03/5-years-of-intel-cpus-and-chipsets-have-a-concerning-flaw-thats-unfixable/ |date=5 March 2020 |work=Ars Technica |access-date=6 March 2020 }}{{cite news |last=Dent |first=Steve |title=Researchers discover that Intel chips have an unfixable security flaw – The chips are vulnerable during boot-up, so they can't be patched with a firmware update. |url=https://www.engadget.com/2020/03/06/intel-chips-unpatchable-security-flaw/ |date=6 March 2020|work=Engadget |access-date=6 March 2020 }}{{cite news |author=Staff |title=Intel® Converged Security and Management Engine, Intel® Server Platform Services, Intel® Trusted Execution Engine, and Intel® Active Management Technology Advisory (Intel-SA-00213) |url=https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000033416/technologies.html |date=11 February 2020 |work=Intel |access-date=6 March 2020 }}{{cite news |last1=Cimpanu |first1=Catalin |title=Intel CSME bug is worse than previously thought |url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/intel-csme-bug-is-worse-than-previously-thought/ |access-date=13 April 2020 |work=ZDNet |language=en}}
• Scientists report that they have identified a second enzyme in the cell membrane of lung cells essential for entry of SARS-CoV-2 into the cells after the enzyme ACE2 has been identified earlier by other researchers. They found that the protease TMPRSS2 is split by the virus' spike protein to enter the cell and that the TMPRSS2-inhibitors Camostat and, in a second report by other researchers on 18 March, Nafamostat may be potential treatments as they reduced the probability of the virus entering cells in vitro.{{cite news |title=Preventing spread of SARS coronavirus-2 in humans: Infection researchers identify potential drug |url=https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/03/200305132039.htm |access-date=3 April 2020 |work=ScienceDaily |language=en}}{{cite news |title=Nafamostat is expected to prevent the transmission of new coronavirus infection (COVID-19) |url=https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-03/tiom-nie032420.php |access-date=3 April 2020 |work=EurekAlert! |language=en}}{{cite journal |last1=Hoffmann |first1=Markus |last2=Kleine-Weber |first2=Hannah |last3=Schroeder |first3=Simon |last4=Krüger |first4=Nadine |last5=Herrler |first5=Tanja |last6=Erichsen |first6=Sandra |last7=Schiergens |first7=Tobias S. |last8=Herrler |first8=Georg |last9=Wu |first9=Nai-Huei |last10=Nitsche |first10=Andreas |last11=Müller |first11=Marcel A. |last12=Drosten |first12=Christian |last13=Pöhlmann |first13=Stefan |title=SARS-CoV-2 Cell Entry Depends on ACE2 and TMPRSS2 and Is Blocked by a Clinically Proven Protease Inhibitor |journal=Cell |date=5 March 2020 |volume=181 |issue=2 |pages=271–280.e8 |doi=10.1016/j.cell.2020.02.052 |pmid=32142651 |pmc=7102627 |url=|language=en |issn=0092-8674}}
• Researchers suggest that more active rest postures may help protect people from the harmful effects of inactivity after reviewing related work, studying a hunter-gatherer population and measuring muscle activity of different resting postures such as sitting. According to their "inactivity mismatch hypothesis" human physiology likely adapted to more consistently active muscles. This may be relevant to new interventions that could reduce widespread negative health impacts of inactivity in industrialized populations.{{cite news |title=Study of hunter-gatherer community shows that how humans rest may affect their risk for heart disease |url=https://phys.org/news/2020-03-hunter-gatherer-humans-rest-affect-heart.html |access-date=5 April 2020 |work=phys.org |language=en-us}}{{cite journal |last1=Raichlen |first1=David A. |last2=Pontzer |first2=Herman |last3=Zderic |first3=Theodore W. |last4=Harris |first4=Jacob A. |last5=Mabulla |first5=Audax Z. P. |last6=Hamilton |first6=Marc T. |last7=Wood |first7=Brian M. |title=Sitting, squatting, and the evolutionary biology of human inactivity |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |date=31 March 2020 |volume=117 |issue=13 |pages=7115–7121 |doi=10.1073/pnas.1911868117 |pmid=32152112 |pmc=7132251 |bibcode=2020PNAS..117.7115R |language=en |issn=0027-8424|doi-access=free }}
• Neuroscientists report that rats show harm aversion with the brain region anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), which is also associated with harm aversion in humans, being activated. Rats stopped choosing candy they preferred over other candy when it meant hurting an unfamiliar, neighbour rat. Reducing brain activity in the ACC by injecting a local anesthetic reversed this behaviour. Moreover, they showed that their harm aversion can be limited as most rats, which previously switched to the less-preferred candy to avoid harm to their neighbours, stopped doing so when offered a choice between one and three candies. Their experiments may show that the moral motivation that keeps humans from harming other humans has old evolutionary origins and is shared to some degree with other animals. They also suggest some level of personality in rats as they showed a wide range of variable responses in the experiment – including indifference and not choosing any of the two levers after the first electric shock was registered. Furthermore, prior experience with footshocks was shown to increase the rats' harm aversion.{{cite news |title=Rats avoid hurting other rats |url=https://phys.org/news/2020-03-rats.html |access-date=5 April 2020 |work=phys.org |language=en-us}}{{cite web |title=Rats avoid harming other rats. The finding may help us understand sociopaths. |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2020/03/rats-empathy-brains-harm-aversion/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200306125801/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2020/03/rats-empathy-brains-harm-aversion/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=6 March 2020 |website=Animals |access-date=8 April 2020 |language=en |date=5 March 2020}}{{cite journal |last1=Hernandez-Lallement |first1=Julen |last2=Attah |first2=Augustine Triumph |last3=Soyman |first3=Efe |last4=Pinhal |first4=Cindy M. |last5=Gazzola |first5=Valeria |last6=Keysers |first6=Christian |title=Harm to Others Acts as a Negative Reinforcer in Rats |journal=Current Biology |date=23 March 2020 |volume=30 |issue=6 |pages=949–961.e7 |doi=10.1016/j.cub.2020.01.017 |pmid=32142701 |language=en |issn=0960-9822|doi-access=free |hdl=20.500.11755/ee7ae8ac-7393-4276-84ce-1bad1b8e5e0d |hdl-access=free }} Rats were shown to be capable of showing empathy as early as 2011.{{cite web |title=Rats Show Empathy, Too |url=https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/rats-show-empathy-too |website=National Institutes of Health (NIH) |access-date=8 April 2020 |language=EN |date=22 May 2015}}{{cite news |last1=Brown |first1=David |title=A new model of empathy: The rat |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/a-new-model-of-empathy-the-rat/2011/12/08/gIQAAx0jfO_story.html |newspaper=Washington Post |access-date=8 April 2020 |date=8 December 2011}}{{cite web |title=Empathic Rats and Ravishing Ravens |url=https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/animal-emotions/201112/empathic-rats-and-ravishing-ravens |website=Psychology Today |access-date=8 April 2020}}
• 6 March – Scientists show that adding a layer of perovskite crystals on top of textured or planar silicon to create a tandem solar cell enhances its performance up to a power conversion efficiency of 26%. This could be a low cost way to increase efficiency of solar cells.{{cite news |title=Light to electricity: New multi-material solar cells set new efficiency standard |url=https://phys.org/news/2020-03-electricity-multi-material-solar-cells-efficiency.html |access-date=5 April 2020 |work=phys.org |language=en-us}}{{cite journal |last1=Xu |first1=Jixian |last2=Boyd |first2=Caleb C. |last3=Yu |first3=Zhengshan J. |last4=Palmstrom |first4=Axel F. |last5=Witter |first5=Daniel J. |last6=Larson |first6=Bryon W. |last7=France |first7=Ryan M. |last8=Werner |first8=Jérémie |last9=Harvey |first9=Steven P. |last10=Wolf |first10=Eli J. |last11=Weigand |first11=William |last12=Manzoor |first12=Salman |last13=Hest |first13=Maikel F. A. M. van |last14=Berry |first14=Joseph J. |last15=Luther |first15=Joseph M. |last16=Holman |first16=Zachary C. |author17-link=Michael D. McGehee |last17=McGehee |first17=Michael D. |title=Triple-halide wide–band gap perovskites with suppressed phase segregation for efficient tandems |journal=Science |date=6 March 2020 |volume=367 |issue=6482 |pages=1097–1104 |doi=10.1126/science.aaz5074 |pmid=32139537 |bibcode=2020Sci...367.1097X |s2cid=212561010 }}
• 9 March – Scientists show that CRISPR-Cas12b is a third promising CRISPR editing tool, next to Cas9 and Cas12a, for plant genome engineering.{{cite news |title=Researchers establish new viable CRISPR-Cas12b system for plant genome engineering |url=https://phys.org/news/2020-03-viable-crispr-cas12b-genome.html |access-date=6 April 2020 |work=phys.org |language=en-us}}{{cite journal |last1=Ming |first1=Meiling |last2=Ren |first2=Qiurong |last3=Pan |first3=Changtian |last4=He |first4=Yao |last5=Zhang |first5=Yingxiao |last6=Liu |first6=Shishi |last7=Zhong |first7=Zhaohui |last8=Wang |first8=Jiaheng |last9=Malzahn |first9=Aimee A. |last10=Wu |first10=Jun |last11=Zheng |first11=Xuelian |last12=Zhang |first12=Yong |last13=Qi |first13=Yiping |title=CRISPR–Cas12b enables efficient plant genome engineering |journal=Nature Plants |date=March 2020 |volume=6 |issue=3 |pages=202–208 |doi=10.1038/s41477-020-0614-6 |pmid=32170285 |s2cid=212643374 }}

File:Mangroves in Kannur, India.jpgs reduce the risks of flooding at coastlines worldwide.]]

• 10 March
• Physicist Lucas Lombriser of the University of Geneva presents a possible way of reconciling the two significantly different determinations of the Hubble constant by proposing the notion of a surrounding vast "bubble", 250 million light years in diameter, that is half the density of the rest of the universe.{{cite news |author=University of Geneva |title=Solved: The mystery of the expansion of the universe |url=https://phys.org/news/2020-03-mystery-expansion-universe.html |date=10 March 2020 |work=Phys.org |access-date=10 March 2020 |author-link=University of Geneva }}{{cite journal |last=Lombriser |first=Lucas |title=Consistency of the local Hubble constant with the cosmic microwave background |date=10 April 2020 |journal=Physics Letters B |volume=803 |pages=135303 |doi=10.1016/j.physletb.2020.135303 |arxiv=1906.12347 |bibcode=2020PhLB..80335303L |s2cid=195750638 }}
• Scientists publish evidence that even large ecosystems can collapse on relatively short timescales. Their paper suggests that once a 'point of no return' is reached, the Amazon rainforest could shift to a savannah-type mixture of trees and grass within 50 years.{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/mar/10/ecosystems-size-of-amazon-rainforest-can-collapse-within-decades|title=Ecosystems the size of Amazon 'can collapse within decades'|date=10 March 2020|access-date=10 March 2020|work=The Guardian}}{{cite news|url=https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-03/bu-arc030920.php|title=Amazon rainforest could be gone within a lifetime|date=10 March 2020|access-date=10 March 2020|work=EurekAlert!}}{{cite web |title=Ecosystems the size of Amazon 'can collapse within decades' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/mar/10/ecosystems-size-of-amazon-rainforest-can-collapse-within-decades |website=The Guardian |access-date=13 April 2020 |language=en |date=10 March 2020}}{{cite journal |last1=Cooper |first1=Gregory S. |last2=Willcock |first2=Simon |last3=Dearing |first3=John A. |title=Regime shifts occur disproportionately faster in larger ecosystems |journal=Nature Communications |date=10 March 2020 |volume=11 |issue=1 |pages=1175 |doi=10.1038/s41467-020-15029-x |pmid=32157098 |pmc=7064493 |bibcode=2020NatCo..11.1175C |language=en |issn=2041-1723}}
• Researchers show when, where, and how mangrove forests reduce risks of flooding at coastlines worldwide, evaluate the economic value thereof and illustrate ways to fund mangrove protection with economic incentives, insurance, and climate risk financing.{{cite news |title=Research shows mangrove conservation can pay for itself in flood protection |url=https://phys.org/news/2020-03-mangrove.html |access-date=5 April 2020 |work=phys.org |language=en-us}}{{cite journal |last1=Menéndez |first1=Pelayo |last2=Losada |first2=Iñigo J. |last3=Torres-Ortega |first3=Saul |last4=Narayan |first4=Siddharth |last5=Beck |first5=Michael W. |title=The Global Flood Protection Benefits of Mangroves |journal=Scientific Reports |date=10 March 2020 |volume=10 |issue=1 |pages=4404 |doi=10.1038/s41598-020-61136-6 |pmid=32157114 |pmc=7064529 |bibcode=2020NatSR..10.4404M |language=en |issn=2045-2322}}
• 11 March
• Researchers using ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT) report the discovery of titanium and vanadium oxides in the atmosphere of WASP-76b, an exoplanet with temperatures of 2,400 °C (4,352 °F) that rains molten iron.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-51828871|title=Wasp-76b: The exotic inferno planet where it 'rains iron'|date=11 March 2020|access-date=11 March 2020|work=BBC News}}{{cite news|url=https://www.eso.org/public/news/eso2005/|title=ESO Telescope Observes Exoplanet Where It Rains Iron|date=11 March 2020|access-date=11 March 2020|work=ESO}}
• Quantum engineers report to have managed to control the nucleus of a single atom using only electric fields. This was first suggested to be possible in 1961 and may be used for silicon quantum computers that use single-atom spins without needing oscillating magnetic fields which may be especially useful for nanodevices, for precise sensors of electric and magnetic fields as well as for fundamental inquiries into quantum nature.{{cite news |title=Engineers crack 58-year-old puzzle on way to quantum breakthrough |url=https://phys.org/news/2020-03-year-old-puzzle-quantum-breakthrough.html |access-date=5 April 2020 |work=phys.org |language=en-us}}{{cite journal |last1=Asaad |first1=Serwan |last2=Mourik |first2=Vincent |last3=Joecker |first3=Benjamin |last4=Johnson |first4=Mark A. I. |last5=Baczewski |first5=Andrew D. |last6=Firgau |first6=Hannes R. |last7=Mądzik |first7=Mateusz T. |last8=Schmitt |first8=Vivien |last9=Pla |first9=Jarryd J. |last10=Hudson |first10=Fay E. |last11=Itoh |first11=Kohei M. |last12=McCallum |first12=Jeffrey C. |last13=Dzurak |first13=Andrew S. |last14=Laucht |first14=Arne |last15=Morello |first15=Andrea |title=Coherent electrical control of a single high-spin nucleus in silicon |journal=Nature |date=March 2020 |volume=579 |issue=7798 |pages=205–209 |doi=10.1038/s41586-020-2057-7 |pmid=32161384 |arxiv=1906.01086 |bibcode=2020Natur.579..205A |s2cid=174797899 }}
• Scientists incorrectly report the discovery of dinosaur Oculudentavis khaungraae whose 1.4 centimeter head is well-preserved in amber. The bird-like lizard lived 99 million years ago, was about the size of a bee hummingbird, may provide new implications relevant to bird evolution and, according to paleontologists, is considered to have strange features. At first it was thought that the specimen could represent the smallest dinosaur of the fossil record.{{cite news |title=Smallest-ever fossil dinosaur found trapped in amber |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2020/03/smallest-ever-fossil-dinosaur-found-trapped-in-amber/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200312103555/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2020/03/smallest-ever-fossil-dinosaur-found-trapped-in-amber/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=12 March 2020 |access-date=7 April 2020 |work=Science |date=11 March 2020 |language=en}}{{cite news |title=Discovery of smallest known mesozoic dinosaur reveals new species in bird evolution |url=https://phys.org/news/2020-03-discovery-smallest-mesozoic-dinosaur-reveals.html |access-date=7 April 2020 |work=phys.org |language=en-us}}{{cite journal |last1=Xing |first1=Lida |last2=O'Connor |first2=Jingmai K. |last3=Schmitz |first3=Lars |last4=Chiappe |first4=Luis M. |last5=McKellar |first5=Ryan C. |last6=Yi |first6=Qiru |last7=Li |first7=Gang |title=Hummingbird-sized dinosaur from the Cretaceous period of Myanmar |journal=Nature |date=March 2020 |volume=579 |issue=7798 |pages=245–249 |doi=10.1038/s41586-020-2068-4 |pmid=32161388 |bibcode=2020Natur.579..245X |s2cid=212670113 }}{{Retracted|doi=10.1038/s41586-020-2553-9|pmid=32699407|http://retractionwatch.com/2020/07/22/a-big-nature-study-on-a-tiny-dinosaur-is-being-retracted/ Retraction Watch|intentional=yes}} The paper was retracted after reviewers agreed with assessments – of which one was uploaded to a preprint server on 18 March – claiming a misclassification of the fossil, believed to be a lizard instead of a dinosaur.{{cite news |title=Paper describing hummingbird-sized dinosaur retracted |url=https://phys.org/news/2020-07-paper-hummingbird-sized-dinosaur-retracted.html |access-date=18 August 2020 |work=phys.org |language=en}}{{cite journal |last1=Xing |first1=Lida |last2=O'Connor |first2=Jingmai K. |last3=Schmitz |first3=Lars |last4=Chiappe |first4=Luis M. |last5=McKellar |first5=Ryan C. |last6=Yi |first6=Qiru |last7=Li |first7=Gang |title=Retraction Note: Hummingbird-sized dinosaur from the Cretaceous period of Myanmar |journal=Nature |date=22 July 2020 |volume=584 |issue=7822 |page=652 |doi=10.1038/s41586-020-2553-9 |pmid=32699407 |bibcode=2020Natur.584..652X |language=en |issn=1476-4687|doi-access=free }}
• 12 March – Astronomers report observational evidence of "ongoing nucleus fragmentation" from the interstellar comet 2I/Borisov.{{cite news |last1=O'Callaghan |first1=Jonathan |title=Interstellar comet Borisov may be breaking up as it exits solar system |url=https://www.newscientist.com/article/2238063-interstellar-comet-borisov-may-be-breaking-up-as-it-exits-solar-system/ |access-date=5 April 2020 |date=20 March 2020 |work=New Scientist}}{{cite news |author=Drahus, Michal |display-authors=et al. |title=ATel#1349: Multiple Outbursts of Interstellar Comet 2I/Borisov |url=http://www.astronomerstelegram.org/?read=13549 |date=12 March 2020 |work=The Astronomer's Telegram |access-date=13 March 2020 }}
• 13 March – The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) grants emergency authorisation for a coronavirus test by Swiss diagnostics maker Roche. The automated cobas 8800 system provides a ten-fold improvement in the speed of patient testing, with capacity for up to 4,128 results in 24 hours.{{cite news|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-03-13/roche-gets-clearance-for-coronavirus-test-that-s-10-times-faster?srnd=premium-europe|title=New Coronavirus Test 10 Times Faster Is FDA Approved|date=13 March 2020|access-date=13 March 2020|work=Bloomberg}}{{cite news|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/13/united-states-approves-coronavirus-test-in-race-to-boost-screening-capacity.html|title=US gives emergency approval for Roche coronavirus test in the race to boost screening capacity|date=13 March 2020|access-date=13 March 2020|work=CNBC}}{{cite news|url=https://www.roche.com/media/releases/med-cor-2020-03-13.htm|title=Roche's cobas SARS-CoV-2 Test to detect novel coronavirus receives FDA Emergency Use Authorization and is available in markets accepting the CE mark|date=13 March 2020|access-date=13 March 2020|work=Roche}}
• 14 March
• Chinese news announces that the first confirmed case of the COVID-19 disease, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, was traced back to a 55-year-old patient in Hubei province, and was reported in a Chinese newspaper on 17 November 2019. To date (14 March 2020), 67,790 cases and 3,075 deaths due to the virus have been reported in Hubei province; a case fatality rate (CFR) of 4.54%.{{cite news |last=Walker |first=James |title=China Traces Cornovirus To First Confirmed Case, Nearly Identifying 'Patient Zero' |url=https://www.newsweek.com/china-traces-coronavirus-back-first-confirmed-patient-zero-1492327 |date=14 March 2020 |work=Newsweek |access-date=14 March 2020 }}
• Scientists report in a preprint to have developed a CRISPR-based strategy, called PAC-MAN (Prophylactic Antiviral Crispr in huMAN cells), that can find and destroy viruses in vitro. However, they weren't able to test PAC-MAN on the actual SARS-CoV-2, use a targeting-mechanism that uses only a very limited RNA-region, haven't developed a system to deliver it into human cells and would need a lot of time until another version of it or a potential successor system might pass clinical trials. In the study published as a preprint they write that the CRISPR-Cas13d-based system could be used prophylactically as well as therapeutically and that it could be implemented rapidly to manage new pandemic coronavirus strains – and potentially any virus – as it could be tailored to other RNA-targets quickly, only requiring a small change.{{cite magazine |last1=Levy |first1=Steven |title=Could Crispr Be Humanity's Next Virus Killer? |url=https://www.wired.com/story/could-crispr-be-the-next-virus-killer/ |magazine=Wired |access-date=25 March 2020 |language=en}}{{cite web |title=Can Crispr technology attack the coronavirus? {{!}} Bioengineering |url=https://bioengineering.stanford.edu/news/can-crispr-technology-attack-coronavirus |website=bioengineering.stanford.edu |date=18 March 2020 |access-date=3 April 2020}}{{cite bioRxiv |last1=Abbott |first1=Timothy R. |last2=Dhamdhere |first2=Girija |last3=Liu |first3=Yanxia |last4=Lin |first4=Xueqiu |last5=Goudy |first5=Laine |last6=Zeng |first6=Leiping |last7=Chemparathy |first7=Augustine |last8=Chmura |first8=Stephen |last9=Heaton |first9=Nicholas S. |last10=Debs |first10=Robert |last11=Pande |first11=Tara |last12=Endy |first12=Drew |last13=Russa |first13=Marie La |last14=Lewis |first14=David B. |last15=Qi |first15=Lei S. |title=Development of CRISPR as a prophylactic strategy to combat novel coronavirus and influenza |date=14 March 2020 |biorxiv =10.1101/2020.03.13.991307}} The paper was published on 29 April 2020.{{cite news |title=Scientists aim gene-targeting breakthrough against COVID-19 |url=https://phys.org/news/2020-06-scientists-aim-gene-targeting-breakthrough-covid-.html |access-date=13 June 2020 |work=phys.org |language=en}}{{cite journal |last1=Abbott |first1=Timothy R. |last2=Dhamdhere |first2=Girija |last3=Liu |first3=Yanxia |last4=Lin |first4=Xueqiu |last5=Goudy |first5=Laine |last6=Zeng |first6=Leiping |last7=Chemparathy |first7=Augustine |last8=Chmura |first8=Stephen |last9=Heaton |first9=Nicholas S. |last10=Debs |first10=Robert |last11=Pande |first11=Tara |last12=Endy |first12=Drew |last13=Russa |first13=Marie F. La |last14=Lewis |first14=David B. |last15=Qi |first15=Lei S. |title=Development of CRISPR as an Antiviral Strategy to Combat SARS-CoV-2 and Influenza |journal=Cell |date=14 May 2020 |volume=181 |issue=4 |pages=865–876.e12 |doi=10.1016/j.cell.2020.04.020 |pmid=32353252 |pmc=7189862 |url=|language=en |issn=0092-8674|doi-access=free }}

File:Novel Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2.jpg

• 16 March
• The first phase 1 clinical trial evaluating a potential vaccine to protect against COVID-19 begins at Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute (KPWHRI) in Seattle.{{cite news|url=https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/nih-clinical-trial-investigational-vaccine-covid-19-begins|title=NIH clinical trial of investigational vaccine for COVID-19 begins |date=16 March 2020|access-date=17 March 2020|work=NIH}}{{cite news|url=https://investors.modernatx.com/news-releases/news-release-details/moderna-announces-first-participant-dosed-nih-led-phase-1-study|title=Moderna Announces First Participant Dosed in NIH-led Phase 1 Study of mRNA Vaccine (mRNA-1273) Against Novel Coronavirus|date=16 March 2020|access-date=17 March 2020|work=Moderna|archive-date=31 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201231234146/https://investors.modernatx.com/news-releases/news-release-details/moderna-announces-first-participant-dosed-nih-led-phase-1-study|url-status=dead}}
• Astronomers report studies which suggest that parts of the planet Mercury may have been habitable, and perhaps that life forms, albeit likely primitive microorganisms, may have existed on the planet.{{cite news |last=Hall |first=Shannon |title=Life on the Planet Mercury? 'It's Not Completely Nuts' – A new explanation for the rocky world's jumbled landscape opens a possibility that it could have had ingredients for habitability. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/24/science/mercury-life-water.html |date=24 March 2020 |work=The New York Times |access-date=26 March 2020 }}{{cite journal |author=Roddriquez, J. Alexis P. |display-authors=et al. |title=The Chaotic Terrains of Mercury Reveal a History of Planetary Volatile Retention and Loss in the Innermost Solar System |date=16 March 2020 |journal=Scientific Reports |volume=10 |issue=4737 |pages=4737 |doi=10.1038/s41598-020-59885-5 |pmid=32179758 |bibcode=2020NatSR..10.4737R |pmc=7075900 |doi-access=free }}
• Researchers report that they have developed a new kind of CRISPR-Cas13d screening platform for effective guide RNA design to target RNA. They used their model to predict optimized Cas13 guide RNAs for all protein-coding RNA-transcripts of the human genome's DNA. Their technology could be used in molecular biology and in medical applications such as for better targeting of virus RNA or human RNA. Targeting human RNA after it's been transcribed from DNA, rather than DNA, would allow for more temporary effects than permanent changes to human genomes. The technology is made available to researchers through an interactive website and free and open source software and is accompanied by a guide on how to create guide RNAs to target the SARS-CoV-2 RNA genome.{{cite news |title=New kind of CRISPR technology to target RNA, including RNA viruses like coronavirus |url=https://phys.org/news/2020-03-kind-crispr-technology-rna-viruses.html |access-date=3 April 2020 |work=phys.org |language=en-us}}{{cite journal |last1=Wessels |first1=Hans-Hermann |last2=Méndez-Mancilla |first2=Alejandro |last3=Guo |first3=Xinyi |last4=Legut |first4=Mateusz |last5=Daniloski |first5=Zharko |last6=Sanjana |first6=Neville E. |title=Massively parallel Cas13 screens reveal principles for guide RNA design |journal=Nature Biotechnology |date=16 March 2020 |volume=38 |issue=6 |pages=722–727 |doi=10.1038/s41587-020-0456-9 |pmid=32518401 |pmc=7294996 }}
• Researchers evaluate that a limited, regional nuclear conflict between India and Pakistan, using <1% of the worldwide nuclear arsenal, would have adverse consequences for global food security unmatched in modern history. Their comprehensive climate and crop model ensemble simulations suggest that, besides climate perturbations with declines in global mean temperature by 1.8 °C for at least 5 years as evaluated by other researchers and other effects, would have devastating global implications for food production with 20 to 50% losses on average for 11% of the world population for 5 years and could exceed the largest famine in documented history.{{cite news |title=Even a limited India-Pakistan nuclear war would bring global famine, says study |url=https://phys.org/news/2020-03-regional-nuclear-war-global-food.html |access-date=5 April 2020 |work=phys.org |language=en-us}}{{cite journal |last1=Jägermeyr |first1=Jonas |last2=Robock |first2=Alan |last3=Elliott |first3=Joshua |last4=Müller |first4=Christoph |last5=Xia |first5=Lili |last6=Khabarov |first6=Nikolay |last7=Folberth |first7=Christian |last8=Schmid |first8=Erwin |last9=Liu |first9=Wenfeng |last10=Zabel |first10=Florian |last11=Rabin |first11=Sam S. |last12=Puma |first12=Michael J. |last13=Heslin |first13=Alison |last14=Franke |first14=James |last15=Foster |first15=Ian |last16=Asseng |first16=Senthold |last17=Bardeen |first17=Charles G. |last18=Toon |first18=Owen B. |last19=Rosenzweig |first19=Cynthia |title=A regional nuclear conflict would compromise global food security |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |date=31 March 2020 |volume=117 |issue=13 |pages=7071–7081 |doi=10.1073/pnas.1919049117 |pmid=32179678 |pmc=7132296 |bibcode=2020PNAS..117.7071J |language=en |issn=0027-8424|doi-access=free }}
• Researchers publish a paper in which they evaluate the potential for carbon sequestration in soils and found that properly managed soils would be a natural climate solution which could contribute a quarter of absorption on land – 5.5 billion tonnes annually. Roughly 40 percent of this absorption could be achieved by preserving existing soil instead of using it for agriculture and plantation growth. The researchers recommend strategies for slowing or halting ongoing expansion of such land-use and shifting incentive structures in agriculture towards payments for ecosystem-related services.{{cite news |title=Restore soil to absorb billions of tonnes of carbon: study |url=https://phys.org/news/2020-03-soil-absorb-billions-tonnes-carbon.html |access-date=5 April 2020 |work=phys.org |language=en-us}}{{cite journal |last1=Bossio |first1=D. A. |last2=Cook-Patton |first2=S. C. |last3=Ellis |first3=P. W. |last4=Fargione |first4=J. |last5=Sanderman |first5=J. |last6=Smith |first6=P. |last7=Wood |first7=S. |last8=Zomer |first8=R. J. |last9=von Unger |first9=M. |last10=Emmer |first10=I. M. |last11=Griscom |first11=B. W. |title=The role of soil carbon in natural climate solutions |journal=Nature Sustainability |date=16 March 2020 |volume=3 |issue=5 |pages=391–398 |doi=10.1038/s41893-020-0491-z |hdl=2164/15138 |s2cid=212732637 |hdl-access=free }}
• Scientists predict what the earliest proteins looked like 3.5 billion to 2.5 billion years ago. They found two recurring protein folds to be central to the origin of metabolism: ferredoxin and Rossmann-like folds. In turn, these two folds likely shared a common ancestor which may have been the first metabolic enzyme of life and evolved to facilitate electron transfer and catalysis.{{cite news |title=Scientists have discovered the origins of the building blocks of life |url=https://phys.org/news/2020-03-scientists-blocks-life.html |access-date=5 April 2020 |work=phys.org |language=en-us}}{{cite journal |last1=Raanan |first1=Hagai |last2=Poudel |first2=Saroj |last3=Pike |first3=Douglas H. |last4=Nanda |first4=Vikas |last5=Falkowski |first5=Paul G. |title=Small protein folds at the root of an ancient metabolic network |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |date=31 March 2020 |volume=117 |issue=13 |pages=7193–7199 |doi=10.1073/pnas.1914982117 |pmid=32188785 |pmc=7132300 |bibcode=2020PNAS..117.7193R |language=en |issn=0027-8424|doi-access=free }}
• Scientists present new multiplexed CRISPR technology, called CHyMErA (Cas Hybrid for Multiplexed Editing and Screening Applications), that can be used to analyse which or how genes act together by simultaneously removing multiple genes or gene-fragments using both Cas9 and Cas12a.{{cite news |title=Scientists can now edit multiple genome fragments at a time |url=https://phys.org/news/2020-03-scientists-multiple-genome-fragments.html |access-date=7 April 2020 |work=phys.org |language=en-us}}{{cite journal |last1=Gonatopoulos-Pournatzis |first1=Thomas |last2=Aregger |first2=Michael |last3=Brown |first3=Kevin R. |last4=Farhangmehr |first4=Shaghayegh |last5=Braunschweig |first5=Ulrich |last6=Ward |first6=Henry N. |last7=Ha |first7=Kevin C. H. |last8=Weiss |first8=Alexander |last9=Billmann |first9=Maximilian |last10=Durbic |first10=Tanja |last11=Myers |first11=Chad L. |last12=Blencowe |first12=Benjamin J. |last13=Moffat |first13=Jason |title=Genetic interaction mapping and exon-resolution functional genomics with a hybrid Cas9–Cas12a platform |journal=Nature Biotechnology |date=16 March 2020 |volume=38 |issue=5 |pages=638–648 |doi=10.1038/s41587-020-0437-z |pmid=32249828 |s2cid=212731918 }}

File:Rhinolophus rouxii.jpg virus, which causes the Coronavirus disease 2019, and is responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, originated naturally, possibly from a bat.]]

• 17 March – Scientists report that the novel SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes the COVID-19 disease, and is responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, originated naturally, and not otherwise,{{cite news |author=Scripps Research Institute |title=The COVID-19 coronavirus epidemic has a natural origin, scientists say – Scripps Research's analysis of public genome sequence data from SARS-CoV-2 and related viruses found no evidence that the virus was made in a laboratory or otherwise engineered |url=https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-03/sri-tcc031720.php |date=17 March 2020 |work=EurekAlert! |access-date=15 April 2020 |author-link=Scripps Research Institute }}{{cite journal |author=Andersen, Kristian G. |display-authors=et al. |title=The proximal origin of SARS-CoV-2 |date=17 March 2020 |journal=Nature Medicine |volume=26 |issue=4 |pages=450–452 |doi=10.1038/s41591-020-0820-9 |pmid=32284615 |pmc=7095063 |doi-access=free }} although Chinese medical researchers, including Shi Zhengli, in Wuhan, China, were studying bat coronaviruses in ways that included modifying virus genomes to enter human cells, as early as 2014,{{cite journal |author=Yang, Yang |display-authors=et al. |title=Two Mutations Were Critical for Bat-to-Human Transmission of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus |date=10 June 2015 |journal=Journal of Virology |volume=89 |issue=17 |pages=9119–9123 |doi=10.1128/JVI.01279-15 |pmid=26063432 |pmc=4524054 |doi-access=free }}{{cite news |last=Chen |first=Stephen |title=Coronavirus: bat scientist's cave exploits offer hope to beat virus 'sneakier than Sars' - Shi Zhengli is one of the scores of scientists joining a global effort to hunt down the new coronavirus – But some people have blamed her for creating it in the first place |url=https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/3049397/bat-ladys-cave-exploits-offer-hope-beat-virus-sneakier-sars |date=6 February 2020 |work=South China Morning Post |access-date=15 April 2020 }} in testing laboratories that were determined to have significant safety issues by U.S. scientists in 2018.{{cite news |last=Rogin |first=Josh |title=State Department cables warned of safety issues at Wuhan lab studying bat coronaviruses |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/04/14/state-department-cables-warned-safety-issues-wuhan-lab-studying-bat-coronaviruses/ |date=14 April 2020 |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=15 April 2020 }}{{cite news |last1=Campbell |first1=Josh |last2=Atwood |first2=Kylie |last3=Perez |first3=Evan |title=US explores possibility that coronavirus spread started in Chinese lab, not a market |url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/15/politics/us-intelligence-virus-started-chinese-lab/index.html |date=16 April 2020 |work=CNN News |access-date=16 April 2020 }}{{cite news |last=Rincon |first=Paul |title=Coronavirus: Is there any evidence for lab release theory? |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-52318539 |date=16 April 2020 |work=BBC News |access-date=17 April 2020 }}
• 18 March
• Paleontologists report the discovery of Asteriornis maastrichtensis, the world's oldest known modern bird, found in rocks dating to between 66.8m and 66.7m years ago.{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/mar/18/wonderchicken-oldest-fossil-of-modern-bird-discovered|title='Wonderchicken': oldest fossil of modern bird discovered|date=18 March 2020|access-date=21 March 2020|work=The Guardian}}{{cite journal |last1=Field |first1=Daniel J. |last2=Benito |first2=Juan |last3=Chen |first3=Albert |last4=Jagt |first4=John W. M. |last5=Ksepka |first5=Daniel T. |title=Late Cretaceous neornithine from Europe illuminates the origins of crown birds |pmid=32188952 |journal=Nature |date=18 March 2020 |volume=579 |issue=7799 |pages=397–401 |doi=10.1038/s41586-020-2096-0|bibcode=2020Natur.579..397F |s2cid=212937591 |url=https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/303639 }}
• Astronomers propose a way of better seeing more of the rings in the first black hole image.{{cite news |last=Overbye |first=Dennis |author-link=Dennis Overbye |title=Infinite Visions Were Hiding in the First Black Hole Image's Rings – Scientists proposed a technique that would allow us to see more of the unseeable. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/28/science/black-hole-rings.html |date=28 March 2020 |work=The New York Times |access-date=29 March 2020 }}{{cite journal |author=Johnson, Michael D. |display-authors=et al. |title=Universal interferometric signatures of a black hole's photon ring |date=18 March 2020 |journal=Science Advances |volume=6 |issue=12, eaaz1310 |pages=eaaz1310 |doi=10.1126/sciadv.aaz1310 |pmid=32206723 |pmc=7080443 |arxiv=1907.04329 |bibcode=2020SciA....6.1310J }}
• Paleontologists report the discovery and analysis of an Elpistostege watsoni fish fossil which suggest that the vertebrate hand evolved primarily from a skeletal pattern in the fin of elpistostegalians. Their findings provide insights into the transition from fishes to tetrapods and show that digits already arose in fish.{{cite news |title=Ancient fish fossil reveals evolutionary origin of the human hand |url=https://phys.org/news/2020-03-ancient-fish-fossil-reveals-evolutionary.html |access-date=5 April 2020 |work=phys.org |language=en-us}}{{cite journal |last1=Cloutier |first1=Richard |last2=Clement |first2=Alice M. |last3=Lee |first3=Michael S. Y. |last4=Noël |first4=Roxanne |last5=Béchard |first5=Isabelle |last6=Roy |first6=Vincent |last7=Long |first7=John A. |title=Elpistostege and the origin of the vertebrate hand |journal=Nature |date=March 2020 |volume=579 |issue=7800 |pages=549–554 |doi=10.1038/s41586-020-2100-8 |pmid=32214248 |bibcode=2020Natur.579..549C |s2cid=213171029 }}
• 19 March
• A US Army laboratory announces that its scientists analysed a Rydberg sensor's sensitivity to oscillating electric fields over an enormous range of frequencies—from 0 to 10^12 Hertz (the spectrum to 0.3mm wavelength). The Rydberg sensor may potentially be used detect communications signals as it could reliably detect signals over the entire spectrum and compare favourably with other established electric field sensor technologies, such as electro-optic crystals and dipole antenna-coupled passive electronics.[https://phys.org/news/2020-03-scientists-quantum-sensor-entire-radio.html Scientists create quantum sensor that covers entire radio frequency spectrum], Phys.org/United States Army Research Laboratory, 19 March 2020{{cite journal |last1=Meyer |first1=David H |last2=Castillo |first2=Zachary A |last3=Cox |first3=Kevin C |last4=Kunz |first4=Paul D |title=Assessment of Rydberg atoms for wideband electric field sensing |journal=Journal of Physics B: Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics |date=10 January 2020 |volume=53 |issue=3 |pages=034001 |doi=10.1088/1361-6455/ab6051 |arxiv=1910.00646 |bibcode=2020JPhB...53c4001M |s2cid=203626886 |issn=0953-4075}}
• Satellite data show that air pollution was reduced significantly in countries worldwide after lockdowns and other interventions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The sudden shift has been called the "largest scale experiment ever" in terms of the reduction of industrial emissions.{{cite news |last1=Watts |first1=Jonathan |last2=Kommenda |first2=Niko |title=Coronavirus pandemic leading to huge drop in air pollution |url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/mar/23/coronavirus-pandemic-leading-to-huge-drop-in-air-pollution |access-date=7 April 2020 |work=The Guardian |date=23 March 2020}}{{cite news |title=Satellite animation shows air pollution in China and Italy clearing amid coronavirus lockdowns |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/coronavirus-satellite-animation-shows-pollution-clearing-over-china-and-italy/ |access-date=7 April 2020 |work=www.cbsnews.com}}

File:Ikaria wariootia.jpg (dated to as early as 571

Ma) that could be the earliest animal having two symmetric sides and two openings linked by a digestive tract.]]

• 20 March
• Scientists report that they made a C. elegans worm synthesize, fabricate, and assemble bioelectronic materials in its brain cells. They leveraged the cellular systems of the living organism to build insulating and conducting polymers at the plasma membrane of neurons by genetically editing its neurons to produce the enzyme APEX2 which was then triggered by a chemical substance they immersed the worms in and supplied the molecules of two biocompatible building-materials. This enabled modulation of membrane properties in specific neuron populations and manipulation of behavior in the living animals and might be useful in the study and treatments for diseases such as multiple sclerosis.{{cite news |title=Scientists program cells to carry out gene-guided construction projects |url=https://phys.org/news/2020-03-scientists-cells-gene-guided.html |access-date=5 April 2020 |work=phys.org |language=en-us}}{{cite journal |last1=Otto |first1=Kevin J. |last2=Schmidt |first2=Christine E. |title=Neuron-targeted electrical modulation |journal=Science |date=20 March 2020 |volume=367 |issue=6484 |pages=1303–1304 |doi=10.1126/science.abb0216 |pmid=32193309 |bibcode=2020Sci...367.1303O |s2cid=213192749 }}{{cite journal |last1=Liu |first1=Jia |last2=Kim |first2=Yoon Seok |last3=Richardson |first3=Claire E. |last4=Tom |first4=Ariane |last5=Ramakrishnan |first5=Charu |last6=Birey |first6=Fikri |last7=Katsumata |first7=Toru |last8=Chen |first8=Shucheng |last9=Wang |first9=Cheng |last10=Wang |first10=Xiao |last11=Joubert |first11=Lydia-Marie |last12=Jiang |first12=Yuanwen |last13=Wang |first13=Huiliang |last14=Fenno |first14=Lief E. |last15=Tok |first15=Jeffrey B.-H. |last16=Pașca |first16=Sergiu P. |last17=Shen |first17=Kang |last18=Bao |first18=Zhenan |last19=Deisseroth |first19=Karl |title=Genetically targeted chemical assembly of functional materials in living cells, tissues, and animals |journal=Science |date=20 March 2020 |volume=367 |issue=6484 |pages=1372–1376 |doi=10.1126/science.aay4866 |pmid=32193327 |pmc=7527276 |bibcode=2020Sci...367.1372L |s2cid=213191980 }}
• The World Health Organization announces a large trial of what they consider to be the most promising potential coronavirus treatments at the time. The drugs chosen for testing in the Solidarity Trial are Remdesivir, Chloroquine-Hydroxychloroquine combination and Ritonavir-Lopinavir combination with and without interferon-beta.{{cite journal |last1=Kupferschmidt |first1=Kai |title=WHO launches global megatrial of the four most promising coronavirus treatments |journal=Science |date=22 March 2020 |doi=10.1126/science.abb8497 |s2cid=216325781 }}{{cite web |title="Solidarity" clinical trial for COVID-19 treatments |url=https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/global-research-on-novel-coronavirus-2019-ncov/solidarity-clinical-trial-for-covid-19-treatments |website=www.who.int |access-date=13 April 2020 |language=en}} According to the WHO Director General, the aim of the trial is to "dramatically cut down the time needed to generate robust evidence about what drugs work".{{cite news |last1=Miller |first1=Anna Medaris |title=A patient in Norway is the first to enroll in a global 'solidarity trial' testing 4 coronavirus treatments |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/first-patient-is-enrolled-in-who-solidarity-trial-for-coronavirus-2020-3 |access-date=2 April 2020 |work=Business Insider}}
• 23 March
• Scientists report that they have discovered that Longfin inshore squid can recode RNA using the ADAR2 enzyme in a region-specific manner and outside of the nucleus within neurons: in their axons, which are the longest known to science to date. In 2015 one of the study's co-leading scientists and others discovered that squids manipulate their messenger RNA to change the proteins that will be produced far more than humans do.{{cite news |title=New genetic editing powers discovered in squid |url=https://phys.org/news/2020-03-genetic-powers-squid.html |access-date=5 April 2020 |work=phys.org |language=en-us}}{{cite journal |last1=Vallecillo-Viejo |first1=Isabel C. |last2=Liscovitch-Brauer |first2=Noa |last3=Diaz Quiroz |first3=Juan F. |last4=Montiel-Gonzalez |first4=Maria F. |last5=Nemes |first5=Sonya E. |last6=Rangan |first6=Kavita J. |last7=Levinson |first7=Simon R. |last8=Eisenberg |first8=Eli |last9=Rosenthal |first9=Joshua J. C. |title=Spatially regulated editing of genetic information within a neuron |journal=Nucleic Acids Research |year=2020 |volume=48 |issue=8 |pages=3999–4012 |doi=10.1093/nar/gkaa172 |pmid=32201888 |pmc=7192619 |language=en|doi-access=free }}
• Scientists report that they have discovered one of the oldest bilateria: Ikaria wariootia from the Ediacaran biota (571 to 539 Ma) could be the last ancestor of all animals which have two symmetric sides and two openings linked by a digestive tract.{{cite news |title=Ancestor of all animals identified in Australian fossils |url=https://phys.org/news/2020-03-ancestor-animals-australian-fossils.html |access-date=5 April 2020 |work=phys.org |language=en-us}}{{cite journal |last1=Evans |first1=Scott D. |last2=Hughes |first2=Ian V. |last3=Gehling |first3=James G. |last4=Droser |first4=Mary L. |title=Discovery of the oldest bilaterian from the Ediacaran of South Australia |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |date=18 March 2020 |volume=117 |issue=14 |pages=7845–7850 |doi=10.1073/pnas.2001045117 |pmid=32205432 |pmc=7149385 |bibcode=2020PNAS..117.7845E |language=en |issn=0027-8424|doi-access=free }}
• Researchers report that they have found a way to correct for signal loss in a prototype quantum node that can catch, store and entangle bits of quantum information. Their concepts could be used for key components of quantum repeaters in quantum networks and extend their longest possible range.{{cite news |title=Researchers demonstrate the missing link for a quantum internet |url=https://phys.org/news/2020-03-link-quantum-internet.html |access-date=7 April 2020 |work=phys.org |language=en-us}}{{cite journal |last1=Bhaskar |first1=M. K. |last2=Riedinger |first2=R. |last3=Machielse |first3=B. |last4=Levonian |first4=D. S. |last5=Nguyen |first5=C. T. |last6=Knall |first6=E. N. |last7=Park |first7=H. |last8=Englund |first8=D. |last9=Lončar |first9=M. |last10=Sukachev |first10=D. D. |last11=Lukin |first11=M. D. |title=Experimental demonstration of memory-enhanced quantum communication |journal=Nature |date=April 2020 |volume=580 |issue=7801 |pages=60–64 |doi=10.1038/s41586-020-2103-5 |pmid=32238931 |arxiv=1909.01323 |bibcode=2020Natur.580...60B |s2cid=202539813 }}
• 24 March – The reversion of ageing in human cells through nuclear reprogramming to pluripotency was reported in Nature Communications.{{cite journal | url =https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-020-15174-3 |title=Transient non-integrative expression of nuclear reprogramming factors promotes multifaceted amelioration of aging in human cells|journal=Nature Communications| date=24 March 2020| accessdate =23 April 2025|doi=10.1038/s41467-020-15174-3|pmc=7093390}}
• 25 March
• NASA astronomers report the detection of a large atmospheric magnetic bubble, also known as a plasmoid, released into outer space from the planet Uranus, after reevaluating old data recorded by the Voyager 2 space probe during a flyby of the planet in 1986.{{cite news |last=Andrews |first=Robin George |title=Uranus Ejected a Giant Plasma Bubble During Voyager 2's Visit – The planet is shedding its atmosphere into the void, a signal that was recorded but overlooked in 1986 when the robotic spacecraft flew past. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/27/science/uranus-bubble-voyager.html |date=27 March 2020 |work=The New York Times |access-date=27 March 2020 }}{{cite news |last=Hatfield |first=Mike |title=Revisiting Decades-Old Voyager 2 Data, Scientists Find One More Secret – Eight and a half years into its grand tour of the solar system, NASA's Voyager 2 spacecraft was ready for another encounter. It was Jan. 24, 1986, and soon it would meet the mysterious seventh planet, icy-cold Uranus. |url=https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2020/revisiting-decades-old-voyager-2-data-scientists-find-one-more-secret |date=25 March 2020 |work=NASA |access-date=27 March 2020 }}
• Researchers report to have created a nanotechnology-device which can generate high-power terahertz waves, enables picosecond switching of electric signals and get implemented in flexible electronics. It could have applications in imaging, sensing, communications, biomedical applications and smartphone-related electronics.{{cite news |title=A nanoscale device to generate high-power terahertz waves |url=https://phys.org/news/2020-03-nanoscale-device-high-power-terahertz.html |access-date=5 April 2020 |work=phys.org |language=en-us}}{{cite journal |last1=Samizadeh Nikoo |first1=Mohammad |last2=Jafari |first2=Armin |last3=Perera |first3=Nirmana |last4=Zhu |first4=Minghua |last5=Santoruvo |first5=Giovanni |last6=Matioli |first6=Elison |title=Nanoplasma-enabled picosecond switches for ultrafast electronics |journal=Nature |date=March 2020 |volume=579 |issue=7800 |pages=534–539 |doi=10.1038/s41586-020-2118-y |pmid=32214267 |bibcode=2020Natur.579..534S |s2cid=214647867 |url=http://infoscience.epfl.ch/record/276564/files/Nanoplasma_Switch.pdf }}

File:Amazing Great Barrier Reef 1.jpg in five years is recorded at the Great Barrier Reef.]]

• 26 March
• The United States now has more reported COVID-19 cases than any other country in the world, including China.{{cite news |last1=Berke |first1=Jeremy |last2=McFall-Johnsen |first2=Morgan |title=USA Now Has More COVID-19 Cases Than Any Other Country in The World |url=https://www.sciencealert.com/usa-is-now-the-centre-of-the-covid-19-outbreak-as-their-case-numbers-top-italy-s |date=26 March 2020 |work=ScienceAlert.com |access-date=27 March 2020 }}{{cite news |last=McNeil, Jr. |first=Donald G. |title=The U.S. Now Leads the World in Confirmed Coronavirus Cases – Following a series of missteps, the nation is now the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/26/health/usa-coronavirus-cases.html |date=26 March 2020 |work=The New York Times |access-date=27 March 2020 }}
• A third mass coral bleaching event in five years is recorded at the Great Barrier Reef.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-52043554|title=Great Barrier Reef suffers third mass bleaching in five years|date=26 March 2020|access-date=26 March 2020|work=BBC News}}{{cite news|url=http://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/news-room/latest-news/latest-news/coral-bleaching/2020/statement-coral-bleaching-on-the-great-barrier-reef|title=Statement: coral bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef|date=26 March 2020|access-date=26 March 2020|work=GBRMPA}}
• At a time of the COVID-19 pandemic the safest sex partner is yourself, according to American sex educator Betty Dodson and the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.{{cite news |last=La Ferla |first=Ruth |title=You Are Your Safest Sex Partner. Betty Dodson Wants to Help – The nonagenarian masturbation icon is not slowing down. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/26/style/self-care/betty-dodson-masturbation.html |date=26 March 2020 |work=The New York Times |access-date=29 March 2020 }}{{cite news |author=Staff |title=Sex and Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) |url=https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/doh/downloads/pdf/imm/covid-sex-guidance.pdf |date=27 March 2020 |work=New York City |access-date=29 March 2020 }}
• The manuscript of a study, which suggests that SARS-CoV-2 likely jumped from pangolins to humans, is published. The study found that a pangolin virus closely resembles the new coronavirus. Therefore, pangolins could be an intermediary host after the virus likely emerged in bats. They recommend that pangolins be removed from wet markets to prevent zoonotic transmission.{{cite web |last1=Briggs |first1=Helen |title=Pangolins carry strains related to new coronavirus |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-52048195 |website=BBC News |access-date=7 April 2020 |date=26 March 2020}}{{cite web |title=There's no evidence the coronavirus jumped from pangolins to people |url=https://www.sciencenews.org/article/covid-19-no-evidence-coronavirus-jumped-pangolin-people |website=Science News |access-date=7 April 2020 |date=26 March 2020}}{{cite journal |last1=Lam |first1=Tommy Tsan-Yuk |last2=Shum |first2=Marcus Ho-Hin |last3=Zhu |first3=Hua-Chen |last4=Tong |first4=Yi-Gang |last5=Ni |first5=Xue-Bing |last6=Liao |first6=Yun-Shi |last7=Wei |first7=Wei |last8=Cheung |first8=William Yiu-Man |last9=Li |first9=Wen-Juan |last10=Li |first10=Lian-Feng |last11=Leung |first11=Gabriel M. |last12=Holmes |first12=Edward C. |last13=Hu |first13=Yan-Ling |last14=Guan |first14=Yi |title=Identifying SARS-CoV-2 related coronaviruses in Malayan pangolins |pmid=32218527 |journal=Nature |date=26 March 2020 |volume=583 |issue=7815 |pages=282–285 |doi=10.1038/s41586-020-2169-0 |bibcode=2020Natur.583..282L |doi-access=free }} Others asked for increased pressure on governments to end illegal wildlife trade. Speculations and an unpublished study suggested pangolins might have been intermediate hosts as early as 7 February.{{cite news |last1=Gorman |first1=James |title=Pangolins Are Suspected as a Potential Coronavirus Host |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/10/science/pangolin-coronavirus.html |access-date=7 April 2020 |work=The New York Times |date=10 February 2020}}{{cite news |title=China Focus: Pangolins a potential intermediate host of novel coronavirus: study – Xinhua {{!}} English.news.cn |url=http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2020-02/07/c_138764153.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200209072941/http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2020-02/07/c_138764153.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=9 February 2020 |access-date=7 April 2020 |work=www.xinhuanet.com}}
• After the largest one of the first and largest public volunteer distributed computing projects SETI@home announced its shutdown by 31 March 2020 and due to heightened interest as a result of to the COVID-19 pandemic, the distributed computing project Folding@home becomes the world's first system to reach one exaFLOPS.{{cite news |title=Folding@Home Crushes Exascale Barrier, Now Faster Than Dozens of Supercomputers – ExtremeTech |url=https://www.extremetech.com/computing/308332-foldinghome-crushes-exascale-barrier-now-faster-than-dozens-of-supercomputers |access-date=13 May 2020 |work=www.extremetech.com}}{{cite news |title=Folding@home crowdsourced computing project passes 1 million downloads amid coronavirus research |url=https://venturebeat.com/2020/03/30/foldinghome-crowdsourced-computing-project-passes-1-million-downloads-amid-coronavirus-research/ |access-date=13 May 2020 |work=VentureBeat |date=31 March 2020}}{{cite news |title=The coronavirus pandemic turned Folding@Home into an exaFLOP supercomputer |url=https://arstechnica.com/science/2020/04/how-the-pandemic-revived-a-distributed-computing-project-and-made-history/ |access-date=13 May 2020 |work=Ars Technica |date=14 April 2020 |language=en-us}} The system simulates protein folding, is used for medical research on COVID-19 and achieved a speed of approximately 2.43 x86 exaFLOPS by 13 April 2020 – many times faster than the fastest supercomputer Summit.{{cite news |last1=Tung |first1=Liam |title=CERN throws 10,000 CPU cores at Folding@home coronavirus simulation project |url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/cern-throws-10000-cpu-cores-at-foldinghome-coronavirus-simulation-project/ |access-date=13 May 2020 |work=ZDNet |language=en}}
• 27 March – News outlets, citing a government document, reported that a 57-year-old woman, who tested positive for the coronavirus disease on 10 December 2019, and described in The Wall Street Journal on 6 March 2020, may have been patient zero in the COVID-19 pandemic.{{cite news |last=Oliveira |first=Nelson |title=Shrimp vendor identified as possible coronavirus 'patient zero,' leaked document says |url=https://www.nydailynews.com/coronavirus/ny-coronavirus-wuhan-shrimp-vendor-may-be-patient-zero-20200327-nnqrpn3hwfb43cxyzsnftdul7a-story.html |date=27 March 2020 |work=New York Daily News |access-date=27 March 2020 }}{{cite news |last1=Page |first1=Jeremy |last2=Fan |first2=Wenxin |last3=Khan |first3=Natasha |title=How It All Started: China's Early Coronavirus Missteps |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-it-all-started-chinas-early-coronavirus-missteps-11583508932 |date=6 March 2020 |work=The Wall Street Journal |access-date=27 March 2020}}

File:BOINC Manager Screenshot.jpg shuts down.]]

• 29 March – Researchers at the University of Nebraska Medical Center report evidence that Coronavirus disease 2019, related to the COVID-19 pandemic, may be transmitted through the air, and that the loss of smell, and, according to other researchers, loss of taste, could be early signs of infection.{{cite news |last=Young |first=JoAnne |title=UNMC study gives more indication of airborne transmission of coronavirus |url=https://journalstar.com/lifestyles/health-med-fit/unmc-study-gives-more-indication-of-airborne-transmission-of-coronavirus/article_4a08b9e6-bd53-5a2a-a16a-7ccf26f5cdcf.html |date=29 March 2020 |work=Lincoln Journal Star |access-date=31 March 2020 }}{{cite news |last=Bernt |first=Samantha |title=UNMC doctor says loss of smell could be key symptom of COVID-19 |url=https://journalstar.com/news/local/unmc-doctor-says-loss-of-smell-could-be-key-symptom/article_da81c96f-4acd-5ef8-9b13-f0e95764378b.html |date=28 March 2020 |work=Lincoln Journal Star |access-date=31 March 2020 }}{{cite news |last1=Munger |first1=Steven D. |last2=Justice |first2=Jeb M. |title=Is the Loss of Your Sense of Smell and Taste an Early Sign of COVID-19? – Doctors from around the world are reporting cases of COVID-19 patients who have lost their sense of smell, known as anosmia, or taste, known as ageusia. |url=https://theconversation.com/is-the-loss-of-your-sense-of-smell-and-taste-an-early-sign-of-covid-19-134623 |date=27 March 2020 |work=The Conversation |access-date=31 March 2020 }}
• 31 March
• A significant rise in anxiety and depression among the UK population is reported following the COVID-19 lockdown. The study, by researchers from the University of Sheffield and Ulster University, finds that people reporting anxiety increased from 17% to 36%, while those reporting depression increased from 16% to 38%.{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/31/rise-in-depression-and-anxiety-day-after-uk-lockdown-announced-study-coronavirus |title=Rise in depression and anxiety day after UK lockdown announced – study| work=The Guardian| date=31 March 2010| access-date=31 March 2020}}{{cite web |title=Initial Research Findings on COVID-19 and Mental Health in the UK |url=https://drive.google.com/file/d/1A95KvikwK32ZAX387nGPNBCnoFktdumm/view |access-date=13 April 2020}}
• SETI@home, one of the first and largest public volunteer distributed computing projects, shuts down. It sent millions of chunks of telescope data to computers around the world – ca. 144,000 as of March 2020 – which analyse the radio signals to search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) and send back their results. It employed the free BOINC software platform, which was originally developed to support the project and is still being used by numerous other distributed computing projects.{{cite news |title=Astronomers no longer need your personal computers to search for alien life |url=https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/as-it-happens-the-friday-edition-1.5488470/astronomers-no-longer-need-your-personal-computers-to-search-for-alien-life-1.5491594 |access-date=6 April 2020}}{{cite news |last1=Timmer |first1=John |title=The grandfather of distributed computing projects, SETI@home, shuts down |url=https://arstechnica.com/science/2020/03/the-grandfather-of-distributed-computing-projects-setihome-shuts-down/ |access-date=6 April 2020 |work=Ars Technica |date=5 March 2020 |language=en-us}}{{cite web |title=Final data is in the splitter queue. |url=https://setiathome.berkeley.edu/forum_thread.php?id=85412 |website=setiathome.berkeley.edu |access-date=6 April 2020}}
• A study affirms that DNA from Neanderthal populations from different parts of the world introgressed into modern-day Eurasian DNA.{{cite news |title=Modern humans, Neanderthals share a tangled genetic history, study affirms |url=https://phys.org/news/2020-04-modern-humans-neanderthals-tangled-genetic.html |access-date=14 May 2020 |work=phys.org |language=en}}{{cite journal |last1=Taskent |first1=Ozgur |last2=Lin |first2=Yen Lung |last3=Patramanis |first3=Ioannis |last4=Pavlidis |first4=Pavlos |last5=Gokcumen |first5=Omer |title=Analysis of Haplotypic Variation and Deletion Polymorphisms Point to Multiple Archaic Introgression Events, Including from Altai Neanderthal Lineage |journal=Genetics |date=31 March 2020 |volume=215 |issue=2 |pages=497–509 |doi=10.1534/genetics.120.303167 |pmid=32234956 |pmc=7268982 |url=https://www.genetics.org/content/early/2020/03/31/genetics.120.303167 |access-date=14 May 2020 |language=en |issn=0016-6731}}

• 1 January
• János Aczél, Hungarian and Canadian mathematician (b. 1924)
• Walter Hayman, British mathematician (b. 1926)
• 2 January
• Robert M. Graham, American computer scientist (b. 1929)
• Bruce McEwen, American neuroendocrinologist (b. 1938)
• Edward Spiegel, American astronomer (b. 1931)
• 3 January
• Reuben Hersh, American mathematician (b. 1927)
• Joseph Karr O'Connor, American computer scientist (b. 1953)
• 4 January
• Jack Baldwin, British chemist (b. 1938)
• John R. Cunningham, Canadian medical physicist (b. 1927)
• Ding Xieping, Chinese mathematician (b. 1938)
• K. S. S. Nambooripad, Indian mathematician (b. 1935)
• 5 January{{Snd}} James Barber, British biochemist (b. 1940)
• 6 January
• Reva Gerstein, Canadian psychologist (b. 1917)
• Arne Holmgren, Swedish biochemist (b. 1940)
• 7 January
• Vincenzo Cerundolo, Italian immunologist (b. 1959)
• Chi Zhiqiang, Chinese pharmacologist (b. 1924)
• Fritz Hans Schweingruber, Swiss dendrochronologist (b. 1936)
• 8 January{{Snd}} Peter T. Kirstein, British computer scientist (b. 1933)
• 9 January{{Snd}}
• Robert Molimard, French physician (b. 1927)
• Geoff Wilson, Australian nuclear physicist (b. 1938)
• 10 January{{Snd}} André Capron, French immunologist (b. 1930)
• 14 January
• Giovanni Gazzinelli, Brazilian immunologist (b. 1927)
• Eville Gorham, Canadian ecologist (b. 1925)
• 16 January{{Snd}} László Iván, Hungarian psychiatrist (b. 1933)
• 17 January
• Peter Clarricoats, British electrical engineer (b. 1932)
• Steve Rayner, British social scientist (b. 1953)
• 18 January{{Snd}} Stanley Dudrick, American surgeon (b. 1935)
• 19 January
• David Chadwick, American pediatrician (b. 1926)
• Richard M. Dudley, American mathematician (b. 1938)
• Fang Shouxian, Chinese physicist (b. 1932)
• Anne Wilson Schaef, American psychologist (b. 1934)
• 20 January
• Emory Kemp, American civil engineering historian (b. 1931)
• Wendy Havran, American immunologist (b. 1955)
• Raymond D. Fogelson, American anthropologist (b. 1933)
• Henry C. Wente, American mathematician (b. 1936)
• 21 January
• Warren Meck, American psychologist (b. 1956)
• Boris Tsirelson, Russian and Israeli mathematician (b. 1950)
• 22 January{{Snd}} George F. MacDonald, Canadian anthropologist (b. 1938)
• 23 January{{Snd}} Peter Salama, Australian epidemiologist (b. 1968)
• 24 January{{Snd}} Li Fanghua, Chinese physicist (b. 1932)
• 25 January
• Vasily Bakalov, Russian military engineer (b. 1929)
• Liang Wudong, Chinese physician (b. 1959)
• 26 January
• Louis Nirenberg, Canadian and American mathematician (b. 1925)
• Maharaj Kishan Bhan, Indian pediatrician (b. 1947)
• Maurice Sanford Fox, American geneticist and molecular biologist (b. 1924)
• 29 January{{Snd}} Frank Press, American geophysicist (b. 1924)
• 30 January
• Johannes Geiss, German physicist (b. 1926)
• Barrie Gilbert, British and American engineer (b. 1937)
• Richard Hunstead, Australian astronomer (b. 1943)
• Zhang Changshou, Chinese archeologist (b. 1929)
• 31 January
• Melvin Seeman, American social psychologist (b. 1918)
• Donald J. West, British psychiatrist (b. 1924)
• 1 February{{Snd}} Ronald Duman, American psychiatrist (b. 1954)
• 2 February{{Snd}} Philip Leder, American geneticist (b. 1934)
• 3 February{{Snd}} Donald S. Gann, American surgeon (b. 1932)
• 4 February
• Frank Plummer, Canadian microbiologist (b. 1952)
• Teodor Shanin, British sociologist (b. 1930)
• 5 February
• Stanley Cohen, American biochemist and Nobel laureate (b. 1922)
• Yves Pouliquen, French ophthalmologist (b. 1931)
• 6 February{{Snd}} Wang Jin, Chinese archeologist (b. 1926)
• 7 February
• Li Wenliang, Chinese ophthalmologist (b. 1986)
• Hong Ling, Chinese geneticist (b. 1966)
• 9 February
• Karl-Heinz Rädler, German astrophysicist (b. 1935)
• Alvin V. Tollestrup, American physicist (b. 1924)
• John Cadogan, British organic chemist (b. 1930)
• 10 February
• Robert Hermann, American mathematician (b. 1931)
• Lin Zhengbin, Chinese surgeon (b. 1957)
• 11 February
• Louis-Edmond Hamelin, Canadian geographer (b. 1923)
• Jacques Mehler, French psychologist (b. 1936)
• Yasumasa Kanada, Japanese computer scientist (b. 1949)
• 12 February
• Geert Hofstede, Dutch social psychologist (b. 1928)
• Whitlow Au, American bioacoustics expert (b. 1940)
• 13 February
• Rajendra K. Pachauri, Indian environmental scientist (b. 1940)
• Michael Berridge, British biochemist (b. 1938)
• 14 February
• Robert H. Dyson, American archeologist (b. 1927)
• Sun Ruyong, Chinese ecologist (b. 1927)
• 15 February
• Duan Zhengcheng, Chinese industrial engineer (b. 1934)
• Léon Wurmser, Swiss psychiatrist (b. 1931)
• 16 February
• Larry Tesler, American computer scientist (b. 1945)
• Duane Alexander, American pediatrician (b. 1940)
• John Iliffe, British computer designer (b. 1931)
• 17 February{{Snd}} Per Andersen, Norwegian neuroscientist (b. 1930)
• 18 February
• José Bonaparte, American paleontologist (b. 1928)
• Peter Montgomery, American mathematician (b. 1947)
• Bert Sutherland, American computer scientist (b. 1936)
• 19 February
• Heather Couper, British astronomer (b. 1949)
• Wilhelm von der Emde, American civil engineer (b. 1922)
• Inesa Kozlovskaya, Russian physiologist (b. 1927)
• 20 February
• Emmanuel Emovon, Nigerian chemist (b. 1929)
• Jean-Claude Pecker, French astronomer and astrophysicist (b. 1923)
• 22 February
• Jeff Kimpel, American meteorologist (b. 1942)
• Mark Zanna, Canadian psychologist (b. 1944)
• 23 February{{Snd}} Zhou Tonghui, Chinese chemist (b. 1924)
• 24 February
• Katherine Johnson, American mathematician (b. 1918)
• Robert Cabaj, American psychiatrist (b. 1948)
• Jiang Yiyuan, Chinese agriculture engineer (b. 1928)
• Sung Wan Kim, American pharmacologist (b. 1940)
• Ida Stephens Owens, American biochemist (b. 1939)
• 25 February
• Peter Pritchard, American herpetologist (b. 1943)
• Erico Spinadel, Austrian and Argentine industrial engineer (b. 1929)
• 26 February{{Snd}} Bertram Raven, American psychologist (b. 1926)
• 28 February
• Freeman Dyson, American theoretical physicist and mathematician (b. 1923)
• John Renton, American geologist (b. 1933)
• 1 March
• Clara D. Bloomfield, American hematologist (b. 1942)
• Carsten Bresch, German geneticist (b. 1921)
• 2 March{{Snd}} Vera Pless, American mathematician (b. 1931)
• 3 March{{Snd}} George Preti, American organic chemist (b. 1944)
• 4 March{{Snd}} Jacques Leibowitch, French immunologist (b. 1942)
• 5 March{{Snd}} Lambros Comitas, American anthropologist (b. 1927)
• 7 March{{Snd}} Robert M. Nerem, American biomedical engineer (b. 1937)
• 9 March{{Snd}} Richard K. Guy, British and Canadian mathematician (b. 1916)
• 10 March{{Snd}} John M. Carpenter, American nuclear engineer (b. 1935)
• 14 March{{Snd}} Ofer Bar-Yosef, Israeli archeologist and anthropologist (b. 1937)
• 15 March
• Tony Lewis, British mathematician (b. 1942)
• Pilar Luna, Mexican archeologist (b. 1944)
• Olvi L. Mangasarian, American mathematician (b. 1934)
• 16 March
• Menachem Friedman, Israeli sociologist (b. 1936)
• Susan R. Wilson, Australian statistician (b. 1948)
• 17 March
• Janet Carr, British psychologist (b. 1927)
• Stephen Schwartz, American pathologist (b. 1942)
• 18 March
• Alfred Worden, American astronaut (b. 1932)
• Mark H. A. Davis, British mathematician (b. 1945)
• William Alfred Weber, American botanist and lichenologist (b. 1918)
• 19 March{{Snd}} Antonio Michele Stanca, Italian geneticist (b. 1942)
• 20 March{{Snd}} Harkishan Singh, Indian chemist (b. 1928)
• 21 March{{Snd}} Robert Klapisch, French physicist (b. 1932)
• 22 March
• Ciprian Foias, Romanian mathematician (b. 1933)
• Vintilă Mihăilescu, Romanian anthropologist (b. 1951)
• Markvard Sellevoll, Norwegian geophysicist (b. 1923)
• Sultana Zaman, Bangladeshi psychologist (b. 1932)
• 23 March{{Snd}} Pyotr Lysenko, Belarusian archaeologist (b. 1931)
• 24 March
• Ian Reay Mackay, Australian immunologist (b. 1922)
• John F. Murray, American pulmonologist (b. 1927)
• Robert A. Rescorla, American psychologist (b. 1940)
• 26 March
• Jenny Clack, British palaeontologist (b. 1947)
• Jean Ginibre, French mathematician (b. 1938)
• Rolf Huisgen, German chemist (b. 1920)
• Robin Thomas, American mathematician (b. 1962)
• Michael J. Tyler, Australian herpetologist (b. 1937)
• 27 March
• Lanny D. Schmidt, American chemist (b. 1938)
• Zhou Jun, Chinese botanist (b. 1932)
• 28 March
• William B. Helmreich, American sociologist (b. 1945)
• Michel Tibon-Cornillot, French anthropologist (b. 1936)
• Edoardo Vesentini, Italian mathematician (b. 1928)
• 29 March{{Snd}} Philip W. Anderson, American theoretical physicist and Nobel laureate (b. 1923)
• 30 March
• Jean-Claude Chamboredon, French sociologist (b. 1938)
• Kurt W. Fischer, American psychologist (b. 1943)
• James T. Goodrich, American neurosurgeon (b. 1946)
• 31 March
• Mark Azbel, Israeli physicist (b. 1932)
• Richard C. Friedman, American psychiatrist (b. 1941)
• Reimar Lüst, German astrophysicist (b. 1923)
• Adolphe Nicolas, French geologist (b. 1936)
• Michael Wakelam, British molecular biologist (b. 1955)
• Gita Ramjee, Ugandan and South African HIV researcher (b. 1956)

{{#section-h:2020 in science|See also}}

{{reflist|30em}}

• {{Commons category-inline|2020 in science}}
• [https://imgur.com/a/ArwoJAK Science Summary 2020], monthly images for entries of this list

{{DEFAULTSORT:January-March 2020 in science}}

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Category:2020-related lists

Category:Science timelines by year