20Areas of Scientific Challenge

L’ORÉAL-UNESCO FOR WOMEN IN SCIENCE 2018 AREAS OF SCIENTIFIC 20 CHALLENGE YEARS FOR WOMEN IN SCIENCE SUMMARY EDITORIAL 20 areas of scientific challenge 20 years For Women in Science 1 | HIV/AIDS P.10 Science advances along a continuum, with undetectable levels in people infected with discoveries large and small made through HIV. These breakthroughs have significantly 2 | GENE EDITING P.14 careful investigation or by chance in all improved survival rates: by 2014, AIDS- 3 | CANCER P.18 corners of the world. These combine to related deaths were down by 42% from their increase our understanding of physical and peak in 2004. Unprecedented global efforts 4 | HEREDITARY DISEASES P.22 biological processes, enabling us to uncover were initiated to make therapy available 5 | BRAIN DISORDERS P.26 new ways of confronting challenges or even worldwide, increasing the possibility of opening entirely new frontiers. Global eradicating the disease. 6 | MOSQUITO - BORNE DISEASES P.30 connectivity has accelerated the discovery International collaboration to solve problems 7 | EPIDEMICS AND PANDEMICS P.34 process, the dissemination of knowledge and increased as the global nature of the problems the application of breakthroughs to make a 8 | FOOD SECURITY IN AFRICA P.38 became clear: whether the threat involves difference in people’s lives. New opportunities biodiversity, air quality or influenza, actions 9 | HEART DISEASE P.42 to fight disease, generate clean energy and in one part of the Earth have broad enhance computing power have equipped 10 | BIODIVERSITY P.46 repercussions and demand new, concerted scientists with new tools and energized their approaches. The World Wide Web provided 11 | IMMUNE FUNCTION P.50 research. an appropriate structure for global scientific 12 | ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE P.54 In human health, discoveries in genomics and collaboration, and computing power has immunology at the end of the 20th century increased exponentially since IBM’s Deep Blue 13 | ENERGY P.58 paved the way for tremendous progress in took the chess championship away from Garry 14 | ASSISTED REPRODUCTION P.62 fighting disease over the past two decades. For Kasparov in 1997. example, the identification of more than 40 15 | UNDERSTANDING THE UNIVERSE P.66 By 2003, an international consortium of genes involved in breast cancer, including scientists had completed the mapping of the 16 | PAIN RELIEF P.70 BRCA1&2 breast cancer suppressor genes, human genome. Just four years later, the cost sparked research leading to a whole new 17 | NEW MATERIALS P.74 of sequencing an individual genome was classification of malignant diseases. These under $1,000. Genetic analysis is bringing 18 | DRUG DISCOVERY AND DELIVERY P.78 were based not on where the tumor was new understanding to virtually all discovery located, but rather on its genetic 19 | POLLUTION P.82 areas, from agriculture to anthropology. Used characteristics, and as a result, to targeted on a series of remarkable recent 20 | HUMAN EVOLUTION P.86 therapeutic approaches. Similarly, triple paleontological discoveries, it is redefining the antiretroviral therapy based on new evolutionary history of the Earth’s inhabitants, understanding of immune system behavior including humans. succeeded in bringing viral loads down to 5 Just as tools become available to appreciate the scientific production of the past two the origins and properties of flora and fauna, decades. We selected 20 areas of scientific the diversity of species is threatened by challenge that have manifested over the past resource depletion, pollution and global 20 years, attracting the skills and efforts of warming. Scientists are playing a key role in the world’s leading scientists. Many of these cataloguing and investigating the properties scientists are women, and a number of them of plants, work that may offer some protection have been recognized with the L’Oréal- against the destruction of fragile ecosystems. UNESCO For Women in Science Award. They Some of the greatest repositories of plant work on all five continents, in biological and genetic diversity are located in poorer physical science, and are changing the world countries; collaboration at a regional and not only through their discoveries, but also by global scale is helping to promote acting as role models to encourage more conservation. women to pursue their scientific aspirations. Geographic interdependence has been These laureates’ achievements have matched, over the past 20 years, by a growing contributed significantly to scientific interdependence between scientific domains understanding of the world’s pressing and the development of new territories at their interfaces. For example, information Professor Indira Nath, 2002 Laureate for Asia-Pacific produced through genetic analysis can only be understood through advanced computing, challenges. Their diverse intellectual hemisphere — a threat that gained global which in turn requires ever stronger and capabilities are helping to solve the great attention with the Zika virus two years ago lighter materials. The development of social, economic and environmental issues of — and are creeping northwards with the graphene, recognized with the 2010 Nobel our time. Unfortunately, research is still effects of climate change. Epidemics and Prize for Physics awarded to Konstantin deprived of the creative talents and diverse pandemics keep scientists on high alert, Novoselov and Andre Geim, is now opening intellectual perspectives of half of humanity. particularly for viruses that jump from bird or up entirely new possibilities for nanomaterials animal species to humans. The phenomenal The research explored in the following pages required for quantum computing. progress of the past two decades in HIV is also ranges from the tiny cellular components of explored, along with the research it prompted We also see the growing importance of the human body to the dark matter of the in immune function more generally. In this domains such as information technology and universe, and addresses some of the most respect, cancer therapies are now increasingly social sciences, which are vital to significant threats in the world today. Human relying on immune system management. understanding the human condition, as well health occupies a large space in scientific Additionally, we consider progress made in as the reasons for and consequences of human endeavors. Cancer, heart disease, pain and the development of new drugs and drug activities. brain disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease delivery systems. Professor Niveen Khashab, 2017 Laureate for are high priorities in countries with aging In this 20th year of the L’Oréal-UNESCO For Africa and the Arab States demographics. Mosquito-borne diseases are Women in Science programme, we considered significant concerns in the southern 6 7 On Earth, challenges of food security, you to some of the women scientists in against bird flu; Professor Jill Farrant from biodiversity and pollution are closely medicine, biology, genetics, chemistry, South Africa, whose work on resurrection interrelated. Climate change is placing astronomy and physics whose work has been plants brings hope for drought-resistant crops additional pressure on scientists to find ways recognized by the L’Oréal-UNESCO For in Africa; and Professor Ameenah Gurib- to preserve and improve agricultural Women in Science Award each year since the Fakim, who inventoried medicinal plants on production as land becomes less hospitable, programme was inaugurated in 1998. You Mauritius, created the Centre for Phytotherapy reduce environmental pollution, and produce will meet Professors Jennifer Doudna and Research and, in 2015, was elected President and store clean electricity efficiently using Emmanuelle Charpentier, who, in a of Mauritius in 2015. These researchers, and advanced materials. By 2017, India and transatlantic partnership, developed the the many others you will encounter here, are China had become the top producers of solar CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing system; Professor each determined to put their talents to work and wind power. Experimentation on Earth is Hualan Chen from Harbin China, whose to preserve and improve life on Earth. also unveiling some of the mysteries behind research has brought innovative vaccines Earth’s creation, with scientists at CERN finding evidence in 2012 of the Higgs Boson Professor Adeyinka Glady Falusi, 2001 Laureate elementary particle that is considered for Africa and the Arab States responsible for creating mass in the universe. The evolution and perpetuation of the human We will explore discoveries that have race is an area where scientific discovery raises contributed to advancing science in the 20 untold ethical and philosophical questions. We challenge areas. In each section, we introduce look at how scientists are approaching the challenge of hereditary diseases, particularly in places where populations tend, for reasons of social cohesion or isolation, to intermarry. We also look at reproduction, which has been progressively demystified through scientific advances with in vitro fertilization, gene editing and cloning (of species other than humans, for the moment). These advances are taking place at a time when the history of the human species is being rewritten thanks to genetic analysis of newly discovered remains, some of which have been preserved until recently under the permafrost. We are also witnessing the development of artificial intelligence as computers become so adept at processing different forms of

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