2015
2015
JANUARY 2015 DEVELOPMENTS
open arm, providing food and shelter. German Chancellor Angela Merkel led the European Union in embracing the helpless immigrants, many of whom have either drowned in the sea or died on their way to Europe. However, European citizen’s show of compassion was in sharp contrast to the merciless killings of innocent people by the Islamic State militants and made the gesture by the Europeans more human. Following this, the United States, Canada and Australia also have opened doors to the refugees.
Artificial Intelligence
After a half-decade of quiet breakthroughs in artificial intelligence, 2015 has been a landmark year. Computers are smarter and learning faster than ever. Artificial intelligence (AI) is the intelligence exhibited by machines or software. It is also the name of the academic field of study which studies how to create computers and computer software that are capable of intelligent behaviour.
New Horizons arrives at Pluto
In July 2015, NASA's New Horizons spacecraft performed a close flyby of Pluto, becoming the first mission in history to visit the distant world. This probe – launched in January 2006 – had travelled 3 billion km through space. At its closest approach, it flew 12,600 kilometres (7,800 miles) above the surface, with a relative ve-
20 Gulf Yearbook 2015
JANUARY 2015 MILESTONES
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Self-regulating artificial heart
he development of self-regulating artificial heart reaches a new milestone after successfully being implanted in a human body that functions. However, in 2015, these lifesaving artificial limbs have been made commercially available for buying from the market – something that is going to change the people with heart problems live! In 2013, French Professor Alain Carpentier engineered the first self-regulating artificial heart, using biomaterials and electronic sensors. The device weighed 900 grammes, was roughly the same size as a real heart and could imitate its functions exactly. In a 10-hour operation, it was successfully implanted within a 75-year-old patient at the Georges Pompidou Hospital in Paris. Permanent artificial hearts had been around since 1982, with similar inventions that preceded them going back to the 1940s. Unlike previous versions, Carpentier's invention was the first to be completely artificial and self-regulating. Electronic sensors and microprocessors could monitor blood pressure and flow in real time – instantly adjusting the pulse rate – while a ‘pseudoskin’ made of biosynthetic, microporous materials could prevent blood clots, which had been a major issue in the past. By 2015, after a period of clinical trials, it is now available with a price between 140,000 and 180,000 euros ($190,000 to $250,000). g
locity of 13.8 km/s (49,600 km/h; 30,800 mph). The initial photos revealed a surprisingly young terrain, evidenced by the lack of impact craters and suggesting that vol-
canism or some other geological process reshaped the landscape within the last 100 million years. The onboard cameras showed icy mountains reaching up to 11,000 feet (3,300 metres)
Millennium Development Goals reduce poverty
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he year 2015 will mostly be remembered in history as the year of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). In 2000, world leaders pledged to work to achieve eight MDGs adopted by the United Nations – with a headline objective to reduce global poverty by a half, promote gender equality and empower women, achieve universal primary education, reduce child mortality, improve maternal health, combat HIV/AIDs, malaria and other disease, environmental sustainability and develop global partnerships, by 2015. Progress towards reaching the goals was mixed. There were setbacks. But overall, the reduction in poverty and increased access to health, education, technology and other essential services was without precedent in many countries' histories. “The global mobilisation behind the MDGs has produced the most successful anti-poverty movement in his-
tory,” UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, said. “By putting people and their immediate needs at the forefront, the MDGs reshaped decision-making in developed and developing countries alike.” Globally, the number of people living in extreme poverty has declined by more than half, from 1.9 billion in 1990 to 836 million in 2015. The proportion of undernourished people in the developing regions has fallen by almost half, from 23.3 per cent in 1990–1992 to 12.9 per cent in 2014–2016. The primary school net enrolment rate in the developing regions has reached 91 per cent in 2015, up from 83 per cent in 2000. The number of out-of-school children of primary school age worldwide has fallen by almost half, to 57 million in 2015, down from 100 million in 2000. Many more girls are now in school compared to 15 years ago. In South Asia, 74 girls were enrolled in primary school for every 100 boys in 1990. Today, 103 girls are en-
rolled for every 100 boys. Women now make up 41 per cent of paid workers outside the agricultural sector, an increase from 35 per cent in 1990. The average proportion of women in parliament has nearly doubled during the same period. The global under-five mortality rate has declined by more than half, dropping from 90 to 43 deaths per 1,000 live births between 1990 and 2015. Despite population growth in the developing regions, the number of deaths of children under five has declined from 12.7 million in 1990 to 6 million in 2015 globally. Since the early 1990s, the rate of reduction of under-five mortality has more than tripled globally. Since 1990, the maternal mortality ratio has declined by 45 per cent worldwide. New HIV infections fell by 40 per cent (2000 to 2013), from 3.5 million cases to 2.1 million. In 2015, the world leaders have agreed to a new set of goals is established for 20162030. g
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