TSC Milestones
Scientific Milestones
1994
The Science Coalition (TSC) is founded to advocate on behalf of federal government investment in fundamental scientific research as a means to stimulate the economy, spur innovation, and drive America’s global competitiveness
1994
The Global Positioning System (GPS), an investment that began in the 1960s, becomes fully functional, leading to applications and location services like Google Maps
1995
Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and JILA physically create the fifth state of matter, the Bose-Einstein condensate, confirming the 1924 theory of its existence
1996
TSC launches its website: sciencecoalition.org
1996
While examining a Martian meteorite that landed on Earth nearly 13,000 years ago, NASA finds it contained carbon-based molecules – the key to life on Earth – leading them to believe life is possible on Mars
1997
NASA’s Mars Pathfinder lands with Sojourner onboard, the first rover to explore the planet, gathering about 2.3 billion bits of information including images and analyses of soil and weather patterns of the Red Planet
1998
DOE’s Office of Science is founded, becoming the nation’s primary sponsor of physical sciences research
1998
Construction begins on the International Space Station, which will become a world-class research lab for government, commercial, and academic purposes and a home in space for astronauts and cosmonauts
1999
TSC introduces its Champion of Science Awards, honoring extraordinary members of Congress leading the push for federal investment in fundamental research
1999
For the first time, researchers complete the molecular map of a ribosome, the protein builder of the cell, responsible for numerous functions including damage repair
2000
Researchers at the DOE Plant Research Laboratory sequence the first plant genome, giving us a tool that finally allows an examination of plant genes at the molecular level
2001
Scientists create the first molecular-scale circuits, a feat for nanoelectronics providing us “computing power to launch scientific breakthroughs for decades”
2002
Scientists at Stony Brook University create the first synthetic virus, improving our national security and understanding of biological weapons
2003
The Human Genome Project is completed, and the full human genome is published, unlocking our genetic code for the first time and allowing us to develop new therapies to treat, cure, and prevent a number of diseases
2003
Researchers funded by DOD’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) begin looking into voice recognition combined with artificial intelligence, ultimately leading to technologies like Apple’s Siri
2004
NASA’s Mars Opportunity Rover mission begins, turning a 90-day mission into 15 years of exploration, furthering our understanding of the history of water on Mars
2005
The first dinosaur tissue is discovered by researchers at North Carolina State University, allowing giving us insight into how dinosaurs lived that we couldn’t see from fossilized bones
2006
NASA discovers proof that dark matter exists, a substance thought to make up 85 percent of the universe
2007
TSC is incorporated as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization
2007
Researchers at the University of Michigan develop a material similar to a “transparent aluminum,” a durable composite which could be used to reinforce lightweight armor or aircrafts
2008
Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles unearth how to reverse the clock on adult human skin cells by turning them into stem cells with unlimited properties, possibly creating an unlimited source of cells for tissue engineering and replacement
2008
Researchers draw a cancer patient’s DNA for the first time, giving us fresh insights into the fundamental nature of the disease
2009
Researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory confirm flerovium, the 114th element, expanding the periodic table
2010
TSC launches its first Sparking Economic Growth report to illustrate how federal investment in fundamental research helps stimulate the economy
2010
Physicists at the University of California, Santa Barbara create a device capable of demonstrating quantum effects in the motion of a human-made object, possibly allowing us to one day understand why we can’t be in two places at once
2011
TSC poll finds that nearly 7 in 10 voters approve of using taxpayer dollars to support scientific research
2011
The 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics winners uncover the universe is not only expanding, but also speeding up, leading to the now widely accepted theory of dark energy, called “the most profound problem in modern physics
2012
TSC helps establish the Golden Goose Awards which highlight how seemingly obscure research has led to major scientific and technological breakthroughs
2012
The “God particle” also known as the Higgs boson is confirmed to exist, completing the standard model of particle physics
2013
TSC releases its second Sparking Economic Growth report highlighting an additional 100 companies that trace their roots to federally-funded university research
2013
Scientists at MIT find a way to manipulate the memories of mice, bringing forth the possibility of using memory modification to treat mental diseases such as PTSD, Alzheimer’s, and depression
2014
TSC launches SCIENCE 2034 to mark its 20th anniversary, looking forward 20 years and focusing on the possibilities of the future
2014
IBM creates a brain-like super computer capable of artificial intelligence called “True North,” changing the way computers interact with the world
2015
TSC poll shows that 89 percent of voters feel it is important for the United States to be a global leader in science and technology research
2015
Researchers at Northeastern discover the first new antibiotic in nearly 30 years, teixobactin, providing hope for tough-to-treat infections like tuberculosis and MRSA that have high resistance to antibiotics
2015
NASA discovers the first earth-like planet in our galaxy, bringing us closer to finding Earth 2.0
2015
NASA finds proof that water exists on Mars today, furthering our understanding of how and if life can be supported on the Red Planet in the future
2016
Scientists from Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School grow a full human heart from stem cells, potentially improving the process of organ transplants and mitigating organ shortages in the future
2017
The third version of Sparking Economic Growth is released showcasing the more than 300 companies created from federal research funding
2017
The first gene therapies for cancer are approved by the FDA, providing new hope for patients whose conditions haven’t responded to other treatments
2018
TSC poll finds an overwhelming 82 percent of Americans from all political affiliations approve of federal investment in scientific research
2018
USDA launches the Specialty Crop Research Initiative to further our understanding of soil health and crop resilience
2018
Researchers supported by NSF develop a simple swab to screen for lung cancer, the leading cause of U.S. cancer deaths, a disease that often can’t be detected until it has spread
2019
TSC marks its 25th anniversary of advocating for federal investment in fundamental scientific research
2019
NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft passes Ultima Thule, the most distant object ever visited, making the agency the first to explore an entity holding remnants from the birth of our solar system and that may hold answers to the beginning of the universe