This article lists a number of significant events in science that have occurred in the first quarter of 2022.

Events

January 1 January – Israel reports, for the first time, a case of flurona, a rare mixture of coronavirus and influenza infections.

3 January – OpenAlex, a free online index of over 200 million scientific documents – each with metadata such as sources, citations, author information and research topics – is launched. The API and open source website can be used for metascience, scientometrics and novel tools that query this semantic web of papers. 5 January – Scientists show how antibiotic resistance also evolves naturally, without and before the use of antibiotics. 6 January The global atmospheric methane concentration exceeds 1,900 parts per billion (ppb) for the first time in human history. Astronomers report the first direct detection of pre-supernova activity in a red supergiant star before a Type II supernova (SN 2020tlf). Scientists report the development of sensors to gather and identify DNA of animals from air (airborne eDNA). 7 January – Progress in cancer pre-screening, screening and early detection is reported: metabolomic biomarkers in blood (4 J.), circulating protein biomarkers (7 J.), and an optical biopsy system with a fine-needle probe (6 J.). 10 January The first successful xenogeneic heart transplant, from a genetically modified pig to a human patient, is reported in the United States. Researchers build upon previous studies documenting biodiversity loss to confirm that a sixth mass extinction event, entirely caused by anthropogenic activity, is currently underway. A study quantifies climate change mitigation potentials of 'high-income' nations shifting diets – away from meat consumption – and restoration of the land. 11 January The first known deformation of an exoplanet is detected by the CHEOPS mission, which finds that WASP-103b is being strongly influenced by its parent star's close proximity, making the planet shaped like an ellipsoid instead of a sphere. A study reports the likely detection of an extreme SEP event that hit Earth ~9000 years ago and, unlike known Solar storms, unexpectedly happened near a Solar minimum.

12 January A team reports the fastest ever sequencing of a human genome, accomplished in just five hours and two minutes. Molecular biologists show that the common assumption that mutations are "random" is wrong – mutation frequency can vary across regions of the genome, with such DNA repair- and mutation-biases being associated with various factors. Astronomers report, based on new spatial and dynamical constraints, that the Local Bubble, a ~1,000-light-years wide superbubble, is driving nearly all recent star formation near the Sun and that it originates ~14 Myr ago. 13 January NASA reports that Earth's global average surface temperature in 2021 was tied with 2018 as the sixth warmest on record, while the past eight years were collectively the warmest years since modern recordkeeping began in 1880. A study, based on data of millions of military personnel, suggests that the common Epstein-Barr virus is the leading cause of multiple sclerosis. 18 January Europe's first quantum annealer with more than 5,000 qubits is launched in Jülich, Germany. A study suggests and defines a 'planetary boundary' for novel entities such as plastic- and chemical pollution and finds that it has been crossed. A study for the first time attempts to assess and quantify complete societal costs of cars (i.e. car-use, etc). Microbiologists demonstrate an individually adjusted phage-antibiotic combination as an antimicrobial resistance treatment, calling for scaling up the research and further development of this approach.

19 January In a first global assessment, scientists report, based on medical records, that antibiotic resistance may have contributed to ~4.95 million deaths (1.3 M directly attributed) in 2019, more than e.g. AIDS. Increased antibiotic use during the COVID-19 pandemic may exacerbate this global health challenge. A report recommends a number of measures such as, broadly described, building resilience to scientific misinformation and a healthy online information environment and not having offending content removed. 20 January – UNESCO announces a major new coral reef off the coast of Tahiti, stretching 3 km and in "pristine" condition, discovered by marine biologists as part of the Seabed 2030 Project. 22 January – According to a space monitoring company, a Chinese satellite, SJ-21, grabs an unused satellite and throws it into an orbit with a lower risk for the space debris to collide. 24 January A chip with molecular circuit components in single-molecule (bio)sensors is demonstrated. The James Webb Space Telescope arrives at its destination, Lagrange Point 2. 25 January Chinese scientists at the Wuhan University and other institutions report in a preprint the detection of the closest MERS-CoV relative in bats to date, NeoCoV, and PDF-2180-CoV that can efficiently use bats' ACE2 for cell-entry. The to-date unreviewed preprint finds that one mutation could result in a 'MERS-CoV-2' that, like SARS-CoV-2, can use humans' ACE2 receptor and has both a very high fatality (MERS-CoV had a mortality of around 35%) and high transmission rate, and hence represents a risk to biosafety and of potential zoonotic spillover. According to one report, the WHO stated that further study would be required to find out "whether the virus detected in the study will pose a risk for humans". The study also emphasizes the need for pathogen/spillover surveillance. Neuroscientists confirm an unknown type of communication between neurons in the healthy brain – the transfer of proteins (). Here between RGC and excitatory LGN neurons. The CDC confirms the Omicron variant causes less severe disease than previously dominant variants. The novel Omicron subtype 'BA.2' did not initially show an increase over this lower virulence. Nevertheless, in the U.S., the daily new COVID-19 deaths were higher during Omicron dominance than during Delta's during fall and the high volume of hospitalizations can cause indirect harm via local health care system strains beyond less severe but non-mild disease effects. 26 January Scientists regrow the missing legs of adult frogs, which are naturally unable to regenerate limbs, within 1.5 years using a five-drug mixture applied for a day via a silicone wearable bioreactor. The first laparoscopic surgery performed entirely by a robot is reported. Astronomers at the ICRAR report the discovery of a repeating transient with an unusually slow spin, occurring just three times an hour. It is believed to be a new class of neutron star or a white dwarf, located ~4,000 light-years away. Researchers report the development of a technology that enables searching the planetary collection of nucleic acid sequences. The open source supercomputing-based Serratus Project identified over 130,000 RNA-based viruses, including 9 coronaviruses. While such and related endeavors and data are reportedly risky themselves as of 2021, the project aims to improve pathogen surveillance, the understanding of viral evolutionary origins and enable quickly connecting strange emerging illnesses to recorded viruses. 31 January – Researchers find evidence that reading on electronic devices can reduce comprehension. Reading text on a smartphone was found to promote overactivity in the prefrontal cortex and reduce sighing frequency compared to reading text on paper.

February

1 February – The American Geophysical Union reports, based on a study by Chinese scientists published in November, that climate change has likely begun to suffocate the world's fisheries, passing a critical threshold of oxygen loss in 2021. 2 February Progress in cancer screening is reported: DNA methylation biomarkers for breast cancer (WID-BC-index; 1 Feb.) and ovarian cancer (WID-OC-index; 1 Feb.) as well as lipidomics biomarkers for lung cancer (MS-based rapid targeted assay for levels of nine lipids in blood; 2 Feb.). The IAU announces the Centre for the Protection of the Dark and Quiet Sky from Satellite Constellation Interference to coordinate or aggregate measures to mitigate the detrimental effects of satellite constellations on astronomy. 3 February The first comprehensive non-public global map of oil and gas "ultra-emitters" of the potent greenhouse gas methane based on satellite data, first reported in 2020, is published. Scientists report the development of artificial tooth enamel from aligned assembled hydroxyapatite nanowires, a biomimetic material that has superior properties to natural tooth enamel and shows potential for use in dentistry (if found, made or further developed to be compatible with the mouth environment). Scientists report the detection of anomalous unknown-host SARS-CoV-2 lineages with wastewater surveillance. 4 February – COVID-19 pandemic: A study by the CDC finds that surgical masks worn at indoor public venues can reduce the chances of testing positive for COVID-19 by 66%, while tightfitting N95 and KN95 masks can reduce the odds of infection by 83%. 7 February – Researchers demonstrate a spinal cord stimulator that enables patients with spinal cord injury to walk again via epidural electrical stimulation (EES) with substantial neurorehabilitation-progress during the first day. On the same day, a separate team reports the first engineered functional human (motor-)neuronal networks derived from iPSCs from the patient for implantation to regenerate injured spinal cord showing success in tests with mice. 8 February A study integrates meta-analyses and data in a tool that shows populations' relative general life extension potentials of different food groups. The largest and most accurate computer simulation to date of the local Universe is presented. It covers a volume of 600 million light-years from Earth and includes over 130 billion simulated particles, spanning its complete history from the Big Bang to the present. The first evidence of a planet within the habitable zone of a white dwarf is reported, based on data from the star WD 1054–226, which lies 117 light-years from Earth. 9 February Researchers report the development of a viable flash JH-based process to recover rare-earth elements used in modern electronics from industrial wastes. A breakthrough in fusion energy is reported at the Joint European Torus in Oxford, UK, with 59 megajoules produced over five seconds (11 megawatts of power), more than double the previous record set in 1997.

10 February A third planet is detected orbiting Proxima Centauri, the nearest known star to the Sun. Proxima d, with only a quarter of Earth's mass, is one of the lightest exoplanets ever found. Results from the first controlled trial of caloric restriction in healthy non-obese humans, CALERIE, are published, confirming benefits and identifying a key protein that could be harnessed to extend health in humans. 11 February The Australian government changes the conservation status of the koala from vulnerable to endangered, due to its rapidly shrinking habitats and climate change. Astronomers report the discovery of Alcyoneus, the largest known galaxy, in diameter. 14 February A study shows how immune training via a mix of molecules extracted from certain bacteria could potentially protect infants against pervasive severe lower respiratory tract infections. The most comprehensive study of pharmaceutical pollution of the world's rivers finds that it threatens "environmental and/or human health in more than a quarter of the studied locations". 15 February – NASA publishes its latest Sea Level Rise Technical Report, an update of the 2017 edition, which includes projections for sea-level rise through to the year 2150. The agency warns that sea levels may rise as much over the next 30 years as during the previous 100.