Editing 1949 in science

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{{Year nav topic5|1949|science}}
{{Science year nav|1949}}

The year '''1949 in [[science]]''' and [[technology]] involved some significant events, listed below.

==Astronomy and space exploration==
* January 26 – The [[Hale Telescope]] at [[Palomar Observatory]] in California, the largest [[aperture]] optical telescope in the world for 28 years, sees [[First light (astronomy)|first light]].
* June 14 – [[Albert II (monkey)|Albert II]], a [[rhesus monkey]], becomes the first [[Animals in space|mammal in space]], in a U.S.-launched [[V-2]] rocket, reaching an altitude of 83 miles (134&nbsp;km) but dying on impact after a parachute failure.

==Chemistry==
* [[Radiocarbon dating]] technique discovered by [[Willard Libby]] and his colleagues at the [[University of Chicago]]—work for which Libby will receive the [[Nobel Prize]] in 1960.
* A group including [[Dorothy Hodgkin]] publish the three-dimensional molecular structure of [[penicillin]], demonstrating that it contains a [[Beta-lactam|β-lactam]] ring.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Crowfoot, D. |author2=Bunn, Charles W. |author3=Rogers-Low, Barbara W. |author4=Turner-Jones, Annette |year=1949|chapter=X-ray crystallographic investigation of the structure of penicillin|editor1=Clarke, H. T. |editor2=Johnson, J. R. |editor3=Robinson, R. |title=Chemistry of Penicillin|publisher=Princeton University Press|pages=310–367}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|first=Jenny P.|last=Glusker|title=Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin (1910-1994)|journal=[[Protein Science]]|year=1994|volume=3|issue=12|pages=2465–2469|doi=10.1002/pro.5560031233|pmid=7757003|pmc=2142778}}</ref>

==Computer science==
* April – [[Manchester Mark 1]] computer operable at the [[Victoria University of Manchester|University of Manchester]] in England.
* May 6 – [[EDSAC]], the first practicable [[stored-program computer]], runs its first program at [[University of Cambridge]] in England, to calculate a table of squares.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Pioneer computer to be rebuilt|journal=Cam|volume=62|date=2011|page=5}}</ref>

==Earth sciences==
* August 5 – [[1949 Ambato earthquake|Ambato earthquake]] in [[Ecuador]], measuring 6.8 on the [[Richter magnitude scale]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://earthquake.usgs.gov/learn/today/index.php?month=8&day=5&submit=View+Date |title=Today in Earthquake History: August 5 |date=2009-12-18 |accessdate=2011-07-19 |publisher=[[United States Geological Survey]] |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110608184553/http://earthquake.usgs.gov/learn/today/index.php?month=8&day=5&submit=View%2BDate |archivedate=8 June 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* [[Patomskiy crater]] in Siberia is discovered by Russian geologist Vadim Kolpakov.

==History of science==
* [[Herbert Butterfield]] publishes ''The Origins of Modern Science, 1300-1800''.

==Mathematics==
* [[Ákos Császár]] discovers the [[Császár polyhedron]].
* [[D. R. Kaprekar]] discovers the convergence property of the number [[6174]].

==Medicine==
* The use of [[Lithium (medication)|lithium]] salts to control mania is rediscovered by [[Australians|Australian]] psychiatrist [[John Cade]], the first [[mood stabilizer]].<ref>{{cite journal|title=Lithium salts in the treatment of psychotic excitement|last=Cade|first=J. F. J.|journal=Medical Journal of Australia|year=1949|volume=2|pmid=18142718|pmc=2560740|pages=349–52|url=https://www.who.int/docstore/bulletin/pdf/2000/issue4/classics.pdf|issue=10| accessdate=6 June 2011 <!--DASHBot-->|doi=10.1080/j.1440-1614.1999.06241.x}}</ref>
* First implant of [[intraocular lens]], by [[Harold Ridley (ophthalmologist)|Sir Harold Ridley]]
* First [[16PF Questionnaire|Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire]], a self-report [[personality test]], released.

==Meteorology==
* January 11 – [[Los Angeles, California]] receives its first recorded [[snow]]fall.

==Philosophy==
* [[Gilbert Ryle]]'s book ''[[The Concept of Mind]]'', a founding document in the [[philosophy of mind]], is published.

==Physics==
* [[Freeman Dyson]] demonstrates the equivalence of the formulations of [[quantum electrodynamics]] existing at this time,<ref>{{cite journal|first=F. J.|last=Dyson|title=The radiation theories of Tomonaga, Schwinger, and Feynman|journal=[[Physical Review]]|volume=75|issue=3|pages=486–502|year=1949|doi=10.1103/PhysRev.75.486|bibcode=1949PhRv...75..486D|doi-access=free}}</ref> incidentally inventing the [[Dyson series]].<ref>{{cite journal|first=F. J.|last=Dyson|title=The ''S'' matrix in quantum electrodynamics|journal=Physical Review|volume=75|issue=11|pages=1736–1755|year=1949|doi=10.1103/PhysRev.75.1736|bibcode=1949PhRv...75.1736D}}</ref>
* The [[Lanczos tensor]] is introduced in [[general relativity]] by [[Cornelius Lanczos]].<ref>{{cite journal|first=Cornelius|last=Lanczos|title=Lagrangian Multiplier and Riemannian Spaces|journal=[[Reviews of Modern Physics]]|volume=21|issue=3|year=1949|pages=497–502|doi=10.1103/RevModPhys.21.497|bibcode=1949RvMP...21..497L |url=https://cds.cern.ch/record/1062657/files/RevModPhys.21.497.pdf|doi-access=free}}</ref>
* [[Pauli–Villars regularization]] is first published.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Pauli|first1=W.|authorlink1=Wolfgang Pauli|last2=Villars|first2=F.|authorlink2=Felix Villars|title=On the Invariant Regularization in Relativistic Quantum Theory|journal=Reviews of Modern Physics|volume=21|issue=3|pages=434–444|year=1949|bibcode=1949RvMP...21..434P|doi=10.1103/RevModPhys.21.434|doi-access=free}}</ref>

==Zoology==
* [[J. B. S. Haldane]] proposes the [[Darwin (unit)|Darwin]] as a unit of evolutionary change.<ref>{{cite journal|first=J. B. S.|last=Haldane|year=1949|jstor=2405451|title=Suggestions as to quantitative measurement of rates of evolution|journal=[[Evolution (journal)|Evolution]]|volume=3|issue=1|pages=51–56|doi=10.1111/j.1558-5646.1949.tb00004.x|doi-access=free}}</ref>
* [[Konrad Lorenz]] publishes ''[[King Solomon's Ring (nonfiction)|King Solomon's Ring]]'' (''Er redete mit dem Vieh, den Vögeln und den Fischen'').

==Awards==
* [[Nobel Prize]]s
** [[Nobel Prize in Physics|Physics]] – [[Hideki Yukawa]]
** [[Nobel Prize in Chemistry|Chemistry]] – [[William Francis Giauque]]
** [[Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine|Medicine]] – [[Walter Rudolf Hess]], [[Antonio Caetano De Abreu Freire Egas Moniz]]

==Births==
* January 25 – [[Paul Nurse]], [[English people|English]] [[cell biologist]], winner of the [[Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine]].
* February 1 – [[Alice Alldredge]], [[Australia]]n-born [[oceanographer]].
* February 17 – [[Peter Piot]], [[Belgians|Belgian]] [[microbiologist]] and [[epidemiologist]].
* February 19 – [[Danielle Bunten Berry]], born Dan(iel Paul) Bunten (died [[1998 in science|1998]]), [[Americans|American]] software developer.
* February 22 – [[Tullio Pozzan]] (died [[2022 in science|2022]]), Italian [[biochemist]].
* March 28 – [[Michael W. Young]], American [[geneticist]] and [[chronobiologist]], winner of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
* April 5 – [[Judith Resnik]] (died [[1986 in science|1986]]), American [[astronaut]].
* April 18 – [[Yasumasa Kanada]], [[Japanese people|Japanese]] [[mathematician]].
* May 24 – [[Tomaž Pisanski]], [[Slovenia]]n mathematician.
* May 26 – [[Ward Cunningham]], American [[computer programmer]].
* June 2 – [[Heather Couper]] (died [[2020 in science|2020]]), English [[astronomer]].
* July 23 – [[Andrew Odlyzko]], Polish-born American mathematician.
* August 31 – [[H. David Politzer]], American physicist, winner of the [[Nobel Prize in Physics]].
* November 6 – [[John Zarnecki]], English space scientist
* November 24 – [[Sally Davies (doctor)|Sally Davies]], English [[Chief Medical Officer (United Kingdom)|Chief Medical Officer]].
* [[Michael Houghton (virologist)|Michael Houghton]], British-born virologist, winner of the [[Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine]].

==Deaths==
* February 22 – [[Félix d'Herelle]] (died [[1873 in science|1873]]), [[French-Canadian]] [[microbiologist]], a co-discoverer of [[bacteriophage]]s.
* April 28 – [[Robert Robertson (chemist)|Robert Robertson]] (born [[1869 in science|1869]]), British chemist.
* May 27
** [[Ægidius Elling]] (born [[1861 in science|1861]]), [[Norwegians|Norwegian]] [[gas turbine]] pioneer.
** [[Martin Knudsen]] (born [[1871 in science|1871]]), [[Danes|Danish]] physicist.
* August 5 – [[Ernest Fourneau]] (born [[1872 in science|1872]]), [[French people|French]] [[Medicinal chemistry|medicinal chemist]].

==References==
{{reflist}}

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