American Decades

Important Events in Science and Technology, 1980–1989

On January 16, the Boston office of Biogen, a Swiss bio-engineering firm, announces it has produced a disease-fighting protein, interferon.
On February 2, Science News reports that 170 Adirondack lakes have lost their fish due to acid rain.
On February 26, the nuclear containment building at Crystal River, Florida, spills thousands of gallons of radioactive water.
On March 20, New Scientist publishes the discovery of a binary star system—two stars that rotate around each other every six hours.
On April 2, William J. Schopf at the University of California at Los Angeles discovers evidence that life on earth is 3.5 billion years old—a finding that corroborates earlier estimates.
On May 18, in Washington State, Mount St. Helens erupts, spewing forth 51 million cubic yards of volcanic ash, dirt, and rocks, leveling nearby forests and killing sixty-one...

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