Discoveries of 2014: Contributions to Scientific Progress

In one of our previous articles, we talked about significant scientific discoveries that were key drivers of progress in 2014. Today, let's delve into a few more breakthroughs made by scientists from around the world in the fields of science and technology.

Mendeleev's Table: The 117th Element

Since Mendeleev's time, his table has been constantly enriched with new chemical elements discovered by groups of scientists from different countries. This time, Russian and American chemists joined forces to confirm the 117th element with the temporary name ununseptium.

The substance was detected back in 2010, but it took four years to confirm this discovery. Two independent groups of experts conducted various studies and finally concluded that this element is indeed new and deserves a place in the periodic table.

Dinosaurs: New Discoveries

The year 2014 also marked the discovery of the remains of the largest animal ever to have lived on Earth – the gigantic dinosaur Dreadnoughtus schrani, which stood over 20 meters tall (approximately the height of a seven-story building) and about 40 meters long.

According to preliminary calculations, the dinosaur's mass exceeded 77 tons, which is fourteen times the average weight of an elephant – one of the largest land animals in modern times.

Paleontologists claim that Dreadnoughtus schrani inhabited our planet over 60 million years ago. Excavations and research in this area are still ongoing, so we may soon learn even more new details about the history of our planet and the creatures that inhabited it.

Exoplanet Kepler-186 f: Earth's Potential Twin

For decades, astronomers have been intensively searching for planets in distant systems that would resemble Earth in several parameters. In 2014, another exoplanet was discovered.

Kepler-186 f was named after the Kepler orbital telescope. It was discovered simultaneously with four other planets orbiting the star Kepler-186. The radius of the newly found planet is 10% larger than that of Earth, but otherwise, they are similar.

Experts also speculate that life may be possible on the exoplanet, but currently, there is not enough data to confirm this.

Frozen Virus Revived after 30 Thousand Years

In the northern part of the Eurasian continent, specifically in Siberia and adjacent territories, archaeologists often find remains of ancient animals frozen in ice. For example, mammoth bones found there are used for various cloning experiments in hopes of recreating this animal in the future.

In 2014, the virus Pithovirus sibericum was discovered in the Kolyma Lowland region. This virus parasitizes only on amoebas and thus remains safe for humans and animals. This life form had been frozen for over 30,000 years, and virologists have successfully brought the virus back to life.