inventions in scienec in 2014

1. a) The Oldest Artwork In The World Predates Modern Humans
In 2007, archaeologists examining fossilized seashells in a museum collection stumbled upon a detail
other scientists had somehow missed: deliberate engravingsof abstract patterns. These shellswere dated
to over 500,000 years ago, and were found amongst other shells that had been carefully crafted into
specialized tools, at the same site where the first fossils of Homo erectus, our hominin ancestor, had
been discovered, in 1890. Taken together, these discoveries suggest that Homo erectus was far more
sophisticated than previously believed and capable of symbolic thought. This year, these scientists
published the fruit of seven years of confirmation that these shells indeed represent the earliest
examples of art and tools in the world. While scientists disagree somewhat on the original purpose of
these artifacts, the discovery "raises the possibility that the development of human cognition — human
culture — was a very long process.
b) Young Blood Rejuvenates Old Brains
A few yearsago, scientists from Stanford discovered that it's possible to reverse cognitive decline in old
mice by injecting them withthe blood of the young. At the time, researcher Saul Villeda wasn't entirely
sure how young blood reversed the effects of cognitive decline. This year, several studieshelpedelucidate
the mechanism responsible for this rejuvenation.
c) The First Earth-Sized, Habitable Zone Planet
In April, scientists announced the discovery of Kepler-186f,a faraway planet that's perhaps the most
Earth-like yet discovered. It's the same size as our home world, and at the right distance from its
parent star to have liquid water.
"The ultimate goal of all this searching for exoplanets – the real reason we're doing this – is to answer
the question ' are we alone?'" So said Tom Barclay, a research scientist working with NASA's planet-
hunting Kepler mission, and co-author of the paper recounting Kepler-186f's discovery.
Barclay says that the answer to that big, ultimate question is almost certainly contained in the
answers to a host of smaller ones, starting with: Are there other placesout there like Earth? With the
discovery of Kepler-186f,Barclay said, it's clearer than ever that "the answer to that question is 'Yes.'"
d) An Ocean's Worth Of Water Below Earth's Surface?
After a series of experiments,geologists have come to a rather startling conclusion. There may be a
ocean-sized amount of water far beneath the Earth, trapped inside the high-pressure mantle zone
between our planet's liquid metal core and its outer crust.
For decades, geologists have speculated about what created Earth's vast oceans of water. One
popular theory is that icy comets crashed into the planet,eventually meltinginto oceans. But another
theory, which now seems more plausible, was that Earth was already packed with water when it
formed. As the planet coalesced out of dust and rocks, that water became trapped in various rocks
below the crust.
e) Enceladus Harbors A Hidden Ocean. Does That Ocean Harbor Life?
In 2005, NASA's Cassini spacecraft beamed back images showing what appeared to be plumes of
water vapor spewing from fractures, called "tiger stripes," near the southern pole of Enceladus, an
icy moon of Saturn. These images alone could not prove that liquid water existed beneath the
moon's surface. But in April, an analysis of gravity measurements taken by Cassini confirmed
that a large reservoir of liquid water exists underneath Enceladus's icy exterior. Moreover, they've
confirmed that the tiny moon is a differentiated celestial body; it's comprised of two layers — an
external icy layer and an internal rocky core made up of silicates.Excitingly, this layer of silicate
rock, in conjunction with liquid water, means that Enceladus features a potentially habitable
environment — one that could be even more hospitable to life than Europa, a moon of Jupiter.
Not four months later, the Cassini team presented observations that suggest the moon's geysers
may be directlyconnected to the sea beneath its surface – a monumental discovery. As Carolyn

2. Porco, leader of the Cassini imaging team, put it: "For me, the finding of an easily sampled,
habitable environment within Enceladus has been Cassini's most profound discovery. Many of us
are now asking whether a second origin of life in our solar system could have occurred on thi s
little moon."
f) A Skull Discovered In An Underwater Cave Holds Clues To The History Of America'sFirst Settlers
Paleoamericans began exploring the western coasts of the Americas about 15,000 years ago, but
never managed to establish the longer-lasting empires (Inca, Maya) that would give rise to Native
Americans. Because of the distinct facial features of paleoamericans and Native Americans,
scientists thought the two groups had distinct ancestry. However, a skull found underwater off
the shore of Mexico proved this year that Native Americans and paleoamericans share common
ancestry in the people who lived in Beringia (an enormous stretch of fertile grassland connecting
Eurasia and the Americasduring the last ice age) and that differences in their facial structure
must have come about from differences in lifestyle, not ancestry.
g) Evidence of Active Tectonics on Jupiter's Moon, Europa
A recent geological survey of Europa revealed a massive, 20,000 square -kilometer portion of the
moon's surface had gone missing. In September,researchers published evidence that suggests a
plate tectonicsystem may be moving old portions of Europa's surface beneath adjacent plates. If
confirmed,the findingwould make Europa the only known place in the solar system (apart from
Earth) whose surface continues to be shaped by active plate tectonics.
h) Stem Cells Could Hold A Cure To Type 1 Diabetes
ß cells are insulin-producing cells found in the pancreas that help keep blood glucose levels in
balance. In patients with type 1 diabetes, ß cells are targeted and destroyed by the immune
system. A possible cure? Replace the destroyed cells with ones grown in a lab. In October,
researchersat Harvard University published a method for converting human embryonic stem cells
into ß cells at quantities large enoughto make cell transplantation feasible (though researchers
still need to figure out how to protect synthesized cells from the autoimmune attacks that
eliminate the body's natural ß cells). The cell-derived ß cells are currently undergoing trials in
animal models, including non-human primates.
i) An Artificial Yeast Chromosome Was Built From Scratch
Twelve years ago, scientists created the first artificial virus. Eight years later, the world was
introduced to the first synthetic genome for bacteria. By 2012, scientists had created the first
complete computer model of a living organism. In March of this year, an international team of
scientists reconstructed a syntheticand fully functional yeast chromosome.A breakthrough seven
years in the making, the remarkable advance could eventually lead to custom-built organisms
(human organisms included).
j) At Stonehenge, A Pair of Monumental Discoveries
Though archaeologists have long suspected that the huge neolithic stones of Stonehenge once
formed a complete circle,evidence in support of the claim has remained elusive. In September,
following a dry summer season, archaeologists were able to observe patches of dry grass that
appear to confirm the prehistoric monument's circular configuration.
Not two weeks later, archaeologists, using powerful ground-penetrating radar, announced they
had detected a trove of previously unknown burial mounds, chapels, shrines, pits — and most
remarkable of all — a massive megalithicmonument made up of more than 50 giant stones buried
along a 1,082-foot-long c-shaped enclosure. The new findings upend previous conceptions of
Stonehenge as a desolate and lonely place.
k) The Philae Lander Successfully Touches Down On a Comet
Over ten years ago, scientists at the European Space Agency bid adieu to a robot lander named
Philae, as it set off on a mission with the Rosetta space probe to collect data about comet
67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. This November, after Rosetta achieved orbit around the comet,
Philae detached from Rosetta and landed on 67P. After two wild bounces and no harpoon strikes
to anchor it, Philae settled in the shadow of a cliff. For the first time in human spacefaring history,
a robotic probe had been placed on the surface of a comet – and already its findingsare reshaping
the way we view the universe.